“We’re divorcing as soon as the CSAT is over” ... A high school senior’s anxiety after overhearing parents fight [The Law]

[Financial News] A story has emerged about a high school senior preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) who is suffering from anxiety after overhearing their parents argue that they would divorce once the exam was over.

On the 1st, a video titled “My parents say they’ll divorce after the CSAT—what should their high school senior do?” was posted on the YouTube channel “Attorney Yang Na-rae.”
According to Student A, a high school senior preparing for the CSAT, their parents, who generally did not get along well, had a loud argument at home during the winter break just before A started senior year, even though they knew their child was in their room.
A wanted to stop the fight but was afraid things might get worse, so stayed quiet in their room. A said they heard their parents say, “We’re divorcing as soon as the CSAT is over,” and, “We can’t keep being held back by the kid forever. We’ve lived together long enough.”
For a while, A’s parents carried on as usual, so A assumed they had spoken in the heat of the moment. But not long afterward, while arguing again, A heard them say, “What’s the point of fighting? We’re already headed for a breakup,” and, “Let’s stop wasting energy and wait a while.”
After that, A came to see the parents’ divorce as being in a kind of truce because of A’s CSAT. A spent more and more time watching YouTube videos about parental divorce, and said their worries grew by the day: whom they should live with, and whether they would have to live alone as an adult.
A admitted being especially afraid of the financial issues. A sought advice about whether they would simply have to accept not receiving help with university tuition and living expenses if their parents divorced, and how much property their mother, a full-time homemaker, might receive.

Attorney Yang, who heard A’s story, explained, “The fact that parents divorce does not mean they are necessarily required to cover all of an adult child’s university tuition and living expenses.” She added, “Even if a child is an adult, a duty to provide support under the Civil Act may come into question if they have difficulty supporting themselves and their parents have the financial means.”
Regarding the mother’s share of the property, Yang said, “Being a full-time homemaker does not mean you cannot receive a share of the property in a divorce.” She added, “Childbirth, child-rearing and housework can also be recognized as contributions to the formation and maintenance of marital property.”
Yang advised, “Perhaps you could speak honestly to your parents and say, ‘Are you really going to get divorced? What will happen to me after you divorce? I’m anxious too, and I haven’t been able to sleep lately. Please respect my situation.’”

[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter