"Is There a Border to Love?" Young Adults Turning to 'International Marriage' [Heo Midam's Youth Report]

Increase in Young Adults Avoiding Marriage... Number of Marriages Declines for 8 Consecutive Years
International Marriages on the Rise for 3 Years
9 out of 10 Adults Say "Willing to Marry a Foreigner"

The bride and groom are listening to the officiant's speech at the wedding hall. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] [Editor's Note] How is your youth remembered? From teenagers to college students and office workers, we share the joys and sorrows unique to 'youth.'

"Does nationality matter when we love each other?"

Office worker Kim (27, female) has been dating her German boyfriend for three years. Kim said, "I was originally against marriage, but my mind changed after studying abroad in Germany as an exchange student." She added, "Since our cultures are different, I thought we would have many arguments. But rather, discussing various opinions on a single topic broadened my perspective."

She continued, "Because we think differently, talking to each other is fun," adding, "At first, my parents were not very approving of the relationship because of the different nationalities. But now, they seem to find it more interesting."

While the so-called 'Sampo generation'?those giving up dating, marriage, and childbirth?continues, the preference for 'international marriage' is increasing mainly among people in their 20s and 30s. This is a phenomenon contrary to the recent trend of young people avoiding marriage. Experts analyze that this is related to young people having a more open mindset compared to older generations in the global era.

According to the '2019 Marriage and Divorce Statistics' released by Statistics Korea in March, while the total number of marriages has been declining for eight consecutive years, the number of marriages with foreigners has actually increased.

Last year, the number of marriages was 239,200, down 7.2% (18,500 cases) from the previous year. This marks the eighth consecutive year of decline since 2011 and is the lowest figure since statistics began in the 1970s.

On the other hand, last year, the number of Koreans marrying foreigners was 23,600, up 4.2% from the previous year, maintaining an upward trend for three consecutive years since 2017 (20,800 cases).

As multicultural families increase, the perception of 'international dating' among young people is positive. Another office worker Lee (25) said, "Among my acquaintances, there are surprisingly many who are dating foreigners," adding, "It's about liking a person as a person, so what's the problem? When I decide on dating or marriage, nationality probably won't matter much to me."

The bride and groom are holding hands at the wedding hall. Photo by Yonhap News.

Like Lee, the majority of young people have a positive perception of 'international marriage.' A survey conducted last year by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Women's Development Institute on 1,009 adult men and women found that 9 out of 10 respondents (89.2%) said they could marry a foreigner.

By age group, 95.3% of those in their 20s to 40s and 80.1% of those in their 50s to 70s responded that they are accepting, showing that younger age groups have a higher acceptance of multicultural families.

As a result, content related to 'international couples' is popular online on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. YouTubers posting videos on the theme of 'international dating' attract viewers' interest with content about cultural differences between the two countries and exploring travel destinations.

Comments on such videos include, "It seems like there are more and more 'international couple' contents these days. How do people meet like that in other countries? Since it's love that crosses borders, I hope they stay happily together for a long time," "The way they respect each other's cultures is beautiful," and "I also have a foreign boyfriend. Since we were born and raised in different countries, I thought we would argue a lot because of different values, but rather, not knowing each other's cultures well makes us understand each other more."

Experts analyze that this phenomenon is related to various social issues in Korea, such as 'gender conflicts.'

Professor Kwak Geumju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University explained, "In the global era, young people are more accustomed to accepting foreign cultures than older generations. Because they can freely communicate with people living abroad through SNS and other means, they find it easier to accept other cultures," adding, "Another reason is that young people have a more open mindset than older generations. Instead of holding prejudices against foreigners, they focus on the character of the person regardless of nationality."

She continued, "This is also related to various social phenomena in Korea. Gender conflicts continue, and patriarchy still remains," adding, "Some choose international dating as a way to break away from these."