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Korea to ban foreign spouses from working at adult entertainment businesses
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to bar some immigrants from working at adult entertainment businesses, including karaoke bars and massage parlors, the government said Wednesday.
The legal revision being drafted by the Justice Ministry, if passed, would only apply to the foreign spouses of Korean citizens. Currently, there are no limits on where so-called "marriage immigrants" can work.
"There are a number of cases of foreign spouses working in karaoke bars and massage parlors, and this poses various social problems," a ministry official said. "We hope the revision will contribute to establishment of sound family communities and an appropriate marriage culture."
South Korea has seen a steady influx of foreigners in recent decades and an increasing number of inter-racial families, particularly in rural areas where international marriages between Korean men and women from developing Asian countries have surged.
According to the most recent national census, about 131,000 foreign spouses, mostly female, were married to South Koreans and living inside the country.
The ministry will soon hold a public hearing to fine-tune specific details about the revision before submitting it to the Cabinet for approval, they added.
The ministry is also pushing to give permanent residency to professional artists and athletes who meet certain criteria if they stay in the country over five years, ministry officials said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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