The number of marriage immigrants and people in multicultural families in South Korea have both doubled in the past eight years, an opposition lawmaker said Monday, citing government data.
  

More than 147,000 immigrants are or have been married to a South Korean national without claiming South Korean citizenship as of 2015, Rep. Jin Sun-mee of New Politics Alliance for Democracy said, citing data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
  

More than 92,000 foreigners became naturalized after marrying a South Korean, and some 65,000 others claimed South Korean citizenship through other means.
  

The combined total of the three groups was 305,000, or more than twice the figure in 2007 when South Korea started collecting related data.
  

The number of people in multicultural families, which counts the spouses and children of the above demographics, reached 820,000 this year, up from 330,000 in 2007, the lawmaker added.
  
"Our society is rapidly becoming more multicultural," Jin said. "The situation calls for more policies aimed at removing the stigma from these families instead of simply helping them adapt to our society." (Yonhap)

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