SOUTH KOREA: South Korean men eager to get married go to Vietnam to find their ideal partner

For South Korean farmers, fisherman and working-class men, finding a bride is not easy as many Korean women are reluctant to marry into a life which may not be easy. So an increasing number of men are looking overseas to find their better half. In 2005, 14 percent of all marriages in South Korea were international marriages. And according to figures recently released from South Korea's National Statistical Office, most of the weddings were between South Korean men in rural areas and brides from other parts of Asia in marriages arranged by paid brokers. More than one in three marriages between men in rural areas was with a foreign bride, with Chinese and Vietnamese women making up the majority of women who chose to marry South Korean men. To help the men, around a thousand matchmaking agencies throughout South Korea offer different packages to suit all kinds of budgets and lifestyles. Park Yong-Ki, 40, a computer salesman in Seoul, recently found the love of his life through such a service. "I've seen (South Korean men with Vietnamese brides) living will in South Korea and Vietnamese women are homely and they become good wives and I've seen them happy in their marriages so I came all the way to Vietnam to get married," said Park, who recently traveled to southern Ho Chi Minh city to meet prospective brides. The process starts with a meeting between the man and bride candidates mediated by an agency, often at a discreet restaurant or a cafe. In Vietnam, the international mail-order bride business is illegal and the agencies which introduce South Korean men to Vietnamese women are registered as "trading" companies and not marriage brokers. The Vietnamese government is aware of the business and crackdowns have been made, but the business is secretly thriving. In South Korea, the matchmaking business is legal and Kim Hong-ki, a representative of the Cheongshil Hongshil International Marriage Agency says men are attracted to Vietnamese brides due to the many similarities in culture. "They have similar food, a rice-based diet, and the life style of Vietnamese farms nowadays is quite similar to that of South Korea in the 1960s-70s," said Kim. Many of the brides come from the Mekong Delta, which is primarily an agricultural area, and are keen to make a better life for themselves and their families by marrying South Korean men who may not be rich in their own country but promise a better life than in rural Vietnam. After several meetings, Park found his future wife, 20-year-old Le Thi Bich Lien, and in a matter of days, a ceremony was held to make their union official -- complete with photo sessions and a family dinner. "I like watching South Korean films and reading newspapers here, I feel that South Korean men are very fond of their wives. So, I will fall in love with him and hope that he also loves me and will take care of my life there," said Lien. Despite the obvious language barrier, Park has no doubts about his future his bride. "There are cultural differences and language barriers and it will be difficult. But i think we will live while helping and teaching each other," he said. After the ceremony, Park went back to Seoul to wait for his new wife there, who has to wait six weeks to two months to be able to get an entry visa for South Korea. A wife seeker can pay anywhere from 1,000 to 7,800USD for packages which include meetings with different candidates, accommodation, air fare, a wedding ceremony and visa arrangements. Two months after they were married in Ho Chi Minh, Park Yong-ki was at Inchon International Airport with a bouquet of red roses, waiting for his new bride to arrive from Vietnam on an early morning flight. When the the terminal's double doors opened, the young Vietnamese woman spotted Park and ran to him and the two embraced. Lien could not express her happiness in words. "I don't know what to say now. I am very happy, so I don't have anything more to say," she said. At home, Park's mother awaited them in front of the elevator. "I don't know many things about Korea. I'd like others to help me. I will do my best," said Lien, who was greeted heartily by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law said she was ready to teach Lien everything a wife of a Korean man should know. "I will teach her everything including cooking, and I hope they will have a merry and happy life," said 78-year-old Cho Sang-soon. Park's nephew, who also married a Vietnamese woman, and inspired him to do the same, came to congratulate the new couple. Matchmaking agencies say the language barrier can be overcome with time. Cheongshil Hongshil International Marriage Agency which coordinated Park's meeting with Lien, introduced Cha Jae-hyong to his Vietnamese wife Phan Thi Ngoc Phuong four years ago. Cha, who remarried with Phuong and now have a baby, says living with a Vietnamese woman is similar to living with a Korean wife. "We had difficulties at first in communication and misunderstood each other from time to time. However, she's not different at all from Korean women," said the 43-year-old Cha. His Vietnamese wife says she is content with her marriage. "We experienced difficulties in the beginning, but it has been getting better and better. Now I am happy," said his 30-year-old wife.

ITN Source | August 7, 2006

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