S. Korea to ban men with domestic violence record from marrying immigrants

[Freighter]

South Korea plans to enact legislation aimed at prohibiting men with a criminal record of domestic violence from marrying foreign brides, the justice ministry said Thursday.

The enactment of the legislation, of which the ministry will make a prior announcement on Monday, comes as part of the government follow-up measures to improve the country's immigration marriage system and prevent violence against marriage immigrants.

In July, public outcry erupted after the release on social media of a video clip that showed a Korean husband assaulting his Vietnamese wife in the presence of their child at their home in the southwestern county of Yeongam.

Under the amended enforcement regulation of the Immigration Control Law, South Korean spouses who have a criminal record of penalty punishment for domestic violence are not allowed to invite immigrants to the country for the purposes of marriage, no matter how long ago their sentences ended.

Anyone who has been sentenced to a penalty punishment or greater for a sexual crime against a child within the last 10 years or who has received a jail term within the last 10 years is also subject to the legislation.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191010000591

Thoughts on this?

I think it's a good thing, considering how many who marry koreans and are foreigners suffer domestic abuse.

[Yadryonych]

Marrying a woman from some third world country is already quite an ill act putting her in unhealthy dependence on her husband. There's naturally a woman's family to protect her from possible husband's abuse, but it this case the family is far away abroad. Dependence only gets worse is she doesn't know the language of country she's been taken into.

If you ask me, marrying immigrants should be forbidden entirely

[Sunseeker]

"Inviting immigrants for the purposes of marriage" sounds like something that should just be illegal period.

[Dwarfhamster]

Is this the new approach? Feign concern to justify racism?

Buuuuuurn!

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"Inviting immigrants for the purposes of marriage" sounds like something that should just be illegal period.

It generally is, at least in the US. However, it's difficult to prove what happens to be "love struck" (traveling and happen to meet someone, and you both madly fall in love) versus an arranged situation.

[Sunseeker]

It generally is, at least in the US. However, it's difficult to prove what happens to be "love struck" (traveling and happen to meet someone, and you both madly fall in love) versus an arranged situation.

Sure I get that, and you can't exactly make them sign something saying it's "True Love"*TM-Disney since one party (likely the woman) would still likely be coerced.

"Inviting immigrants for the purposes of marriage" isn't necessarily bad, it could be a major economic improvement for one side (and possibly their family) and love could still be involved, or develop, or at least mutual domestic cooperation. It's just usually abusive. Usually enough that any times when it isn't are rare enough that the whole thing gets locked down.

Ultimately, many societies still have a problem with abusive patriarchal traditionalism, which is what truly needs to be solved to fix things like this.

[PACOX]

"Inviting immigrants for the purposes of marriage" sounds like something that should just be illegal period.

People shouldn't be allowed to marry immigrants?

Maybe you mean marrying for citizenship?

[Endus]

It generally is, at least in the US. However, it's difficult to prove what happens to be "love struck" (traveling and happen to meet someone, and you both madly fall in love) versus an arranged situation.

Err, it isn't illegal in the USA.

What's illegal is immigration fraud, by claiming a legal marriage to get them into the country, even though the marriage only exists on paper; the two live separately and have no romantic relationship.

As long as they're actually living together as husband and wife, even if it's a convenient and useful arrangement rather than true love, the State doesn't care. "Love" isn't a legal requirement for marriage. It doesn't matter if it's arranged. It doesn't matter if you've never even met in person. Heck, some cultures (particularly South Asian) still do arranged marriages, as long as both parties are willing, and they're perfectly legal. All that matters is that you approach it as an actual marriage, not a legal fiction to get the foreigner permanent residency while you live separate lives.

[omeomorfismo]

but marriage with same ethnicity is still allowed?
why?

[Sunseeker]

People shouldn't be allowed to marry immigrants?

Maybe you mean marrying for citizenship?

I do mean marrying for citizenship but in the specific sense targeting (often poor) women in foreign countries who are not looking to currently immigrate to your nation and offering them immigration in exchange for sex(marriage). I was just using the words of the article.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Is this really an issue that this law is necessary.

[Fantomen]

[i]South Korea plans to enact legislation aimed at prohibiting men with a criminal record of domestic violence from marrying foreign brides, the justice ministry said Thursday.

I think it's a good thing, considering how many who marry koreans and are foreigners suffer domestic abuse.

It sound a bit strange.... if you have a criminal record of domestic violence you cant marrie a foreigner but you still can marrie a native.... I understand that a foreigner are more exposed, but is that not the case for native women of low social-economic status to?

