Latest figures in South Korea show that divorce rates among interracial couples
Latest figures in South Korea show that divorce rates among interracial couples account for more than 12 per cent of all divorces in the country.
The 14,319 broken marriages among such couples in 2010 represent about a five per cent increase from 2009.
Foreigners said it’s not easy living in the largely homogenous country.
They also said they face racism against foreigners, especially those from Southeast Asia.
For more than four weeks, the movie ‘Wanduekee’ has become the most-watched movie in South Korea.
Starring Jasmine Lee, a Filipino-Korean actress, it tells the story of a poor boy who lives with his handicapped father.
Like her character in the movie, Ms Lee is married to a Korean and has been living here for the past 17 years.
But unlike in the movie – which has a happy ending with a reunited family – many of the foreign brides in South Korea are finding it difficult adjusting to life here.
Apart from the language and cultural differences, experts said age is one of the main reasons why divorce rates are high.
Mr. Kang Hyun Duk, official at a centre to help multicultural familes, said: “If their age was similar, Korean men would do the dishes and help the women out with other chores. But if the men are older, they think there are certain things that men should do and certain things that women should do. And there’s no communication between them.”
A survey showed that in 2010, one in nine marriages was between a Korean and a foreigner, about 10.8 per cent of all marriages in the country.
That’s a big increase from 1.2 per cent in 1990.