A mentally disturbed South Korean who murdered his new Vietnamese bride was Friday jailed for 12 years, in a case that prompted curbs on international matchmaking agencies.
The man from the southern city of Busan fatally stabbed the 20-year-old eight days after she arrived in the country to live with him.
They had married in Vietnam in January after meeting through an international matchmaking agency, which failed to check his past history of mental illness.
The 47-year-old, identified only as Jang, said at the time he heard a ghost's voice telling him to kill his wife during a quarrel.
Prosecutors had demanded a life sentence. But a Busan court judge quoted by Yonhap news agency said the sentence took into consideration the fact that Jang was mentally ill and had expressed deep regret.
The court also ruled that Jang should receive treatment in prison and wear an electronic tracking device for 10 years after his release.
Jang had admitted the charge, saying he committed the crime after stopping his medication. Police have said Jang had been treated 57 times for schizophrenia since July 2005.
After the killing the government announced plans to set up a task force to reform the international matchmaking business.
It will discuss measures ranging from changing how such marriage brokerages are run to helping foreign spouses settle in Korea.
Seoul paid 30 million won (25,000 dollars) to the family of victim Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc, media reports said.
More than a third of South Korean fishermen and farmers who married last year chose immigrant brides, some because they were unable to find local women happy to lead a rural lifestyle.
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