"Must Repay Debt" Claim
A Vietnamese woman married to a Korean man ran away just two weeks after arriving in Korea and was caught working as a karaoke hostess.
On the 5th, the YouTube channel 'TwoWooCouple' uploaded a video titled "Vietnamese wife who ran away after 10 days, eventually caught at a karaoke bar."
According to the video, Korean man Mr. A met Vietnamese woman Ms. B through an introduction by an acquaintance. The two maintained a long-distance relationship for two years, during which Mr. A visited Vietnam more than six times. During this time, their families frequently interacted, and they even completed a wedding photoshoot. However, when Ms. B did not show enthusiasm about having a wedding ceremony, they ultimately went on a family trip with both sides instead of holding a wedding. Ms. B entered Korea on May 24, the day they registered their marriage.
However, about ten days later, on June 3, Ms. B left the house with her belongings, leaving behind only a short letter. In the letter, she wrote, "I'm sorry. I feel stressed if I just stay at home doing nothing. I want to leave comfortably. If possible, I want to be away for two weeks. I really want to live happily with you, but since I’m not used to it yet, I hope you can accept that." She added, "I will contact you through Facebook from now on. Don’t worry. I will come back."
But Ms. B did not return even after two weeks, and her visa expired, making her an illegal immigrant. Toward the end of last month, a tip came in saying, "I saw Ms. B several times at a karaoke pub in Ulsan." Mr. A, along with YouTubers and acquaintances, went to the karaoke bar, called the police immediately, and raided the room where Ms. B was. When the police arrived and asked Ms. B if she had her passport, she tried to avoid the situation as she did not have her alien registration card or passport. However, she was eventually caught and taken to the police station. Ms. B claimed her reason for running away was, "There is debt at home. I have to pay it off. I cannot return to Vietnam."
The YouTuber said, "She ran away, deceived her husband, and is working at a karaoke bar because she needs to earn money? This excuse is unreasonable from a common-sense perspective." He added, "The woman will be handed over to immigration and forcibly deported according to procedures, so this is not a happy situation."
Netizens who saw the news reacted with comments such as, "We should conduct a thorough investigation of all foreigners who come to Korea only expecting benefits and deport them after revealing the truth," "Many Vietnamese women do not come to marry internationally but rather to obtain nationality through international marriage and then earn money in Korea," and "We need to revise the laws that are too lenient toward foreigners."
Meanwhile, according to data from the Ministry of Justice, the number of illegal foreign residents in Korea has been increasing every year: 390,281 in 2019, 392,196 in 2020, 388,700 in 2021, 411,270 in 2022, and 423,675 in 2023. By nationality, about 36% of all illegal residents last year were Thai nationals. There were 152,265 Thais, the highest number, followed by 79,882 Vietnamese and 64,199 Chinese.
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