Vietnamese women who divorced Koreans suffer financially after returning home: report

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Vietnamese divorcees of international marriage with South Koreans face financial difficulties after returning to their home country, a recent report by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed.

The ministry conducted a study between September of last year and January of this year, on 161 Vietnamese women who had previously been married to South Korean men, along with their 130 children. The average age of the women was 37.

The study showed that 36 women had no regular income while 18 made less than 2 million Vietnamese dong ($80) a month. Seventy of them made between 2 and 5 million dong a month.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, the average per capita monthly income in Vietnamwas 7.6 million dong in the first quarter of this year, meaning over three-quarters of the women surveyed were making far less than the average wage.

The divorce also accompanied the burden of child care, as 82.4 percent of the women said they were raising the kids themselves. The children's average age was 13, and 52.3 percent of them were South Korean citizens, 27.3 percent were Vietnamese, and 20.3 percent had dual nationality.

Fourteen of the children were not attending school.

The study showed that despite their own difficulties, most of the Vietnamese divorcees still had hopes their children would go to school or get a job in Korea. Seventy-eight said they want their children to receive an education in Korea, while 82 said they want their kids to have a job here.

The non-government Korea Center for United Nations Human Rights Policy, which conducted the study with the ministry, stressed the need to provide support for former members of the multicultural families in South Korea. It particularly stressed the need for child support services, saying the government should be concerned about the education and future of these children, most of whom have South Korean citizenship.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)