Multicultural Society Ensures Cultural Diversity

The murder of a 20-year-old Vietnamese bride by her mentally-ill husband only eight days after her arrival in Korea has shocked many people recently. Problems will likely continue to occur as Korea is now on the threshold of becoming a full-fledged multicultural society. It is time to deal with this issue more seriously and adequate social mechanisms must be put in place.

Cases of maltreatment of foreign workers and Southeast Asian wives are often reported. However, public outrage is not as hot toward the criminals as in many other countries. In the face of never-ending similar crimes, President Lee Myung-bak asked the public to pay greater attention to the issues on the multicultural families.

About 180,000 foreign women, mostly from Vietnam, the Philippines and China, have married Korean men. Their children exceed 120,000. In rural villages, four out of every 10 men are married to non-Korean women.

Despite a constant increase of interracial families, society has not been ripen to have a correct understanding of multiculturalism. Partially, it¡¯s because such social trend is noticeable in the rural areas. So many people in the cities don¡¯t take it seriously.
President Lee said the government is working on policies for the multicultural families. He told policymakers to work out the programs with affection, regarding foreign wives as their family.

Korea is becoming one of the world¡¯s fastest aging societies due to its low birthrate. However, input of foreigners is making up for a possible decrease of population in the years to come. Without them, Korea will go through severe difficulties economically and the country¡¯s economic potential will fall.

Moreover, diversity is the key to success in a modern society. In a multicultural society, you can expect more cultural diversity. All advanced countries throughout the history, including the ancient Roman Empire, the U.K. and the United States were prosperous due to their openness to other cultures. It¡¯s time for Korea to let go of its traditional pure blood custom and open itself more to the world.