Advanced Science and Technology Letters
Vol.91 (Bioscience and Medical Research 2015), pp.103-108
http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/astl.2015.91.22
The Korean Government’s Recent Response to
Address Issues Surrounding Marriage Migrants
MyungHee Kim
Assistant Professor, Division of General Studies, Sahmyook University,
Seoul, Republic of Korea
[email protected]
Abstract. Based on a literature review, this paper focuses on the Korean
government's efforts to devise systems and laws to address the recent series of
unfortunate events related to multicultural families. In this regard, the paper
takes the view that such events are caused mainly by unlicensed international
matchmaking agencies and marriage immigrants entering Korea only for their
marriage without having any basic understanding of the Korean language. In
particular, the paper examines the trends in marriage immigrants from 2000 to
2014, addresses social issues surrounding these immigrants, and analyzes any
negative side effect of recent measures adopted by the Korean government to
address various social problems related to marriage immigrants. According to
the results, the Korean government’s aggressive efforts led to an annual average
increase of 28% in the number of marriage immigrant, which was decreasing as
of 2007. The average rate of increase was about 2.1% since 2010. On the other
hand, the control-based response of some administrative agencies had some
unexpected negative effects.
Keywords: International Marriage Migrant, Female Marriage Migrant, Migrant
Women, Multiculturalism
1 Introduction
Most marriage migrants are women from developing countries [Table 1], and the
“feminization of migration” has started because a number of women have emigrated
to developed countries to marry male citizens of those countries[1]. The mass
wedding ceremony held by a certain religious group has facilitated the huge influx of
marriage migrants to Korea, and some unmarried Korean farmers having difficulty
marrying Korean women have taken spouses from China (Korean Chinese and Han
Chinese), Southeast Asia, and Russia (and countries of the former Soviet Union).
Since then, the number of marriage immigrants has increased sharply each year.
However, most marriage migrants from developing countries who choose to marry
Korean men have had problems with their husbands, who typically have financial
difficulties, and this has led to an increase in domestic violence, separation, and
divorce.
ISSN: 2287-1233 ASTL
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Advanced Science and Technology Letters
Vol.91 (Bioscience and Medical Research 2015)
To address this issue, which can lead to the dissolution of multicultural families as a
result of some social dissolution, Korea's Ministry of Justice has found "quick
international marriages" as the reason behind many such problems. As a result, the
Ministry strengthened screening criteria for marriage immigration in 2013 and revised
the Enforcement Rules of Immigration Control Act to cultivate sound international
marriages in 2014[3]. This study points out that these measures by the Korean
government may accelerate the decreasing trend in marriage immigrants in the end
and cause more unexpected and serious social problems. In addition, the study
proposes an alternative method for addressing these issues based on negative effects
of the current system.
2
Theoretical Review of Female Marriage Immigrants
Previous studies of domestic and overseas migrant women have addressed marriage
and labor migrants. Piper and Roces [4] analyzed the feminization of migrants and
asserted that marriage and labor migrants are not separate but related and that the
experience of migrant women tends to be entangled in a complicated manner in terms
of marriage, labor, and migration. In other words, migrant women may migrate
overseas to find jobs and end up marrying and vice versa.
Lee [5] classified marriage migrants as a type of "labor migrant between countries"
and argued that marriage migrant women represent a type of labor migrant between
countries in that men seek spouses who require lower maintenance costs and are
obedient, much like as capitalists seeking similar traits in workers. Kim [6] argued
that marriage migrant women have difficulty finding jobs in their countries and thus
consider overseas jobs or marriage migration and suggested that fraudulent marriages
may occur in marriage migration to Korea, Japan, and Taiwan because these countries
have strict regulations on overseas workers and visas.
Constable [7] explained that women from poor countries immigrating to rich
countries through overseas marriages represent a type of "global hyper gamy" and
that migrant women who are accustomed to a patriarchal culture tend to naturally
select men of higher social and financial status. However, she also argued that not all
marriage migrant women are successful in increasing their economic status and that
global hyper gamy entails rich possibilities as well as bitter disappointments. The
feminization of migration in Japan and Taiwan as well as in Korea may be explained
by global hyper gamy, and urgent issues facing female migrants from developing
countries with a patriarchal culture are a source of conflicts and confrontations with
husbands and their family members, which necessitates a feminist approach[10].
3
Decreasing Trend In Marriage Migrants In Korea
According to the 2013 Statistics Annual Report on Policy for Migrant
Foreigners[8][Fig.1&Table 1] of the Ministry of Justice, the number of marriage
migrants to Korea has decreased sharply. The number of marriage immigrants, which
increased by an average of 28% per year since 2002, started to decrease in 2007, and
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Advanced Science and Technology Letters
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the average annual rate of increase was barely 2.1% from 2011 to 2013. In particular,
the number of marriage migrants staying in Korea as of 2013 was 150,865, reflecting
only a1.6% increase over 2012.
Unit: 1,000 people
Fig.1. Annual numbers of marriage migrants (source: The Korea Immigration Service,2014)
(Unit: Number of people/%)
Table 1. Annual numbers of marriage migrants (source: The Korea Immigration Service, 2014)
On the other hand, there has been a sharp increase in international marriages and
divorces [Figs.2&3].
Fig.2. International marriagesfrom2000 to 2010 (source: Statistics Korea, 2011)
Fig.3. The rate of divorce for international marriages from 2000 to 2010 (source: Statistics
Korea, 2011)
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4 Measures adopted by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry
of Gender Equality in Korea
4.1 Strengthening the screening review for the issuance of marriage immigration
visas by the Ministry of Justice
By implementing the International Marriage Guidance Program (IMGP) in March
2011, the Ministry of Justice of Korea has revised the application process for issuing
marriage and cohabitation visas and required domestic applicants wishing to invite
overseas spouses from seven countries (China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia,
Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand) for the purpose of marriage and cohabitation to
participate in the IMGP.
