The number of international marriages declined last year, mainly in arranged marriages between Korean men in their 50s living in rural areas tying the knot with younger women in their 20s from Southeast Asian countries.

Statistics Korea said last week that the government’s tougher controls over cross-border arranged marriages led to a decline in the overall number of international marriages to 24,387 nuptials last year, a 9.5 percent drop from 2013. It is the lowest figure since 2003.

The government has been moving to make arranged marriages more transparent since 2011, such as by evaluating foreign nationals’

Korean language skills and assessing the income level of their Korean counterparts. The move was aimed at preventing rampant cases of marital violence, fraud and conflict.

Last year, the combination of a South Korean groom and a foreign bride dropped 12.1 percent, while the number of husbands at least 10 years senior to their wives also declined.

Arranged marriages for older bachelors in farming areas who have had difficulties finding a spouse have become popular since the late 1990s.