Editing Multiculturalism (section)

===South Korea===
{{Main|Immigration to South Korea}}
[[South Korea]] remains a relatively homogenous country ethnically, linguistically, and culturally.<ref>"[http://aparc.stanford.edu/news/koreas_ethnic_nationalism_is_a_source_of_both_pride_and_prejudice_according_to_giwook_shin_20060802/ Korea's ethnic nationalism is a source of both pride and prejudice, according to Gi-Wook Shin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720053258/http://aparc.stanford.edu/news/koreas_ethnic_nationalism_is_a_source_of_both_pride_and_prejudice_according_to_giwook_shin_20060802 |date=20 July 2011 }}". The Korea Herald. 2 August 2006.</ref> Foreigners, expatriates, and immigrants are often rejected by the mainstream South Korean society and face discrimination.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19991013000846/http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/CMTS/MonoPaper3-13.html The Life Instability of Intermarried Japanese Women in Korea]" (1999), Eung-Ryul Kim (Korea University and University of Southern California, The Center for Multiethnic and Transnational Studies)</ref> This can be seen as a result of World War II where the first noteworthy wave of multiculturalism between American servicemen and Korean women occurred. South Korea has been long regarded as an ethnic homogeneous country, therefore, the rise in mixed-race children was seen as a new phenomenon. Before the 1990s, the term ''honhyeol'' was commonly used to identify multiracial individuals in Korea – primarily in relation to the children of Korean women and American servicemen;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chung |first=Erin Aeran |title=Immigration Incorporation in East Asian Democracies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2020}}</ref> this common term strengthened the association of multiracial people with a sense of alienation, rather than promoting cultural diversity within Korea. Not only did this term effectively discriminate against mixed-race Koreans but it also made a clear distinction between native Koreans and mixed-race Koreans.

Han Geon-Soo 2007 notes the increased use of the word "multiculturalism" in South Korea: "As the increase of foreign migrants in [South] Korea transforms a single-ethnic homogeneous [South] Korean society into multiethnic and multicultural one, [the South] Korean government and the civil society pay close attention to multiculturalism as an alternative value to their policy and social movement." He argued, however, that "the current discourses and concerns on multiculturalism in [South] Korea" lacked "the constructive and analytical concepts for transforming a society".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Han |first1=Geon-Soo |title=Multicultural Korea: Celebration or Challenge of Multiethnic Shift in Contemporary Korea? |journal=Korea Journal |date=December 2007 |volume=47 |issue=4 |pages=32–31 |doi=10.25024/KJ.2007.47.4.32 |s2cid=151038291 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The same year, Stephen Castles of the International Migration Institute argued:
:"Korea no longer has to decide whether it wants to become a multicultural society. It made that decision years ago – perhaps unconsciously – when it decided to be a full participant in the emerging global economy. It confirmed that decision when it decided to actively recruit foreign migrants to meet the economic and demographic needs of a fast-growing society. Korea is faced by a different decision today: what type of multicultural society does it want to be?"<ref>Stephen Castles, [http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/pdfs/SC%20paper%20on%20MC%20soc%20for%20GHFR%20Korea%202007.pdf "Will Labour Migration lead to a Multicultural Society in Korea?", Global Human Resources Forum 2007 / International Migration Institute] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725111757/http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/pdfs/SC%20paper%20on%20MC%20soc%20for%20GHFR%20Korea%202007.pdf |date=25 July 2011 }}</ref>

The ''[[Korea Times]]'' suggested in 2009 that South Korea was likely to become a multicultural society.<ref>[https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/10/123_57884.html "Multiculturalism Likely to Prevail in Korea"], Lee Hyo-sik, ''Korea Times'', 24 December 2009</ref> In 2010, an opinion editorial written by Peter Underwood for the ''[[JoongAng Ilbo]]'' stated: "Media in [South] Korea is abuzz with the new era of multiculturalism. With more than one million foreigners in [South] Korea, 2 percent of the population comes from other cultures." He further opined:
:"If you stay too long, Koreans become uncomfortable with you. [...] Having a two percent foreign population unquestionably causes ripples, but having one million temporary foreign residents does not make Korea a multicultural society. [...] In many ways, this homogeneity is one of Korea's greatest strengths. Shared values create harmony. Sacrifice for the nation is a given. Difficult and painful political and economic initiatives are endured without discussion or debate. It is easy to anticipate the needs and behavior of others. It is the cornerstone that has helped Korea survive adversity. But there is a downside, too. [...] Koreans are immersed in their culture and are thus blind to its characteristics and quirks. Examples of group think are everywhere. Because Koreans share values and views, they support decisions even when they are obviously bad. Multiculturalism will introduce contrasting views and challenge existing assumptions. While it will undermine the homogeneity, it will enrich Koreans with a better understanding of themselves."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Underwood |first=Peter |date=26 August 2010 |url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2925120 |title=Multiculturalism in Korea |work=JoongAng Ilbo |location=South Korea |access-date=2 September 2010 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902022520/http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2925120 |archive-date=2 September 2010 }}</ref>

In 2010, results from the Korean Identity Survey suggested that government programs promoting multiculturalism had seen some success with over 60% of Koreans supporting the idea a multicultural society.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Palmer |first1=James |last2=Park |first2=Ga-Yong |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/16/south-koreans-learn-to-love-the-other-multiculturalism/ |title=South Koreans Learn to Love the Other: How to manufacture multiculturalism |access-date=3 December 2019 |newspaper=Foreign Policy |date=26 July 2018}}</ref> However, the same poll in 2015 showed that support of a multicultural society had dropped to 49.7% suggesting a possible return to ethnic exclusivism.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Denney |first=Steven |url=https://sinonk.com/2016/10/28/south-korean-identity-the-return-of-ethnic-exclusivism/ |title=South Korean Identity: The Return of Ethnic Exclusivism |access-date=4 December 2019 |journal=Sino-NK |date=28 October 2016}}</ref>