The divorce rate of old couples surpassed that of newlyweds in Seoul, demonstrating a fast-changing public perception toward marriage, data showed Wednesday.

According to a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, couples splitting up after living together for over two decades accounted for 32 percent of the total divorce cases last year, about 10 percentage points higher than that of newlywed couples with less than four years of marriage.

Last year, 19,500 couples divorced, while about 65,000 couples tied the knot, the survey said.

The change in the perception toward marriage, coupled with improved economic environment and increased life expectancy, contributed to the growing divorce rate among the elderly, the city speculated.

The average age of divorcees was 47.8 for men and 44.8 for women. The average age was 10 years younger than two decades ago, city officials said.

Meanwhile, the average age of men getting married was 32.8 and women 30.7, about two years older than 10 years ago, they added.

About 40 percent of the brides were aged 30 and over, followed by 37 percent in their 20s, they said.

The public perception toward marriage has also changed, another survey showed.

About 41 percent of the respondents replied that marriage is a choice, showing a 7 percent on-year jump. The number of those who considered marriage as an obligation also dropped by 6 percentage points to 13.4 percent. The rest said it is better to get married if possible. The survey was conducted on 37,000 Koreans across the country, including 4,400 Seoul City residents.

By gender, men were more conservative toward marriage. About 45 percent of men responded that it is better to get married while the same number of women said marriage was a matter of choice.

Meanwhile, disapproval toward divorce decreased by 3 percentage points to 41.7 percent. Around 12 percent said they were okay with divorce if there was a substantial reason.

By Lee Hyun-jeong  (rene@heraldcorp.com)