By Lee Hyo-sik
International marriages between Koreans and foreign nationals accounted for 10.5 percent of all newlyweds in the country last year, slightly down from 10.8 percent in 2009, Statistics Korea said Sunday.
About 34,200 couples comprising of a Korean and a non-Korean tied the knot here in 2010, up 900 from 33,300 a year earlier. But last year’s ratio fell as marriages between Koreans grew at a faster rate.
Of foreign women who wed Korean men, Chinese and Vietnamese brides accounted for the largest numbers at 36.6 percent each, followed by Filipinos at 7.3 percent. Chinese men also accounted for the largest share marrying Korean women at 28.8 percent. Japanese and Americans came in second and third with 26.3 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
The number of international marriages between Koreans and non-Koreans peaked at 42,356 in 2005, accounting for 13.5 percent of all newly married couples here. But since 2006, the number has consistently fallen.
Statistics Korea said 15.3 percent of new marriages registered last year in South Jeolla Province were interracial, the highest among the 16 large municipalities.
Jeju Island came in second with 13.1 percent, followed by North Jeolla Province at 12.2 percent and North Chungcheong Province at 11.2 percent.
“Since early 2000, many Korean men, mostly living in rural areas, have sought to marry women from other Asian countries because Korean women prefer to live in cities after marriage. About 75 percent of all international marriages here involve a Korean groom and a foreign bride,” a Statistics Korea official said.
Following a series of domestic violence cases against migrant wives the number of marriages has decreased. Some of the foreign wives were murdered by their abusive Korean husbands.
The official said it has and will become more difficult for Korean men to tie the knot with foreign women as the government has introduced a set of regulations aimed at preventing “problematic” international marriages.
Stricter rules have been imposed on issuing F-2 spouse visas, requiring future South Korean husbands to take extensive educational courses to prepare for an international marriage before inviting their foreign spouses to join them in Korea.
Those seeking a foreign spouse are also required to present certificates of their marital status, health, employment as well as criminal records when they sign up to find a wife through a marriage agency.
Many matchmaking agencies have been criticized for failing to properly check the financial and mental health of the bachelors.