Business Failures and a Shift to Hostility
Business failures and mounting debt turned a home volatile, pushing a wife identified as A씨 to seek legal counsel on YTN Radio’s legal advice program for immediate protection while still sharing a roof with her spouse.
Initially, the husband proposed divorcing while taking on all financial liabilities himself. That cooperative stance vanished the moment A씨 agreed to the split.
The Legal Weight of Cohabitation Rules
Married couples share a fundamental legal obligation of cohabitation. According to Kim Su-jin, an attorney at Law Firm Shinsegye Ro, neither spouse can unilaterally force the other to vacate a shared residence without a formal court order.
Intoxicated Tirades and Locked Bedroom Doors
The husband reportedly returns home intoxicated daily, hurling insults and threatening to sell the family’s home to leave them destitute.
The conflict has directly impacted the couple’s middle-school daughter. The husband allegedly threatened to tear up clothes purchased for the daughter and even threatened to file a theft report against her for using his personal items. Consequently, the daughter keeps her bedroom door locked out of constant anxiety, while A씨 lives in an environment she describes as unbearable.
Legal Experts Advise Seeking Emergency Protective Measures
Legal experts advise that when verbal abuse and emotional distress extend to children during pending divorce cases, spouses can petition the court for emergency protective measures.
Attorney Kim Su-jin explained that courts can issue temporary orders mandating eviction, isolation, or restricted access, which carry criminal penalties if violated. To support these requests, A씨 was advised to compile concrete evidence, including call recordings, photographs, text messages, and psychological counseling records or medical opinions detailing the daughter’s mental state. If police reports or criminal complaints have already been filed regarding the children, attorneys recommend attaching those ongoing procedures to expedite the issuance of temporary protective orders.
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