Can Korea become an immigrant nation?

By John Burton

One of the biggest stories in Europe over the last few years has been the growing popularity of anti-immigrant political parties. Countries once known for their tolerant attitude toward immigrants and refugees, including Sweden, the Netherlands, France and Germany, are now confronting demands by sizeable segments of their populations that the inflow of foreigners should be curbed. In the recent British elections, the anti-immigrant UKIP received 12 percent of the vote, although only one parliamentary seat.

There are early signs of an anti-immigrant backlash occurring in Korea as well and for many of the same reasons that are fueling the anti-immigrant wave in Europe, including job insecurity and popular perceptions that immigrants are being financially pampered by the government while ordinary citizens struggle to survive.

South Korea has been at the forefront of its Asian neighbors in welcoming foreigners to its shores over the last decade. The primary motivation has to reverse a decline in the population by encouraging the marriage of Korean men with women mainly from Southeast Asia or ethnic Koreans from China. There also have been efforts to recruit workers from mostly South Asia to perform so-called 3-D (dirty, difficult and dangerous) jobs that Koreans now shun.

The different groups of migrants have been perceived in different ways. The migrant workers in some ways have aroused less controversy since they normally work in Korea for only a few years before returning home, although more are beginning to stay and put down roots. However, the migrant workers have often been the subject of lurid stories in the media about criminal and “antisocial behavior.”

The non-ethnic Korean wives have also been the focus of increased attention. One reason is that the government’s comprehensive efforts to protect “vulnerable” multicultural families have provoked reverse discrimination and xenophobia because of what some Koreans view as their preferential treatment.

Although suspicion of foreigners has decreased in the last 25 years, still a third of Koreans say they would not want multi-ethnic families living next door, while nearly half feel the same about migrant workers, according to one survey.

Economic hard times is adding to skepticism about the presence of migrants, with those in their 20s and 30s and women, being the most negative. These two groups are the most vulnerable to unemployment.

In response, the administration of Park Geun-hye appears to be tightening controls on the entry of foreign brides into Korea. Last year, it introduced tighter F-6 visa rules for foreign spouses, requiring them to show an advanced level of Korean language proficiency, while requiring the Korean husbands to prove they had enough financial resources to support a family.

Ostensibly, this was done for a good reason — to prevent ill-suited marriages after persistent reports of violence in multiethnic families due to cultural differences and tough living conditions.

Nonetheless, the new visa rules carried a whiff of discrimination since most of those affected would be non-ethnic Korean women from a poor socio-economic background.

In contrast, Westerners who have a F-6 visa, such as myself, have little problem in obtaining one. Surveys have revealed that Koreans prefer foreign residents with an American or European background to those from elsewhere, suggesting an element of racism is at play. In addition, the government prefers foreigners from advanced economies because they are seen as possessing skilled talents.

Asian migrants are also under greater pressure than Westerners to assimilate and act “Korean” rather accepting them as they are in name of diversity.

The conflicting attitudes toward Asian and Western-born residents reflect questions of the nation’s mono-ethnic identity, which is an important element in Korea’s psychological makeup, and how far is the country willing to go in accepting differences. A similar debate is taking place in some European countries, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, that were once known for their relatively homogeneous populations.

Nonetheless, Korea has made remarkable progress in accepting outsiders and that gives reason for hope that tolerance toward immigrants will continue. Just compare the Korean government’s progressive attitude with that of Japan, which has stubbornly resisted the inclusion of foreigners despite its declining birthrate and aging population.

Koreans are conscious of the need for respecting the human rights of biracial offspringof multicultural families, including school programs for children to promote their awareness of other cultures, as well as viewing “a multicultural society” as a positive development.

There is a growing awareness that Korea has little choice but to continue down the multicultural path if it is to prosper. But this also reflects the admirable flexibility of Koreans to change their attitudes. Koreans have become more diverse in their thinking as their nation assumes a greater international role and the population is exposed to global trends.

John Burton, a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is now a Seoul-based independent journalist and media consultant. He can be reached at john.burton@insightcomms.com

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