Chinese take up majority of foreign wives in Seoul

Foreign women that Korean men in Seoul prefer as their spouses for international marriages are Chinese, while foreign men Korean women prefer are Americans, new statistics suggest.

The number of Seoulites who married to foreigners last year amounted to 5,559 people in total. Of these people, Chinese nationals numbered the most among the nationalities of foreign wives, while Americans numbered the most among those of foreign husbands.

According to the Seoul metropolitan government on Friday, the number of marriages among Seoul citizens amounted to 138,620 last year. Of this figure, international marriages accounted for 4 percent. Korean men who married to foreign wives numbered 3,223 (58 percent) in total, and Korean women who married to foreign husbands numbered 2,336 (42 percent).

By nationality of foreign wives, Chinese numbered the most with 1,278 (39.7 percent), followed by Vietnamese with 610 (18.9 percent), Japanese with 281 (8.7 percent), Americans with 264 (8.2 percent), and Pilipino with 187 (5.8 percent). By nationality of foreign husbands, Americans numbered the most with 665 (28.5 percent), followed by Chinese with 604 (25.9 percent), Japanese with 254 (10.9 percent), Canadians with 189 (8.1 percent), Australians with 100 (4.3 percent), French with 53 (2.3 percent), and Germans with 39 (1.7 percent).

By district, Gangnam (173 people) Yeongdeungpo (162) Yongsan (147) Songpa (145) and Guro (141) have more foreign husbands than other districts, while Gwanak (221) Guro (210) Yeongdeungpo (208) Gangseo (172) and Songpa (158) have more foreign wives than other districts, the statistics showed.