Mixed Matrimony Should Be Bridge to Multicultural Society
It is no longer news that one out of four rural men marries a foreign woman, usually one from Southeast Asia. What however makes headlines these days is the rocketing divorce rate among these couples, as shown by statistics from the courts. The wives and husbands of these broken relationships suffer heavy emotional and financial loss. If left to continue this trend is likely to emerge as a serious social problem and one can already see the signs of this.
A Supreme Court report said the number of international marriages totaled 39,071 last year, down from 43,815 in 2005. Those ending in divorce, however, jumped from 4,208 to 6,187 over the cited period.
Of course, their divorce rate of 15.8 percent is less than half of the corresponding rate of 37.3 percent among Korean couples. But what is alarming is its rising tempo of nearly 50 percent. It is also difficult for foreign women to divorce for various reasons.
Actually these facts are hardly very surprising. Many of the marriages are mismatches from the start. Some couples tie the knot the day after the first meeting through a broker. True, men want families _ spouses and children _ and in return want to provide economic stability for their partners. But in many cases these international marriages are in actuality commercial contracts. Adding to their difficulties are language and cultural barriers.
In short, individual selfishness often shows its most extreme form in these marriages to foreigners. This nation has a long way to go before shaking off its ``pure blood’’ ideology and becoming a multiethnic, multicultural society. The government ought to do more to eliminate rampant discrimination and other problems stemming from interracial marriages. So a solution should be sought by rectifying the problems in reverse order. That is, the government should move first.
Seoul ought to go further that merely providing financial support to educational and cultural programs. It needs to give consideration to setting up an agency dedicated to the interests of immigrants as a whole, including guest workers here. The proposed agency should of course start out with a crackdown on illegal and exploitative marriage brokers. All these require the swift passing of an omnibus immigration bill now sleeping at the National Assembly.
A recent poll showed 90 percent of female college students think marriage is an option, not an obligation. If this is true, international marriages will keep increasing as men seek wives in other countries. The nation needs to change its views about living with people of different colors, languages and cultures. It’s time the nation comes up with ways to make the most of a new multicultural society for its own benefit.