By Park Si-soo

Starting on Oct. 6, Korean men will have to enroll in a state-administered education program on interracial marriage in order to get a visa which would allow their foreign spouse to enter the country, said government sources, Wednesday.

Also, the government is considering barring Koreans from getting married to foreigners if their earning ability, mental and physical health condition, criminal status and other factors affecting married life fail to meet a guideline set by the Ministry of Justice, they said.

The envisioned restriction, which is expected to go into effect as early as late October, is the latest step to stop the tragic incidents occurring between newlywed interracial couples here.

The murder of a 20-year-old Vietnamese woman in early July by her mentally-ill 47-year-old Korean husband just eight days after her arrival in Korea spurred the enactment of the measures.

Following the terrible incident, President Lee Myung-bak vowed to set up “a better system so that foreigners could live here more comfortably.”

However many legal experts warn that such restrictive measures could breach the Constitution that guarantees people’s right to pursue happiness.

More than 180,000 foreigners, mostly women from Vietnam, China, and the Philippines, reside in Korea after marrying locals, and the number of interracial couples keeps increasing, according to government data.

Quick handling of visa requests

To get a visa inviting an overseas wife to Seoul, would-be husbands are required to undergo one session of the program — each session runs for four hours.

The education program will be offered at 14 immigration offices across the country every Wednesday.

“It will extensively cover issues regarding interracial marriage, including legal affairs and prepare them for possible disadvantages,” a justice ministry official told The Korea Times.

The authorities will quickly handle invitation visa requests made by those who complete the education within one year.

The ministry is considering restricting those with economic or health problems from entering such a marriage.

Those with a criminal history will also be subject to the restriction. Concrete guidelines on the three factors have yet to be made.

“Basically, those who are living on state subsidies will be restricted,” the official said. “Mental patients, drug addicts and those who pose a ‘great threat to public heath’ will also be subjected.”

In an initial draft of the measure, the ministry tried to add an age gap restriction preventing an interracial couple with a maximum age gap from being legally acknowledged as husband and wife. But it was removed lest it violate the Constitution, which guarantees people the right to pursuit happiness.

Many legal experts claim the restrictions based on economic and health conditions are still problematic. “It’s disputable that the government could restrict a citizen’s freedom to marry because of poor economic and health conditions,” a lawyer said on condition of anonymity.