Seoul – Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis T. Cruz warned Filipinos to refrain from using illegal matchmaking agencies in contracting marriages to Korean nationals. Philippine Republic Act 6955 or the Anti-Mail-Order Bride Law, makes it illegal for a "person, natural or juridical, association, club or any other entity" to "establish or carry on a business which has for its purpose the matching of Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals either on a mail-order basis or through personal introduction."

In the recent months, the Embassy has received many complaints by Filipina wives of abuses committed by their foreign husbands which have resulted to abandonment of the marital home, separation and divorce. These complainants entered into the marriage through the services of illegal marriage brokers operating in the Philippines. Many are quick to accept the whirlwind marriage in order to seek employment abroad and have a better life. However, they receive false information on the partner’s family background and face human rights violations in the unregulated family home abroad. Earlier, The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) reported that fake CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificates and Registration Stickers were being sold by so-called recruitment agencies or marriage brokers. The documents appear to show that the women are married to foreign nationals and therefore can leave for work abroad . CFO stated that such activities violate the Anti-Mail Order Bride Law (RA 6955) and the Anti-Human Trafficking Law (RA 9208), which provide stiff fines and long prison terms. Filipino spouses and partners of foreign nationals are required to undergo the Guidance and Counseling Program of the CFO prior to applying for a Philippine passport. There are only two counseling service providers accredited by the CFO namely, the St. Mary Euphrasia Foundation (SMEF-COW) and the People’s Reform Initiative for Social Mobilization (PRISM). After complying with the counseling requirements, a certificate is issued to the Filipina spouse or partner of a foreign national. While international marriage broker agencies are legal in South Korea, they cannot legally operate as such in the Philippines because it violates R.A. 6955. As of April 2009, approximately 6,000 Filipinos married to South Koreans reside in the peninsula.