Courtesy of rawkkim

Every society has cultural diversity. This diversity might be based on religion, ethnicity, or nationality. The challenge is then how does each country understand this diversity and how does it respond to it. What stories does it tell about the various people that inhabit the land?

In some cases, the policy is simply to ignore or neglect the diversity. Countries can take the position that particular groups do not exist (or rather do not deserve to be acknowledged) and focus instead on unity. Elsewhere, during colonial times, the focus was on assimilation. This entailed making the minority group adopt the codes, values, and behaviors of the dominant group and so reducing visible diversity. This slowly gave way to ideas of integration. Here, we recognize the different groups that vary from the dominant culture and begin dialogue on how to make their lives easier. Now, much of the academic literature cites countries like Canada and Australia as the highest level of multiculturalism. There, diversity is not only acknowledged, it is celebrated. Seen as a resource. It allows for greater communication across cultures, which then promotes trade and economic development.

From a philosophical perspective, multiculturalism might also be understood as a response to egalitarianism. Societies often promote the idea that we are all equal and deserving of equal rights and opportunities. However, this equality is rarely exercised in practice. Women are often not required to serve in the military. People with disabilities are given differential treatment. And then there are holidays. What, for example, does Christmas in Western Europe mean to a Buddhist or a Hindu? These people want their own holidays and so the conversation then revolves around whether they will be accommodated, integrated, celebrated, or ignored.

Change in Korea

What was once a rather homogenous culture has slowly transformed, with large changes taking places in the 1990s. The buzzwords once adopted by governments and taste-makers of the past have changed: globalization and internationalism have been replaced by multiculturalism. What multiculturalism actually means, however, is difficult to pin down here. At times it simply means having a white guy or a black girl in your university's promotional videos. It means eating Mexican food in Itaewon. Foreigners wearing hanbok at Gyeongbok Palace. Or the sob stories about Southeast Asian workers on local television.

There are currently approximately 2.5 million people of foreign origin living in Korea: That's around 5 percent of the population. Which is certainly sizable. However, the culture itself is still not very accepting of difference. It values conformity in aesthetics and values. The clearest indication of this is looking around the office, the highway, or the skyline filled with apartments. Rows and rows of white, black, grey, and silver. Sameness dominates. Generally, one does not find bright reds, blues, greens, and oranges. These seem to stand-out a little too much.

And so for foreign nationals living in Korea, there is a great challenge: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Conform. Dress down. Bow. Be humble. Use your nunchi. Learn Korean culture. Speak the Korean language. Essentially, become like everyone else. Korean in all but ethnicity or nationality. It's for this reason that many foreign nationals do not stay in Korea a long time. Even after 20 years, I still get asked the question, "So when are you going home?"

Racism in Korea

Racism exists all over the world. In every country, culture, and society, we can find discrimination in various forms. There are those who will claim that racism is exclusively carried out by a certain subset of society without obviously realizing that this attitude itself might be considered racist. It also exists here in Korea, though not to the extent or nature that some might expect.

Life in Korea is certainly different if you are a white male American, a black European female, a Chinse lesbian from Chengdu, or a hijab-wearing Muslim from Malaysia. I can't speak to all of these experiences but the research and the various stories presented show us that people are treated differently in Korea according to their identity. This is not exclusive to Korea, of course. Despite the claims of perfect egalitarianism, people also experience differential treatment in Sweden, Swindon, and Sydney.

In Korea, it would be easy to put everything down to skin color. The paler your skin, the more desired you are. There are historical reasons for the Korean preference of white skin dating back to long before America was even founded as a nation so we should be careful of seeing it exclusively through a modern ethnocentric lens based on race. At the same time, we shouldn't discount it entirely. In addition, Dr. Zeljana Zmire observes the differential treatment here in Korea through what is called "nouveau-riche nationalism."

Korea experienced remarkable economic growth during the latter parts of the twentieth century. A breakneck compressed modernity, imposed forcibly from above, dragging it from the farms and countryside to high-rise apartments and luxury department stores. This incredible success resulted in a great deal of pride among the Korean people. Well-deserved pride, it should be said, and there's nothing inherently wrong with feeling proud if it is channeled in the right way.

But for some Koreans, this pride produced a sense of cultural superiority, particularly over other nations who were less developed. Cultural superiority, in this lens, is not based on skin color or ethnicity but instead the economic power of the country. Treatment differs according to whether you are from a country that is richer or poorer than Korea (or at least perceived to be). Again, this is not exclusive to Korea. However, some argue it is more notable here because of the intense economic growth experienced at the national level.

An analogy might be made to people who are not of upper class standing but suddenly come upon immense wealth. They will be rich, have all the physical trappings of elite life, but nevertheless still be influenced by the previous social standing and, importantly, their rapid rise above other people. They are economically rich but not necessarily culturally. Various stories and tales label this the "second generation curse."

This sounds like a harsh criticism of Korea. And it might even be unjust. I generally find Korea to be a warm and welcoming place and am incredibly thankful for everything the people and culture have taught me. But then again, I am a white male professor from the UK. How might I find the country if not only were my skin color or gender different, but I were also from a country perceived as being poorer than Korea?

Many young Korean people are incredibly open and sensitive to different cultures. They find it exciting, fresh, and new. They want to learn. They want foreign friends. They are less likely to judge people according to skin color or the economic power of the country. Instead, they will vibe together over Jennie's new single, Enhyphen's members, or Netflix dramas. But there is still one challenge.

Education

Nouveau-riche nationalism and the various definitions of multiculturalism are academic theories that happen at a certain level of interpretation. When I spoke to a young Korean university student about all of this, she said something that seemed even more relevant. "When we are taught about multiculturalism or different cultures in our textbooks at schools, there's always a picture of a very exotic looking family there. They look so different from us in terms of clothes and skin color. But not all multiculturalism is like that. Sometimes, you might come from a multicultural family, with one or two non-Korean parents and look like us. So I think we need to consider how we are taught about these concepts from an early age, particularly through images and representation."

If that young woman is so keenly aware of the influences being placed on her and her generation, I can't but help think the future is bright. Not just for Korea, but for many countries. Regardless of how rich or poor they might be.

Much of this article comes thanks to my recent conversation with Dr. Zeljana Zmire and Jeon Yunseo on the Korea Deconstructed podcast. The episode will be available soon.

David A. Tizzard has a doctorate in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He is a social-cultural commentator and musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He is also the host of the "Korea Deconstructed" podcast, which can be found online. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.