Thai women turn to love in South Korea

Thai women turn to love in South Korea

Men afraid of being left on the shelf seek out foreign women for marriage

Yatida Bae didn't plan to become a housewife when she moved to South Korea nine years ago to earn money for her family back in Thailand.

But soon after moving there, Ms Yatida, who has a degree from Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok, met a local man and fell in love. However, her mother-in-law was less keen on the idea and in the early years clashed with Ms Yatida, whose husband works for a small company that specialises in the interior design of offices and shops.

"Initially, my mother-in-law and I didn't get along. We both spoke loudly towards each other, but over the years I've proven my sincere love for her son. We now understand each other and our temperaments are better," said Ms Yatida, 40, who comes from Si Sa Ket's Kantaralak district.

The housewife, who has two sons and lives in a town south of Seoul, is so happy with her life in South Korea that she persuaded her daughter from a previous marriage to also settle and work there. Ms Yatida, whose marriage to her husband wasn't arranged, is part of a growing phenomenon of Thai women moving to South Korea and marrying local men.

The changing socio-economic landscape of the country, which has the 4th largest economy in Asia, has left rural Korean men, perceived as poor and living simple lives, struggling to find a bride. Yet finding a wife is just one of life's many hurdles for men there, with interracial marriage bringing up many more.

Some of the brokered marriages performed en-masse by the Unification Church for women from countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, China and Mongolia, have stumbled on cultural differences, resulting in abuses and domestic violence.

Obstacles are also posed by language and visa requirements for foreign women. Yet foreign women are undeterred, with the number of Thai women moving to South Korea growing. According to the Thai embassy, the number of marriages between Thai women and South Korean men has increased over the past few years, while divorce figures remain low. A source at the embassy estimated there to be over 2,000 Thai women with families to Korean men living there.

Ki-hyon Han, a Thai-speaking Hwasong Migrant Shelter staff member, said arranged marriages have posed a problem in South Korea due to the difficulties foreign women face in adjusting to Korean culture; this has been made worse by a recently enforced language test which the women must pass to be granted a residence visa.

However, the tougher entry process has proven to be an effective screening process against women simply looking for a visa to work. Mr Han said nearly 400 Thai women marry South Korean men each year, most of whom do so out of love and a desire for intimacy, while fake marriages are gradually decreasing.

"Fake marriages are decreasing as stricter visa requirements have deterred those trying to use and abuse this channel," he said. New visa regulations also require prospective South Korean husbands to earn at least 1.8 million won (54,700 baht) a month to be able to support a foreign wife, he added.

Recognising the need to integrate cultures better, the Korean government has supported the Education Broadcasting System to produce a program called "Durian" since 2014, aimed at better assimilating foreigners into society, said David Moon, EBS foreign affairs team leader.

The program is subtitled in 17 languages to help Korean children better understand other cultures and help foreign and mixed-race children better understand local culture, said Mr Moon.

For Ms Yatida, who has yet to teach her children Thai, cultural references can still be understood in the absence of a shared language. As she explained the passing of Thailand's late King, she said her children immediately understood his significance and likened him to the ancient kings of South Korea.

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