Perception of Multiculturalism in South Korea

South Korea, a historically homogenous country, has seen a rise of multiculturalism and incoming foreigners within the nation. As a result, there has been a shift in the perception and acceptance of multiculturalism and what it means within the South Korean community. Multiculturalism has been deemed a phenomenon that South Korean citizens are reluctant to accept; with previous research highlighting the homogenous history and the ideals of “Korean superiority” as roots of why there is a restraint on integrating with incoming migrants. Korean society has struggled with accepting the idea of a diversified nation, with ideals of being a true “Korean” being rooted in nationalism and ethnic identity. We explore the existing bodies of work on South Korean ethnocentrism alongside language that is used in Korean media to represent multiculturalism to determine the stance that the Korean population takes on developing multiculturalism. Existing works have explored the notion of a lack of multicultural acceptance and potentially unfavorable language that is being used in South Korean media but has been unable to find replacements for said language and attitudes. The research will utilize surveys and interviews with South Korean nationals, Korean Americans and non-Korean individuals who have lived in South Korea to assess the experiences of a sample population to identify reoccurring themes, and to identify the type of language being employed to represent multiculturalism in South Korea, and what language could potentially be used in place of metaphors which present negative stigmas.

A North Korean Major once said “Not even one drop of ink must be allowed into the Han river.” In his sentiments, the drop of ink referred to any foreigner living in Korea, and the Han river, the beauty of the Korean heritage – to him, foreign blood was a pollutant. 96% of South Korea is homogenous. With a long standing history of pride in their nation and an emphasis on a single bloodline, South Korean nationalism has resulted in hesitance to accept the developing multiculturalism in South Korea.A common phrase used in the United States to describe the multitude of cultures in the nation is “melting pot.” South Korea has no notable phrases or metaphors which are used to describe the growing multiculturalism in the nation, but rather phrases to represent specific phenomena, such as “다문화 가정” meaning “multicultural family,” and “결혼 이민자” meaning marriage immigrant. However, there are words in the language used to describe elements of multiculturalism that have negative and harmful connotations. Slurs for people of darker skin tones, and the word “잡종” to describe mixed individuals, which directly translates into “mutt”.Regardless of the attitudes that exist towards it – the development of multiculturalism seems to be an inevitable phenomenon in South Korea. Thus, we aimed to find a replacement for the adverse language which exists to better represent the developing foreign population, while also attempting to take steps for more positive attitudes from South Korean nationals. Thus, we developed our research question: What is the perception of multiculturalism in Korea and how has the representation of multiculturalism in Korean media affected international residents migrating to South Korea, specifically in regards to language? A researcher Shen describes the Korean approach to acceptance of multiculturalism using the term “bibimbap” – a traditional Korean dish. He states that similarly to the dish, no matter how hard you try to mix up the elements of the dish together, they are their own separate entity – and this is the same for South Korea’s approach to accepting multiculturalism. The efforts in integrating foreigners and migrants are not focused on providing an understanding to Korean locals and nationals on those who migrate to South Korea, but rather support to the multicultural individuals and groups without involving South Korean nationals. However, if change is to be made, we must understand the experiences of all of those who are a part of the growing multiculturalism. Thus, we attempted to do so through interviewing and surveying 3 categories of individuals, South Korean nationals, Korean-Americans, and non-Koreans who have lived in Korea. From that point on, we identified the harmful languages, the experience of those who are in proximity to the growing multiculturalism and the roots of ethnic identity and nationalism to determine what steps could be taken to replace the existing terminology. The questions we developed aimed to explore if there were differences in the perspectives between ethnic Koreans and non-Koreans who had resided in Korea, and why these discrepancies existed. Additionally, we continued our research through thematic analysis of existing scholarly works to find if there were any trends in the language used to describe multiculturalism in Korea, to determine if it was negative or positive and what language could potentially replace it. Several sources have explored the reluctance to accept multiculturalism by South Korean nationals. Some cite that the reluctance is not rooted in the homogeneous nature of South Korea, as several other sources have argued, but rather that there is a focus on South Korean “superiority.. In this sense, being a South Korean is “better” than the out-groups of incoming immigrants and foreigners. This sense of South Korean superiority may be a result of the roots of nationalism in the nation, and it is evident that to be “Korean” means something very specific to South Korean nationals; and although sources argue that the homogeneity is separate from this ideology, an element of being truly “Korean” to those from Korea is based on ideas of race and ethnicity. This ideology creates a social hierarchy within the nation based on ethnicity and race. The word for mixed-race in Korea is “혼혈”. However, the word literally translates into “mixed-blood”. The emphasis on a pure bloodline weighs heavily, even in the single term. Any disturbance is impure. It is now mixed, it is a drop of ink in their beloved Han river.The lack of vocabulary and metaphors to represent the growing multiculturalism shows that although Korea has begun to take steps towards acceptance and integration, it must continue to do so to an even greater degree. Korea will continue to phase multiculturalism – the only question is if they will choose to find ways to accept it and progress, or if they will continue to push the narratives of their ancestors, and of the single bloodline, and create borders even within their own nation. To conclude, I’d like to thank a few people without whom this research would not have been possible. Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Arthur Romano who gave me the inspiration to begin this project and has shared his support and knowledge with me throughout the process. Thank you to Dr. Karen Lee and the OSCAR program at George Mason University.