Seong-June Park
Senior, Dept. of Electrical Engineering
Korea has been in existence since before the Joseon Dynasty. During its 10,000-year history, it has been invaded over 900 times due largely to its geographical position.
The country is strategically located between the Pacific Ocean and the continent of Asia. Korea has, however, kept its homogeneity. Most Koreans have been educated to be proud of their history and the fact that Korea is one of the few homogeneous countries left in the world.
Nowadays, Korea has many foreigners who have lived here for more than one year. One reason they stay in Korea is that the international marriage rate in Korea has increased. Thirteen percent of Korean marriages are now 'international.' This rate will continue to grow slowly. Another reason is the 'English boom.' Every Korean wants to learn English and therefore the demand for native-speaker English teachers is on the rise. Some of these teachers get married to Korean partners. Although many foreigners live in Korea nowadays, some Koreans still believe that they should preserve their ethnic purity.
The U.N has warned that there is a possibility of the violation of the human rights of foreigners and their families in Korea. Specifically, racial discrimination against children of mixed blood has become a serious problem.
Canada is a well-organized multi-cultural society. It is home to various immigrant communities and together they constitute a harmonious society. Canada used to have a problem with its negative-growth population and it started to accept immigrants from other countries, so that it could increase the size of its population. I can tell you that Canada could not exist without its immigrants.
Recently, Korea has experienced a similar problem with its birthrate. Most young couples do not want to have more than two babies because they believe that having children is too expensive. Moreover, the population is, in fact, still gradually decreasing. At this moment in its history, Korea should accept different people and their cultures.
In order to attract more foreigners, the Korean government has to offer special programs to help them until they settle down in Korea. For example, offering courses in the Korean language, banning racial discrimination, and providing opportunities to learn the Korean culture.
The most important thing is that Korean people should change the attitude that a homogeneous nation is the 'unchangeable' symbol of Korea.
