• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.165-194
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• 2005

This study is to explore how TV drama describes divorce process by the reason of extramarital relationship in the drama. To explore this subject, 30 drama synopses delineating extramarital relationship were analyzed. The results revealed that most of the couples had difficulties in emotional relationship and communication. The couples relationship was described traditionally patriarchal: husbands showed their authorities and wives showed dependency on their husbands. The partners of extramarital relationship were the lovers before current marriage. The patterns of extramarital relationship included 'intention to look for vitality despite satisfying current marriage' for the husbands and 'intention to avoid dissatisfied current marriage temporally' or 'to maintain marriage despite dissatisfaction' for the wives. For those who married 6 years and longer, more extramarital relationship was accepted as a terminator of the marriage. And in many cases, the divorce dose not mean to maintain the relationship with extramarital partner but to collapse of trust in partner. The results imply that the social work needs to be more sensitive to middle-class couples' communication and relationship problems. This will lead to the development of the social work intervention program for the couples.