Vietnamese-Korean marriages and the issues they raise

A workshop on Vietnamese-Korean marriages was jointly organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Chungcheongnam Women's Policy Development Institute (Office of the Government), South Korea, on April 22, 2009.

The workshop was attended by experts from Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, Chungwoon University, and the Korea Women's Policy Development Institute. The workshop heard and discussed two main presentations: “Vietnam-Korea Marriage Migration: Issues Raised” by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Quy – Director of the Center for Gender and Development Studies, and “Issues and Responses of the Central and Local Governments of Korea Regarding Foreign Brides” by Kim Young Ju - Office of the Government.

Marriages involving foreign nationals have a long history in Vietnam. However, it has only become truly widespread and attracted significant public attention since the early 1990s. Approximately 10,000 Vietnamese women marry foreigners annually, primarily from Taiwan and South Korea. According to the Korean Statistics Office, the rate of marriages to foreigners in South Korea has tripled in the last five years, with the number of South Korean men marrying Vietnamese women increasing 43 times, from 134 in 2001 to 5,822 in 2005.

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2009/04/23/img_7722.jpg" border="0" alt="Ms. Kim Young Ju - Head of Women's Policy Department, Vietnam Women's Policy Development Center Chungcheongnam (South Korea)" title="Ms. Kim Young Ju - Head of Women's Policy Department, Vietnam Women's Policy Development Center Chungcheongnam (South Korea)" width="160" height="240" align="left" ]

However, the dark side of these seemingly legal Korean-Vietnamese marriages is the trafficking of tens of thousands of children and women across the border through marriage brokerage, and the inequality in marriage where Korean men, thanks to government support, seek wives in poorer countries while Vietnamese women have no right to choose their husbands. Behind these unequal marriages are serious conflicts in the family life of Vietnamese brides, stemming from differences in culture, law, and customs. The groom's motivation to recoup his "investment," and his fear of his wife running away after paying a wedding fee, leads the husband's family to control the wife's finances and social interactions. Furthermore, Korean laws promoting multicultural families are unfair, requiring women to learn their husband's language, customs, and culture, while husbands are not required to learn these things from their wives. Marriages not based on genuine love, coupled with a lack of clear information about both parties and the influence of intermediary brokers for profit, have led to many tragic marriages with domestic violence or, at the very least, the inability to integrate into shared life. In South Korea, the number of divorces among international couples was 2,784 in 2003, rising to 8,348 in 2007. Furthermore, second-generation children in these multicultural families also need proper attention to not only integrate into their surroundings but also to learn about and understand their second homeland. However, this issue is currently not receiving adequate attention.

In order for "international marriages not to create concerns about social instability but to become a bridge of friendship and cultural exchange between the two nations," Associate Professor Dr. Le Thi Quy believes it is necessary to establish an international research and action network on migration and marriage issues between Vietnam and South Korea to improve the laws of both countries, protect the safety of women who migrate for marriage, respect the cultures of both countries, and prevent human trafficking.

Representative Kim Young Ju from the Government Office stated that the central and local governments of South Korea are gradually recognizing that foreign brides and multicultural families are entities that contribute to the development of society. Since 2005, the government has begun initial investigations and research, and since 2006, several agencies have collaborated to propose support measures for foreign brides. The government enacted the Law on the Management of International Marriage Brokerage and the Basic Law on the Treatment of Foreigners in South Korea in 2007; established basic directions in medium- and long-term foreign policy; and strengthened policies supporting the rights of foreign women married to Korean men on an equal basis with native citizens. Prioritizing multicultural education and training at the local level, establishing support centers for families marrying foreigners at the district and county levels... However, these support policies should not only be initial assistance to help them adapt to their new lives, but should be planned from the perspective of viewing foreign brides and multicultural families as "social forces," as active members of society. Only then can the ethnic inequality in families and localities with international marriages be thoroughly addressed. And support for these groups should be seen as a good investment in the future of society and the community.