I cover a wide range of stories about Korean society — one of the most dynamic places in the world. To me, journalism means being on the ground, uncovering untold stories and amplifying marginalized voices, especially in an era when AI is reshaping the media landscape. That’s why I’m always here to listen. Tips and stories are welcome — feel free to reach out via email. Before becoming a journalist, I traveled through 24 countries over 702 days, served two years as a military police officer in the Republic of Korea Air Force and later studied filmmaking at the Korea National University of Arts.
INTERVIEW Multicultural families need equality, not special treatment: KIHF head
Park Ku-yeon, chief director of the Korean Institute for Healthy Family (KIHF), speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the institute in Jung District, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of KIHF
By Park Ung
Agency offers Danuri Call Center service, 24-hour support line for migrants
Park Ku-yeon, chief director of the Korean Institute for Healthy Family (KIHF), believes that migrants should not be seen as special but regarded just like Korean citizens and that this is how Korea can become a truly inclusive society.
“Korean society should treat migrants the same way it treats its own citizens,” Park said in an interview with The Korea Times on Wednesday. “Giving them special treatment could result in distortion and discrimination. We are pursuing a society of equal treatment.”
An agency under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, KIHF was established to support family policy in Korea, aimed at improving the quality of life and strengthening the resilience of diverse families.
Under the vision of “a harmonious society that grows together with multicultural families,” KIHF sets a basic policy plan every five years aimed at helping these families live as full members of Korean society with ease.
One of the institute's key programs toward that goal is the Danuri Call Center, reachable at 1577-1366 and staffed by some 80 counselors, offering emergency support, counseling and daily living information in 15 languages around the clock.
The counselors are qualified individuals with multicultural backgrounds who explain Korean culture to callers and help them work through the difficulties they face.
“Spouses and in-laws who live with migrants also call in often. It's a simple idea, but one that has played a significant role in helping multicultural families adapt well.”
Beyond the call center, more than 240 family centers in cities, counties and districts nationwide serve as KIHF's primary channel for helping multicultural families settle in, offering language education and basic instruction in Korean history and culture.
KIHF also dispatches language and psychological counseling instructors to individual households or runs group education sessions at the centers.
Yet the institute still faces many hurdles. Among the most difficult challenges is improving public perception toward migrants, an area where its efforts alone have limits.
Park said that as recently as a decade ago, most international marriages involved women from developing countries marrying Korean men, often amid violence, mistreatment and conflicts with in-laws.
Underlying those problems, Park said, was a tendency to see them not as equals but through a prejudiced lens. The institute has worked for years to break down that mindset, but social awareness overall remains low and continues to limit its policies' effectiveness.
“Changing people's minds isn't easy. But our job is to keep that goal in sight so public attitudes shift, even a little, allowing multicultural families to adapt and build their lives here.”
Another blind spot is the children of multicultural families now reaching college age. Park said few separate measures are needed regarding access to education through high school, since it's compulsory until then, but college is different.
“These students are now beginning to apply to college. Their parents, still adapting to life in Korea themselves, often find it hard to navigate the school system well enough to get them into good schools. Filling that gap is a new task for us.”
To address that gap, the institute runs a program that brings in experts to offer counseling on how the college admissions system works for these students.
Beyond that counseling, Park said their real strength is language, which can give them an advantage in choosing a school or career where that skill matters.
“Nurturing that strength over the next 10 to 20 years would help these students adapt naturally to Korean society. It would also turn them into a valuable asset for Korea, easing cultural, economic and diplomatic exchange with their countries of origin. How to support them going forward is one of the institute's biggest priorities.”