1st Edition

Migration and Cross-Border Marriage in South Korea Brokering Nationhood and Wifehood

By Minjae Shin Copyright 2026
180 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

180 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Moving beyond the view of brokers as logistical intermediaries, this book reconceptualises cross‑border marriage brokers in South Korea as actors who facilitate mobility while simultaneously reproducing and reinforcing dominant narratives about gender, family, and national belonging in contemporary Asia. Drawing on multi-sited, qualitative research – including discourse analysis of brokers’... Read more

Introduction

Chapter 1 Cross-Border Marriage in Korea: The Evolving Role of Brokers under Regulation

Chapter 2 Korean Nationhood Revisited: Gender, Race, and National Identity

Chapter 3 Inside Marriage Brokerage: Brokers’ Adaptations, Legal Navigation, and Advertising

Chapter 4 Constructing Foreign Brides: Gender Ideals and Racialised Imaginaries

Chapter 5 Reimagining Korean Husbands: Gender Expectations and Restoring Masculinity

Chapter 6 Responses to Marriage Brokers: Perspectives from Civil Society and Cross-Border Union

Conclusion

Biography

Minjae Shin is an early-career researcher in migration studies affiliated with the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) at the University of Bristol. Her broader research interests focus on the gendered dimensions of migration, migration infrastructures, nationhood, and gender ideologies. Her work explores how diverse institutions both facilitate mobility and influence collective perceptions of migrants, and how these dynamics intersect with broader questions of nationhood, gender, and migrant experiences in Asian contexts. She is currently developing a project on mixed-heritage youth in South Korea, examining how they negotiate nationhood and masculinity through their encounters with state institutions, particularly military conscription.