The Ministry of Justice said Friday that it had revised a related law in order to prevent South Korean nationals with records of domestic violence or sex crimes to invite foreigners here for the purpose of marriage.
The ministry said the revision of the Enforcement Regulations of the Immigration Act would restrict marriage visas for foreigners sponsored by South Koreans with criminal records related to domestic violence, sex offenses and other violent crimes.
The revised law will take effect in six months, it added.
Under the new law, people sentenced to fines or heavier penalties for domestic violence or sexual offenses against children and adolescents, or imprisoned for sexual assault or other specific violent crimes, will be barred from sponsoring foreign spouses-to-be to South Korea for 10 years after the end of their sentence.
The law will allow exceptions for humanitarian reasons, such as childbirth, however.
“The revised law is expected to help protect the human rights of marriage immigrants and promote a culture of sound international marriages by introducing preventive measures for domestic violence,” a ministry official said.
The government began the procedures for the legal revision last year following public outcry over the release of a video clip on social media in July that showed a Korean husband assaulting his Vietnamese wife in the presence of their child at their home in the southwestern county of Yeongam. (Yonhap)
