Finding a foreign spouse through a matchmaker takes an average of nine days from the initial match to the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, users of international marriage services are increasingly characterized by higher levels of education and income. (Image courtesy of Pexels/CCL)
SEOUL, May 24 (Korea Bizwire) – The educational levels and incomes of those using international marriage broker services in South Korea have risen markedly, reflecting an aging pool of clients, according to a government survey.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the results of its “2023 Survey on the Status of International Marriage Brokerage Services” on May 23. Conducted every three years by law, the report highlighted evolving demographics.
Both Korean clients and their foreign spouses showed higher educational attainment than before. While 56.2% of Korean clients had high school or lower degrees in the previous survey, 50.6% now reported university-level education or above. Among foreign spouses, 74% still had high school or lower qualifications, though the university-educated proportion rose 6.3 percentage points.
The average monthly income of clients exceeded 3 million won for 63.9%, continuing an uptrend from 26.2% in 2014. The most common income bracket shifted from 2-3 million won last time to over 4 million won.
Clients are also getting older. Last year, 30.8% were aged 50 or above, compared to just 14.2% in 2017 and 20.6% in 2020. While those in their 40s remained the largest group at 55.7%, down slightly from 61.3% in 2020, the under-40 share fell from 18% to 13.5%.
In contrast, most foreign spouses were still in their 20s at 60.6%, with 37.3% aged 24 or younger, though this marked a 19 percentage-point drop over three years. Vietnamese nationals accounted for 80% of foreign spouses.
The average time from being matched to getting married stretched to 9.3 days, up from 4.4 days in 2017 and 5.7 days in 2020. Clients took 4.8 months on average to register marriages after being matched, and 4.3 months for spouses to immigrate, half a month longer than in 2020 for each.
Korean clients paid an average total fee of about 19.3 million won, including 14.6 million won in brokerage fees. Foreign spouses reported paying around 875,000 won to brokers in their home countries.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
