DFA warns Pinoys vs Korean marriage brokers

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos should be cautious when dealing with Korean marriage brokers or those promising them work as entertainers in South Korea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

The warning came as the Philippine embassy in Seoul cited cases of Filipinas being trafficked as mail-order brides during the recent Second Multicultural and Law Forum held in Ansan City.

Organized by the Institute of Globalization and Multicultural Studies of Hanyang University, Korean prosecutors and immigration officials, representatives of embassies and foreign community groups were invited to discuss challenges of multiculturalism in South Korean society.

As one of the forum speakers, second secretary and consul Aian Caringal said “most of the serious cases were already problematic from the start as the Filipino women either went through illegal marriage brokers or were trafficked to Korea as entertainers. As soon as the women reach Korea, their passports and other personal documents are taken from them by the employers, husbands or in-laws.  Some are even not allowed to use or own a cell phone.”

Marriage brokering is considered illegal in the Philippines under Republic Act 6955, which prohibits the business of organizing or facilitating marriages between Philippine women and foreign men. Caringal said this practice persists despite the physical and emotional abuse that the women go through.

“There was even the case of a Vietnamese bride murdered by her Korean husband just eight days after she arrived in Korea in July 2010,” Caringal said, noting that the bride did not know that her husband suffered from a mental disorder.

Some Filipinas, lured by the prospect of work as entertainers in South Korea by unscrupulous promoters and talent managers, end up working as prostitutes for less than half the salary promised them, Caringal said.

In most cases, they circumvent the procedures of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the official said, adding that participating in the forum is one of the ways the embassy tries to prevent trafficking of Filipinas in South Korea.