South Korea: Calls for Law Change to Protect Foreign Wives
- 12 years ago
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In South Korea there have been calls for a change to immigration laws to protect the human rights of foreign spouses. It’s addressing the growing number of foreign brides coming to the country. NTD’s Jarrod Hall has the story.
Irena is an Uzbekistani living in South Korea. She came here six years ago to live with her Korean husband. She is one of a growing number of foreign brides marrying South Korean men.
"The first time I met him I hadn’t really thought about marrying a Korean, but when I saw him I liked his shy face and his personality. That was what attracted me. So we came to Korea and got married."
Men in Korea’s rural areas often have difficulty finding wives. These men are increasingly turning to international marriage brokers.
Kim Yejin is social worker in Daejeon City who works with foreign brides.
"The low birth rate is a big problem for Korea at the moment, that’s why the government is encouraging inter-country marriages."
There are concerns that these women are currently vulnerable to abuse and recently the National Human Rights Council called to reforms to Korea's immigration laws to protect them.
"Most of the women who marry Koreans are from China. Many also come from Vietnam, The Philippines and other South-East Asian countries. Also Russia and Uzbekistan."
"Currently, when a foreign bride comes to Korea she must go together with her husband to renew her visa. Most foreign wives don’t ask for citizenship, they just go to the office to extend their visa. So if a woman's husband doesn’t go with her or if she leaves her home because of violence or other problems, there's nothing to protect her."
"Some people think that a foreign wife is a lower person and they treat them very badly just because they are from a foreign country and don’t speak Korean. If the law changes ...
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In South Korea there have been calls for a change to immigration laws to protect the human rights of foreign spouses. It’s addressing the growing number of foreign brides coming to the country. NTD’s Jarrod Hall has the story.
Irena is an Uzbekistani living in South Korea. She came here six years ago to live with her Korean husband. She is one of a growing number of foreign brides marrying South Korean men.
"The first time I met him I hadn’t really thought about marrying a Korean, but when I saw him I liked his shy face and his personality. That was what attracted me. So we came to Korea and got married."
Men in Korea’s rural areas often have difficulty finding wives. These men are increasingly turning to international marriage brokers.
Kim Yejin is social worker in Daejeon City who works with foreign brides.
"The low birth rate is a big problem for Korea at the moment, that’s why the government is encouraging inter-country marriages."
There are concerns that these women are currently vulnerable to abuse and recently the National Human Rights Council called to reforms to Korea's immigration laws to protect them.
"Most of the women who marry Koreans are from China. Many also come from Vietnam, The Philippines and other South-East Asian countries. Also Russia and Uzbekistan."
"Currently, when a foreign bride comes to Korea she must go together with her husband to renew her visa. Most foreign wives don’t ask for citizenship, they just go to the office to extend their visa. So if a woman's husband doesn’t go with her or if she leaves her home because of violence or other problems, there's nothing to protect her."
"Some people think that a foreign wife is a lower person and they treat them very badly just because they are from a foreign country and don’t speak Korean. If the law changes ...