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From international marriages to immigrant families: How are these families shaping South Korea's future?
As globalization accelerates, more and more families in South Korea have members from non-traditional backgrounds. These families include not only those with non-Korean members, but also those of Korean expatriates or North Korean defectors outside the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean government is adjusting its policies to accommodate these families living in South Korea.
Definition of a multicultural family
The multicultural family policy aims to support families that have acquired Korean citizenship and are characterized by the coexistence of two cultures, formed through international marriage or other means.
The definition of multicultural families covers four categories of families: The first category is international marriage families, usually consisting of a Korean citizen and his or her foreign spouse. The second category is the families of foreign workers, which include family members brought by foreign workers and newly formed families in Korea. The third category is North Korean refugee families, who fled North Korea with different motivations. Finally, it also includes Korean families from China or Russia who want to live in Korea for various reasons.
Classification of children in multicultural families
Children of international marriage immigrants
These children have one parent who is a Korean national and the other who is a foreign national. Many of them grew up in South Korea and face challenges in cultural integration. In addition, many children of foreign workers were also born in South Korea, but because they have foreign nationality, they usually cannot enjoy the support of the country's multicultural family policies.
Multicultural children below high school age
In 2015, there were 207,693 children in multicultural families in South Korea, of which about 60% were children under the age of 6.
These children start school at ages ranging from kindergarten to secondary school, with approximately 7,000 to 10,000 new students entering the education system each year. 83% of multicultural children were born in South Korea, which shows the strength of integration in multicultural families.
Current Situation and Legal Aspects
Since the implementation of the Multicultural Families Support Act in 2008, the South Korean government has gradually improved support measures to adjust the life cycles of children from multicultural families. As the number of children grows, the adaptation of family needs and government policies becomes increasingly important.
Social, economic and cultural challenges
Social level
In 2015, students from multicultural families accounted for about 1.4% of the total number of students in schools, which shows that this group still faces many challenges in receiving education. Although enrolment rates in pre-primary education are high, they decline with age.
Economic level
In 2015, the employment rate of children from multicultural families aged 15 and above was only 27.1%, indicating their difficulties in the job market.
This situation not only affects the economic situation of the family, but also makes these children feel the inequality of life. Government support policies such as the Tomorrow's Jobs Program aim to provide better vocational training.
Cultural dimension
Lack of cultural identity is a common problem among multicultural children, who often face language and behavioral challenges.
ConclusionOfficials said: "Because children from multicultural families face various identity confusions in school and other settings, building empathy and emotional sharing can help build healthy identity."
As Korea gradually faces the reality of multiculturalism, how will international marriages and immigrant families shape Korea's cultural, economic, and social structures in the future?
