[Editorial] Multicultural children

It was a mean act for some local Internet users to make attacks against a 7-year-old boy who gained fame for his appearance in Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video. Hwang Min-woo, dubbed “Little Psy,” is said to have remained increasingly withdrawn since he became subjected to the vicious online comments taking issue with his multicultural background in March.

Encouragement should be given to the boy, whose mother is a Vietnamese woman, so that he can overcome racial prejudice mixed with jealousy and continue to cultivate his talent as an entertainer. But it may be hard ― perhaps impossible ― for a child as young as Hwang to shrug off such painful memories, which will surely leave a scar on his heart.

A thorough investigation should be conducted to make the online attackers pay for their malicious acts. It may be that a majority of Koreans are sensible enough to treat children from multicultural families equally to ensure that they will grow to be exemplary citizens. But the case involving the little boy is another reminder that they still have more work to do to build a harmonious society free of ethnic prejudice.

The country has tried to strengthen support for multicultural families since a related law was enacted in 2008. Such efforts, however, have not been so successful in eliminating or easing discrimination against them. According to a survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the proportion of multicultural families that experienced social prejudice has increased from 36.4 percent in 2009 to 41.3 percent in 2012.

Koreans need to recognize that they can make their society a better and happier place to live in by embracing multicultural families, which are estimated to account for about 20 percent of all households within two decades. It is shameful ― and detrimental to themselves ― for people to look down upon people with different racial backgrounds. It is a pity for many multicultural children, who were boosted by Little Psy’s popularity, to have been discouraged by despicable online attacks against him.

The number of multicultural students attending elementary, secondary and high schools across the country jumped from 9,389 in 2006 to 46,954 in 2012, according to data from the Education Ministry. The figure is forecast to rise to 50,000 this year and further to 55,000 next year, accounting for 1.1 percent of all students.

Efforts should be strengthened to help them grow to be full members of our society without suffering from or being frustrated at discriminatory treatment. They should be encouraged to plan for and live a meaningful life by having and achieving dreams. The future stability and prosperity of Korean society will partly hinge on the success of such endeavors.

Koreans need to be more active in changing their attitudes and perceptions toward embracing people with multicultural backgrounds. They may have to be reminded that there will be a growing chance of their son or daughter marrying someone from a multicultural family.

Attention should be paid to the argument that, despite their good intentions, the existing ways of supporting multicultural households and educating their children have resulted in amplifying their sense of segregation and discrimination against them. The current programs tailored to help multicultural students adapt to school life have made them further withdrawn and isolated from their Korean peers.

To resolve this problem, school curricula and after-school programs need to be changed to offer multicultural and Korean students more opportunities to mingle with each other. Through enhanced communication and interaction, they will develop a better understanding and deeper friendship.

Teachers and parents also need to receive lessons to encourage them to see things from the perspective of multicultural families and their children.

Many multicultural students are said to dislike the term multiculturalism as symbolic of poverty and discrimination. Koreans are now urged to build a truly multicultural society, where children from mixed marriages have no antipathy toward being called multicultural students.