Korea considers ending law criminalising adultery

Some women´s groups contend the law must be maintained to protect female rights in a traditionally male-dominated society.

SEOUL, March 18, 2010 (AFP) - A South Korean panel is considering whether to scrap a controversial law which makes adultery a crime punishable by imprisonment, an official said Thursday.

Critics say the law introduced in 1953 breaches individuals' rights, but in 2008 the Constitutional Court upheld the legislation for a fourth time.

The justice ministry said a special committee tasked with revising the criminal code was discussing a possible change to the adultery law. But a spokesman said it had made no decision so far.

Yonhap news agency said the committee of 24 legal experts was likely to scrap the law when it draws up a proposed new criminal code late this year.

In October 2008 only five of the nine Constitutional Court judges ruled that the law was unconstitutional, short of the two-thirds majority needed to nullify the legislation.

The ruling was in response to a high-profile petition by an actress who had been sued by her actor husband for adultery.

Some women's groups contend the law must be maintained to protect female rights in a traditionally male-dominated society. Critics say it breaches the right to sexual choice and is outdated.