Cambodia bans marriages to South Koreans

Cambodia has suspended marriages between its citizens and South Koreans in order to curb human trafficking, the foreign ministry said.

A ministry spokesman, Koy Kuong, says the measure has been taken after a Cambodian matchmaker was sentenced this month to 10 years in prison for bringing 25 women from the countryside in an attempt to broker marriages with South Korean men.

Authorities are reviewing procedures to combat human trafficking, the spokesman added.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Friday that the number of Cambodian women marrying Korean men has more than doubled, from 551 in 2008 to 1,372 last year.

In March 2008, Cambodia imposed a ban on foreign marriages to prevent human trafficking, amid concerns over an explosion in the number of brokered unions involving South Korean men and poor Cambodian women.

The ban followed an International Organisation for Migration report that said many Cambodian brides suffered abuse after moving to South Korea in marriages hastily arranged by brokers who made large profits.

The restriction was lifted about eight months later after new laws were introduced to prevent women becoming mail-order brides.

- AFP