multiculturalism
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Kwanwoo Suh Is Looking for His Korean Father
Kwanwoo Suh, 30, is facing his second winter in South Korea. He moved here from the West African country of Liberia in July 2017, and he finds it challenging to cope with the cold weather. But Suh is trying to stay on until he meets his objective. He is here
ké cast S2 E4: Being Ethnic Korean in China
With a unique cultural and geographical history going back centuries, Joseonjok are considered too different to be fully Chinese in China while simultaneously “not good enough” as Koreans to fit in in South Korea. In this conversation, writer Eddie Park joins host Andre Goulet to discuss his recent
Koryo Saram in South Korea: 'Korean' but Struggling to Fit in
Sumin (pseudonym) teaches languages and cultures to children of ‘multicultural families’ at a local elementary school in Ansan, a city with the highest concentration of foreign residents in South Korea. She comes from a town near Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Growing up, her parents’ income wasn’t enough to feed all three
CJ CGV's "Be a Foreigner": Funny April Fool's Event or Cultural Appropriation?
Are these images offensive? A blond-haired Asian man with facial hair wearing a blue turban and a red bindi dot on his forehead ready to eat a bowl of Chinese noodles A group of people from different ethnic backgrounds in traditional clothing: people in the Korean hanbok, the
How Bad Is Racism in South Korea?
You might have heard some horror stories about racism in South Korea. And yes, depending on where you are and whom you interact with, it does get “that bad.” It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that racism is both widespread and deeply entrenched in South Korea. Numerous surveys
Itaewon Bar Apologizes to Indian Student for Foreigner Ban
In June, a video of Kislay Kumar, a student from India, being turned away from a bar in Seoul briefly went viral due to the brazenness of the discrimination he faced on the basis of his nationality. In a video of the incident, a bouncer can be heard saying, “No
"No Kazakhstan, No Pakistan, No Mongolia, No Saudi Arabia."
When Kislay Kumar headed out on the town on a recent Friday, he had no way of knowing that later that night he would end up being the latest chapter in South Korea’s national debate over race and inclusion. After two a.m., Kumar and a group of friends
Multicultural South Korea: Congolese Refugee Receives Death Threats
“How are you?” I asked him. “I’m very fine!” Yiombi Thona answered. “Don’t worry too much about that. I’m used to it.” On the other end of the phone, Thona was referring to the multiple death threats he
"Damunhwa" Is No Multiculturalism: A Congolese Refugee Reflects on Life in South Korea
Meet Yiombi Thona, one of South Korea’s highest-profile refugees. He came to South Korea in 2002 after fleeing his native Congo under fear of arrest. As a member of the Congo intelligence service, he had leaked documents revealing government corruption and was in turn accused of trying to lead
Weekly Brief: Dec. 5th - 11th
Corruption at heart of Presidential scandal In a rare scene, lawmakers questioned the CEOs of nine major conglomerates on live television. The CEOs represent the largest companies in the country, each suspected of buying favors from the government through Choi Soon-sil, the President’s confidante. The most common answer? “I
When the Foreign Husband Is a Nepalese Labor Activist
Udaya Rai is a Nepalese citizen and president of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants’ Trade Union (MTU), one of the most visible organizations to fight for the rights of migrant workers in South Korea. I recently profiled him for Equal Times, a publication of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). But our
Inter-Korean Marriage and Pursuit of Assimilation
A North Korean woman, alone in her cheap government housing, asks, “I want to get married. Where is my love?” She daydreams of being only in her underwear, straddling her ideal South Korean man, and calling out to him in affection, “My dear husband.” That controversial advertisement by a matchmaking