The New York Times has a fascinating story about how South Korea is struggling to embrace its new, more colorful reality.

Globalization has recently brought an influx of foreigners into this once homogeneous society, a place where 42 percent of respondents in a 2008 survey said they had never once spoken with a foreigner. And the transition hasn’t been easy. The article explores the possible origins of the nation’s racial hostility.

In South Korea, a country repeatedly invaded and subjugated by its bigger neighbors, people’s racial outlooks have been colored by “pure-blood” nationalism as well as traditional patriarchal mores, said Seol Dong-hoon, a sociologist at Chonbuk National University.

Have you had any experiences with racial discrimination in South Korea? Please share your thoughts.

1. 2
   tim says:

   2010-05-04 at 20:25

   There will be racism in Korea because other surrounding nations continuously tried to invade Korea. Just as America has experienced racism, there will be racism; yet, I feel that this phase will mature much quicker than that of America as Korea becomes the hub of Asia.
2. 1
   Eugene says:

   2009-11-03 at 18:15

   Wow…What an interesting article. S. Korea has some soul searching to do. The old and new generations are clashing on this issue. Thing is, South Korea is a country that is developing very quickly, in many different ways. I believe the racial landscape will vastly change again in the next few years, with more and more people supporting racial tolerance.

   Key stat in the article: “In just the past seven years, the number of foreign residents has doubled, to 1.2 million, even as the country’s population of 48.7 million is expected to drop sharply in coming decades because of its low birth rate.” If this trend continues, the push for more racial equality and legislation, especially from the younger generations, is sure to come.