Support for Multicultural Families in South Korea

Abstract

"As a result of an increasing entry of foreign migrant workers to South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea, hereafter Korea), and international marriages between women and ethnic Koreans from China (see: Statistics Korea, 2016), Korean society has become more multi-racial and multi-ethnic than ever. The current trend is a challenge for Korean society known for strong homogeneity and nationalism. In order to adapt to increasingly multicultural environments, South Koreans needed to develop a new concept of national identity and systems of social integration (In-Jin Yoon, Young-Ho Song & Young-Joon Bae, 2008, p. 325; Geon-soo Han, 2007; Hyun-sil Kim, 2010, ofter: Sanghee Kim, 2015, p. 5; Andrew Eungi Kim, 2009). Because of an increasing number of immigrants in Korea (see Graph 1; Statistics Korea, 2016, p. 3) and also an increasing number of international marriages, especially in the period from 2000 to 2005 (see: Statistics Korea, 2015), minorities of different racial, ethnic, social, and cultural backgrounds became more visible than ever and require societal attention and intervention (In-Jin Yoon, Young-Ho Song and Young-Joon Bae, 2008, p. 325)." [...] (fragm.)