[Vol.84] Systematization For Globalization

On May 26, thousands of voices shouting "I can't breathe" filled up the streets from all over Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. The protest was triggered by an incident in which an African-American named George Floyd was killed by a police officer's suppression. George Floyd's death has provoked social discontent of discrimination against minorities in American society to explode into the form of protests. In this regard, interest in the African-American rights movement has increased in Korea, and controversy over racism against African-Americans has since arisen around SNS. Such problems related to racism are continuously being reported in Korea since the trend of globalization is heavily related to multicultural and international problems.

The birth rate in South Korea has continued to decline since the 1990s, reaching 0.92 in 2019. In contrast, the number of foreigners staying in the country for jobs or marriage has increased, expanding the proportion of multicultural families and the number of children from multicultural families. In May 2019, the number of foreigners staying in Korea hit a new high of 2.45 million. By 2050, it is estimated that the population of multicultural families will exceed 20 percent of the total Korean population as the multicultural trend in Korea is rapidly settling down. However, prejudice still exists against foreigners, and the misconceptions of multiculturalism can be seen from time to time. Still, discrimination against multicultural families can be cited as the most easily encountered racial discrimination in our daily lives. Discrimination against multicultural families is mainly inflicted on migrant women and multicultural children. Some people view migrant women as brides for sale, and their poor Korean language abilities cause misunderstandings and distrust in family life. Some students treat multicultural children at school as weaker ones and sometimes treat them worse: a target to their anger. A lawyer, who handles divorce cases for migrant women, said he had seen a case in which a migrant woman gave up her custody of children for fear of bullying if they were delayed in learning Korean because of her, even if she wanted to raise her children after the divorce. Besides, we can witness discrimination against multicultural families for various reasons, including religious discrimination based on nationality, exclusion of various activities due to racial and skin color differences, and the generalization of all multicultural families as low-income families.

Another example of racial discrimination in our country is discrimination against foreign workers. Discrimination for foreign workers is found to be increased as the population of foreigners grows. Out of about 2.45 million foreigners staying in Korea, excluding foreigners such as those who came for tourism, more than 1 million foreigners are eligible for employment. Including illegal immigrants, there are expected to be about 1.2 to 1.3 million foreign workers, and not only illegal immigrants but many of whom have visas are also treated unfairly. Currently, help from employers is indispensable for foreign workers to extend or change their visas. However, some employers are taking advantage of these weaknesses to either delay or cut the wages of foreign employees. Moreover, the intensity of discrimination is very serious for employers who threaten or assault them under the pretext of dismissal.

How should society develop to correct such blind racism? First of all, it is necessary to correct the wrong prejudices toward foreigners. These misconceptions include the hatred of foreigners’ crimes, the misunderstanding that foreign workers take away indigenous people’s jobs, and the idea that multicultural acceptance destroys the society and culture that Koreans have maintained before. This is the fact about crimes committed by foreigners: the rate of crimes committed by foreigners is half of that of Koreans, and the severity of crimes was never greater. Also if a foreigner wants to get a job in Korea, the company is required to make efforts to find a Korean employer for about two weeks before hiring a foreigner. And given that foreigners are restricted from working for up to three years and only four years and 10 months even if they are designated as diligent workers, it is hard to say that they are easily taking away the jobs from Koreans. The argument that accepting multicultural families will weaken the unity of a country with a strong sense of community is also not a valid basis for justifying discrimination, considering that discrimination in Korea could deepen fundamental conflicts between foreigners and Koreans, eventually leading to division. It is important to provide and accept more accurate information about misunderstandings and distrusts towards foreigners.

Correcting wrong thoughts is essential, but attempting to respect and harmonize is also a critical factor for the transition to the multicultural era. It is necessary to identify the positive factors of multicultural families and foreigners and to recognize them as colleagues or friends, not competitors to overcome. Some TV programs featuring foreigners’ life in Korea have proven to be effective in providing information about multiculturalism and the importance of tolerance. In this regard, the properly functioning media can increase the acceptability of multicultural families while gaining high popularity among the public.

Discriminations against multicultural families and foreign workers are only a few examples of the racism in Korea that is still being practiced. Developed countries have also not been able to fully resolve this feud. However, consistent attention to discriminations and moves to seek solutions still gives us hope that we can address racial discrimination and that all mankind can be eventually equal. In less than a year, the COVID-19 incident has created numerous controversies over human rights. Nevertheless, we are witnessing various problems gradually being solved by positive thinking. Whether it’s racism or the COVID-19 crisis, it's more important than ever to have upright and healthy beliefs.