Married N Korean Defectors Face Obstacles to Divorce

With a growing number of previously married North Korean defectors seeking to remarry in the South, many are finding it hard to overcome legal obstacles stemming from marriages to people still in the communist country.

"When I tried to register my new marriage to the authorities, they rejected to endorse it, saying that I have to file a divorce first for my previous marriage," a North Korean defector said on condition of anonymity.

"But, since I filed the divorce with a local court in August 2004, there has been no news from the court about may previous marriage."

He is not alone. As of Tuesday, a total of 207 cases of marriage-related lawsuits have been filed with South Korea's family court, to leave behind marriages in the North and restart families all over again.

Most cases. however, are moving at a snail's pace as the local court does not allow for their cross-boarder divorce, citing there is no way to confirm the intention of their spouses in the country that they left behind.

The predicament that those North Korean defectors have to endure comes as a revised bill designed to facilitate their settlement here is still in deliberation in the National Assembly.

The local family court said that the divorce process for the defectors will some time as it is tricky to deliver necessary document for the cross-board divorce to the North Korean authorities.

"We know their predicament, but we have no choice but to suspend those pending cases as there is no legal ground (to endorse their new marriage)," a judge in the family court said.

A group of lawmakers led by the ruling Uri Party's Kim Hak-won and Lee Hwa-young initiated bills independently, which would facilitate the marriage and divorce process for the North Korea defectors in 2004 and 2005, respectively,

The revised bills are designed to allow North Korea defectors to file a suit with the South Korean court for the divorce by receiving a confirmation from the Ministry of Unification.

Jeong Dae-ha, [e-mail]