The Contemporaneity of the Non-contemporaneous: Divorce Law as a Reflection of the Social Changes in South Korea

In 2015, the plenary session of the Korean Supreme Court confirmed previous case law with a small majority. According to it, the spouse who culpably lets his or her marriage fail may not judicially enforce the divorce against the other. This interpretation seems to restrict the statutory principle of no-fault divorce. How can this case law be justified? What are the considerations behind it? Are there social circumstances that perpetuate it? This article tries to explain these questions. Answering them will show an aspect of the social changes in South Korea, especially gender equality.