South Korea Becoming A Multicultural Society

[Anonymous]

I always felt Koreans were more practical than the Japanese who would rather become extinct than open their borders to immigrants. It'll be interesting to see if Korea adapts to immigrant ways or will foreigners adapt to the customs and culture of the host country. A good example would be Korea's unusual work culture which I know I could NEVER adapt to.



Anyway, it will be interesting to see how such a homogeneous society reacts to these demographic changes. I know in Singapore is a hot potato that could bring about the fall of the People's Action Party.



Korea's Multicultural Growing Pains

A recent incident involving Little Psy highlights South Korea's struggles with its growing racial diversity.

 

With his song "Gangnam Style" performer Psy became a global phenomenon. Perhaps less known overseas, 9-year-old Hwang Min-woo, known as "Little Psy" for his role in the "Gangnam Style" music video, has also earned considerable popularity in Korea, even releasing his own music album.



However, as Hwang became recognizable in Korea, he also became a target for the same kind of malicious online comments that have plagued other celebrities. The difference in Hwang's case is that people are attacking him for having a multiracial background.



The Internet bullying of Hwang, who has a Korean father and a Vietnamese mother, has been so severe that his family finally decided to initiate legal action against his attackers.



As South Korea rapidly becomes more multicultural, with growing racial and cultural diversity, incidents of harassment targeting people with different backgrounds like Hwang are rising. Some observers are beginning to see it as becoming a severe social problem.



According to the Ministry of Justice, about 932,000 foreign citizens from 184 countries were classified as long-term residents in 2012. The number rises to 1.42 million when short-term visitors are included. Those deemed long-term residents account for around 1.8 percent of South Korea's total population of roughly 50 million. In a survey conducted by Sogang Institute of Political Studies, 82.9 percent of respondents answered that they thought Korea had become a multicultural society.



Yet the South Korean self-identity of racial homogeneity dies hard, and the concept of multiculturalism has yet to reach the stage where people can discuss how to integrate different cultural groups into a harmonious society and benefit from the diversity. According to the study conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), 41.3 percent of multicultural families in Korea said that they had experienced discrimination in 2012, up from 36.4 in 2009.



"Korean people usually have a negative attitude toward people with a multicultural background. As the number of immigrants from emerging countries increases, Koreans tend to think of those foreigners as poor people who came to Korea to make money." Kim Nho-young, an official at Yangpyeong Multicultural Family Support Center told The Diplomat.



Explicit discrimination is not the only problem confronting people with a multicultural background. Other difficulties include "difficulty of communication," "cultural differences," and "loneliness," according to the MOGEF study in 2012.



Among those difficulties, language is the biggest initial obstacle for newcomers when they first come to Korea.



Sun Ke Hui, a 36-year-old Chinese housewife who came to Korea in 2008 and is now fluent in Korean, recalls that when she first arrived in Korea, she had to face various difficulties due to her lack of Korean language skills. "Since I was not able to express my feelings and opinions, I was not only frustrated, but it caused a lot of misunderstanding," she said.  



Her difficulties with the Korean language also caused issues in her relationship with her Korean husband. The couple was not able to deal with problems between them because Hui could not express herself fully in Korean.



Remembers Hui, "There were so many times when I could not understand my husband's or my mother-in-law's behavior. Now, I realized it was a cultural thing, and I can understand it now. I've arrived at this point as I studied the Korean language diligently."







To help people like Ms. Hui achieve better Korean language skills and understanding of the Korean culture, MOGEF operates multicultural family support centers nationwide, called Multicultural Family Support Centers. The number of centers has increased from 37 in 2007 to 200 in 2012 to keep pace with the rise in the number of multiracial families.



According to Kim, the official at the Yangpyeong Multicultural Family Support Center, "Every year MOGEF creates guidelines and plans that each center should follow. Under MOGEF's guidance, we offer various programs such as Korean language tutoring services, interpretation services, and consultations. Many people with multicultural backgrounds visit and use our center, and many people benefit from those programs."



Korean society continues to grapple with the social issues that arise in marriages between Koreans and people from foreign countries. According to research by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), the number of multicultural families in Korea reached about 270,000 in 2009. That figure is expected to increase to about 740,000 by 2020.



South Korea has become an attractive place for many people from lesser developer countries who seek to improve their living standards. That appeal means more people hope to move to Korea by marrying a Korean. The trend has attracted brokers who arrange marriages between Koreans and foreigners. Competition among these brokers is fierce, and a growing number of scams have been reported. For instance, to attract more customers, brokers have created fake profiles of potential spouses. Many people travel to Korea for marriage without having first met their future spouses in person.



