1,177 Foreign Women in Rural Areas of Gyeonggi Province Through International Marriage

A total of 1,177 foreign women have settled in rural areas of Gyeonggi Province through international marriage.

According to the provincial government on the 19th, in 2005, analysis of 900 marriages among workers in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors within the province showed that 274 cases, or 30%, were international marriages. In 2004, 223 out of 784 total marriages, or 28.4%, were international marriages.

Through international marriage, the number of foreign women who have settled in rural areas of the province reached 1,177 in total, including 218 in Icheon, 125 in Anseong, and 120 in Yangpyeong.

Meanwhile, to address various difficulties faced by international marriage immigrants settling in rural areas, the province has decided to operate diverse programs including language education, couple classes, and family camps for 240 marriage immigrants in four cities and counties—Icheon, Gimpo, Paju, and Yeoncheon—this year.

In particular, the province will recruit and utilize 44 visiting education assistants who will visit these households at least three times a week to provide Korean language education and living counseling.