Mixed Marriage Still Faces Prejudice in Korea
Some time after the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., South Korea ramped up its anti-terrorist alert level. And that was when the wife of Kim Bu-seong received a phone call from a government agency, asking about her husband, such as what he does, who he meets at night and whether he wired a big sum of money to a foreign country recently, in an apparent attempt to find out whether Kim had any ties with any terrorist group. That was just one of prejudices Kim has faced in South Korea.
Originally from Pakistan, Kim is a naturalized South Korean citizen who has a Korean name. He is also married to a Korean woman and has two children. Having lived in Korea for 18 years, Kim speaks fluent Korean in Gyeongsang regional dialect and eats kimchi everyday. His parents-in-law, who initially expressed reservation over her daughter’s marrying a foreigner, now give their two thumbs up to Kim, who is hard-working, reliable and most importantly, a family man.
But his life in his second home nation isn’t always full of spirit and brimmed with optimism. “Koreans still have this stereotype that all ‘foreigners’ are white people. So, when they see a Korean woman walking with a man from South Asia or from an Arab country, they give the couple a disdainful look,” said Chung, the wife of Kim, Chosun Ilbo reported Saturday.
“I am a Korean citizen now,” said Kim. “I have a valid Korean identification card. But people still treat me differently because of my skin color.”
Kim, 40, and Chung, 41, were especially worried about the possibility of their children being bullied by classmates in school because their different looks. “Fortunately, that didn’t happen. They are doing fine in school,” Kim said.
For their marriage to be possible, Chung also made her share of sacrifices as well. An outgoing, adventurous person who enjoyed traveling abroad, she, after marriage, tried to look as much an ordinary Korean “ajumma” as possible. For example, she even cut her long hair that had once reached her waist and permed to look like a typical Korean ajumma.
“I try not to stand out. If I look different or behave differently, people may think it’s because I married a foreigner,” she said.
South Korea, a traditionally homogeneous nation that has been proud of maintaining ``pure blood’’ linage, now has 1.1 million foreigners out of its 49 million population, including the recent flood of immigrants notably from South Asia, who came here seeking better pay and economic opportunities.
Kim’s hard work paid off. Upon arriving in South Korea, Kim first worked at a dyeing factory in Daegu. Now he runs his own textile trading company.
Although he is now a Korean, Kim also makes sure to bring his two children to Pakistan every other year so that they also learn the country where he is from.
“Our typical dinner is served with both Pakistani and Korean dish,” said Chung.
With the new influx of foreigners, including 11,500 naturalized citizens already, the Korean government has lately campaigned for more awareness for international marriage. It’s a growing global trend and South Korea is not an exception, scholars pointed out.