One victim of the scam is 23-year-old Atchraphan from Thailand. "I was promised to have a better life in Korea just like I watched in the Korean dramas," she told The Diplomat. "But when I arrived in Korea, I realized that the broker had lied to me. My husband was a totally different person from what I heard or what I saw on the paper and pictures."



The natural result of this deception is that many multiracial couples end up divorcing. According to a survey by MOGEF, 32.8 percent of multiracial couples divorce because their spouses have fled. Other reasons include personality differences (30.9 percent), economic problems (10.6 percent) and conflicts with in-laws (10.3 percent).



Even among those who stay married, many report martial problems. Some 69 percent of immigrant wives say they have experienced some form of abuse, including physical, mental or sexual, or are subject to unreasonable control over their daily lives.



To help foreign women with marital problems, MOGEF operates a 24-hour counseling hotline. The government also provides shelter and rehabilitation programs to women deemed to be in abusive marriages.



"Multiculturalism is now an inevitable phenomenon in Korea," says Lee Ra, the head of the Association for Multicultural Women. Lee calls on Koreans to exhibit greater empathy towards multiracial people, as well as to make efforts to teach them the Korean culture and language. She adds, "It's an international era. The idea of one nation with a single racial composition has gone. The Korean people should understand this and keep that in mind to reach social harmony."

http://thediplomat.com/2013/08/koreas-multicultural-growing-pains/?allpages=yes">http://thediplomat.com/2013/08/koreas-m ... lpages=yes">http://thediplomat.com/2013/08/koreas-multicultural-growing-pains/?allpages=yes

[Obvious Li]

i strongly suspect it will take many more years before Koreans accept multiculturalism.....hell they are just starting to accept adoption as a legitimate option....the most nationalistic group of people i have ever known........Confucianism runs deep in Korean society........ :geek:

[Anonymous]

i strongly suspect it will take many more years before Koreans accept multiculturalism.....hell they are just starting to accept adoption as a legitimate option....the most nationalistic group of people i have ever known........Confucianism runs deep in Korean society........ :geek:

It does indeed OL. Which is why I wonder how such an ordered society will cope with the incredible changes that are rocking the very foundations of the country. If nothing else, Koreans are a practical people, so unlike the Japanese, I think they will make it work.

[Anonymous]

i strongly suspect it will take many more years before Koreans accept multiculturalism.....hell they are just starting to accept adoption as a legitimate option....the most nationalistic group of people i have ever known........Confucianism runs deep in Korean society........ :geek:

I hate to say it, but Korea is a long way from accepting multiculturalism. It is a four thousand year old nation. The concept of one race will not disappear overnight.

[Obvious Li]

i strongly suspect it will take many more years before Koreans accept multiculturalism.....hell they are just starting to accept adoption as a legitimate option....the most nationalistic group of people i have ever known........Confucianism runs deep in Korean society........ :geek:

I hate to say it, but Korea is a long way from accepting multiculturalism. It is a four thousand year old nation. The concept of one race will not disappear overnight.

not sure if that is good or bad...there are so many things i love about Korea just the way it is.....i had a conversation once with a group of oldsters and they were embarrassed about all the neon lights and signs in Korea...they thought the lights should be done away with to make Korea more westernized.....i told them it was a big mistake....i love all the neon at night..it is one of the things that makes the country unique...just like some of the other annoying cultural things that occur there....it is all a part of what makes Korea, Korea......and distrusting foreigners and discrimination is just another part of it.....

[Anonymous]

i strongly suspect it will take many more years before Koreans accept multiculturalism.....hell they are just starting to accept adoption as a legitimate option....the most nationalistic group of people i have ever known........Confucianism runs deep in Korean society........ :geek:

I hate to say it, but Korea is a long way from accepting multiculturalism. It is a four thousand year old nation. The concept of one race will not disappear overnight.

not sure if that is good or bad...there are so many things i love about Korea just the way it is.....i had a conversation once with a group of oldsters and they were embarrassed about all the neon lights and signs in Korea...they thought the lights should be done away with to make Korea more westernized.....i told them it was a big mistake....i love all the neon at night..it is one of the things that makes the country unique...just like some of the other annoying cultural things that occur there....it is all a part of what makes Korea, Korea......and distrusting foreigners and discrimination is just another part of it.....

This is what I wonder just how multicultural Korea can be. It has some customs(both good and bad in my opinion) that non-Koreans might find very difficult to accept. It's not up to Koreans to adapt to the foreigners, it is the responsibility of migrants to adapt to the values and norms of the host country South Korea.

[Anonymous]

I always felt Koreans were more practical than the Japanese who would rather become extinct than open their borders to immigrants. It'll be interesting to see if Korea adapts to immigrant ways or will foreigners adapt to the customs and culture of the host country. A good example would be Korea's unusual work culture which I know I could NEVER adapt to.



Anyway, it will be interesting to see how such a homogeneous society reacts to these demographic changes. I know in Singapore is a hot potato that could bring about the fall of the People's Action Party.



Korea's Multicultural Growing Pains

A recent incident involving Little Psy highlights South Korea's struggles with its growing racial diversity.

 

With his song "Gangnam Style" performer Psy became a global phenomenon. Perhaps less known overseas, 9-year-old Hwang Min-woo, known as "Little Psy" for his role in the "Gangnam Style" music video, has also earned considerable popularity in Korea, even releasing his own music album.



However, as Hwang became recognizable in Korea, he also became a target for the same kind of malicious online comments that have plagued other celebrities. The difference in Hwang's case is that people are attacking him for having a multiracial background.



The Internet bullying of Hwang, who has a Korean father and a Vietnamese mother, has been so severe that his family finally decided to initiate legal action against his attackers.



As South Korea rapidly becomes more multicultural, with growing racial and cultural diversity, incidents of harassment targeting people with different backgrounds like Hwang are rising. Some observers are beginning to see it as becoming a severe social problem.



According to the Ministry of Justice, about 932,000 foreign citizens from 184 countries were classified as long-term residents in 2012. The number rises to 1.42 million when short-term visitors are included. Those deemed long-term residents account for around 1.8 percent of South Korea's total population of roughly 50 million. In a survey conducted by Sogang Institute of Political Studies, 82.9 percent of respondents answered that they thought Korea had become a multicultural society.



Yet the South Korean self-identity of racial homogeneity dies hard, and the concept of multiculturalism has yet to reach the stage where people can discuss how to integrate different cultural groups into a harmonious society and benefit from the diversity. According to the study conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), 41.3 percent of multicultural families in Korea said that they had experienced discrimination in 2012, up from 36.4 in 2009.



"Korean people usually have a negative attitude toward people with a multicultural background. As the number of immigrants from emerging countries increases, Koreans tend to think of those foreigners as poor people who came to Korea to make money." Kim Nho-young, an official at Yangpyeong Multicultural Family Support Center told The Diplomat.



Explicit discrimination is not the only problem confronting people with a multicultural background. Other difficulties include "difficulty of communication," "cultural differences," and "loneliness," according to the MOGEF study in 2012.



Among those difficulties, language is the biggest initial obstacle for newcomers when they first come to Korea.



Sun Ke Hui, a 36-year-old Chinese housewife who came to Korea in 2008 and is now fluent in Korean, recalls that when she first arrived in Korea, she had to face various difficulties due to her lack of Korean language skills. "Since I was not able to express my feelings and opinions, I was not only frustrated, but it caused a lot of misunderstanding," she said.  



Her difficulties with the Korean language also caused issues in her relationship with her Korean husband. The couple was not able to deal with problems between them because Hui could not express herself fully in Korean.



Remembers Hui, "There were so many times when I could not understand my husband's or my mother-in-law's behavior. Now, I realized it was a cultural thing, and I can understand it now. I've arrived at this point as I studied the Korean language diligently."







To help people like Ms. Hui achieve better Korean language skills and understanding of the Korean culture, MOGEF operates multicultural family support centers nationwide, called Multicultural Family Support Centers. The number of centers has increased from 37 in 2007 to 200 in 2012 to keep pace with the rise in the number of multiracial families.



According to Kim, the official at the Yangpyeong Multicultural Family Support Center, "Every year MOGEF creates guidelines and plans that each center should follow. Under MOGEF's guidance, we offer various programs such as Korean language tutoring services, interpretation services, and consultations. Many people with multicultural backgrounds visit and use our center, and many people benefit from those programs."



Korean society continues to grapple with the social issues that arise in marriages between Koreans and people from foreign countries. According to research by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), the number of multicultural families in Korea reached about 270,000 in 2009. That figure is expected to increase to about 740,000 by 2020.



South Korea has become an attractive place for many people from lesser developer countries who seek to improve their living standards. That appeal means more people hope to move to Korea by marrying a Korean. The trend has attracted brokers who arrange marriages between Koreans and foreigners. Competition among these brokers is fierce, and a growing number of scams have been reported. For instance, to attract more customers, brokers have created fake profiles of potential spouses. Many people travel to Korea for marriage without having first met their future spouses in person.



