S. Korean NGOs, lawmakers push initiatives to embrace, empower youth K-diaspora

South Korea civic groups and lawmakers put their heads together to find ways to embrace and empower young ethnic Koreans residing overseas, who are as-yet-untapped but critical resources for the country.

The Korea Herald on Friday co-hosted a forum to push forward the “Korean Youth Diaspora Project,” with independent lawmaker Rep. Yang Hyang-ja, the Godowon Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth mentoring, and the Blue Tree Foundation, a nongovernmental organization against school violence.

In essence, the project aims to support Korean youth in around 190 countries -- approximately 2 million in total -- shaping an identity anchored in Korean roots, building ties with their home countries and ultimately to foster them as key human capital.

NGO professionals and lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition People Power Party agreed that South Korea should now actively embrace young ethnic Koreans, especially as a “demographic cliff” becomes reality.

South Korea has also shown an impressive cultural influence with its soft power, as K-pop and other Korean cultural content have grown in popularity across the world.

As young ethnic Koreans have been engaged in Korean culture with keen interest, participants view Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, as creating conducive conditions for them to build close ethnic ties and ethnic and cultural identity as Korean.

Go Do-won, president of the Godowon Foundation, highlighted that it is imperative for South Korean civic groups to devise and provide differentiated and “systematic education and experience programs to nurture young ethnic Koreans as talented people who can lead the future society,” at the event held at the National Assembly.

The core of the private sector-led programs is to provide diasporic Korean youth between the ages of 8 and 24 the chance to visit South Korea. The project aims to implement two-week programs during the summer and winter breaks from this year to 2024, and to gradually scale up the programs from 2025.

The programs support diasporic Korean youth in learning Korean language, history, culture and values and building up Korean ethnic identity during the trip to South Korea.

Go said the project aims to provide an opportunity for young ethnic Koreans to experience “life-changing momentum” so that they can envision their lives as Korean nationals by themselves.

One of the project’s major goals is to bring young ethnic Koreans back to South Korea, as it faces labor shortages, and create an environment for them to play a leading role in the era of the “fourth industrial revolution.”

Go said the project seeks to maintain relations with overseas Korean youth through various channels. One of the ways is to offer internships and work experience at South Korea’s leading conglomerates, such as Samsung, Hyundai, Kakao and Naver, after they complete the weekslong educational programs.

In addition, the project seeks to promote people-to-people exchanges between diasporic Korean youth and the younger generation in South Korea to enhance mutual understanding and get South Korean society ready to accept the Korean diaspora.

NGO professionals and lawmakers said the project essentially refers to Israel’s successful programs to help young diaspora Jews strengthen their Jewish identity and connection to Israel. For instance, the Birthright Israel program offers one free trip to Israel for young Jewish adults living abroad between the ages of 18 and 32.

Yoo Jin-sang, director of the Global Center of Handong Global University in the Hebrew University, said the program has produced substantial outcomes such as bringing back young diaspora Jews to Israel. Young diaspora Jews and Jews in Israel have also created jobs and launched startup companies in collaboration.

“The Jewish diaspora has contributed to developing the current Israeli society, maintaining and increasing the population more stably and giving Jews raised in Israel an opportunity to make their way around the world,” Yoo said.

“South Korea should pay more attention to the Korean diaspora. It is high time for us to think more about how and what we can learn from Jewish people’s experiences.”

Professor Yoo underscored that South Korea should come up with ways to incorporate the global network of the Korean diaspora as well as their valuable overseas experience and capabilities of surmounting challenges into the country’s national resources.

South Korean lawmakers also pledged to put bipartisan efforts to enhance diaspora engagement and integrate diaspora contributions into national development.

Rep. Lee Young of the main opposition People Power Party committed to continuing to stand up for the forum and the initiative, which she views as a “meaningful step.”

“Around 7.5 million ethnic Koreans live abroad while keeping the Korean culture and values. But in particular, political leaders should take care of 2 million ethnic young Koreans and help them build a sense of solidarity and ties (to their home countries),” Lee said.

Rep. Yang, who plays a pivotal role in fleshing out the plan, said the forum will spearhead a campaign to foster young people in the Korean diaspora as a key human resource and bridge them to the South Korean younger generation, intending to enhance national competitiveness and stay ahead in the fourth industrial revolution.

(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)