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At a wedding ceremony in Gyeonggi-do, an employee is disinfecting the space between the chairs of the guests placed at a distance of more than 1 m to prevent the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) before the ceremony begins. [사진 출처 = 연합뉴스]Last year, the number of marriages hit a record low as a result of a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19). The total number of divorces decreased slightly, but the number of “twilight divorces” between couples who have lived together for more than 20 years has increased significantly.
According to the National Statistics Office on the 18th, the number of marriages last year was 214,000, 10.7% less than the previous year (240,000). This is the lowest since the related statistics were written in 1970. The double-digit decline rate is the first in 23 years since 1997 (-10.6%) during the financial crisis.
The head of Korea’s Population Trends Section of Statistics, Kim Soo-young, said: “Due to Corona 19, marriages have been postponed or canceled.” The conditions of marriage, such as giving or contracting, are also difficult. , and full-time marriage and non-marriage are on the rise, “he explained.” The positive perception and values of marriage are gradually changing, “he explained. According to the ‘2020 Social Survey’ published by the National Statistical Office, only 51.2% of the survey recipients thought that “we must get married” or “do well.” This is a decrease of 14 percentage points compared to 2010 (64.7%).
The age of first marriage has also increased. Last year, the average age for men to get married at the beginning was 33.2 years, 1.4 years older than 10 years ago. However, as the number of international marriages decreased due to Corona 19, the age of first marriage decreased for the first time compared to the previous year. The average age of women at first marriage was 30.8 years, 1.9 years older than 10 years ago.
The number of divorces last year was 107,000 cases, 3.9% less than the previous year (111,000 cases). It has been three years since 2017 that the number of divorces per year has decreased.
An official from the National Statistical Office explained: “For reasons such as refraining from leaving due to the crown or postponement of the court, the process of processing divorce applications is lengthened, and there seems to be a part that has affected the reduction of (divorce ). ”
However, it was found that the length of marriage for more than 20 years increased by 3.2% compared to a year before the divorce.
Divorces for more than 30 years (16,600 cases) soared 10.8%.
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