Mandatory education planned for Koreans marrying other Asians

Mandatory education planned for Koreans marrying other Asians

By Kim Rahn Those marrying foreigners, mainly from other Asian countries, will be obliged to take a mandatory three-hour class on the culture of the would-be spouses’ countries, according to the Ministry of Justice, Monday. This is part of measures to lessen problems in interracial marriage resulting from a lack of understanding of each other’s background. Civic groups, however, say the three-hour education will not be particularly effective, calling for a more comprehensive solution. According to the revised regulations taking effect at the end of the month or early February, Koreans who are to marry foreigners must take the class on the culture and customs of the future spouses’ countries. The affected countries are Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Thailand. “We’ve selected these seven countries first, because of the demand for Korean citizenship from foreign spouses from them, and the high divorce rate from their Korean partners,” a ministry official from the Social Integration Division said. Most marriages involving the countries are between Korean men in rural regions and women from these nations, the official said. The classes will be provided at 14 immigration offices nationwide. “Those participating in the program will learn about the culture and customs of the countries, as well as listen to cases and experiences of ‘predecessors.’ It is a beginning stage, and wedevelop the program and expand the number of affected countries,” the official said. If the Korean partner does not take the obligatory education, the authorities will not issue an F-2 residence visa to the immigrant spouse. There is an exception: If a Korean stays in a foreign country for over 45 days, dates a native there and decides to marry him or her, the Korean will not have to take the program. Also, if a foreigner stays here for over 90 days, dates a Korean and decides to tie the knot, the Korean is also exempted from the mandatory education. “We see 45 to 90 days as enough time for a couple to get to know each other before getting married. To prevent the misuse of the exemption clause, the couple has to prove their intimacy and dating history — we’ll examine their immigration records and emails exchanged between the two, and interview their family members,” the official said. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also consented to the program, saying they will evaluate the system with related authorities after three years of operation. Civic groups for migrant women are skeptical of the program, doubting how many Korean men will take the education seriously and sincerely. “International marriage matchmaking firms have Korean men choose the nationality, age, school career and several other conditions of their future wives. Then the men are like, ‘Oh, my friend said Vietnamese women are good, and considering my age of 42, a woman in their early 20s will be nice as I like young girls.’ Then the firms give them a list of several candidates meeting the conditions. It’s like selecting a product,” said Kim Jun-gu at the Daejeon Migrant Women Rights Center. “That is the basic system of many interracial marriages here, and what will three hours of education change?” Kim said such a mindset partly results from the fact that the men pay money to go to foreign countries, meet candidates and give some of it to the woman’s family, while the rest goes to the matchmaking firm. “The nation should change the interracial marriage system by monitoring matchmaking firms and cracking down on companies that commit illegal acts. The government should also come up with comprehensive measures, as even 30 hours of education is not enough,”Kim said.

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr