S Korea to form task force to counter illegal int'l marriage brokers

SEOUL, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government has decided to set up a task force in the near future, in a bid to fight against illicit international marriage brokers, a government official told local media on Friday.

A meeting presided over by Prime Minister Chung Un-chan on Friday morning discussed fresh measures to tackle problems regarding international marriage broker agencies and protect the human rights of marriage-based immigrants, according to Kim Chang- young, a spokesman for the prime minister's office.

The task force, to be composed of officials from related ministries, will map out both short-term and long-term measures to provide a healthy and safe environment for those who seek or build international marriage.

Prime Minister Chung stressed the need to examine any flaws in the country's international marriage system, according to Kim.

Earlier in this month, a 20-year-old Vietnamese woman was stabbed to death by her mentally ill South Korean husband eight days after she arrived in South Korea.

After it was revealed that the bride had not been informed about the husband's medical history before their marriage arranged by an international marriage broker agency, criticism has mounted against such broker agencies.

According to Statistics Korea, international marriages reached 33,300 in 2009, taking up 10.8 percent of the total number of marriages in South Korea. Some 3.5 out of every 10 international marriages were between South Korean men and Southeast Asian women. And the number is on the rise, particularly in rural areas.

The government has become more serious about addressing the issue of international marriage in the wake of the recent brutal murder of the Vietnamese bride.

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