Vietnamese parents invited to reunite with daughters in Korea

HANOI, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- Dozens of parents of Vietnamese women married to South Korean men will be reunited with their children and travel the country next week with support from Korean non-governmental organizations, officials said Saturday.

The group of 26 parents will arrive in Incheon International Airport on Sunday for a six-day trip that will take them to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, the National Assembly, the Han River and other tourist attractions in Seoul.

The rare tour comes with support from regional branches of non-governmental and
social welfare organizations in North Chungcheong Province, where a large number
of Vietnamese women are married to local Korean men.
"It wasn't easy to visit parents who live several hours' drive from Hanoi to get
them passports and visas, but we are proud to arrange for reunions with their
young daughters," said Lee Geon, chief of Shinwol Tour, an agency organizing the
trip.
International marriages have rapidly grown in Korea's rural regions since the
1990s, driven by an exodus of young Korean women seeking better job prospects in
cities. More and more Korean men find their wives in other Asian countries,
including China, Vietnam and the Philippines, through matchmaking agencies.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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