February 2025 – Les Stubbs
North Korea’s New Divorce Policy: ‘Till Labor Camp Do Us Part’
North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un has ordered that divorcing couples will now be sent to labour camps for up to 6 months, with women potentially facing longer sentences.
He has declared that ending a marriage demonstrates anti-social sympathies and warrants punishment!
This crackdown follows a rise in divorce rates after the Covid-19 pandemic—a trend seen worldwide, including in Australia. However, no other country decided that labour camps were the best course of action.
Previously, only the spouse who filed for divorce was punished, even in cases of domestic abuse, and sent to a labor training camp. Under the new law, both parties will now face the same fate.
That’s the definition of tough love!
There are long standing cultural and social grounds for these rules. In Korea, the act of divorce is an affront on socialism, and also on Confucian values.
In March 2024, Kim Jong-un accused those seeking divorces of “bringing chaos into society and being against the socialist lifestyle”.
In North Korea, marriage is seen as serving the collective good and divorce is seen to disrupt the social harmony. To get divorced, both parties must consent and the government has to approve the divorce decree. Then, it’s all aboard the train to the county labour training camp.
It has been reported that women in North Korea receive longer sentences than men as they apply for a divorce more frequently than men. This ignores that this is often as a consequence of women being subjected to family violence from their husband.
Contrastingly, Australia has the concept of “no fault” divorce, to avoid arguments alleging “blame” at the end of a relationship.
The amount of control exercised by the North Korean Government emphasises the importance of countries recognising international human rights conventions and frame works such as Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
For advice on divorcing—without the risk of prison or a labor camp—speak to the expert family lawyers at Harris Freidman.
[1] https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/in-north-korea-divorce-could-land-you-in-labour-camp-report