Eventually Escalates into a Big Fight... "I Want to Return My Husband"
Conflicts Intensify During Holidays... Increase in Domestic Violence and Divorce
A story about a husband refusing to attend his mother-in-law's 70th birthday celebration due to concerns about traffic jams during the Chuseok holiday has become a hot topic.
On the morning of the 17th, the peak Chuseok holiday, the Gyeongbu Expressway section in Seoul city viewed from Jamwon Interchange in Seocho-gu, Seoul, is congested with moving vehicles. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 16th, a post titled "My husband says 'the in-laws are obvious, but why the wife's family?'" was uploaded to an online community. The author, A, who revealed they have been married for 10 years, explained the situation: "The day before the Chuseok holiday is my mother's birthday, and this year is her 70th birthday. We planned a family trip in winter to celebrate her 70th, but since we couldn't just let the birthday pass, we decided to have a meal on the day."
However, A confessed that she had a conflict with her husband over having a meal with her family. She said, "My parents and I live in Seoul. But about a week before Chuseok, my younger brother and his wife had errands in the provinces, so my mother went down to their place to look after the grandchildren." She continued, "So, the idea came up that on Saturday (the 14th), my husband and I could take my father and have a meal near my brother's place."
However, her husband flatly rejected A's suggestion, saying, "I can't go because of the traffic jam, absolutely not." Angry, A responded with "Fine," and decided she would go to her family alone. But when her husband heard that she planned to attend the meal alone, he stopped her, saying, "Then what am I?" and the situation escalated into a big fight.
A firmly said, "I'm not forcing you to drive or go, but don't stop me, your child, from going to my mother's birthday." However, her husband countered, "Why do we have to go all the way to Gyeonggi-do where my brother-in-law lives? Can't he bring her to Seoul and have the meal here?" and the argument continued.
In the end, A went alone to her mother's 70th birthday meal, and her husband made holiday food by himself and went to his in-laws' house. A said, "We haven't made eye contact or spoken for days. Was it unreasonable for me to ask to go to my mother's meal?" She added, "A few years ago, when my father-in-law was ill, my husband said that if my mother-in-law was alone, as a son, he naturally wanted to take care of her. So I asked if he could take care of one of my parents, and he immediately replied, 'Why would I? I have a brother-in-law,' with no hesitation, raising his eyes." She vented her frustration, saying, "He only talks about the duties of a daughter-in-law but has been saying 'no no no' to my family matters for 10 years. I want to return this husband."
Netizens who saw this expressed outrage with comments like, "I could never live with a husband like that," "The author should stop getting involved in the in-laws' affairs," "Even if the author asks for a divorce, the husband has no excuse," and "It's right to treat both in-laws and wife's family equally now."
Meanwhile, conflicts between couples often intensify around holidays like Chuseok. According to police statistics, reports of domestic violence during holiday periods increase by about 40% compared to usual, and the divorce rate after holidays due to marital conflicts is known to be more than 10% higher than average.
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