Ok So Ri, 39, filed a complaint against the 54-year-old law yesterday - a move that will rekindle debate over whether the legislation should be scrapped.

According to South Korean anti-adultery law, those convicted face prison sentences of up to two years.

Ok's husband, actor Park Chul, 40, has filed a criminal case against her, accusing her of being unfaithful.

The case has been proceeding in a court in Goyang City, a northern satellite town of Seoul, since last November.

Ok's petition against the law says: 'The adultery law constitutes a serious breach of the individual's rights to make decisions concerning sex and privacy under the Constitution.

'Adultery cases must be handled in civil courts, not in criminal courts.'

The legislation had come under attack earlier but the Constitutional Court rejected complaints against it on the grounds that social morality may be weakened.

The district court has said it would consider asking the Constitutional Court to rule on Ok's petition.

At a tearful news conference in October last year, Ok admitted having an affair with an opera singer for a few months in 2006 but put the blame on her loveless marriage.

The disclosure had caught many South Koreans by surprise because the couple had always been touted in the media as the ideal match.

'He and I have been living under the same roof but without any warm-hearted conversation, so I suffered depression for a long time after giving birth,' Ok said, referring to the couple's eight-year-old daughter.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE