"I Hated My Mother-in-Law Showing Up Unannounced, So I Changed the Door Code... But My Husband Told Her Again. I Want a Divorce" [This Law]

[Financial News] A woman has reportedly decided to divorce after her husband accused her of being "too sensitive" when she changed the door-lock password because his mother kept showing up at their home without notice.

On the 16th, YTN Radio's 'Attorney Jo In-seop's Counseling Center' featured the story of Woman A, who has been married for six years.
A, who is raising a four-year-old daughter, began by saying, "When we were dating, my husband told me I was his top priority. But after we got married, I realized there was someone more important to him than me. That person was his mother."
A said, "I thought it was understandable that he was especially devoted to his mother because he was an only child and his father had passed away a long time ago. But not long after we moved into our newlywed home, he told me that his mother wanted to come over during the day to bring us side dishes and that he would give her the door-lock password."
She continued, "I thought that might be reasonable, so I agreed, but I regret it now. After that, she would show up at our home without calling first."
She said, "There were times when I came home from work and found her organizing the refrigerator. Once, I slept in late on a weekend and was startled to find my mother-in-law hanging laundry. I even asked my husband to please tell her to call before coming over, but he was extremely hurt by that."
She said her mother-in-law's interference became more severe after the birth of their child.
A said, "She interfered in everything, telling me what to feed the child, what time to put her to bed, and to let her listen only to classical music. When my daughter caught a cold, she blamed me, saying it was because I worked, and I became angry when she muttered that her granddaughter was pitiful."
Eventually, A changed the door-lock password without telling her mother-in-law. But a few days later, her mother-in-law entered the home as if nothing had happened. Her husband had given her the new password.
A said, "I cried and told him, 'I don't know who I married,' but he instead said I was being too sensitive. In the end, I left for my parents' home with my daughter."
She added, "But my husband does not even know why I left. He says I broke up our family for no reason, but I don't think I can endure this any longer. I am considering divorce because of my mother-in-law's excessive interference and my husband's attitude. Is divorce possible in a case like this?"

Attorney Im Hyeong-chang, who reviewed the case, explained, "The fact that a mother-in-law visited the home without notice and repeatedly interfered does not, by itself, immediately constitute grounds for divorce. However, if the husband consistently took only his mother's side while the conflict continued, causing trust between the couple to collapse, that could constitute grounds for divorce."
He continued, "It is difficult to conclude that the woman abandoned her family merely because she left for her parents' home with her child. Parental authority and custody are determined primarily by considering the child's welfare, rather than by deciding who bears greater responsibility for the breakdown of the marriage." He advised, "It would be best to separate, as much as possible, your feelings toward your mother-in-law from the relationship between your child and the child's father."

[email protected] Kim Soo-yeon Reporter