SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) -Fewer weddings and births and more divorces painted an unhappy picture of South Korea’s multicultural families last year, complicating President Lee Jae Myung’s claims of preferential treatment, official data showed Thursday.
Wide age gaps remained a defining feature.
Men aged 45 or older formed the largest group of Korean husbands in multicultural marriages, while women in their late 20s were the largest group of foreign or naturalized brides. More than a third of the marriages involved a husband at least 10 years older than his wife.
The demographic snapshot comes as Lee’s call to review benefits for multicultural families has prompted government scrutiny of support programs and protests from civic groups warning that the emphasis on preferential treatment overlooks the difficulties these families face.
According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, multicultural marriages declined 0.2 percent to 21,399 in 2025, even as marriages nationwide increased 8.1 percent. Their share of all marriages fell to 8.9 percent — roughly nine in every 100 — from 9.6 percent in 2024.
Births to multicultural families slipped 0.5 percent to 13,347, accounting for 5.2 percent of all births, down from 5.6 percent a year earlier.
Divorces moved in the opposite direction, rising 1.4 percent to 8,104 while divorces nationwide declined 3.3 percent. Multicultural couples accounted for 9.2 percent of all divorces, up from 8.8 percent.
Couples in multicultural marriages who divorced had been married for an average of 10.2 years. Husbands were an average of 50.7 years old and wives 41.6.
The statistical category covers marriages involving a foreign spouse or a naturalized Korean citizen. It reflects nationality and citizenship background rather than race.
The contrasting trends add to the debate over how South Korea supports increasingly diverse families as it looks to immigration to help address depopulation and a shrinking workforce.
Among husbands who were Korean citizens by birth in multicultural marriages, 37.3 percent were aged 45 or older. The corresponding share among couples who were both Korean citizens by birth was 10.2 percent.
Foreign or naturalized brides were substantially younger. About 80.5 percent were under 40, based on the report’s age-group figures. Women aged 25–29 accounted for the largest share at 22.9 percent, followed by those aged 30–34 at 20.3 percent and 20–24 at 16.2 percent.
Women in their 20s therefore made up 39.1 percent of foreign or naturalized brides.
Husbands were older in 75.2 percent of multicultural marriages. In 36.1 percent, they were at least 10 years older, compared with just 2.7 percent among couples who were both Korean citizens by birth.
The age gap nevertheless narrowed slightly from 2024, when 37.3 percent of multicultural marriages involved a husband at least a decade older. Wives were older in 18.8 percent of marriages last year, while 6.1 percent of couples were the same age.
Nationality patterns also differed sharply by gender.
Vietnam remained the most common country of origin for foreign or naturalized wives, with 5,409 marriages, followed by China at 3,224 and Thailand at 1,960. Among foreign or naturalized husbands, the United States ranked first at 1,462, ahead of China at 1,203 and Vietnam at 765.
Japan stood out for its rapid growth.
Marriages involving Japanese-origin wives rose to 1,494 last year from 1,188 in 2024, 848 in 2023 and 615 in 2022. The number increased for a third consecutive year and was 142.9 percent higher than in 2022.
Their share of all multicultural marriages doubled over that period, from 3.5 percent to 7.0 percent.
The rise contrasted with declines among the three largest groups of foreign-origin wives. Marriages involving Vietnamese-origin women fell 5.8 percent, while those involving Chinese and Thai women declined 5.2 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.
The slight nationwide decline in multicultural marriages was driven by a 9.0 percent fall in those involving naturalized citizens. Marriages between Korean citizens by birth and foreign wives edged up 0.1 percent, while those involving foreign husbands rose 3.5 percent.
Multicultural marriages carried greater weight in several provinces with substantial rural communities. They accounted for 12.0 percent of marriages in South Chungcheong, 11.5 percent in Jeju and 11.3 percent in North Jeolla, compared with 8.3 percent in Seoul.
In absolute numbers, however, Gyeonggi and Seoul recorded the most, at 6,306 and 4,196.
Third or subsequent children accounted for 12.9 percent of births to multicultural families, more than double the 6.0 percent among families in which both parents were Korean citizens by birth. But that share declined from 13.7 percent in 2024.
The figures arrive as the government examines whether family support programs extend benefits beyond their intended purpose.
Following Lee’s intervention, the Justice Ministry asked local governments to report on programs including reduced public postpartum-care fees, priority childcare admission and discounts for public facilities. Seoul’s review found that 20 of its 26 multicultural-family programs had no income criteria.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday that its next triennial survey in 2027 would examine the fairness issues raised. The findings will inform its fifth basic policy plan for multicultural families, covering 2028–2032.
The ministry also plans to examine early next year whether such problems arise in settlement services, including Korean-language education and parenting and family support.
Lee has argued that assistance for vulnerable groups must have fair and reasonable eligibility rules. Civic and migrant-rights groups counter that framing support as preferential treatment risks reinforcing prejudice and overlooking barriers to integration.
The debate has implications beyond individual benefits. Residents with a migration background numbered 2.81 million in 2025, or 5.4 percent of South Korea’s population, up from 5.2 percent a year earlier.
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