Towards a Multicultural South Korean Society: Immigrant Integration in South Korea Burcu Mirkelam
The Education University of Hong Kong
Abstract
This paper looks into the potential of a multicultural South Korea and the progress of state-led multicultural policies focusing on the integration of high and low-skilled immigrants into South Korean society. My main research question is to what extent (high and low-skilled) immigrants have defined a multicultural South Korea and challenged the nationalist discourse. To answer this question, I will focus on the evolution of government policies from the 1990s until today and articulate the inclusion and exclusion mechanisms of the state toward immigrants. Although the policies initially had a limited sphere of influence, this has changed throughout the years as Korea adopted a more inclusive approach for instance adopting multiculturalism in school curriculum and incorporating international human rights norms in policymaking for the integration of minority communities living in South Korea. The findings of this research will help explain the intersectionality and complex layers in adopting multicultural policies for immigrant integration in South Korea. In other words, there are different value systems attached to certain multi-ethnics in South Korea when state-led policies, public opinion and immigrant experiences are explored. As multicultural policies took initiative in the late 1990s, due to the influx of migrants, this paper will look into the initiation of these policies until today in South Korea. Multiculturalism may have failed in Western societies, but the South Korean case demonstrates that the shift from ethnic nationalism to multiculturalism is possible.
Keywords: multiculturalism, South Korea, immigration, multicultural policies, multicultural education, immigrant integration, marriage migrants, migrant workers
