International Marriage

[Anchor Lead]

Migrant women married to Korean men and living in the country are helping out other foreign women in similar situations who are struggling with their marriages. Here’s the story.

[Pkg]

This Cambodian woman married a Korean man 11 years ago. Her husband's abusive language and violent behavior began right after marriage. Also due to her in-laws' cold treatment, she left her husband 5 years ago and is now raising her 3 daughters on her own.

[Soundbite] (Immigrant Spouse from Cambodia (Voice modified)) : "He swore at me, threw things and was very scary. I should be happy to live with him but there was no happiness, only pain.

Another woman who came to Korea to be married at age 18 left her husband in just 4 months. The husband spied on her with security cameras installed at home.

[Soundbite] (Immigrant Spouse from the Philippines (Voice modified)) : "I got pregnant as soon as I arrived in Korea. My husband suspected that it wasn't his child. I want to raise my baby well and continue to live in Korea."

Similar migrant women who had settled in Korea before these two women came to their rescue, offering assistance. They help in matters such as translation, daily life information and listening to stories of domestic conflicts. They also help women who flee from domestic violence.

[Soundbite] Seon Jin-hee(Counselor, Danuri Call Center) : "I'm happy for the opportunity to assist them. It's rewarding to see misunderstandings and conflicts being resolved after couples receive counseling."

Some 350-thousand similar cases have been reported at the Danuri Call Center in the past 3 years. With the growing number of multicultural families in Korea, demand for the call center is expected to continue to rise.