New figures show the number of multicultural marriages in Korea has increased for three consecutive years.

According to figures released by Statistics Korea Thursday, the number of marriages between South Koreans and foreign spouses climbed four percent on-year to 24-thousand-721 in 2019.

Multicultural marriages in the country also include matrimony with foreigners who became naturalized Korean citizens.

Seventy percent of multicultural marriages involved a South Korean marrying a foreign wife.

Meanwhile, the proportion of multicultural marriages out of total marriages rose one-point-one percentage points to ten-point-three percent, the highest tally in nine years. 

This compares to a seven-point-two percent decline in overall marriages in South Korea last year. 

The proportion of babies born to multicultural families out of all childbirths in South Korea reached an all-time high in 2019 due to the country's low birthrate, government data showed.

The number of babies born to multicultural married couples stood at 17-thousand-939 last year, down point eight percent from a year earlier and accounting for five-point-nine percent of total newborns in the country.