"I Can't Take It Anymore" Growing Marital Conflicts During 'Jipkok'... Do You Know About 'Corona Divorce'?

Couple Conflicts Worsen Amid COVID-19 Spread... Sometimes Leading to Divorce
New Term 'Corona Divorce' Emerges
Statistics Korea Reports 8,776 Divorces in June This Year
Experts Say "Need to Separate Situation and People and Reconsider"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] # Newlywed couple Choi Mo (33) and his wife Kim Mo (27), married for two years, have been fighting more frequently since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Choi said, "Usually, newlyweds fight a lot because their lifestyles don't match, but since the spread of COVID-19, we've been fighting even more," adding, "Since we both started working from home, spending more time at home, even the smallest things make me angry first." His wife Kim also said, "Spending more time with my husband has made me see too many flaws. I feel less affection because he procrastinates everything and always blames me," and added, "We don't even have children yet, but seeing us fight like this makes me wonder if we just don't match. This situation keeps repeating, and sometimes I even think about wanting to separate."

Recently, as the COVID-19 situation has prolonged, more couples spending time together at home have led to deepening conflicts. The number of couples considering divorce is increasing, making it a social issue.

Given this situation, a new term combining COVID-19 and divorce, 'Covidivorce,' has emerged.

According to a survey, the divorce rate has increased since the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the 'Population Trends' report released by Statistics Korea on the 26th of last month, the number of divorces in June this year was 8,776, up 1.1% (96 cases) from 8,680 cases the previous year. An earlier survey also showed that the number of divorces in April this year was 9,259, an increase of 1,961 cases compared to 7,298 cases in March.

The situation is no different in other countries. The U.S. online radio platform iHeartRadio reported on the 31st of last month that during the COVID-19 pandemic, couples staying together at home have been excessively stressed due to issues such as financial problems, adapting to working from home, and children's online education, which has worsened marital relationships and caused a nationwide surge in divorce rates.

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On social networking services (SNS) in Japan, 'Covidivorce' is becoming a hot topic. According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) in April, posts about 'Covidivorce' have noticeably increased on Japanese SNS recently.

Reports indicate that on platforms like Twitter in Japan, wives continuously express anger and disappointment toward their husbands, who have been spending a lot of time at home due to the spread of COVID-19.

There have been cases where even minor habits of spouses caused unbearable stress. One woman posted on Twitter, "For the past ten days, I have had to endure my husband's loud voice, noisy TV, and snoring. How much longer can I hold on? Can my soul endure this?"

There are even cases where divorce is being considered. Another woman stated, "My husband drinks and doesn't wash well. While marital conflicts sometimes resolve on their own, for me, this is a serious opportunity to think about the future."

As conflicts among couples have increased in many Japanese households due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, divorce specialist lawyer Koto Chie posted on her blog analyzing, "Couples are facing situations they have never experienced before." She added, "The home has become the workplace, and that is the main cause of the problem. People get stressed when their environment changes. That can cause serious cracks in married life."

She advised, "Couples need to share their concerns and adopt an attitude of doing housework together to resolve the issues."

Experts also suggest that in special situations like COVID-19, even if one decides on divorce, it is necessary to separate the situation from the person and reconsider once more.

Divorce specialist lawyer Choi Yuna appeared on KBS 1 Radio's 'Oh Taehoon's Current Affairs Headquarters' in May and said, "From the perspective of counseling and trials, the number of counseling calls has increased by about 1.5 to 2 times compared to usual since COVID-19," adding, "(Through counseling) many problems that had been festering have surfaced."

Lawyer Choi pointed out, "In April, many people wanted to quickly end their marriage because they didn't know when COVID-19 would end," and said, "Communication such as conversations was completely cut off, and being forced to stay together due to COVID-19 caused problems."

She continued, "If the conflict is due to economic difficulties or external circumstances, I recommend reconsidering divorce once more," advising, "I hope people think separately about whether it is because of the situation or because of the person."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.