Mixed Blood Koreans Are Koreans As Well
Mixed Blood Koreans Are Koreans As Well
  • Observer
  • 승인 2007.07.27 13:45
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Bae Jung-sun, Junior College of Business
   A saga of Hines Ward the Super Bowl's MVP award winner this year, made him the object of the local media? affection and a source of national pride. Soon, his racial background had drawn attention to the problems faced by mixed-race Koreans in our country. Multiculturalism soon became a hotly debated issue nationwide as many programs focusing on racial relations were broadcast on TV. These programs carried a clear message saying that we should now realize the reality of problems that mixed-race Koreans face and embrace multiculturalism with no stereotype. They also pointed out that even the words in the elementary history textbooks "The Republic of Korea is a homogenous nation" appearing should be avoided as it could lead to ethnocentrism, distorted patriotism, or nationalism affecting negative racial relations in this global society.
   Due to sudden attention to the racial problems, Koreans seem to be more open now to multiculturalism.  However, many experts warn that this nationwide awareness on people of different origins led mostly by media could subside shortly. The fact that no warm and careful attention was ever given to mixed-race Koreans until Hines Ward became a NFL star this year and shot to sudden stardom in Korea led us to self-reflection on this matter.
    While the Korean mainstream media fixate on the mixed-race Koreans born of American or European parents, they pay less attention to the surging ethnic minorities such Koasians, born of a Korean parent and a parent from Southeast Asian nations and Chinese descendents living in the country. One could point out that the popular biracial celebrities are mostly half Americans or Europeans. And Koasians find their opportunities more limited even within the mixed-race community. Koasians or the mixed-race Koreans find it difficult to adjust to school, and hence find their educational opportunities limited. When they try to find jobs, they rank alongside the handicapped people whom companies would least likely hire. The problems faced by mixed-race Koreans won? go away just because a couple of mixed race entertainers grow popular or because people like Hines Ward garner attention. The government should step up to set the proper policies, and people should work harder to correct the mistaken perceptions of mixed-race Koreans.

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