Married but 'single': Why young Korean couples delay registering status even after tying the knot

Shin Dong-geun got married in March, but his legal status has yet to catch up. Three months after his wedding, he remains single — at least on official records.

“We haven’t registered our marriage yet, and we don’t have plans to do so for the time being,” Shin told the Korea JoongAng Daily during a phone interview. “I know many other couples who have made the same choice, and they often have similar reasons.”

For Shin and others like him, the decision is not about postponing marriage itself, but about what legal marriage would immediately trigger.

“Once you register, everything from your legal status, housing eligibility and even welfare benefits changes, so we’re asking ourselves what registering our marriage actually adds,” Shin said.

Not shy to pop the question, but hesitant to mark the status

Shin’s case is part of a broader trend among newlyweds who are increasingly delaying the legal step of marriage registration even after holding wedding ceremonies.

According to the Minsitry of Data and Statistics, of the 240,326 couples who registered their marriages last year, 47,096, or about 19.6 percent, did so more than a year after their wedding. Such delayed registrations have become increasingly common, rising steadily from 27,372 cases in 2020 to 29,348 in 2022, before exceeding 40,000 for the first time in 2024.

As more couples treat marriage as a lived arrangement rather than simply a legal status, the practice has fueled debate over the so-called marriage penalty — a catch-all term used to describe the perceived financial and structural disadvantages tied to legal registration.

'What if I regret it?'

Although it represents a smaller share of cases, delaying marriage registration is a way of avoiding the uncertainty of what could happen if the relationship ends — some couples do not want a divorce to appear on their official records.

According to a survey conducted last year by the matchmaking company Gayeon, 2.3 percent of the respondents said it's because of the concerns over social stigma surrounding divorce remain present among Koreans.

“You know, the world has changed a lot, but divorce still carries disadvantages in this conservative society,” said Kim Young-jae in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Kim divorced last year after just one year of marriage.

“I’m still young, but because of that record, people assume there is something wrong with me, and it works against me, especially in the dating market."

“I shouldn’t have registered my marriage, and I keep advising my friends not to do so for at least a year,” Kim added.

Divorce lawyers who mainly handle family disputes said they have also noticed a change among younger generations, with more couples reconsidering whether marriage registration should come before they feel completely certain about their relationship.

“In the past, people tended to register their marriage first because living together before marriage was viewed negatively,” a lawyer who specializes in divorce and family-related issues told the Korea JoongAng Daily on the condition of anonymity. “But these days, younger people are more concerned about the social consequences of divorce.”

The lawyer said younger couples increasingly view marriage registration as a decision with long-term consequences rather than simply a formal step after a wedding.

Some couples who eventually registered their marriages said they shared similar concerns, especially because dating for a few months or even years may not always be enough to fully understand a partner.

“I registered my marriage only recently, more than a year after we held our wedding, because I didn’t want to do it until we had a baby,” said a freelancer surnamed Hwang in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily. “Premarital cohabitation is still not very common here, so I needed more time to get to know my partner better.”

“The core psychological question was: ‘What if I regret it?’” Hwang added.

Loan roadblocks and housing

For most couples, however, the decision to delay marriage registration tends to be driven less by emotional uncertainty and more by practical financial concerns.

For many newlyweds, the calculation begins with a simple question: Will registering our marriage make it harder to secure a home?

According to the survey by Gayeon, 56.8 percent of respondents who had not yet registered their marriage said they delayed registration because securing a newlywed home was more advantageous while they were still legally single.

“More realistic reasons are usually related to housing issues, including loans and opportunities to buy a home,” said the family law specialist. “The problem is especially pronounced in subsidized government programs such as the Didimdol [low-interest housing loan] program.”

Under current rules for the Didimdol program, registered couples are assessed based on their combined household income when applying for mortgage and policy-backed loans. For some dual-income, middle-class couples, this can actually reduce access to government support.

