The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea (RoK), Yu Myung-hwan, has offered regards and condolences to the family of a Vietnamese bride who was stabbed to death by her Korean husband.

Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc, 20, from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho was killed by her allegedly mentally ill husband, 47-year-old Jang, in the southern port city of Busan on July 8, just a few days after she arrived in the RoK.

Yu extended his condolences to Ngoc’s family during a meeting with the Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK, Tran Trong Toan, in Seoul on July 16.

The Minister said he was grieved at the death of Ngoc and was regretful about the heart-breaking affair.

The RoK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade sent the Deputy Director of the South Asia and the Pacific Department to Busan to work with local authorities to deal with the case right after it occurred.

Yu said the RoK government will examine laws and regulations and take necessary measures to closely monitor the operations of foreigner-related marriage brokerage companies in order to prevent similar affairs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will also strengthen measures to ensure that foreign brides lead happy and harmonious lives in families in the RoK, he said.

On this occasion, the Minister asked the Vietnamese Embassy to transfer more than 8,200 USD contributed by the ministry’s staff and their family members to the family of the bride.

Also on July 16, RoK parliamentarian Han Sun-kyo arrived in Ho Chi Minh City to offer sympathy to the family of Ngoc, whose ashes were brought back to the city by her parents a day earlier.

Han told reporters that the affair as well as previous cases related to the lives of Vietnamese brides aroused public opinion in the RoK. He also expressed his regret at the death of Ngoc.

The association of RoK people in HCM City and the Tae Quang Vina Co. also extended condolences and handed over 5,000 USD and 20,000 USD, respectively, to support the victim’s family./.