ARIRANG NEWS 20:00 Korea's Constitutional Court rules adultery law unconstituional

ARIRANG NEWS 20:00 In the headlines... Korea′s Constitutional Court throws out a decades-old anti-adultery law... citing individuals′ freedoms and right to privacy. Korea′s kimchi exports may find a new, big market as China is set to ease its regulations on pickled foods. Three New York residents are arrested on charges of trying to join and support the extreme militant group that calls itself Islamic State. Hello and welcome to Arirang News. Thanks for tuning in. Live from Seoul, I′m Kang Chery. Korea′s Constitutional Court rules adultery law unconstituional Korea′s Constitutional Court has struck down the law making adultery a crime. The law punished cheating husbands or wives with a maximum sentence of two years behind bars. Our Shin Se-min reports on what′s prompted the move against the decades-old law. Having an affair will no longer be a criminal offense. That′s the ruling issued by Korea′s Constitutional Court on Thursday,... following four previous appeals, with the last being in 2008. The ruling is based on the argument that the law infringes on an individual′s right to privacy... and that extramarital affairs should be regulated by civil law... not criminal law. "The decision has raised the question of whether some of the roughly 55-hundred people charged with infidelity since 2008 will file for a retrial or compensation. And one uncertainty that′s been expressed is that affairs could become more prevalent." "Adultery is still illegal. It is still a civil case. The criminal court is leaving the matter to the parties directly involved. What′s worrisome is the low alimony payments for people getting a divorce because of an affair,... as people might come to think of the destruction of a household as a minor offense." Under the law, an extramarital affair was a criminal offense punishable by up to two years in prison. But only a small percentage of those deemed guilty were jailed, as infidelity is difficult to prove, and enforcement of the law has waned in recent years. The plaintiffs would use the law as leverage to get a higher divorce settlement. Kim Kwang-sam, a former prosecutor, believes that abolishing the law would not lead to a rise in the number of extramarital affairs. "In other nations that have struck down anti-cheating laws such as France or Germany,... they didn′t go through problems caused by sexual disorders. In other words,... if you don′t punish those who commit adultery as criminals, it won′t lead to problems that will spoil the society." Other experts say that the ruling largely reflects the clash between a rapidly changing modern society and traditionally conservative norms. Shin Se-min, Arirang News. Parliamentary health committee passes law revision for cigarette packaging Tobacco companies in Korea may have to change their packaging so that their health warning messages are stronger and pictures... more graphic. The idea won a go-ahead from the health commi