(image: Pixabay)
SEOUL, May 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The divorce rate among married international couples has dropped noticeably in recent years.
The Ministry of Justice says that this is due to an educational program that all international couples must go through before getting married.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Justice and Statistics Korea, the number of couples that filed for divorce peaked in 2011 at 11,500 cases, and has dropped since. Last year, 7,100 divorce petitions were filed, a decrease of approximately 38 percent.
Applications for marriage visas on behalf of one’s international spouse decreased significantly from 15,979 to 8,933 in the same period.
An official at the Ministry of Justice explained that “the practice by agents applying for quick marriage visas has continuously dropped” due to an educational program for international marriages that was adopted by the ministry in 2011.
The ministry’s program introduces local Korean culture to international spouses-to-be and other vital information including the basic rights of foreign nationals.
The program is mandatory for people already married to or planning to wed those from China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand.
Of the 7,784 people that had completed the program last year, 62 percent said this was their first marriage, while 54 percent of the people were in their 40s. Of the spouses, 68 percent were Vietnamese followed by Chinese (13 percent), Thai (8 percent) and Pilipino (6 percent).
The Ministry of Justice stated the “program has been effective” and it will continue to expand the program by utilizing videos and other educational sources.
H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)
