'International Marriage "Muktwi" Scandal: Consecutive Victims Emerge'
A Vietnamese woman who received over 10 million won without entering the country under the pretext of studying Korean after an international marriage was sentenced to prison. On the 15th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 (Chief Judge Park Seong-min) announced that A (32), who was indicted on charges including fraud, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation.
A is accused of extorting $12,800 in 12 installments from B (48) after marrying him in Vietnam in July 2015, using living expenses and Korean language lesson fees as excuses from October of the same year until September of the following year.
Investigations revealed that A delayed entering Korea after marriage by making various excuses. It was also found that after entering the country, she ran away with the intention of earning money and had no intention of continuing a real marital life with B.
Additionally, A entered Korea in October 2016 with a marriage immigrant visa, and although her stay expired in January 2018, she continued to stay illegally (violation of the Immigration Control Act). This charge was revealed late when she was arrested in Seoul last October for violating the Narcotics Control Act.
The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "Considering that this is a first offense, that the victim expressed a desire not to punish after reaching an agreement, and taking into account the circumstances of the crime and the situation after the crime."
However, regarding the charge of ketamine use in August last year, the court acquitted her, judging that the evidence submitted by the prosecution was insufficient as hair and urine samples taken at the time of arrest tested negative.
As the proportion of multicultural couples increases domestically, cases of so-called 'international marriage eat-and-run,' where one party disappears suddenly after marrying for the other party's money, are also on the rise.
In December last year, a Korean man B spent about 30 million won to marry a Vietnamese woman, but she suddenly disappeared just six days after entering Korea. B inquired with the marriage brokerage agency but only received responses to "wait a few days." A few days later, contact with the agency was also lost.
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