Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Turning Korean gets tougher for foreign spouses

GoldMember · Joined: 24 Oct 2006

The thing abouy Korean bureaucracy is that decisions rest heavily with dodgy officials, with few guidelines. Also there is generally no review, or appeal process. It's very dictatorial, and leads to lots of corruption.

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

This is about as short-sighted as aborting all the female fetuses was. Okay, reading and writing are important, obviously, but a lot of these foreign wives are going to rural areas, and are coming from poorer, more rural areas in their native countries. The reason they come to Korea isn't to enjoy the four seasons or to sample delicious kimchi. They come because it's a step up, and that's why they make some pretty enormous sacrifices (leave their families, live in the middle of nowhere, marry someone either poor or handicapped, deal with discrimination, deal with Korean men, etc.) The citizenship and money are the only reasons they come here, so how can the government keep that from them? And, the mail-order-bride business wasn't created to help people from Vietnam or China, it was to help Korean men who can't find a wife. I don't think they want to piss off that demographic.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

I read the article in the link and laughed myself silly for a while. The test will be in Korean. That means that people who wish to have a realistic chance of passing the test will enroll in Korean classes. Guess who's exempt from the tests? Why, people who enroll in Korean classes, of course!

The new law/regulation is xenophobic pandering. The government is trying to reinforce the idea, not that any help is needed, that someone who's not 100% "pure blood" isn't really Korean: "Marry a foreigner and your children won't really be Korean." Nope, it's not said outright, but it may just as well have been.

Typhoon · Joined: 29 May 2007 Location: Daejeon

Is any of this surprising? We all know what Korea is like and that it won't change. It is time to accept it and move on. The Korean government supports racism. That is the way it is.

GoldMember · Joined: 24 Oct 2006

I wouldn't go as far as saying such a test is racist. Many governments demand citizenship tests, and in their own language. This is not unreasonable.
Is the test designed to encourage people to learn the language, and culture in order to better integrate, or is it a deliberate hurdle, designed to exclude people.

indiercj · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Doesn't the US demand a similar test?

shaunew · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Location: Calgary

I have an f-2-1 visa, but no way in hell would I want to be a citizen, so do I need to do these tests when I renew my f-2-1 visa? If so I guess I better study or enroll part time in a Korean class. This place is just F up all the time. Maybe I can't wait 5 years until I head back home to Canada.

Newbie · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

My dreams are shattered
Rolling Eyes

But, I guess this could be bad news for the poor little girls that are being imported here to marry old, lonely men.

Alyallen · Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:22 pm Post subject:

Young FRANKenstein

Typhoon · Joined: 29 May 2007 Location: Daejeon

This is why it is border line racist. I am not saying it is out and out racist, just border line. The changes eliminate a person's chance to be treated fairly in the eyes of the law (even with citizenship it is hard). In the US and Canada citizenship isn't needed to be treated in the eyes of the law, permenant residence will do. Korea not so.

[/quote]I hear that...No citizenship, no power. Especially if the woman wants to divorce and fight for any children the couple may have had...

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

Even foreign tourists in the United States are entitled to the protections of the Constitution and other laws. In Korea, in practice, foreigners do not receive the mandated protections of the ROK Constitution. One glaring example is the letter of release requirement.

This new law is discriminatory in practice, even if not by design.

winterwawa · Joined: 06 May 2007

Why are you people getting your panties in a wad. America has a similar test for citizenship and the requirements are more stringent than in Korea. This new test only affects those who want to change citizenship, not anyone who has an f2 or f5 VISA. What English teacher from America, Canada or any other English speaking country would want to change citizenship and become a Korean national?

While some of your points concerning poor women from other countries may be valid, I am sure that there is more behind this new law than any of us could imagine. I think we all have heard of Korean women taking advantage of native English speakers so they could "move up" in the world, could it be possible that poor women from Thialand, Vietnam, and other countries might what to take advantage of Korean men in the same way?

I for one see the new law as a good thing. Call me crazy.