By Kim Rahn
Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Kum-lae is adamant about the need for more events and programs enabling Koreans and multiracial families to mix with each other in order to promote better understanding in society.
Through such efforts, Koreans will find new ways to coexist with people of different races with various cultural differences, she said.
“We conducted a survey on multiculturalism earlier this year, the first of its kind. The results were neutral, meaning people neither liked nor disliked it,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times on July 24.
The survey showed that people with higher education or with greater experience of interacting with people from other cultures, or frequently meet foreigners were more open to multiculturalism. But the majority of Koreans have few or no chances to engage with foreigners.
“We believe the best way to create openness toward multiculturalism is to offer more opportunities for native Koreans and multiracial residents to mingle together,” the minister said.
She said the authorities are providing related programs at Multicultural Family Support Centers, such as festivals and sports events. She added that education on multiculturalism is taught to children at school.
The minister said understanding about multiculturalism is still poor, partly because it is relatively new to the nation.
“We have a short history of multiculturalism. We previously learned that Korea is a racially homogeneous country and we have been proud of this. But Koreans are good and quick at adapting to changes in the environment. I’m sure we’ll soon understand and get accustomed to it,” she said.
The ministry has organized support programs to help immigrant spouses _ mostly wives _ adapt to Korean society. They range from offering information on Korean language and culture before coming here, to lectures on the language and interpretation services available through the Danuri Call Center.
These services help the wives in the early stages after arriving in Korea, and the ministry is expanding the support to continue after people emigrate here, such as helping them find jobs and educating their children.
“Many immigrant wives marry men in the low-income bracket. These women want to work to make money for themselves,” Kim said.
For foreign wives who wish to work or open a business, the ministry provides job training, especially in fields in which they can take full advantage of their skills, such as translating their mother tongue and cooking dishes from their homeland.
Kim pointed out the importance of support for children of multiracial families, either born here to a foreign mother and Korean father or born abroad to foreign parents and then coming here after their mother remarried a Korean.
“They may be belatedly learning the Korean language because their mothers don’t speak it fluently and have many other problems stemming from cultural differences and social prejudice. They need to grow as members of Korean society, but it is possible for many to fall behind or become outcasts. We need more diverse and detailed support programs,” she said.