Last June, South Korea ended a policy that allowed most couples divorce on-the-spot and instead implemented a mandatory deliberation period before they could their end marriages.
The change came after some judges complained their courts were filled on Monday mornings with "hot-headed" couples seeking to split up after rough weekends. The judges called for laws to set up a cooling-off period to think over divorce decisions.
The Supreme Court said that after the system went into place, the number of couples cancelling their petitions seeking divorce increased while National Statistical Office data showed those actually divorcing fell sharply from the same period a year ago.
Under the previous system, couples who filed papers at a local government office and paid a fee equal to a few dollars could obtain a divorce in less than an hour.
The new system requires couples with children to go through a three-month deliberation process while childless couples can end their marriage after a one-month period. On-the-spot divorces are still granted in cases of physical or sexual abuse.
Yoo Jae-bok, a former family court judge who helped lead the call for changing the quick divorce law, said the new system has proven effective but could still be improved.
"I would like to see judges have more room for discretion in deciding the length of the deliberation period. The system either could be too short for some or a pain in the neck for others," Yoo said on Tuesday.
The number of divorces in South Korea has almost doubled in the decade starting in 1995 to become one of the highest in Asia.
Social stigmas that used to make couples reluctant to break up have faded as the country has become more prosperous and less bound by tradition, experts said.
source:http://news.
Vocabulary Enrichment:
* hot-headed - adjective Characterized by unthinking boldness and haste
* cools off- Calm down, become less ardent, angry, or agitated
* mandatory - adjective Required or commanded by authority
* deliberation - noun Discussion and consideration of all sides of an issue
* discretion noun Ability or power to decide responsibly
* Social stigmas- severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultural norms
* on-the-spot -adjective done or occurring at the time or place in question
Guide Questions :
1. What images spring to mind when you hear the word `divorce'?
2. Do you think that divorce is a sin? Why or why?
3. Do people get divorced too easily and quickly today? What are some reasons why people file for divorce?
4. Would you still be friends with someone after you divorced them (or they divorced you)? Explain your answer.
5. Why do celebrity marriages end in divorce so quickly?
6. Why do you think divorce is higher in some countries than in others?
7. What effect does divorce have on children?
8. Would you date someone who had been divorced several times? Why or why not?
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