22nd March 2010
The Cambodian government's recent "ban" on marriages between Korean men and Cambodian women for fear of human trafficking was a rare negative step in the generally amicable relations between the two countries. We hope Phnom Penh will soon return things to normal while we wonder how serious the crime is and at which end of the problem is most serious.
The Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh early this month was officially notified that Cambodian authorities would suspend applications for international marriage between Cambodians and Koreans. The Cambodian action followed reports that a clampdown on marriage brokers in Vietnam drove many Korean men to seek spouses through brokers in neighboring Cambodia.
The intervention of brokers gives rise to allegations of human trafficking. Phnom Penh has prohibited marriage brokerage since 2008 but the number of Cambodian women marrying Korean men increased sharply from 551 in 2008 to 1,372 last year. The large number could include cases of false marriage aimed at immigration for employment. Korean police should seek the cooperation of Cambodian authorities to obtain information on illegal and immoral activities of the banned brokers and to clear unsubstantiated charges of human trafficking at our end.
An extensive survey of foreign spouses of Koreans conducted last year revealed high percentage of Asian women who are satisfied with their married life in Korea. The average income of multicultural families surveyed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year was a little less than 2 million won a month compared to the average Korean household's 3.3 million won. But foreign-born wives showed a 74 percent satisfaction rate with their Korean spouses.
Cambodians ranked after Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and Japanese last year. International marriages will continue to grow in Korea in the years ahead but any sudden ban from a foreign government for unsavory reasons such as human trafficking allegations will threaten the balanced growth of multicultural families in this country. Human trafficking is a vicious crime and the governments involved should try their utmost in order to end it completely.
The Korean Embassy in Phnom Penh early this month was officially notified that Cambodian authorities would suspend applications for international marriage between Cambodians and Koreans. The Cambodian action followed reports that a clampdown on marriage brokers in Vietnam drove many Korean men to seek spouses through brokers in neighboring Cambodia.
The intervention of brokers gives rise to allegations of human trafficking. Phnom Penh has prohibited marriage brokerage since 2008 but the number of Cambodian women marrying Korean men increased sharply from 551 in 2008 to 1,372 last year. The large number could include cases of false marriage aimed at immigration for employment. Korean police should seek the cooperation of Cambodian authorities to obtain information on illegal and immoral activities of the banned brokers and to clear unsubstantiated charges of human trafficking at our end.
An extensive survey of foreign spouses of Koreans conducted last year revealed high percentage of Asian women who are satisfied with their married life in Korea. The average income of multicultural families surveyed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year was a little less than 2 million won a month compared to the average Korean household's 3.3 million won. But foreign-born wives showed a 74 percent satisfaction rate with their Korean spouses.
Cambodians ranked after Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and Japanese last year. International marriages will continue to grow in Korea in the years ahead but any sudden ban from a foreign government for unsavory reasons such as human trafficking allegations will threaten the balanced growth of multicultural families in this country. Human trafficking is a vicious crime and the governments involved should try their utmost in order to end it completely.
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