Overall marriages rebound in Korea, but share of int′l unions declines

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In 2020, Nam Do-hyeon, then an exchange student at the University of Alabama, met Jenna Alcorn through a mutual friend and fell for her at first sight. He thought she was pretty and was drawn to her easygoing personality.

After three years in a long-distance relationship between Seoul and Georgia, Nam proposed in 2023, and the couple tied the knot later that year. They are among more than 21,000 international couples who registered their marriages in Korea last year.

Their story echoes a broader trend in Korea, where international marriages are increasing steadily.

According to a report by Statistics Korea on Tuesday based on marriage and divorce filings submitted to local administrative and welfare centers,
marriages involving foreign nationals rose 5.3 percent last year compared to 2023.

For the first time in five years, the number of international marriages in Korea has surpassed 20,000. The figure had peaked at around 23,600 in 2019 before falling to just over 13,000 in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marriages involving foreign women rose to nearly 16,000 last year, a 6.2 percent increase from 2023. Vietnamese nationals accounted for the largest share of foreign brides at 32.1 percent, followed by Chinese and Thai citizens.

Unions involving foreign men totaled more than 5,000 last year, a 2.6 percent increase from 2023. U.S. nationals made up the largest share of foreign grooms at 28.8 percent, followed by Chinese and Vietnamese citizens.

A family tours housing for newlyweds and young couples in Michuhol District, Incheon, July 2. Yonhap

Although the number of international marriages increased, their share of total marriages fell to 9.3 percent last year, down from 10.1 percent in 2023, as unions between Korean nationals rose at a faster pace. Korea recorded more than 222,000 marriages overall in 2024, marking a 14.8 percent increase from the year before.

Statistics Korea noted that the overall number of marriages — both between Korean nationals and involving foreign spouses — declined during the COVID-19 pandemic but is now showing signs of recovery.

The agency attributed the recent uptick to a growing population in their early 30s and increasingly favorable attitudes toward marriage, adding that a similar trend is likely to extend to international marriages.

Divorces involving foreign nationals declined last year, totaling 6,000 — down 1.4 percent from the year before. Divorces with foreign women held steady at just over 4,000, while those with foreign men dropped 6.5 percent to nearly 2,000.

Divorces involving foreign spouses accounted for 6.6 percent of all cases last year, holding steady from 2023. Of those, 4.6 percentage points involved Korean men and foreign wives, while 2 percentage points were between Korean women and foreign husbands.

Among foreign wives who divorced Korean men, Chinese nationals made up the largest share at 33.2 percent, followed by Vietnamese and Thai nationals. Similarly, among foreign husbands who divorced Korean women, Chinese nationals accounted for 36.3 percent, with Japanese and U.S. nationals trailing.

The share of marriages involving foreign nationals was highest on Jeju Island at 13.2 percent, followed by South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces. Sejong saw the lowest proportion at 5.2 percent, with Daejeon and Gwangju also reporting relatively low shares.

Seoul showed the highest share of international divorces at 9.2 percent, followed by Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, both at 7.3 percent. The lowest rate was in Sejong at 4.6 percent, followed by Gwangju and Daegu, both at 4.7 percent.