Development of Globalization in Korea - Term Paper Example

Globalization and Multiculturalism in Korea Introduction As the world continues to become globalized, Korea has managed tokeep abreast with this development. South Korea had traditionally been a homogenous racial society but this has undergone a rapid change over the years as a result of globalization and the emergence of an increasingly multicultural society in the country. Through this paper, I will seek to argue that although Korea has reaped the benefits of globalization and the development of a multicultural society, the country needs to formulate policies designed to help it in tackling the inherent challenges that are part of globalization and multiculturalism. Hae-Joang (149-152) points out that one of the most startling developments in this regard is the Korean Wave. The Korean Wave saw the Korean culture, music and television grow to become widely popular across Asia in what was a clear demonstration of the effects of globalization (Hae-Joang 150-151). The article by Hae-Joang is quite insightful as it presents a detailed analysis of the Korean wave. It is quite interesting as it presents three different perspectives of the Korean wave that help one to better understand the Korea Wave and its resultant effects. The article fits into the bigger picture as the Korean wave formed a major part in Korea’s adoption of globalization and increased levels of multiculturalism. It is. According to Gi-Wook (6), Korean companies such as LG and Samsung have huge overseas operations that take advantage of globalization and sometimes employ larger numbers of employees outside the country as compared to those that they employ in Korea. Although Korea has exported a large part of its culture, music, television and fashion to a number of other Asian countries such as China and Japan, of note is that the country has also adopted a number of aspects from other countries in the spirit of globalization. An example of this is that the South Korean school system primarily uses the English language to teach all the school courses except Korean language and history. The article by Gi-Wook presents what is an interesting observation pertaining to globalization in Korea. One of the most interesting observations made by the author is that despite South Korea’s extensive globalization, this has not removed or even weakened Korean nationalism. The reading helped me to better understand the period as it presents a clear picture of how Korean nationalism has remains quite intact despite the prevalence of globalization. In their articles, the two authors Hae-Joang (147-182) and Gi-Wook (5-22) present an analysis of globalization in South Korea. Of concern however is that Hae-Joang only focuses on what Korea is able to export to other countries as a result of globalization and fails to mention that the country has also imported culture, fashion and music from other countries. Gi-Wook (5-22) presents what is seen to be a well-balanced article that presents both what Korea is able to import and export as a result of globalization. South Korea had once been considered to be racially homogeneous but this aspect has in recent times undergone a rapid and dramatic change. The developing multiculturalism of South Korea is attributed to not only be a result of the large influxes of immigrants who are coming into the country from South Asia and China, it is also as a result of the changing social attitudes towards multiculturalism and international marriages. This observation is supported by Kim (70-72) who noted that as at 2006, an estimated half a million foreigners were reported to be residing in South Korea. South Korea’s migrant workers face a number of challenges that include the fact that it is not possible for them to be able to renew their visas for more than three years, and becoming permanent residents of the country is a difficult task as they first have to try and pass the TOPIK which is a major requirement for the attainment of residency status. Other than encourage immigrants into the country, globalization has seen Koreans migrate to other countries such as the United States and according to Cummings (449), these Koreans have been able to establish themselves as rather successful minority communities in these countries. The evidence presented by Cummings highlights the fact that even when Koreans move to other countries, they are still able to preserve their culture of diligence and hard work and this has enabled them to emerge as successful members of the society in the countries that they migrate to. The Cummings reading is quite interesting as it presents a historical overview of the development of Korean Americans over the years. It was quite interesting to learn that Korean Americans experience tension between their perception and identity as Americans and Koreans. This reading fits into the bigger picture as it helps in demonstrating that Korean nationalism is not very strong among American Koreans and that these Koreans have historically had to faced tough challenges to establish themselves as the successful community that they currently are. Although Kim (70-92) examines the role of foreign workers in Korea, he however fails to mention that the country faces what is an acute shortage of unskilled workers based on the fact that about 97 percent of Koreans in any age group normally graduate from high school and an estimated 82 percent of these individuals eventually go on to attend university. It is this factor that has led to the development of a situation whereby Korea currently enjoys a highly skilled labor force but has an acute shortage of unskilled labor. Migrant workers have been able to step in and fill this widening gap. As a result of the education factor in South Korea, most women are now moving into the cities so as for them to be able to attend university and this has led to a shortage of brides for the farmers in the farming communities in the country. As a result of this shortage, the farmers in the rural areas of the country are now engaged in yet another form of globalization and multiculturalism as they have now taken to importing brides from abroad for rural marriages. However, the issue of foreign brides within South Korea is raising concerns as nearly half of these marriages normally end in divorce. The article by Kim provides an interesting read into foreign workers and brides in Korea. It was quite interesting to learn that some areas of the Korean rural areas have an acute shortage of women and this is what has led to the importation of brides from other countries. The article was of great aid in helping me understand the period as it shows that globalization not only affects Korea’s economy, it has also had a rather unusual effect on Korean families and society as it has made it possible for Koreans to import brides from other countries. Conclusion The main overarching theme that is noted in the four articles is that Korea has in recent times embraced and undergone a period of rapid globalization and increased multiculturalism. However, despite the innate benefits of country’s rapid globalization and increased multiculturalism, of note is that the country is still faced with a number of critical challenges such as the problem of foreign workers and imported brides. It is because of these challenges that I argue that although Korea has largely been successful in embracing globalization and creating a multicultural society, it is critically important for it to formulate policies that will enable it to sufficiently tackle the inherent challenges that are part of globalization and multiculturalism. Works Cited Cumings, Bruce. Koreas Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated). WW Norton & Company, 2005. Gi-Wook Shin. The Paradox of Korean Globalization. Asia/Pacific Research Center. 2006. Hae-Joang, Cho. "Reading the ‘Korean wave’as a sign of global shift." Korea Journal 45.4 (2005): 147-182. Kim, Andrew Eungi. "Global migration and South Korea: foreign workers, foreign brides and the making of a multicultural society." Ethnic and Racial Studies32.1 (2009): 70-92. Read More