{"id":2205775,"date":"2024-07-12T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T03:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205775"},"modified":"2024-07-15T19:47:57","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T10:47:57","slug":"tying-the-knot-or-not-south-koreas-trend-of-delayed-marriage-registration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/07\/tying-the-knot-or-not-south-koreas-trend-of-delayed-marriage-registration\/","title":{"rendered":"Tying the knot or not: South Korea\u2019s trend of delayed marriage registration"},"content":{"rendered":"
In South Korea, a growing number of couples are choosing to delay their official marriage registration, prioritizing economic benefits over legal formalities. Lee Jae-yeon, a 39-year-old Seoul resident, exemplifies this trend.<\/span><\/p>\n Lee and her partner celebrated their love with a grand wedding ceremony in 2019, inviting hundreds of guests to share in their joy. Three years later, they welcomed a baby girl into their lives. To the world, they are a family of three, but on paper, Lee remains single.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMarriage registration is a mere formality,\u201d Lee told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cNothing should stand in the way of having a higher chance for better housing. People know we are married and recognize us as our daughter\u2019s parents, and that is enough.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lee\u2019s decision to remain officially single allows her to maintain eligibility for a housing subscription available to first-time property buyers. If she were to legally marry her partner, who already owns an apartment, they would be assessed jointly as a married couple, disqualifying her from this benefit.<\/span><\/p>\n The housing subscription system in South Korea aims to help first-time homebuyers and low-income families acquire affordable housing through a lottery. It prioritizes applicants based on family size, income and homeownership status, enabling them to purchase newly constructed apartments at below-market rates.<\/span><\/p>\n With fierce competition among aspiring homeowners for a limited number of units, Lee sees the housing subscription as a crucial investment opportunity, especially since properties obtained through this scheme are often significantly cheaper than market prices.<\/span><\/p>\n Statistics Korea reported a significant rise in the percentage of delayed marriage registrations. In the 2010s, the <\/span>rate<\/span><\/a> of marriage reports postponed by two years or more exceeded 5%. This figure surged to 7.06% in 2021 and further increased to 8.15% in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n Jung Chan-soo, a 36-year-old man, also remains officially single on paper. He has delayed registering his marriage for seven years, waiting for the optimal time to apply for a housing subscription. Jung plans to apply for specially allocated units for newlyweds, which only allow applications within seven years of official marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n In the meantime, Jung focuses on saving money to apply for an apartment in Seoul and having a child, which would boost his position on the housing subscription list. Only then will he sell his studio apartment in Gyeonggi Province, where he currently resides, to qualify for the housing lottery.<\/span><\/p>\n Holding onto the apartment also serves as a strategic move as its value continues to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur top priority was to improve our quality of life after marriage,\u201d Jung said. \u201cMy partner and I agreed that official registration is unnecessary. We wanted the best chance at securing housing benefits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n An apartment complex in Seoul, Aug. 2014 | Image: Republic of Korea via Flickr<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n MARITAL UNCERTAINTY<\/b><\/p>\n For many couples in South Korea, a \u201cgrace period\u201d before officially confirming their marriage has become necessary, extending beyond housing considerations. The volatility of early marriages is evident in the statistics, which show that until 2020, <\/span>one in five<\/span><\/a> couples divorced within four years of marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s divorce rate stood at <\/span>1.8 per 1,000 people<\/span><\/a> in 2023, higher than the <\/span>OECD average<\/span><\/a> and those of countries like Japan (1.6) and the U.K. (1.7). Despite this relatively high rate and a shift in social perceptions making divorce less taboo, many couples still prefer to avoid the complications of an official record.<\/span><\/p>\n Exposure to media discussing divorce has gradually changed attitudes, but the reluctance to leave a formal trace persists as a preemptive measure.<\/span><\/p>\n Seol Dong-hoon, a sociology professor at Chonbuk National University, suggests that people tend to \u201cerr on the side of caution in case a divorce occurs,\u201d avoiding the official record as a pragmatic approach.<\/span><\/p>\n Park Hye-seon, a 37-year-old who separated from her long-term partner in 2023 after two years of living together as a couple, took such a cautionary approach.<\/span><\/p>\n Although the former couple held a public wedding ceremony, they never officially registered their marriage. Now, when Park goes on dates, she does not disclose her previous long-term relationship or the public ceremony they held.<\/span><\/p>\n Park recalls that she and her then-partner tacitly agreed not to proceed with marriage registration to test their compatibility, especially as she observed more divorced couples around her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn hindsight, it was the right decision,\u201d Park told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>. \u201cSeparation was simple as nothing on paper was in the way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n These socio-economic hurdles lead married couples in South Korea to wait several months before officially reporting their marriages, a trend reflected in statistical data.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>percentage<\/span><\/a> of marriage reports delayed by a year or less remains high at around 80%, but this figure has declined from 89.11% in 2014 to 84.69% in 2022, reflecting an increasing tendency to delay registration for more extended periods.<\/span><\/p>\n A married couple getting divorced | Image: Canva<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n INCENTIVIZING MARRIAGE<\/b><\/p>\n The South Korean government has recognized the issue of couples not formalizing their marriages, especially as the country records <\/span>the lowest birth rate<\/span><\/a> among OECD countries at 0.78. In response, the Yoon administration has introduced a series of policies to incentivize marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n