by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Last February, South Korea passed an amendment that requires foreign spouses of Korean nationals to have a basic proficiency in the Korean language as a condition of entry. However, the revised law has stirred much protest, as more than 1,000 foreign spouses have been barred from immigrating into the country because they are unable to pass the government-issued Korean language exam.
Since there is a scarcity of marriageable women in rural areas in Korea, the new immigration law mainly affects farmers who have enlisted the help of international marriage brokers to find brides from overseas, primarily from Southeast Asia.
On March 27, a Korean man in his 60s set a matchmaking agency on fire after his Vietnamese wife failed the basic Korean language test and was denied entry into South Korea. The fire killed one of the company’s representatives.
One farmer in his 40s, whose Cambodian wife failed the exam after the two had already married in her home country, told SBS, “It’s a difficult situation that you have to pass an exam in order to come into the country. My wife in Cambodia also feels this way and I miss her a lot.”
The South Korean government initially created the amendment in response to the high number of domestic violence cases involving international couples, many of which were a result of communication problems. The government also cited the high divorce rate of international marriages, which is now set at 10,000 divorces per year.
Matchmaking agencies have filed complaints to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. One agency spokesman said that the law is harmful as it forces husbands who have already registered their marriage to “give up their partnership with their wives.”
Among online comments, some have said that the amended law is fair, claiming that communication is key to a healthy marriage. Others expressed concerns over how spouses from western countries, such as the United States and England, would fare on the language exam.
One of the top comments on Naver read: “I agree with this law because a marriage isn’t a product to buy and sell. If foreign spouses enter Korea and do not have a basic understanding of the Korean language, it would be difficult for them to adapt to Korea. It would be good if Korean citizenship is given to them if they’ve lived in Korea for over five years.”
Another commenter wrote, “In America, foreign spouses must meet language proficiency requirements, and also understand basic American laws and history. Needless to say, this is the right policy.”
Meanwhile, the South Korean government has announced that it has no plans to revise the law.
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Featured image via chrissantosra.wordpress.com
