Family of murdered Vietnamese bride has gone to Korea to arrange funeral

This morning, the bride's family arrived in Korea and continued by plane to Jeju to conduct funeral procedures.

The public is very concerned about the murder of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ngan, a 22-year-old Vietnamese woman, by a Korean man on November 30 at a hotel on Jeju Island. Before the incident, Ms. Ngan was married to a Korean man but later divorced.

Regarding this incident, VOV.VN connected with Mr. Tran Hai Linh, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Korea to learn more about the situation.

PV: Sir, could you please tell us how the Vietnamese Association in Korea is concerned about this issue?

Mr. Tran Hai Linh:As soon as this incident occurred, we received information from the consular department of the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea. Because normally when an incident occurs involving Vietnamese people, the Korean authorities will report to the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea to coordinate and handle subsequent issues.

The Association will also continuously monitor the situation through information channels to coordinate and handle when necessary.

PV: Could you please tell us how the Vietnamese Association in Korea will coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea to resolve this matter?

Mr. Tran Hai Linh:The Association regularly exchanges and coordinates with the Embassy whenever a case like this occurs.

Mr. Tran Hai Linh, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Korea

According to the Association, this morning (December 3), the bride's family representative arrived in Korea and continued by plane to Jeju to conduct funeral procedures. Jeju is also an area with few communities living there.

According to the Association's operating practices, the Association will allocate operating funds to send to the family to temporarily resolve immediate difficulties, then depending on the specific case, it will launch a fundraising campaign in the community to contribute to supporting the victim's family.

The Association and the Embassy will also regularly support and take measures to help the family while they are still in Korea and until the family brings the victim's remains back to Vietnam.

PV: This is not the first time something like this has happened to Vietnamese brides in Korea. What warning do you have for those who want to change their lives by marrying foreigners, as well as for illegal workers who want to stay in Korea at all costs?

Mr. Tran Hai Linh:Most Vietnamese brides before coming here think that Korea is all rosy. But the reality is not as simple as they think. Integrating into life here is very difficult because of language ability, customs and practices, because each country has a different culture.

The Korean cultural wave in recent years has strongly “invaded” countries in the region. Information such as trendy fashion, mansions, cars, developed entertainment industry, people are romanticized or idealized in movies. That makes many Vietnamese brides have illusions about the dream of changing their lives.

In reality, it is not entirely like that, because when it comes to family issues, Korean family life has inherent characteristics, different from other countries. Korea is influenced by Confucian culture. The common point of countries influenced by Confucianism (including Vietnam) is that the patriarchy of men in the family is still heavy. Even in Korean families, if generations live together in one house, family relationships are more complicated than in Vietnamese families. If you understand the characteristics, language, and culture of Korean families, family life can be more convenient, and Vietnamese brides can also adapt to life in a foreign country more easily.

But unfortunately, in the cases of Vietnamese women marrying Korean men, most of them are through matchmakers, and their knowledge of the family, language and culture of the host country is still very limited.

My only advice to those who want to change their lives this way is to consult with people who have experience living in Korea, such as immigrant women who married Korean men before. Learn from their experiences and think carefully before making a decision, because when we lack information, our thinking will not be completely accurate.

In recent years, every year we have received news of brides being murdered, abused, illegal workers being forced to hide, many cases of sudden death due to cold weather when living conditions are not suitable. After all, life is the most important thing and we should think carefully, not at all costs to stay.

PV: In the coming time, what solutions will the association have to protect the community, including Vietnamese brides, sir?

Mr. Tran Hai Linh:For brides living in Korea, if they encounter any difficulties, first contact the 24/7 emergency support hotline for immigrant women: 1577-1366 or the legal advice hotline: 1644-7077.

The Association currently has members working and collaborating in the above departments, and will have measures to exchange and provide timely assistance in accordance with the laws of the host country.

In addition, the Association also has an office located in Seoul, which is always ready to exchange and support the community. The office will also be a "temporary shelter" for the community in some really difficult cases.

The Association will do everything possible and find the most beneficial solution to protect the interests of the community.

PV: Thank you./.

According to VOV