"Secret 30 Million Won Debt Is Not Grounds for Divorce"
"100 Million Won Received from Parents After Marriage Is Marital Property"
"Contribution Claims Possible for Inherited Apartment as Well"
A wife who secretly took out a loan and invested in cryptocurrency, resulting in a loss of 30 million won, is now facing a divorce crisis. An expert said, "Taking on tens of millions of won in debt without the spouse's knowledge is not in itself grounds for divorce, but if trust is lost, it can be considered an exceptional reason for divorce."
On the 15th episode of YTN Radio's 'Attorney Jo Inseop's Counseling Room,' the story of wife A was introduced. A explained, "We are a dual-income couple with no children, so we have accumulated a considerable amount of money since marriage," adding, "My husband inherited an apartment from his parents who passed away before our marriage. My parents, who have poor credit, once bought an apartment under my name." She continued, "I did not tell my husband about this, but later my parents wanted to move to the countryside and wished to give the apartment to my younger brother who is married. However, my brother refused to live there because it was far from his workplace, and after a family meeting, we decided to sell the apartment."
A said, "Of the money from selling the apartment, my parents gave me 100 million won, and the rest was added to my brother's jeonse deposit. I invested the 100 million won in cryptocurrency, and thanks to the bull market, I made some profit for a while but eventually suffered a big loss." She confessed, "Wanting to recover the loss, I took out a 30 million won loan to invest more, but my husband recently found out about the loan by chance. During the questioning, he also learned about the circumstances surrounding the 100 million won. He said he could not trust me because I hid both receiving the 100 million won and taking on debt, and he asked for a divorce." A said, "I do not want to separate from my husband. He insists that my parents' apartment is subject to property division, which makes me feel hurt. What should I do?" she asked for advice.
In response, Attorney Park Kyungnae of Shinsegye Law Firm explained, "If the parents purchased an apartment in the child's name before marriage and gave the proceeds from selling the apartment to the child, not telling the spouse about this is not grounds for divorce." He added, "Taking on a 30 million won debt without the spouse's knowledge is not grounds for divorce by itself, but if trust is lost, it can be an exceptional reason for divorce." He also advised, "The 100 million won received from the parents after marriage can be considered marital property, and the wife can claim contribution regarding the apartment inherited by the husband."
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