In many jurisdictions, if a marriage is broken, the court grants a divorce regardless of who is to blame. In South Korea, the starting point is the opposite. In Korea, a judicial divorce (재판상 이혼) is not simply about whether a marriage has ended emotionally....

When a marriage has reached a point of no return but does not neatly fit into categories like infidelity or physical abuse, the Korean Civil Act Article 840(6) provides a “catch-all” provision. It allows for a judicial divorce “if there exists any other serious cause...

  When a spouse disappears and their whereabouts are unknown, the problem in Korea is not just emotional but legal. Civil Act Article 840(5) provides a specific basis in Korean law for what is sometimes called a spouse missing divorce in Korea, a judicial divorce...

  When a marriage in Korea breaks down and spouses cannot agree to a consensual divorce (협의이혼), the only option is a judicial divorce (재판상 이혼). To succeed, you must prove at least one of the six legal grounds for divorce in Korea under Civil Act Article 840....

  When a marriage in Korea breaks down and the spouses cannot agree to a consensual divorce (협의이혼), one spouse must file for a judicial divorce (재판상 이혼). This requires proving one of the six legal grounds for divorce in Korea. Among these, malicious desertion...

  When spouses in Korea can’t agree to end their marriage by consent, the path is a judicial divorce (재판상 이혼). Among the recognized grounds for divorce in Korea, infidelity, termed an “act of unchastity” under Civil Act Article 840(1), is one of the most common...

  Ending a marriage in Korea legally follows one of two paths: divorce by agreement (consensual divorce, 협의이혼) or a judicial divorce (contested divorce, 재판상 이혼). (For a step-by-step overview of both routes, including jurisdiction issues for foreigners, see...