My son referred recently to the other international kids at Jangjung Elementary School, where he is in the fourth grade, as “Multiculturals” (damunhwa ai 다문화아이들) The term has “multiculturals” taken over in an incredibly short period of time. Suddenly the minorities in Korea are not “foreigners”(woegukin외국인 ) but rather“damunhwa” families and “damunhwa” kids. Korea is certainly stepping into the future quickly. Just in time for my kids, who have been faced sometimes with the unappealing choice of being either American or Korean. Of course the term “multicultural” when used to refer to a person is employed in a radically different use of the word than what one finds in the United States.
In Korea, it appears that multiculturalism is a way of redefining Korean cultural identity in an inclusive manner. The issue is less about elevating the status of previously ignored minorities as it is about creating a cultural space wherein non-Koreans can feel welcome and accepting the rapidly growing population of non-ethnic Koreans in this country.
Koreans are to some degree aware of the problems in the Japanese case. Japan refused to allow a large amount of immigration, and has been slow to adopt a truly global culture. The result is that Japan is becoming a super-annuated society quite quickly. And the results, as we seen in the paralysis in the decision-making process borne of an unprecedented number of very elderly people in positions of power, are serious. The difficulty in responding to the Fukushima crisis is directly related to this social phenomenon.
If Korea is successful in its efforts to allow immigration and the creation of a truly multicultural nation, it can avoid the Japanese case and prosper.
Multiculturalism is having a deep impact on Korean society. There are foreigners teaching at local schools all over Korea today and the number is increasing number every day. The number of Mongolian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and even African students who are learning in Korean is also increasing. Koreans are no longer just learning about foreign cultures out there: they are learning about multiple cultures within Korea.
We probably need to go back to the Yuan dynasty to find a precedent for a multicultural Korea (and a united Korea). Back then, there were Chinese, Central Asians, Muslims, and many other ethnic groups living in Korea and it was directly connected to trade routes extending all the way to Europe. In fact, there have not been this many mosques in Korea since the Mongol period.
I am scheduled to go to a conference in Mongolia in August to discuss Mongolia’s new international role, by the way, in August.
Perhaps one way to approach is for us to come up with a new manner of defining Korean cultural identity. The term “Korean,” or “Hanguk,” originally means “large country.” If we extend on that theme we could find a way to make all ethnic groups “Korean,” part of that “large country. It might be possible to imagine that the word “hangukin” has no ethnic meaning to it. After all, any ethnic group can belong to a “big” nation. Rather we can think of American Hangukin (미국계 한국인), Chinese Hangukin (중국계 한국인), and even Korean Hangukin (조선계 한국인).