Cambodia has suspended the licensing of marriages between its citizens and those of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in an effort to curb human trafficking, the foreign ministry said on March 19.

"We sent a note to the RoK embassy on March 5 informing them of the temporary suspension of the issuance of marriage licenses between Cambodians and those of RoK nationality," the AFP quoted ministry spokesman Koy Kuong as saying.

The spokesman said the measure was taken after a Cambodian matchmaker was sentenced this month to 10 years in prison for bringing 25 women from the countryside in an attempt to broker marriages with the RoK men.

Authorities are reviewing procedures to combat human trafficking, Koy Kuong added.

The RoK news agency Yonhap reported on the same day that the number of Cambodian women marrying RoK men had more than doubled, from 551 in 2008 to 1,372 last year.

In March 2008, Cambodia imposed a ban on foreign marriages to prevent human trafficking./.