Gov't to expand support for multicultural families

SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- The government will strengthen its support of
multicultural families but will also set tougher standards for foreign spouses
applying for the country's citizenship, the prime minister's office said Monday.
Under the plan, the government will provide various support and counseling
services to foreign spouses and their children who are undergoing difficulties in
adjusting to Korean culture and society, while also offering greater support in
education and employment.
The move comes amid a rising divorce rate in international marriages, especially
those involving Korean men and women from developing countries around Asia.
Over 144,000 foreigners, mostly from China and Southeast Asia, came to live in
South Korea in 2008 after marrying Korean spouses, a 13.7 percent increase from
the previous year, according to data released by the Ministry of Public
Administration and Security.
"The new policy plan aims to expand government support for resolving family
problems that often originate from cultural misunderstandings and mismatches by
international marriage brokers," the prime minister's office said in a press
release.
The move also comes as the government believes a large number of foreign spouses
are using their marriages to gain South Korean citizenship.
Some 11,000 international couples got divorced in 2008 alone, accounting for
nearly 10 percent of all divorces in the country, according to the public
administration ministry.
"We need to consider a more systematic process that can better check the
qualification of applicants for citizenship," said Yang Chan-hee, an official
from the bureau of social integration at the prime minister's office.
The plan, if enacted, will require most migrants or foreign spouses to first
obtain a permanent visa, or green card, before being able to apply for
citizenship, according to the prime minister's office.
"The move will make it harder to get citizenship, but it will help significantly
reduce the number of applicants only seeking to obtain citizenship to stay and
work here with no intention of being actually naturalized," an official said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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