Is there a strong prejudice against women from Eastern Europe in Korea?

A friend of mine, who studied in the UK and eventually settled there, says he is going to meet a Ukrainian woman and get married.
Since we were middle school friends, I met up with the rest of the group without him, and I was surprised to hear them badmouthing him behind his back.
A lot of them were criticizing him, saying things like "women from poor countries are just gold diggers," which caught me off guard.
I didn't really think much of it... in fact, I'm actually a bit envious..
The woman is a refugee, but she majored in psychology and works as a psychological counselor or something similar, so she is well-educated.
More than anything, I wonder if they are just jealous because she is a blonde "elf."
Does this feel similar to the vibe of international marriages with Vietnamese women?