Thursday, 26 February 2015
Adultery is legalize in South Korea.
SEOUL-South Korea’s constitutional court on Thursday scrapped the
nation’s criminal anti-adultery law, saying it infringed upon
personal freedom.
Created in 1953, the law allowed for jail terms of up to two years
for those found to have knowingly engaged in an extramarital affair
if punishment was sought by the spouse. The statute was designed to
provide women with legal support at a time when few were
sufficiently financially independent to have the option of leaving
their cheating husbands and divorce was stigmatized.
Nearly 53,000 South Koreans have been indicted and more than
35,000 jailed for marital infidelity since 1985, the start of
electronic record keeping, according to the Supreme Prosecutors’
Office.
Last year 892 were charged but none were imprisoned. Legal experts
say plaintiffs in recent years have preferred to reach a financial
settlement.
Shares of South Korean condom maker Unidus Corp. surged after the
ruling, hitting the 15% daily gain limit on the local index.
“It’s realistically impossible that all unethical acts face criminal
justice,” said Park Han-chul, the presiding justice at the court in
reading out the verdict. Seven of the nine judges including Justice
Park ruled in favor of the repeal, while two, including Lee Jung-mi,
the court’s sole female judge, opposed.
Until Thursday’s ruling, which is effective immediately, South Korea
was one of a few non-Muslim countries that regularly practiced
criminal prosecution of adultery.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment