Basically, Korea is a Confucian area. These days, we have connections with so many different cultures. One new idea is living together before marriage. Actually, this topic is creating a sensation among the older generation in Korea especially. Today I would like to talk about living together before marriage.
        Modern youth sometimes choose to live together before marriage. They love each other and they want to live together, but they don't want marriage because they don't know how deep their love is exactly. Also they don't like the responsibility of marriage. They think that living together is a test before marriage, and sex without any responsibility is a just pleasure. I don't agree with them.
        There are so many kinds of creatures on the earth, and almost all of them are distinguished into two sexes. They find their partners to propagate by their own rules. However, people don't have any rules expect for those made by people. One rule is marriage. Marriage is a promise to God, family and one's own self. So marriage is accompanied with responsibility. This is the difference between marriage and just living together before marriage.
        Now, I am going to tell you my reason why living together before marriage is not a healthy cultural pattern. First, our society is based on spirituality and morality. Our cultural pattern is fundamentally different from Western culture, which is material and sensual. Until now our society has considered living together before marriage to be a deviation from our cultural rule. So people living together before marriage can't avoid criticism of society, and they can't have respect in any situation because they aren't a couple formally.
        Second, according to TV news statistics, one of every three marriage ends in divorce. So some people worry about the increasing rate of divorce, and they say living together is one way to reduce the divorce rate. But the rate of divorce is even higher in the West where people live together and separate easily, because they don't have a serious responsibility to each other in this kind of life. These cultural patterns may increase the divorce rate.
        Third, if people living together before marriage have a baby, the problem becomes even more serious. We mustn't overlook the consequences of abortion and legal responsibility for the baby. During living together before marriage, pregnancies may lead to abortion more easily. If the baby is born, who is the legal protector? And the baby can't have a loving home. Also if people living together before marriage get married only because of the baby, they might regret the marriage later. After marriage, however, separation is a different matter; in this case, all legal protection is given to the baby.
        Therefore, I hope that if a couple love each other, and they want to live together, they will live under the protection of the law. Living together before marriage pursues only love and liberty, but it isn't accompanied by any responsibility, and it's a selfish choice. All of the world coexists with opposites like good and evil, front and back, male and female. When all of these things--including husbands and wives--harmonize with each other, there will be no problem.