Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
International marriages in Korea rise sharply
International couples now account for 8.8 percent of all marriages registered in Korea. GETTYIMAGESBANK
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
International marriages in Korea increased sharply in 2018, the latest government data show.
According to Statistic Korea's data revealed Wednesday, there were 22,698 marriages between a Korean national and a foreigner last year, up 8.9 percent from 2017.
The rise was the sharpest in 13 years.
Marriages between a Korean husband and a foreign wife accounted for 73.2 percent.
Among the wives, Vietnamese made up 38.2 percent, followed by Chinese (22.1 percent) and Thai (9.4 percent).
Among the foreign husbands, Chinese made up 24.4 percent, followed by Americans (23.6 percent) and Vietnamese (9.6 percent).
International couples accounted for 8.8 percent of all marriages registered here.