Reply to Angelique's questions

Angelique said: 

I really wish I had asked about the history of the Korean (North and South?) spa culture and if perhaps the South Korean fixation with beauty can be traced back to this. Given that both genders have traditionally used and benefitted from such regimens--scrubs, soaks, steam, massage, exfoliation--perhaps this is why there's not a whole lot of stigma surrounding elective, vanity precedures. 

--> In the modern period, people used to go to bathhouses because some people didn't have hot water in their homes until the 1970s. That evolved into spas because people no longer have to go to bathhouses to take baths. There's probably some correlation between beauty, wellness, and plastic surgery, but I wouldn't try to link them too closely together. 

Angeliques also said: 

I would also like to know more about how migrant brides assimilate into the South Korean culture. Are there organizations that help these women find resources like social and support groups, language education, job training, and cultural education? And I'm sure there is someone out there writing from the perspective of a mixed-race child born in South Korea--maybe a memoirist or a novelist. Any suggestions?

--> First, when a Vietnamese woman applies for a marraige visa, the South Korean government requires that they take courses in Korean language and reach a minimal level of proficiency before getting the visa. South Korea also provides classes on cooking and culture to help them in Vietnam.

Once they get to Korea, there are organizations also but they may not have ready access, depending on their location and ability to get around. 

I can't think of a good fictional work, but here are a couple of more academic books: 

https://www.sup.org/books/extra/?id=8887&i=Table_of_Contents_pages

https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/news/article/assistant-professor-explores-korean-identity-new-book

 

My final question, and I should have asked it tonight, is what is the direct translation of the South Korean term for "migrant bride"? I imagine there is a colloquial version of that term, just like Americans have terms like "war bride" or "mail-order bride", with just a tinge of derogatory judgment. 

--> "Marriage migratipn" and "Marriage migraton woman" are commonly used terms -- but I took the liberty of translating it as migrant bride. I am sure there are derogatory terns used, but I am not aware of them.