"If You Break Up Like Hwang Jung-eum, It's a Big Problem"…Why Divorce Lawyers Strongly Advise Against It

"If a lawsuit is ongoing, the marriage is still maintained,
the marital relationship is only broken after the final judgment is confirmed"
"In such cases, meeting a boyfriend or girlfriend
may lead to becoming the at-fault spouse"

Divorce attorney Yang So-young warned those undergoing divorce litigation not to recklessly disclose their dating history like Hwang Jung-eum. The photo is of actress Hwang Jung-eum. Photo by Hwang Jung-eum Instagram.

Actress Hwang Jung-eum attracted attention by revealing her romantic relationship during her divorce lawsuit with her ex-husband, prompting a divorce specialist lawyer to warn those undergoing divorce proceedings, "You should not recklessly disclose your dating life like Hwang Jung-eum."

On the 12th, divorce case specialist lawyer Yang So-young cautioned on her YouTube channel 'Yangdamso' in a video titled "Is it okay to date during a divorce lawsuit?" saying, "If you imitate this (disclosing a romantic relationship during a divorce lawsuit), you could really get into big trouble."

Lawyer Yang said, "Recently, Hwang Jung-eum mentioned that her (attorney) said it was okay that she had a boyfriend during the divorce lawsuit," adding, "I'm worried people might misunderstand that 'it's okay to meet someone,' so I want to clarify."

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Hwang Jung-eum appeared on SBS Plus variety show 'Soloraseo' and, when asked by the host, "Is it okay to meet someone during the (divorce) lawsuit?" she revealed, "I called my lawyer first and asked, 'Will this be a problem?' and was told that dating after the marriage has broken down is fine. They said there’s no problem."

Lawyer Yang said, "Hwang’s case is fine. The marriage had already broken down, and although I don’t know the exact facts, according to the articles, there was infidelity by the other party," adding, "When one party files for divorce without any reason and the other party does not agree, should the marriage be considered broken? The answer is no."

Lawyer Yang explained, "Marriage is strictly a contract. If one party says 'I want a divorce' without any reason and the other party does not consent, the marriage contract is still valid," adding, "If the lawsuit is ongoing, the marriage is still maintained. The marital relationship is only considered broken once the final judgment is confirmed."

Divorce attorney Yang So-young warned those undergoing divorce litigation not to recklessly disclose their dating history like Hwang Jung-eum. The photo is of actress Hwang Jung-eum. Photo by Hwang Jung-eum Instagram.

Lawyer Yang said, "In some cases, the marriage should already be considered broken, but in others, even during the lawsuit, the marriage is not yet broken. Therefore, there are cases where a divorce petition is filed but the divorce is dismissed," adding, "In such cases, you should not meet a boyfriend or girlfriend. I’m concerned that some people might misunderstand after reading about Hwang Jung-eum’s case and suddenly become the at-fault spouse."

Hwang Jung-eum married Lee, a professional golfer and businessman, in 2016 and has two sons. However, in February of this year, she filed for divorce after exposing Lee’s infidelity. Five months after this news broke, in July of this year, she confirmed her romantic relationship with basketball player Kim Jong-gyu. However, after two weeks, she announced their breakup, saying they decided to remain good acquaintances.