Major Vietnamese Local Media Report on the Reality of International Marriage
Vietnamese Women Remarry Vietnamese Men After Naturalization in Korea
Vietnamese wives married to Korean husbands revealed in interviews with local Vietnamese media that "there are quite a few women who marry Korean men to acquire Korean nationality."
According to a report by VN Express on the 5th (local time), Vietnamese woman A (20 years old) checked the personal information and backgrounds of 20 Korean men through a marriage brokerage service, then after about six months of marriage immigration paperwork and learning Korean, she married her current 47-year-old husband.
A's goal is to obtain Korean nationality, legally work and live in Korea, and then get a divorce.
A said, "Seeing many people from my hometown illegally entering Korea and working under harsh conditions, I chose to marry a local to avoid visa concerns," adding, "With a Korean passport, I can travel freely again, provide a better future for my children, and support our family's migration to Korea."
At first, she hoped for a genuine union, but the husband's fertility issues due to his advanced age became an obstacle in their married life.
A said, "The hospital said pregnancy would be difficult because of my husband's age, but he unfairly blamed me," and "Communication is difficult due to the language barrier, so my outside activities are limited to grocery shopping. I cried every night from isolation and homesickness."
Marriage immigrants can apply for Korean nationality if they maintain a marriage with a Korean man for two years. Since 2019, the residency status for marriage immigrants has expanded, and some Vietnamese women are reportedly enduring hardships with the goal of divorcing two years after marrying a Korean.
A local marriage broker in Vietnam said that because many cases use marriage to obtain nationality, they receive promises from Vietnamese brides to maintain the marriage for at least one year.
Meanwhile, marriages between naturalized Korean women of Vietnamese origin and Vietnamese men are on the rise. According to data from the Korean Statistical Office, last year marriages between Korean women and foreign men increased by 7.5% to 5,000 cases, with marriages to Vietnamese men sharply rising by 35.2% to 792 cases.
As of 2022, among 556 Korean women remarried to Vietnamese men, 482 (86.7%) were naturalized Koreans. Excluding two whose nationality could not be confirmed, all 480 had Vietnamese nationality before naturalization. Most Korean women married to Vietnamese men had previously married Korean men, acquired Korean nationality, divorced, and then remarried Vietnamese men.
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