In addition, the Ministry of Justice established a plan in 2013 to improve screening
criteria for marriage immigration visas to enhance the soundness of international
marriages. The purpose of this plan is to overcome existing social problems by
providing marriage migrant women with training in the Korean language immediately
after their entry to Korea and to have strict control over pre-entry procedures to
prevent social problems associated with international marriages [12]. In 2014, the
Ministry revised the Immigration Control Act, whose major screening criteria for
immigration call for the prevention of quick marriages, an examination of whether
marriage migrants can speak Korean beyond the basic level, the determination of
whether the person inviting a marriage migrant has a certain level of income and
housing such that the migrant can have a stable life in Korea after entry, the limitation
of invitations to marriage migrants to once every five years (twice every five years in
the past), and the restriction of people inviting marriage migrants within three years of
the last invited marriage migrant obtaining her Korean nationality.
4.2 Strengthening requirements for establishing and supervising international
marriage agencies by the Ministry of Gender Equality
Between 2000 and 2010, when the number of international marriages increased
sharply, the number of divorces involving international marriages also showed a sharp
increase [Figs.2&3].To protect families from thoughtless divorces, the Ministry of
Gender Equality, the ministry in charge of supporting multicultural families, signed a
memorandum of understanding with the government of Vietnam, whose marriage
migrant women reached about 35,000 as of 2010 [13]. In 2010, when the Act on
Management of Marriage Agencies was revised, the Ministry of Gender Equality
strengthened the registration requirement for marriage agencies by enacting
enforcement rules of the Act and establishing prohibited acts.
In January 2015, the Act on Management of Marriage Agencies was revised to
prevent harm to clients of marriage agencies and strengthen government control over
these agencies. The major revisions include the following: First, the Ministry of
Gender Equality is to prepare and recommend standard contract forms for using
marriage agencies. Second, marriage agencies that fail to submit reports on their
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Advanced Science and Technology Letters
Vol.91 (Bioscience and Medical Research 2015)
business renewal after a year from the expiration of the report period are considered
to have closed their business. Third, a system under which an order for closing a
business is to be implemented. Fourth, the Ministry is to provide training programs
for marriage agencies and their employees. Finally, the Ministry is to strengthen their
guidance and supervision over marriage agencies.
5
Conclusions and Implications
With the decrease in the number of marriage migrants and Korean ministries' efforts
to strengthen establishment requirements since 2011 to better control and supervise
marriage agencies, the number of marriage agencies decreased sharply from 1,697 in
2011 to 449 by the end of 2014 [14]. However, these measures of various ministries
may have led to some externalities. First, the policy of the Ministry of Justice to issue
marriage visas only to people with the ability to speak Korean beyond the basic level
(class 1 of TOPK) may reduce the number of marriage migrants or limit people
interested in marriage migration. Second, the revision of screening criteria for people
inviting marriage immigrants based on their income level and housing to promote the
stable settlement of marriage migrants in Korea after entry may limit the ability of
single men in Korea to get married. According to a survey of national multicultural
families conducted in 2012 [15], multicultural families with less than KRW 2 million
in monthly average income accounted for 41.9% of all such families. In this regard,
the Korean government's intervention in international marriages may exacerbate
social inequality. Third, regulations limiting how many times people can invite
marriage migrants appear to overlook the potential harm to marriage migrants with
genuine motives.
References
1. Castles, S., Miller, M.J.: The Age of Migration. International Population Movements in the
Modern World. 3. Guilford Press, New York (2003)
2. The Commissioner of Korea Immigration Service, the Ministry of Justice,
http://www.imigration.go.kr
3. The Enforcement Rules of the Immigration Control Act (2015)
http://www.law.go.kr/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=167506&efYd=20150115#0000
4. Piper, N., Roces, M.,: Introduction: Marriage and Migration in an Age of Globalization? N.
Piper and M. Roces (eds.). Wife or Worker?: Asian Women and Migration. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Lanham (2003)
5. Hye Gyeong Lee, Roces (eds.). “Problems of Marriage Immigration and Marriage
Immigration Families and Response”. Korean Demography,. 28(1), pp. 73-100 (2005)
6. Hyun Mee Kim, “Global Gender Politics of International Marriages," Economic and Society.
70, pp.10-37 (2006)
7. Constable, Nicole,: Introduction: Cross-Border Marriages, Gendered Mobility, and Global
Hyper gamy. N. Constable (ed.). Cross-Border Marriages: Gender and Mobility in
Transnational Asia. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia (2005)
8. 2013 Statistics Annual Report of Policy for Migrant Aliens, the Ministry of Justice (2014)
9. The National Statistical Service, 2010 Statistics of Marriage and Divorce (2011)
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10. Guk Yeom Han, Marriage and Divorce for Migrant Aliens, Statement of Symposium,
Human Rights Center for Migrant Women (2004)
11.Press release, Guidelines for international marriage program, The Commissioner of Korea
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marriage immigration from Apr. 1," the Ministry of Justice, (2014)
13. Press release, "Firs conclusion of MOU between governments of Korea and Vietnam"
related to international marriages , the Ministry of Gender Equality. (2010)
http://enews.mogef.go.kr/view/board/bbs/view.jsp
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marriage agencies, the Ministry of Gender Equality (2014)
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Gender Equality (2013)
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