Unmarried cohabiting couples could become commonplace and dramatically change South Korea’s traditionally conservative society within the next 10 years, a survey showed.

About 44.4 percent of the 1,000 single respondents aged 25 to 39 projected cohabitation or common-law marriage to be the dominant family form by 2029, according to a survey by Duo, a local matchmaking firm, on Wednesday.

This was higher than those that answered traditional marriage, which was 33.3 percent. Graduation from marriage, a recent trend among seniors of staying legally married but living alone to enjoy the freedom of a single life, stood at 9.4 percent. Those that pointed to contractual marriage and divorce were 9.3 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

A majority of the respondents called for new legal frameworks to accommodate such different family patterns, with 43.9 percent demanding the state to recognize common-law marriage and 42.0 percent to make prenuptial agreements legally binding.

About 60.4 percent said they would register their marriage “after” the wedding ceremony. Those who answered “before” was 36.9 percent, up 11 percentage points from three years ago, mostly to gain access to cheaper housing loans or housing assistance reserved for newlyweds.

Attitude toward divorce tended to vary by gender. About 45.0 percent of the women showed a positive response, compared with 34.2 percent for male respondents. The percentage of males and females that answered negatively was 23.5 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively.

In response to the changing social perceptions, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is seeking to expand the definition of family under the Health Family Act to include cohabiting couples. If approved, children born out of wedlock would receive the same treatment as those from traditional marriages. This would also entail changes in inheritance, family and civil laws in the country.

By Park Yun-gu and Kim Hyo-jin

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]