The number of foreign residents topped 1.1 million in May, meaning one in every 50 people living here are foreigners. Korea can hardly be called a multicultural country yet, but it may only be a matter of time before it becomes one, given the ongoing pace of increase in foreigners, whose number has doubled in just three years.
Given this country's rock-bottom birthrate and rapidly aging society, the existence of foreign residents ― referring to those with foreign nationality who have lived in Korea for 90 days or more, legally or illegally, as well as people who have acquired Korean nationality and their children ― have long become a must for filling the manpower vacuum. Finding brides in Southeast and Central Asian countries has also become far too commonplace for rural bachelors.
As seen by the two biggest reasons for foreigners' inflow, however, their social status and the Korean people's perception of them are not that high, leading to serious discrimination. Most of the guest workers are engaged in the 3-D jobs, while immigrant wives often make news with the abuses they suffer here by Korean husbands.
So the latest appointment of a German-Korean to head the Korea Tourism Organization should be seen as a rare exception, which is also why he should successfully pass the government's ``experiment" in personnel management.
Considering this is a country that should open itself to both foreign manpower and products for further growth, the biggest stumbling block is the sense of discrimination being deeply seated ― almost subconsciously ― within Korean minds. True, those of mixed blood have not exactly been examples of racial excellence, but nowhere is the almost blind adherence to pure blood stronger than in Korea. So much so that the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had to express concerns that the Korean emphasis on racial homogeneity could ``hurt understanding, tolerance and friendship of other races and peoples living in the same territory.''
It is welcome in this regard that some local governments, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is providing training for the brides and grooms of interracial marriages as well as subsidies of 1 million won. Still it should be only a small first step toward becoming a country of immigrants, including Australia, which provides not just translation services for foreign residents but also operates TV and radio stations for foreigners. Some cities in Japan, which aims to fill 10 percent of its population with foreigners in 50 years, are publishing bulletins for foreigners of various origins.
Equally heartening in this regard is that some lawmakers are pushing for the legislation of a ``Basic Multicultural Act," based on a white paper on foreign residents' problems, grievances and petitions. Before that, the wishes of most Koreans with good sense would be to no longer hear new stories about foreign wives or other women reduced to objects of human trafficking as well as beatings and other inhumane treatment of guest workers here.