Thursday, January 31, 2008

Have An Affair And Go To Jail


South Korean actress Ok So-Ri was indicted this month for cheating on her producer husband back in 2006. In South Korea it is illegal for a married person to have an affair. The person that Ok So-Ri was cheating with won't be charged, not because he is a man, but because he was not married and so it is perfectly fine for him to have an affair.

Although the law has been on the books forever, the cheated upon rarely ever file a criminal complaint because, lets face it, it is a stupid law, and if the government enforced it half of any country, not just South Korea would be in jail. The actress faces two years in jail for her side action.

Ok So-Ri is appealing the actual indictment and filed a petition with the government to scrap the law. In a statement about the appeal, her lawyers had this to say. "The adultery law constitutes a serious breach of the individual's rights to make decisions concerning sex and privacy under the constitution. "Adultery cases must be handled in civil courts, not in criminal courts."

I personally think they just need to get rid of any mention of adultery and go straight to the irreconcilable differences route. This is the fourth time in the last 20 years, but first since 2001 that the law has been challenged. Each time in the past, the Korean Supreme Court refused to hear any of the cases because it would weaken social morality.

What I think weakens social morality is that the guy who who was 50% responsible in this gets away with it because he was single. In fact, he would also get away with it if his wife did not file a criminal complaint. A law that is not equally enforced is a law that should never be enforced.




12 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:22 AM

    Just imagine if this was here in the States. How many would be in jail for adultery LOL.

    That's a stupid law. I am sure their are worst crimes in Korea that this petty case.

    Anyway they should also put in jail the other person for getting involved. It does take 2 to committee adultery.

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  2. I'll bet if she were an actor, not an actress, they would treat the law with the same laxity that they usually do. People get off on seeing women--any women--get hurt in one way or another. Note the way people sadosexually get off on stalking Britney and Lohan and their drug use rather than Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger. It's all on the continuum of a rape culture, and South Korea is no different. Men love to punish women for the things that men do the most.

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  3. From Wikipedia: In the United States, laws vary from state to state. For example, in Pennsylvania, adultery is technically punishable by 2 years of imprisonment or 18 months of treatment for insanity, while in Michigan the Court of Appeals, the state's second-highest court, ruled that a little-known provision of state criminal law means that adultery carries a potential life sentence. In Maryland, adultery is punishable by a fine of $10. That being said, such statutes are typically considered blue laws and are rarely, if ever, enforced.

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  4. Anonymous11:48 AM

    Ooh, I like the $10 law. Shame the mf'ers by filing charges, and paying a nominal fee. That's good vengeance for the cheated upon.

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  5. She should get the chair

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  6. We will welcome her with open arms here.

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  7. Anonymous1:03 PM

    lol@kelly

    I saw a video clip at one of the gossip sites can't remember which one. Anyway can't remember if this guy was a political figure/actor/etc.. anyway the wife came on stage and she started blasted the guy for committing adultery. They were asians can't remember which country it was at but they were trying to get her off stage since they were embarrase (misspell).

    I wonder what happen afterwards. Did he get jail time or did they just ignore it like the wife was the guilty one and not the husband.

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  8. BAM, Ent! You hit it on the head!! No repercussions for the dewed that diddled her knowing she was married.

    As James Brown would sang, "This is a Man's World..."

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  9. aren't there still laws on the books where the cuckholded (sp?) partner can sue the other party for "loss of consortium?
    for instance a couple of years ago i remember the wife of the cheater sued the cheater's (husband) girlfriend for loss of consortium.

    i never get where the person outside the couple gets the blame. why doesn't the husband or wife get the blame?

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  10. The guy who knew she was married had no obligation to stay away from her. Its her responsibility alone because she was the only one who made a commitment to someone else. She's an adult and she made certain decisions, knowing that the consequences would be hers to face, not his.
    That being said, the law is rediculous and the matter should be handled privately.

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  11. First time poster. I have to comment here.

    This story is missing some key details. The man Ok So-Ri cheated with was a French chef at one of the big hotels in Seoul. And Ok So-Ri's husband is also a well-known actor in Korea. The husband called the media and made a lot of drama - even entering the hotel and looking for the chef so as to beat him up (they claim). The chef had quickly fled and probably won't be going back to Korea. That may be the biggest reason he was not prosecuted.

    This also occurred during a time when there was some tension in Korea with the foreign community. So some say that the fact she had an affair with a foreign man was a leading cause for the subsequent drama.

    Women's rights in Korea are definitely weaker than in the U.S. Until recently, divorced women had little to no chance of retaining custody of their children. However, this story is as much about the loud, dramatic cuckolded husband and the foreign lover as about punishing a woman in man's world.

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  12. ... YAAAAAY for South Korea!! :)--

    ... "Em"cidentally...that law there is NOT AN anti-female "double standard"... as it ignores gender and specifically states the illegality of "married" cheaters... not "unmarried" ones. And married cheaters SHOULD DEFINITELY BE "Em"PRISONED here in the U.S.. If ya don't like that... then just move to some MOOOOZ-LIM country where adulterers are SHOT 'DEAD' IN PUBLIC. Perhaps we should adopt that Muslim Law here... as it'll surely CURB all the married creeps (both male and female) who don't understand the idea of getting a DIVORCE rather than *cheating* on their spouses.



    ... BTW Ent L... BAAAAAAAAAAAA...

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