Korean Marriage Issues
Arrange Marriage and Matchmakers
1. Arrange Marriage or seon (선)
* parents arrange a meeting, but it is ultimately up to the couple to decide if they want to marry
* the parental pre-screening means that the meeting has a much higher chance of success than a typical blind date
* this type of marriage is prevalent in Korea since it’s not just the matter of a bride and groom but a merging of two families
* rare that a single seen leads to a marriage it often after dozens of sense will they meet their suitable spouse
* after the initial meeting the couple would date for several months to a year to determine the actual marriage
2. Matchmakers
* families present their son or daughter to a matchmaker, or a single man or woman arranges a meeting with a matchmaker
* matchmaker analyse their resume and family history for the purpose of finding a marriage partner who is compatible in social status and earning potential
* koreans keep precise lineage records and are listed in their matchmaking resume
Love Marriage
* expression refers to the marriage of two people who meet and fall in love without going through matchmakers or family-arranged meetings
Divorce and Remarriage
1.Divorce
* one in three South Korean marriages end in divorce
* some fly to Reno, Nevada to get a divorce faster than through the Korean legal system
2.Remarriage
* becoming more common in South Korea
* Duo marriage agency advertising remarriage services in 2006
Same-sex Marriage
* not legally-recognised in South Korea
* Homosexuality strongly criticised in mainstream Korean society, and many Koreans consider homosexuality to be a Western phenomenon
* The King and the Clown blockbuster movie raised issue of homosexuality in Korea, and slowly being more accepted
* despite illegality of same-sex marriage in Kore, more and more gay couples are marring in...
