Cross‐Border Marriages in South Korea and the Challenges of Rising Multiculturalism

Abstract

This study explores trends in international marriage migration, determinants of international marriage, and factors that affect employment and poverty status of marriage migrant females in Korea. The results suggest that the number of cross‐border marriages increased rapidly in the early 2000s but has declined since the mid‐2000s, perhaps because of the Korean government's strict regulations and of saturation in the demand for foreign wives. The analysis also indicated that rural males with a graduate degree have a similar probability to urban males with a high‐school education. Employment opportunities vary substantially by the foreign wife's country of origin, implying that social policies for addressing the difficulties of multicultural families should be tailored toward specific ethnic groups. Those who participated in work training programmes were significantly more likely to be employed than non‐participants, and the size of social support network significantly reduced the odds of living in poverty.

Marriage Decline in Korea: Changing Composition of the Domestic Marriage Market and Growth in International Marriage

“…Focusing on the role of international marriages in offsetting marriage market mismatches may also be particularly relevant in Korea. The percentage of all marriages involving a Korean native and a foreign-born spouse was less than 5 % during the 1990s but began to increase in the early 2000s, peaking at 13.5 % in 2005 before stabilizing at around 10 % in 2010 (Kim 2017). At that time, 7 of 10 international marriages involved a Korean groom and a foreign bride (Statistics Korea 2018).…”

“…At that time, 7 of 10 international marriages involved a Korean groom and a foreign bride (Statistics Korea 2018). The majority of these brides are from East and Southeast Asian countries (especially China, Vietnam, and the Philippines), and their Korean husband is often relatively old and has low educational attainment (Kim 2017;Lee 2008). In contrast, Korean women are more likely to marry men from countries such as Japan and the United States (as well as China), and educational differences in the likelihood of international marriage are small (Kim 2017).…”

“…This combination of characteristics, along with growth in international marriages, makes Korea a particularly interesting setting in which to evaluate the implications of changes in marriage market composition. We are not aware of any previous effort to quantify the role of increasing international marriage, especially the relatively rapid growth of marriages involving native-born men of low socioeconomic status (SES) and foreign-born women (Kim 2017), in offsetting mismatches in the domestic marriage market.…”

We Don’t Belong Here: Adolescents of North Korean Refugee Families and Their Suicidal Behaviors

“…As suggested by previous literature (H. S. K. Kim, 2017), it seems that socio-economic conditions for immigrant families, including NK refugees, are considerably lower than native ones.…”

“…As suggested by previous literature (H. S. Kim and Kim, 2014; K. Kim, 2017), it seems that socio‐economic conditions for immigrant families, including NK refugees, are considerably lower than native ones. The proportion of native fathers who completed a high school education was 60 per cent, compared to only 36 per cent and 33 per cent for NK refugee and MC youths, respectively.…”