Koreans marry international soulmates
Thu, August 10 2006
Nation discards age old habits and is fast becoming a multicultural and multiethnic society.
As she had also caught his attention, Kim and her future husband, then 38, decided to get married after only three dates. It was his tender smile that drew her to him the most, but without a matchmaking agency they would never have met.
However, it was not easy for her to adjust to a new environment. Differences in language and culture matter, said Kim.
Lorraine West-Dantin, an Australian woman married to a Korean church pastor, is thinking about going back to Australia in the near future.
West-Dantin, who gave birth to her first son Ji-ho six weeks ago, says the main reason she is considering leaving the country after some years is the Korean education system.
“The education system here is very restricted compared to that of Western countries. Education culture in Western countries is more open for students and encourages them to interrupt teachers to freely express what they think of the subjects,” she said.
Despite the problems facing couples from different backgrounds, there has been a dramatic growth in “international marriages” in recent years, especially between Korean men and women from South-East Asian countries, a report in the Korea Herald said.
The phenomenon makes Koreans realise that the rise in international marriages is not just about numbers. It reflects how the nation is fast becoming a multicultural and multiethnic society and importantly, indicates that accepting ethnic diversity has become inevitable in this society, experts said.
There were 43,121 marriages between Koreans and non-Koreans in 2005, up 21.6 per cent from a year earlier. This means 14 out of 100 couples that tied the knot in 2005 were international, the paper said.
Experts attribute the trend to the increasing number of Korean men in rural farming regions who are taking foreign wives. The male-female ratio in those areas has been declining drastically, so there aren’t enough local women to marry.
Four out of every 10 men in rural areas marry non-Korean Asian women. Experts say this will result in around 2 million mixed-race births by 2020.
The soaring number of matrimonial agencies specialising in introducing brides from South-East Asia has also played a crucial role in the rise of international marriages.
If the trend continues for a few more years in this largely conservative and homogeneous society, Koreans will eventually learn how to accept others, experts said.
“The number of international marriages will go up for a while. Perhaps the social change is telling us that it is the time to readjust ourselves by embracing differences in color and cultures,” said Seol Dong-hoon, sociology professor at Chonbuk National University.
“Korean society should become more open-minded about racial issues such as international marriages and mixed-blood children,” he added.
Accompanied by a matrimonial agency, bride-seekers typically fly to South-East Asian countries such as Viet Nam and meet a number of bride candidates recommended by the agency. If the man finds a match, they become husband and wife within four days.
Overall, it usually takes one week for a single man to get married although he has to wait three months for his wife to get a visa to come to Korea.
“Korean men are given only 30 minutes to choose their future wives. The government should encourage them to talk more and share views before they actually get married,” said Seol. The professor told The Korea Herald that Koreans spend an average 10 million won (US$11,000) for the five- or six-day trip to South-East Asian countries.
Local authorities have also stepped up efforts to assimilate foreign groups here as part of their campaign to tackle low birth rates and aging populations in rural areas.
According to news reports, some local governments have proposed a bill to support unmarried farmers and fishermen marrying foreigners.
Haenam, in the southwest of Korea, proposed a plan to provide unmarried men with 5 million won ($5,500) for expenses spent on bringing in foreign spouses.
Other local authorities also plan to assist foreign spouses to settle into communities and find jobs.
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