Foreign Wives need more Protection
2008-03-23

President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday that the central government should work out programs to better protect the human rights of foreign wives married to Korean men.

As a solution to the increasing incidents of abuse of foreign wives, particularly those from Southeast Asian countries and China, Lee proposed having Korean men undergo mandatory education prior to their interracial marriages.

``Human beings are entitled to a certain minimum level of happiness, wherever they live. It is one of the obligations of the state to guarantee happiness,'' Lee said in an apparent reference to violence in multicultural families.

According to police, sexual assaults on children aged under 13 rose to 1,081 in 2007 from 980 in 2006.


The KWB deplores the Failure of the lawmakers to enact harsher laws against Sexual assaults on women, children, even boys. NGO's report that abuse of all kinds are being reported, exposing the long hidden truths that were festering like boils in the Korean society. It has been more than 12 years since the execution of those well deserving the death penalty. These multiple-convicted murderers, rapists, serial killers, etc. are not afraid nor respect the Law of the land. In case after case the liberal judges of the land release them to do immediately seek more victims.

Where is the cry for justice? The Death Penalty has NOT been abolished, they just have not done it. This writer says it best:

Thoughts of The Times-Another Victim of Irresponsible Action 
By Yoon Sung-min

Recently, a 13-year old girl, soon-to-be a middle school student was found dead in a water tank on top of a house in a neighborhood of Busan. While she was registered missing for about 10 days, we all hoped that nothing bad would happen to her, such as kidnapping, relentless rape and/or death. These thoughts came in vain. Yes, this is another case that a child is abducted and found dead after being raped by a sexual perpetrator.

In my previous article in The Korea Times, I pointed out that child abuse and neglect is one of the most problematic social issues in South Korea. Children are not properly protected due to lack of adequate laws and services. Since the last heinous rape incident, which an 8-year-old girl was relentlessly raped in a restroom, South Korea drastically appeared poised toward symbolic actions to revamp laws and regulations to protect children from such crime and abuse. However, I have constantly worried that this is not persisting and not enough.

The suspect, Kim Kil-tae, over the past years was arrested and jailed many times for sexual crimes. He was released from prison in 2008. Each time his actions became worse and crueler, his sentences were lowered for some reason. (Surprisingly, we don't know why. I feel his prison sentences should have been elevated.) A newly enacted law in 2008 requires sex offenders to wear electric tracking devices. This law was not applicable to the suspect of this case since his crimes were committed before the new law took effect. This law should have included his past felonies. 
In order to protect our children effectively, South Korea needs to adopt comprehensive child protection laws and regulations, as well as preventive services and programs.
In the United States, crimes against children, especially sexual acts and/or violence, most likely carry a maximum federal sentence depending on the jurisdiction. There is no chance for these suspects to walk the streets looking for the next potential victims.

Secondly, if released, this suspect would have been registered, tracked and monitored by electronic tracking devices. The suspect would register his presence in the local community, and his residency would be restricted. In some states, he would be confined to a mental health institution after he completed his sentence. These measures would prevent him from committing any future crimes.

The writer is an assistant project director, psychotherapist, alcohol and drug counselor, and play therapist-supervisor of the Child Center of New York Asian Clinic. 

The KWB thinks from the first instance of conviction of sexual abuse a microchip should be embedded deep into their 'body cavity' where it cannot be taken out without surgery. An offense against a child under 18 years old then the perpetrator should never see the light of day. Death to these scum, rid the earth of them.Oh, some will say "what about forgiveness? God, of many religions, can forgive but God also demandsthat justice must be paid for the crime."

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Foreign Nationals increase in Number since 1998


The survey shows that foreigners numbered some 255,000, or 2.4 percent of the Seoul's total population of 10.45 million. The figure represents about 10-fold increase from the 51,000 registered in 1998.

Chinese took the largest share of 75.5 percent of the foreign population in Seoul with 192,618 people, followed by Americans with 5 percent (12,821) and Taiwan(8,818) with 3.5 percent. Japan stood at 2.7 percent with 6,840 and Vietnam 1.8 percent with 4,652..





Happy Lives of Foreign Wives

A work by photographer Huh Hyun-joo, which is part of her exhibition on foreign wives and their Korean husbands, currently on display at Gallery Now, Gwanhoon-dong, Jongno, Seoul. / Courtesy of the artist

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

When it comes to interracial marriage in Korea, much of the media attention has been focused on the problems and conflicts between foreign wives and their Korean husbands.

But photographer Huh Hyun-joo has taken a look at a more positive, happier side of interracial marriages for her exhibition ``Yes, we are … 우리도 행복한 한국인입니다" at Gallery Now, Gwanhoon-dong, Jongno.

Her photographs capture the daily lives of immigrant women trying to raise their families while adapting to Korean culture. There are poignant images of mothers and their children, as well as the women happily interacting with the community.

Huh hopes the exhibition will provide an opportunity for Korean society to embrace multiculturalism and live in harmony.

``Immigrant wives have now become a group we can come across in every corner of the country. Reflecting on our history, we have long digressed from remaining a radically homogenous nation, but we often find ourselves saying that we are no longer homogenous thanks to the influx of immigrant women," Huh said.