Study cites pattern of violence on foreign wives in Korea

A Korean-Chinese woman who married a Korean man in 2001 and relocated to a farming area in South Gyeongsang Province is preparing for divorce.

Her mother-in-law had given her trouble since her marriage, calling her lazy and negligent in adapting to Korean society. Her husband also started to ignore her and even beat her over what he claimed was "a rude attitude" toward his mother.

An increasing number of foreign wives in rural areas are suffering from domestic violence. In a study released Wednesday, 16 percent of such women said they experienced violence inflicted by their Korean relatives. They cited forms of bullying including being ignored, suffering from insults, being banned from going out, and violence.

Korea Rural Economic Institute conducted the survey of 400 multicultural families in city-rural integrated areas and villages in August last year. Among foreign wives, 27.7 percent said they had a hard time getting along with a certain Korean relative. Husbands accounted for 11 percent, followed by mothers-in-law at 8.8 percent.

Park Dae-shik, a researcher at the institute, said, "Immigrant wives might have a hard time adapting to rural areas, where a patriarchal setting is prevalent," adding, "On the other hand, more than 80 percent of rural residents responded positively to the contributions of immigrant wives."

nuk@donga.com