Today, in the wave of globalization and neoliberalism due to the development of information, communication, and transportation, we are facing an era of international migration where capital and labor are free to move internationally. Recently, Korean society has welcomed a multicultural society, with the number of foreigners residing in Korea continuously increasing amidst the global flow of population movement between countries. The types of foreigners residing in Korea are also diversifying into foreign workers, marriage immigrants, foreign students, and Koreans with foreign nationalities.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Justice, as of the end of April 2022, the number of foreigners residing in Korea reached 2.35 million. In a multicultural society, it is no longer strange to meet foreigners anywhere in the city or the countryside, on the street or on the subway. Along with the increase in foreign workers and marriage immigrants, there are not a few places to live together by forming communities by country of origin. For example, in Seoul, there is ‘Muslim Village’ in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, the No. 1 multicultural area, ‘Japanese Village’ in Dongbu Ichon-dong, and ‘French Village’ in Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu. In addition, there is ‘Central Asia Village’ in Gwanghui-dong, Jung-gu, ‘Chinese Korean Town’ in Garibong-dong and Daerim-dong, ‘Philippine Street’ near the cathedral in Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, and ‘Nepal Street’ in the alleys of Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu. Outside of Seoul, there is the ‘Special Multicultural Village’ in Wongok-dong, Ansan City, which is known as a ‘village without borders’, and the ‘Chinatown’ in Seonrin-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon. In addition, there is ‘Nordic Town’ in Geoje City, the mecca of the shipbuilding industry, and ‘German Village’ in Namhae City.
When we think about where the numerous drops of rainwater soaked in the ground would come from and flow on a on a rainy spring day, we can imagine that if people of various cultures and nationalities from all over the world entered Korea and settled down well, a "river called multicultural" could be created and developed into a bigger Korea.
Rainwater falling in Korea is flowing down over Korea after wandering around the world on clouds. In the meantime, how have we treated rainwater that has fallen on our country while wandering around the world in clouds immersed in the myth of a monolithic people of pure blood? Since it was Korea where rainwater fell, we only hoped to be absorbed by "Our Own River" culture, but we did not try to recognize the "river called multicultural" culture that respects the diversity of rainwater.
In the global era and the multicultural society of 2.5 million foreigners residing in Korea, if we want to stand tall as Korea in the world, it is time to acknowledge the ‘diversity of rainwater’ and the ‘multiculturalism’ in which Koreans and foreigners coexist.
Nothing in this world can live without rainwater. When rainwater seeps into the ground, it moistens the dry land and makes new life grow. Rainwater can also become mineral water or groundwater. Rainwater is a very precious thing. Foreigners who come to Korea from all over the world in search of the ‘Korean Dream’ are as grateful to us as rainwater.
Just as the hard-earned seed money of Korean miners and nurses who went to West Germany in the 1960s has become the cornerstone of economic growth, foreign workers contribute to Korea's economic growth to some extent by providing labor to small and medium-sized manufacturers suffering from severe manpower shortages. Marriage-migrant women are working hard to build multicultural families despite difficult conditions such as language communication problems, cultural differences, and economic difficulties. Foreign professionals such as scientists, researchers, and IT engineers are contributing to enhancing Korea's national competitiveness.
However, rainwater is not always appreciated. There are also times when it rains too much and the rainwater turns into muddy water, or when there is a flood, the whole village is submerged in rainwater, and so on.
If a large number of unskilled foreign workers enter the country all at once and encroach on jobs for locals, or if migrants fail to adapt to society and fall into poverty, it can put a burden on the national finances and increase social welfare costs. In addition, it can become a factor of social conflict when the increasing number of children from multicultural families do not adapt well to our society due to social prejudice and discrimination and grow into a force of social dissatisfaction.
The unrest among second-generation immigrants in France in 2005 suggests that if conflicts caused by racial and cultural differences and social discrimination among minorities are not properly dealt with, they can act as social conflicts and anxiety factors. As such, it is time to take the lessons of France's multicultural policy as a mirror to minimize the conflict factors caused by multicultural society and to achieve social integration.
In this multicultural society, we can reflect on the meaning of sea fire pumping water. The sea means that it accepts any water without reservation and purifies it silently within itself, forming a huge ocean, which implies embracing all people without discrimination.
Just as there is an old saying, ‘a hometown if you stick with it’, not only those who have lived on the Korean Peninsula for generations but also newcomers to the peninsula can make this land their second hometown if they settle down on this land. Immigrants who enter this land should have the mindset to respect and accept the values and culture of Korean society. In addition, the Korean people who welcome them will also need to think of migrants not as mere guests but as neighbors who will pioneer a new home and have a spirit of inclusiveness and respect for diversity.
When we often think of rivers, it is easy to think of them as a passage through which rainwater from the mountains flows into the sea. However, rivers are not just spaces where water flows but there are various ecosystems. Rivers are also the home of life for humans. Villages and cities were created around rivers, and human civilization was also born. In addition, the river fertilized the surrounding land with the numerous earth and sand grains he carried and the nutrients contained therein, and agriculture and livestock were carried out on the land, developing agricultural and settlement cultures and creating the four major civilizations of mankind.
Rivers are characterized by ‘inclusiveness,’ that accepts countless raindrops and ‘diversity,’ in which animals and plants, as well as fish and birds, coexist. A society in which people of various cultures and nationalities from all over the world coexist without discrimination around the 'multicultural river' as cozy as a mother's arms and live in harmony like a rainbow of seven colors is a mature multicultural society.
Finally, anyone can become a stranger in the global village. We must not forget that foreigners living in this land are also human beings like ourselves and that the problems foreigners experience are our problems, and if they are discriminated against and persecuted, these can also become our problems. It is time to have the spirit of looking at yourself from the other person's point of view.