Journal of the Korean Geographical Society ISSN:1225-6633(Print) 대한지리학회지

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the characteristics and the change in the role of women as accompanying spouses who have been regarded primarily as passive tied migrants in international family migration. In-depth interviews were conducted with female accompanying spouses living in Hanoi, Vietnam, and their online networks were analyzed as examples. The increase in economic cooperation with Vietnam has led to more Korean corporations and institutions dispatch expatriates to Vietnam. This has made more their families live in Hanoi including so-called ‘trailing wives’ who followed their husbands. Women as accompanying spouses who have taken a passive attitude initially have become an active role in the process of local adaptation with sharing various information, learning collectively, and working together to solve local problems. Real-time mobile-based Social Network Services (SNS) have contributed greatly to this. It is also affected by gender role and identity as a ‘mother’ as well as hiring a maid with the help of wage gap between Korea and Vietnam. It can be said that women as accompanying spouses have changed into pivotal roles in mediating and activating the local community networks of Koreans in Vietnam.