7 Out Of 10 Koreans Feel Couples Can Live Together Without Marriage: Study

Pic: Pixabay (representational purposes only)

Almost seven out of 10 South Koreans said couples can live together without marriage, while nearly four in 10 replied that couples can have a baby out of wedlock, a statistical office survey showed on Tuesday. 

According to the Statistics Korea poll of around 36,000 respondents aged 13 and older conducted between May 15 and May 30, 67.4 per cent said couples can live together without tying the knot. Support for cohabitation was on the rise from 46.6 per cent in 2014 to
56.4 per cent in 2018 and 65.2 per cent in 2022. Of the total respondents this year, 37.2 per cent said couples can bear a child without getting married.

The ratio has also been on the increase from 22.5 per cent in 2014 to 30.3 per cent in 2018 and 34.7 per cent in 2022. Those who replied that people must or had better get married came to 52.5 per cent of the total this year, fluctuating from 56.8 per cent in 2014 to 48.1 per cent in 2018 and 50.0 per cent in 2022.