Article fromYonhap News:
Multiracial Korea: For every 20 newborns, 1 is mixed-race
Korea is becoming a multiracial country.
According to a National Statistics Office publication on the 29th, in 2012 22,908 mixed-race children were born from multicultural families, 4.7% of the total 484,550 births.
In a multicultural family, one parent is native Korean and the other is either a foreigner or naturalized Korean.
Children born from two native Korean parents numbered 456,664, or 94.2% of all births. The remaining 1.1% were either abandoned or died shortly after birth, and the nationality of the parents is unknown.
The birth rate for multicultural families has been steadily increasing – 2.9% in 2008, 4.3% in 2009 and 2010, and 4.7% in 2011 and 2012.
97,701 mixed-race children were born in the five years between 2008 and 2012.
However, the multiracial trend is expected to slow down slightly.
This is because there is a downward trend for married couples consisting of one native Korean and one foreigner/naturalized Korean. In 2012, such couples comprised 8.9% (29,224) [of all marriages], down from 11.2% in 2008, 10.9% in 2009, 10.8% in 2010, and 9.3% in 2011.
A spokesperson for the National Statistics Office stated, “Tougher visa regulations for marriage immigrants has caused a decrease in the amount of multicultural couples.”
In 2012, among multicultural married couples, 71% were a native Korean man with a foreign (26.%) or naturalized Korean (2.7%) wife. Of these couples 22% were native Korean women with a foreign (70.6%) or naturalized Korean (7.2%) husband.
Within this group, the 71% of the husbands were Korean, 9.2% Chinese, 5.5% American, and 5.4% Japanese. Among the wives, 29.9% were Chinese, which was the the largest group, 23.2% Vietnamese, 22.2% Korean, and 7.8% Filipina.
“Over the past 5 years, a yearly average of 7,880 Vietnamese women married Korean men. (2011 National Statistics Office)”
Comments from Naver:
neat****:
Deport Lee Jasmine!! When citizens are struggling with their lives, how can she demand previleges for foreigners?
0328****:
Honestly, I’m a little worried.
xabo****:
Multiculturalism is important, but citizens should come first.
jhe7****:
Let’s stop going on about multiracial, multicultural blah blah that has failed.
leej****:
Ah…No…..
inee****:
It’s not really multiracial, ke ke ke. It’s just with Southeast Asians. Stop importing them. If you go to the countryside, there are a lot of people from Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam… They only all hang around each other and I’m sick of it.
gksk****:
I hate multiculturalism… I live in Ansan and it is seriously scary.. I hear rumors of someone killing someone every day… A taxi driver said he was cut by a knife there… and I hear so much talk about illegal immigrants who came in droves…ㅠㅠ The Wongok-dong police can’t do anything about them anyway so it’s a lawless area ㅠㅠ If you touch a Chinese or Joseon-jok [ethnic Korean Chinese] the wrong way, since there are so many of them, their gang brings everyone along with them or they stab you with their knives. All over the country, everywhere, if foreign workers commit crimes, they come to Ansan to hide. I’m near the point where I absolutely do not want to live here anymore.
khy4****:
Illegal immigrant workers OUT, Lee Jasmine OUT
Lee Jasmine, a Philippine born naturalized Korean citizen, is currently a representative in the National Assembly.
nrk1****:
Even as every country now gives up on multiculturalism, our government’s policies bring us back in time… Multiracial society has more cons than pros. Everywhere I look and hear Joseon-jok causing trouble is the best example. It’s not too late. Personally, I think it’s best if we stop with the multiracial slogan.
nyd0****:
Putting restrictions on illegal immigrants is an urgent matter.
seok****:
Crimes committed by foreigners are rising and reverse discrimination against native Korean children is getting worse. Please stop with the policies that waste our tax money.
gsky****:
Foreigners are the same humans. However, I am against special treatment and policies for them just for being different.
jxlo****:
Since it was promoted by the government, the numbers of course went up. A bad person like Lee Jasmine as a lawmaker treat Korean citizens like pushovers.
yall****:
We too some 20 years down the line will all be having mixed kids just like Japan. Are you really that desperate to get mail-order brides from Southeast Asia just to get married..
goss****:
Personally I can’t understand this push for multiculturalism. Countries like Sweden, France, and the UK already have people like paki-roaches (Pakistani workers) causing riots and their countries are all messed up. Leaders in those countries said multiculturalism is a failure, so why does Korea try to implement failed policies? The Ministry of Women needs to get itself together.
shin****:
This doesn’t seem to be multiculturalism. It’s nearly all about Southeast Asia…
xtc1****:
Korea is becoming trash. Most mixed people are part Southeast Asians. They go to school, get bullied and end up committing crimes. Korea, there is just no solution.
kt5c****:
Our country just accepts that Europe’s failed multiculturalism is a good thing. There’s no consideration of the safety of its citizens. Please just make visas more complicated to get and quickly set about finding and deporting illegal immigrants.
