[New Word Dictionary] Covidivorce - Social Distancing Needed Even Between Couples

Corona divorce is a compound word of Covid-19 and divorce, referring to the trend of increasing divorces due to more time spent at home caused by social distancing and the expansion of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Illustration by Youngwoo Lee.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Reina Kobayashi, a former Japanese idol turned broadcaster, recently attracted attention by sharing photos of her divorce ceremony on social media. After marrying Shinichiro Takiune, who is 13 years her senior, following a three-year relationship in 2016, Kobayashi, who has one daughter, revealed in an interview with a weekly magazine that the reason for their breakup was "completely a 'Corona Divorce'." She explained that due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), her husband stayed home continuously, and spending so much time together was a first in their four years of marriage. Kobayashi said, "Bad habits in daily routines started to show, and fights never stopped," adding, "I might have been careless and half-hearted, while my ex-husband was meticulous and thorough, so we might not have been compatible."

Corona Divorce is a neologism combining COVID-19 and divorce, describing the social trend of increased divorces due to more time spent at home caused by social distancing and remote work during the pandemic. The U.S. legal document site Legal Templates reported a surge in divorce document purchases after the spread of COVID-19, with divorce rates increasing by 57%. Similarly, China saw a spike in divorce lawsuits immediately after lifting lockdown measures. In Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, the number of divorce lawsuits doubled compared to the same period the previous year, and the search engine Baidu announced that searches related to divorce increased by 21% according to their statistics. The registration office in Xi’an, Shanxi Province, faced a backlog of divorce procedures due to a daily processing limit of five cases, leading to the coining of the term "reservation divorce." In Japan, as Corona Divorces surged, a lodging startup introduced a "temporary refuge" service that became popular. This refuge, designed as a space to stay away from home when conflicts arise due to extended family time, charges 4,000 yen (about 43,500 KRW) per night and 70,000 yen (about 760,000 KRW) per month. The company reported a steady increase in reservations. Experts advise that to prevent Corona Divorces, it is essential for couples to create separate spaces and practice 'distancing' within the home, such as eating lunch separately.

Example

A: I'm so relieved that social distancing has been lowered to level 1 these days.
B: Why, did something happen?
A: My sister and brother-in-law fought often during the extended remote work period. The nephew couldn't go to kindergarten, and mom couldn't visit often to look after him, so spending all day together at home meant they had to work, prepare three meals, take care of the kid... so both got exhausted.
B: If strict distancing had continued, it could have been a real disaster. Right, couples need distancing too. Not to mention having their own spaces. Since they couldn't go out and remote work lasted long, Corona Divorces surged worldwide.
A: I guess being alone is more comfortable after all~

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