By Park Hyong-ki
Staff Reporter
An increasing number of men are opting to marry older women, the National Statistical Office (NSO) said.
The office said Tuesday marriages between younger men and older women accounted for 13 percent of the total last year, up 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier.
The number of marriages in South Korea totaled 345,600 in 2007, up 3.9 percent from 2006, and has been increasing over the last four years. The country had the highest rate of marriages at 362,700 in 1999.
It said the average age of a groom who married was 31.1, while a bride's was 28.1 last year. The average age of a remarrying man was 44.8, while a woman's was 40.1.
The NSO attributes the rise to the popular Koraen belief that those who tie the knot in a double spring year, or ``ssangchunnyeon,'' will live happily ever after. The double spring year, which is one of the 24 Korean seasonal divisions, ran from January 2006 to February 2007 on the solar calendar.
However, the number has decreased since the beginning of this year, falling by 10 percent to 29,700 in January from the same period a year ago as the effect of the double spring year abated after much hype.
Additionally, the number of newborn babies continued to rise, offsetting labor shortages and the rising population of the elderly. It increased by 8.2 percent to 47,400, rising for 24 consecutive months.
Meanwhile, interracial marriages fell by 3 percent to 38,491, accounting for 11 percent of total marriages. Such marriages have declined over the past two years due to a sharp fall in marriages between Korean men and Vietnamese women.
Marriages between Koreans and Vietnamese dropped by 34.7 percent to 6,611. Korean marriages with Chinese women were the largest at 14,526, followed by Vietnamese and Cambodians. For Korean women, marriages with Japanese, Chinese and American men were the most popular.
phk@koreatimes.co.kr