[Dwarfhamster]

Sure I get that, and you can't exactly make them sign something saying it's "True Love"*TM-Disney since one party (likely the woman) would still likely be coerced.

"Inviting immigrants for the purposes of marriage" isn't necessarily bad, it could be a major economic improvement for one side (and possibly their family) and love could still be involved, or develop, or at least mutual domestic cooperation. It's just usually abusive. Usually enough that any times when it isn't are rare enough that the whole thing gets locked down.

Ultimately, many societies still have a problem with abusive patriarchal traditionalism, which is what truly needs to be solved to fix things like this.

Yup, I totally get you. My wife and I had a whole process we had to go through to prove we were a legitimate couple. (She's from Canada--via Malaysia, we met on WoW and she moved to the US.) She luckily had a college degree, spoke English of course, etc., so it was obvious she could support herself, but we still had to go through the whole interview process, etc.

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Err, it isn't illegal in the USA.

What's illegal is immigration fraud, by claiming a legal marriage to get them into the country, even though the marriage only exists on paper; the two live separately and have no romantic relationship.

As long as they're actually living together as husband and wife, even if it's a convenient and useful arrangement rather than true love, the State doesn't care. "Love" isn't a legal requirement for marriage. It doesn't matter if it's arranged. It doesn't matter if you've never even met in person. Heck, some cultures (particularly South Asian) still do arranged marriages, as long as both parties are willing, and they're perfectly legal. All that matters is that you approach it as an actual marriage, not a legal fiction to get the foreigner permanent residency while you live separate lives.

That's what I'm getting at--immigration fraud (marrying to get permanent residency or citizenship) or to catch trafficking situations. That's what I meant by "arranged," not arranged marriages.

[Temp name]

I think this is a good step, although it would've been better if you punish whoever abuse their wife but given that immigrants might have trouble just reporting the violence, this is probably the right direction.

I mean.. They are punishing them. There's just a point after the punishment ends. There's just apparently enough people are importing a new victim for them to justify this..

I agree with this legislation though. Anything that can stop domestic abuse is fine by me.

[Zelk]

seems like easing restrictions on immigration would be a more sensible solution

[Mihalik]

"Inviting immigrants for the purposes of marriage" sounds like something that should just be illegal period.

It's a way of saying legalizing the status of your foreign spouse. People do date and marry people from other countries pretty commonly.

Tho I'm pretty sure marrying someone for the sole purpose of legalizing their immigration status would already be prohibited.

I'm torn on this one.

On one hand I understand both the reasoning and the problem. On the other hand I think the measure is a bit of an authoritarian overreach.

[Freighter]

It's a way of saying legalizing the status of your foreign spouse. People do date and marry people from other countries pretty commonly.

Tho I'm pretty sure marrying someone for the sole purpose of legalizing their immigration status would already be prohibited.

I'm torn on this one.

On one hand I understand both the reasoning and the problem. On the other hand I think the measure is a bit of an authoritarian overreach.

A lot of these people are using matchmaking services rather than it being people who found each other and love each other while one was vacationing in the country or such things. It's common in the rural areas here, Korean women move to the cities and the men who stay behind look abroad because almost no woman here wants to live rural.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48917935

In South Korea, both men and women face social pressure to get married. But it's not always easy - especially in the countryside, where many women leave to find jobs in the cities.

In the 1990s, that trend prompted a boom in men marrying foreign women, which has since spread to urban areas.

Some local governments, keen to raise flagging population rates, even provide subsidies to Korean men who bring home a bride from overseas.

...


Matchmaking companies will often pander to South Korea's patriarchal traditions by saying Vietnamese women are raised with "Confucian values" (a philosophy also rooted in Korean culture) - meaning they are obedient to men and the elderly, and will serve their husbands and parents-in-law well.

[Theodarzna]

First, wouldn't intermarrying a newcomer be well the best form of adding a new member to a given community? Can't get any more in a community than that.

Second, yeah if people have a history of abuse there should at least be intense scrutiny by legal authorities and careful monitoring for awhile.

Finally, It is not an issue that people seek out matchmakers and brides or grooms from somewhere else.

[Rozz]

This has been moved to General Off-Topic: Politics.

[Powerogue]

I mean shouldn't they just ban those with a history of domestic violence from marrying...period?

[Aenigma84]

but marriage with same ethnicity is still allowed?
why?

sounds like a racist law to me
so the woman or man can't marry a immigrant in that case but can cause victims among other koreans ?