Bilingual speaking contest participants smile onstage at Seoul National University of Education in southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education



Multicultural background is an asset



By Choi Ha-young

Being multicultural in Korean society used to be an obstacle to equality but not so much now. A recent conversation between a multicultural child and her Korean mother went like this.

"Mom, am I a Korean or Russian?" Eight-year-old Diana Jeon, born to a Korean mother and a Russian father, asked her mother.

The answer her mother, Jeon Young-hee, gave her was this, "You are both. How cool is that! Try to be a nice Earthian."

This is the story Diana shared with participants during a bilingual contest for children of multiracial families organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) at Seoul National University of Education in southern Seoul, Tuesday.

Like Diana, multicultural children in Korea, a perceived racially-homogenous society, face identity issues. They also often face discrimination in their daily lives because of their unique looks.

"Diana's older sister once said during her daycare center days that, ‘The mother of a boy whom I liked told him not to marry a mixed blood girl,'" Jeon said. "So I told my daughter: ‘The boy's mom is wrong. You can marry anyone on earth, except an outer space creature.'"

Despite such difficulties, students and teachers who participated in the contest voiced that bilingual ability is a competitive advantage in a globalizing society. A total of 40 elementary, middle and high school students who have Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Vietnamese backgrounds shared their stories about settlement, identity, school life and their future hopes in both Korean and other languages.

"Even a few years ago," the Japanese mother of 13-year-old Ahn So-hyun said after the contest, "parents in multicultural families used to have their children focus on the Korean language rather than a foreign language, but these days it's changing. I hope my daughter does not forget her Japanese. Others pay money to learn a second language, she doesn't have to."

Choi Subin, 14, who has a Russian name, Nicole, is learning her mother's language at a private academy. Her parents installed Russian satellite TV at home to encourage her to study Russian.

Choo Ji-won, 17, born to a Korean mother and Chinese father, said she wants to be an international lawyer to solve the conflicts between Seoul and Beijing. She won first place in the contest.

Her mother said, "It's a recent trend that students from wealthy families enter a Chinese school to learn Chinese and prepare to study abroad. I want my daughter to be a global leader."

Diana's mother Jeon boasted that a multicultural background helps children have balanced views, in the "Americanized Korean society."

"Many Korean media reports about THAAD or the territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine are biased. My children can listen to various opinions thanks to their multicultural background," Jeon said.

Students dream about various careers: interpreter, translator, journalist, tour guide, application developer, chef and historian.

"I want to be a historian to bridge the historical awareness between Korea and Japan," said Mori Saran from Seonjung High School, who is interested in making a joint history textbook among Koreans, Japanese and Chinese.

Interestingly, Saran knew nothing about Korea until her parents encouraged her to go to Korea to experience the broader world.

"As we saw today, multicultural students can develop positive, confident identities," said Won Jin-sook, director of the Institute for Multicultural Education at the university.

"Recently, anti-multiculturalism is growing all over the world as seen by the refugee issue in Europe and Brexit. Education for Korean students to gain sensible and humane views on their multicultural peers is also necessary. Korea, which has a low birthrate, cannot maintain itself without immigrants," Won added.