Korea reading 4 - Han Geon-Soo

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Globalization:

HAN Geon-Soo, “Multicultural Korea: Celebration or Challenge of Multiethnic Shift in Contemporary Korea?,” Korea Journal 47.4 (Winter 2007): 32-63.

[Anonymous]

OK, I LOVE most of the readings, but is it just me, or did Han Geon Soo take 30 pages to say: "assimilation- bad, multiculturalism- good" ? It really did seem repetitive in a very wordy, jargony way.
This sentence especially seemed funny in it's academic obtuseness:

"....changes in Korean society have taken place due to the abrupt, massive, and diverse migration that occurred as a result of the neoliberal international division of labor amid the flow of globalization"

Even if I did have a degree in socio-economi-politics, I think I would have to work hard to untease this sentence into something that sticks in my brain!

This reading did get a little interesting when it touched upon (and then went around) what I think is the fundamental question- the acceptance by many developed societies of semi-slavery situations brought about by the great disparities of income. The most important point the author very obliquely made- was that these disparities and the whole situation of foreign brides based on such disparity is inherently problematic and a setup for many abuses. It should be regulated or you will have many women abused. This kind of thing has been going on in many countries for a long time, remember when American men were ordering Russian brides?

[Anonymous]

This was a very interesting article. I have seen a couple of Korea television programs that showcase interracial couples living in Korea. They were really entertaining and shed a positive light on the families. I am also aware of the migration of Koreans. My family immigrated tot he US when I was one years old. I also know of alot of women who moved to Germany as nurses, then evetually came to the US. My father told me that my family was going to come to the US through Argentina if we did not get the visa to the US directly.

[Anonymous]

The globalization of Korea is quite amazing from my perspective. I was raised in The Netherlands and Korea was quietly a part of my life since I was a young child.
Asa youngster I recall many of the products that I used on a daily basis originating in Thailand or Taiwan. I'm not quite certain but at a certain point most the the brands started tio arrive from Korea.

[Anonymous]

This was a good reading. Being a person of color with immigrants roots this article allowed me to wonder how the United States would look and feel today if they ran a "healthy multicultural society" today? I can not imagine a show like Korean's "Finding the Best Foreign Daughter-in-Laws" airing in US television-- we don't see that in The Bachelor show. As I read I was intrigued by the fact presented that Koreans were sent to Mexican farms in 1905!!! I then quickly did an online search for "Korean and henequen" and I was amazed (not of the harsh treatment, but of the unknown historical fact that I just learned) The Korean migration to Mexico is definitely something I will share with my students and use for my unit.

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