[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

A woman who discovered that her husband's affair partner is the mother of her son's friend has come forward seeking legal advice — and wants to know how far the law will let her go in exposing the woman and forcing her out of the neighborhood.

The story of a woman identified as A, who has a middle school-aged son, was featured Wednesday on YTN Radio's legal advice program "Jo In-seop's Counseling Office."

"Not long ago I learned something that turned my life upside down," A said. "My husband had been having an affair — and the woman was none other than the mother of a student at my son's school."

She said the situation felt even more disturbing because the woman's daughter attends the same school and the same hagwon as her son. "At first I just thought my husband was friendly with a parent from the neighborhood," she said. "Then one day, after a parents' gathering, I saw the two of them meeting alone."

A said she later checked her husband's text messages and confirmed the two were in an inappropriate relationship.

"After that, my daily life became hell," she said. "At school open classes, that woman would brazenly sit right in front of me. I kept running into her at hagwon information sessions too."

She said what made it even harder to bear was watching the children greet each other innocently, with no idea what was happening between their parents.

As conflict within the family dragged on, her son sensed the tension at home and began showing signs of anxiety, eventually requiring psychological counseling at a clinic, she said.

A said she has been holding back from confronting the woman out of fear her son would be hurt. "I'm preparing to file for damages, but I want to know if there's any way to demand that she move away, or to stop her from appearing in front of me and my child," she said, asking for advice.

She added that she wants to tell other parents in the neighborhood about the affair and inform the woman's husband of the truth, but has hesitated after hearing she could face a counter-complaint for defamation. "I want to know how far I can go with legal action," she said.

On this, attorney Park Seon-a said that filing for damages against the affair partner is possible, and that if the child's psychological harm can be proven, the amount awarded could increase.

However, Park said that legally compelling the woman to move or restricting her freedom of movement would be difficult, and that a no-contact order would require special circumstances such as stalking.

Park particularly cautioned that informing other parents in the neighborhood about the affair could give rise to defamation issues, and advised that rather than telling the woman's husband directly, it would be safer to let the information come out through litigation.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com