One victim of the scam is 23-year-old Atchraphan from Thailand. "I was promised to have a better life in Korea just like I watched in the Korean dramas," she told The Diplomat. "But when I arrived in Korea, I realized that the broker had lied to me. My husband was a totally different person from what I heard or what I saw on the paper and pictures."



The natural result of this deception is that many multiracial couples end up divorcing. According to a survey by MOGEF, 32.8 percent of multiracial couples divorce because their spouses have fled. Other reasons include personality differences (30.9 percent), economic problems (10.6 percent) and conflicts with in-laws (10.3 percent).



Even among those who stay married, many report martial problems. Some 69 percent of immigrant wives say they have experienced some form of abuse, including physical, mental or sexual, or are subject to unreasonable control over their daily lives.



To help foreign women with marital problems, MOGEF operates a 24-hour counseling hotline. The government also provides shelter and rehabilitation programs to women deemed to be in abusive marriages.



"Multiculturalism is now an inevitable phenomenon in Korea," says Lee Ra, the head of the Association for Multicultural Women. Lee calls on Koreans to exhibit greater empathy towards multiracial people, as well as to make efforts to teach them the Korean culture and language. She adds, "It's an international era. The idea of one nation with a single racial composition has gone. The Korean people should understand this and keep that in mind to reach social harmony."

http://thediplomat.com/2013/08/koreas-multicultural-growing-pains/?allpages=yes">http://thediplomat.com/2013/08/koreas-m ... lpages=yes">http://thediplomat.com/2013/08/koreas-multicultural-growing-pains/?allpages=yes

I did not know Korea is changing this much..



I hope it is a smooth transition to a multiethnic nation.

[Anonymous]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

[Obvious Li]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

true....certain beliefs are so ingrained in the Korean psyche that it will take generational changes to route them out....Korean society is based on ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices...they really believe some of the weirdest shit.....and no power on earth will convince then otherwise....

[Anonymous]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

true....certain beliefs are so ingrained in the Korean psyche that it will take generational changes to route them out....Korean society is based on ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices...they really believe some of the weirdest shit.....and no power on earth will convince then otherwise....

I don't know how South Korea can absorb millions of immigrants into their unusual/unique whatever you want to call it society. Like you said, certain cultural norms in that country are just to strange for most of the world.

[Anonymous]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

true....certain beliefs are so ingrained in the Korean psyche that it will take generational changes to route them out....Korean society is based on ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices...they really believe some of the weirdest shit.....and no power on earth will convince then otherwise....

Lol, and it can be seemingly minor things like writing someone's name in red ink or refusing a shot from an ajossi or ajumma.

[Obvious Li]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

true....certain beliefs are so ingrained in the Korean psyche that it will take generational changes to route them out....Korean society is based on ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices...they really believe some of the weirdest shit.....and no power on earth will convince then otherwise....

Lol, and it can be seemingly minor things like writing someone's name in red ink or refusing a shot from an ajossi or ajumma.

or babies and air conditioners.....and we won't even go into all the different food cures and ailments.....

[Anonymous]

Almost all Asian cultures stress the importance of keeping the body warm and making sure the mother rests a lot during the postpartum period.

[Anonymous]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

true....certain beliefs are so ingrained in the Korean psyche that it will take generational changes to route them out....Korean society is based on ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices...they really believe some of the weirdest shit.....and no power on earth will convince then otherwise....

Do you feel those ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices would prohibit Korea from becoming a truly multicultural country Obvious Li?

[Obvious Li]

Korea has evolved a lot in the last two decades, but I don't think European style change is possible. At least it is not possible without fundamental change. It is impossible to integrate millions of immigrants into the fabric of Korean society without fundamental change to the culture. That would inevitably bring about a backlash that political parties would happily exploit.

true....certain beliefs are so ingrained in the Korean psyche that it will take generational changes to route them out....Korean society is based on ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices...they really believe some of the weirdest shit.....and no power on earth will convince then otherwise....

Do you feel those ingrained cultural habits, beliefs and practices would prohibit Korea from becoming a truly multicultural country Obvious Li?

oh yes .....for sure.....and i am all for it.....multiculturalism has been an unmitigated disaster wherever it has been implemented....so i hope Korea looks at Europe and North America and says ...NO THANKS.....we got along quite well for 4000 years so i think we can survive just like we are....Koreans believe strongly in pure Korean bloodlines...they are not crazy about mongrels and mixed color breeds polluting the gene pool.....one of the reasons i love their culture....that and the fact if you have money ANYTHING is possible in Korea.....just the way God meant it to be..... :ugeek: