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The event was very special because it was sponsored, managed and successfully carried out by members of the U.S. Army Spouses' Club of the Greater Washington Area (ASCGWA).
I was there inside the military base as a privileged guest.
To be a member of ASCGWA, one needs to be a spouse of an active, retired or reserve military member. Membership requirement of an International Member is a spouse of an accredited attache (Defense, Military, Air Force, Naval), assistant attache assigned to embassies in Washington, DC, a spouse of a foreign officer, or a spouse of a civilian employee (sponsored by their respective embassy) assigned to duties in the National Capital Region.
Early in 2020, there were 61 ladies in the ASCGWA international membership from 37 countries.
This year's showcase was represented by Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Thailand and the United States. Hosting ladies were festively dressed to represent their respective countries.
On their display table, each nation's hostesses prepared and presented cookies, snacks and pastries unique to their nation. These snacks were beautiful to view and tasted exquisite as they were given to all visitors.
All tables were beautifully decorated with distinctive flair and colors. In addition, representatives of selected countries performed several dances unique to their culture.
Naturally, my mind wandered over 7,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Korea.
According to Statistics Korea cited by Xinhua News and accessed on Feb. 20, 2020, the number of cross-cultural weddings in Korea was 21,917 in 2017, representing 8.3 percent of total weddings. No less than 65 percent of cross-cultural weddings were between a South Korean man and a foreign woman.
Foreign brides came mostly from Vietnam, China and Thailand, while foreign grooms came mostly from China, the United States and Vietnam.
Korea is clearly becoming an integral member of the global community. It is also clear that Korea has progressed to a point of abandoning the outdated tradition of condescending attitudes toward cross-cultural marriages. Hopefully, Korea is ready to welcome cross-cultural life partners and truly celebrate cross-cultural marriages.
Today, I would like to propose that state and local governments in Korea, especially the Seoul government, sponsor annual festivals of cross-cultural marriages. In these festivals, foreign-born partners should play the active role of organizing, preparing and, yes, showcasing the importance of their contributions to, and status in, Korea. They can showcase their importance by sharing their customs and cultures with the broader Korean community.
I know that many cross-cultural wives have been treated really badly by Korean husbands. I firmly believe that Korea owes it to them to demonstrate the importance of their presence in Korea by showcasing their beauty and talent that have long been ignored.
Chang Se-moon (changsemoon@yahoo.com) is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies.