While the annual income cap for individual borrowers is 60 million won ($39,000), the combined income cap for newlywed couples is 85 million won, rather than 120 million won. This means some couples who would qualify individually can become ineligible after registering their marriage.

“We expected marriage to change our status socially, not suddenly make us worse off in terms of loans and housing support,” Shin said. "For couples already struggling with high housing prices, such changes can make marriage registration feel like a financial disadvantage rather than a benefit."

“This is just so absurd,” Shin added.

Slimmer odds in the housing lottery

Housing concerns extend beyond loans.

Some young couples say marriage registration can also reduce their chances of securing a home through Korea’s housing subscription system, known as cheongyak and often described as the “housing lottery.”

Under the point-based cheongyak system, applicants are ranked based on factors including savings history, subscription period and whether they have previously owned a home. Higher scores increase the chances of being selected for newly built apartments often offered at below-market prices.

However, marriage can put some couples at a disadvantage.

For dual-income households, combining both partners’ incomes can push them above the income limits required for certain special supply programs designed for newlyweds and first-time buyers.

Eligibility can also be affected by housing history.

If either spouse previously owned a home or received a housing subscription allocation — even before the relationship began — the entire household may lose access to certain first-time buyer benefits.

Taken together, these rules mean marriage can sometimes reduce competitiveness in the housing market rather than improve it, particularly for young dual-income couples who find themselves in a difficult middle ground: too wealthy to qualify for support, but not wealthy enough to comfortably purchase a home without assistance.

“Just in every aspect of housing, marriage doesn’t bring any benefits but only disadvantages,” Shin said. “Who would want to reduce their chances of winning the housing lottery by registering a marriage?”

Once hitched, the tax burden grows

Marriage registration can also create additional tax burdens for some couples, particularly those who already own property.

One of the most immediate issues arises when two single homeowners decide to marry, changing their status from separate individuals to a single household.

Before registration, two individuals who each own one home are treated as separate property owners. If either person purchases another property, it is considered their second home and is generally subject to an acquisition tax rate of 1 percent to 3 percent.

After marriage registration, however, the couple is treated as one household with two homes. If they later purchase another residential property, it may be classified as the household’s third home, exposing them to significantly higher acquisition taxes of up to 8 percent in government-designated regulated areas.

“We are not rich or anything, but we do have some property and are planning to buy some more for investment,” said Choi, an English instructor, in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“We were both shocked when we found out we would have to pay more acquisition taxes for our next property if we registered our marriage first. So we didn’t [register].”

With both partners already owning property, Choi said the couple feels caught in an uncomfortable middle ground — unable to access many housing benefits because of their assets, but not wealthy enough to easily absorb higher tax burdens.

“We worked hard to gain our property, and it feels unfair that we would have to pay more taxes just because we are married,” Choi said.

Government responses

Facing criticism that existing policies may unintentionally discourage legal marriage, the government has begun reviewing reforms aimed at reducing disadvantages and expanding benefits for registered couples.

At an interagency policy meeting on youth and population issues on June 9, the Ministry of Planning and Budget outlined measures designed to make marriage policy-neutral, or even advantageous, for young couples.

The proposed changes include expanding eligibility for public rental housing, easing income thresholds for newly married couples and allowing limited exemptions for couples who exceed income caps after marriage.

Officials also said they plan to reduce additional interest-rate burdens applied to certain housing-related loans after marriage and expand tax deductions for dual-income couples who live separately because of work or regional assignments.

The proposed reforms, however, have received mixed reactions from young couples, with some saying the changes may not address the core problems.

“Well, it’s good to hear that the government is taking action, but we will have to see if the benefits will be worth it,” Choi said.

Shin shared a similar view, saying the government needs to focus more directly on housing-related disadvantages.

“I feel like the government isn’t really tackling the main issues, such as benefits for newlywed couples on housing loans and the housing lottery,” Shin said.

“If anything, newlyweds should get more benefits, but in reality, we will still be more disadvantaged in many aspects."