While the Republic of Korea (ROK) enjoys indisputable popularity in its entertainment and cultural industry, such as K-pop, K-drama, and K-food, the country is also known for its rapid decline in fertility. South Korea currently has the world’s lowest fertility rate with the number of children a South Korean woman will have in her lifetime standing at a shocking average of 0.72 in 2023. 

To sustain the current pace of economic productivity, the government has employed a strategy of accepting and attracting migrants into the country with the expectation of maintaining its status as a coercive economic power in East Asia.

The strategy has been recognized by some as a solution to the country’s population retraction and it is producing dual-pronged advantages for South Korea. On the one hand, the ROK does see an increase in population, by about 0.2%, for the first time in three years thanks to the inflow of migrants. On the other hand, the process has also slowly transformed South Korea into a multicultural society…or has it?

Filipino students raise funds at Myeongdong, South Korea

Source: The Korea Times

Early Multicultural Efforts: The Industrial Trainee System

The earliest framework that South Korea utilized for accepting migrants into its society goes back to early 1993 with the Industrial Trainee System (ITS). The sole purpose of the ITS was to help small and medium-sized businesses solve their manpower shortage issue. 

As a result, in 1994, the country was able to pull in over 80,000 migrants, and ten years later, that number rose to 350,000 workers. The 1990s saw a steady rise in interracial marriage in Korea from about 4,000 cases (1.2%) in 1990 to about 10,000 cases (2.9%) by 1999.  Naturally, this minimal number of foreigners had little impact on the overall multicultural status of South Korea.

Current Immigration Policies and Foreign Population

By 2023, the number of foreign-born nationals stood at 2.5 million, accounting for 4.37% of the overall South Korean population. The government has been consistently pushing for the expansion of foreign workers and other immigrants coming to Korea through the issuance of employment permit system visas (E-9), increased quotas for skilled labor, and specialized pilot program visas to sustain the workforce in the ROK.

In addition, the Korean government has also tried several strategies to attract foreign workers while simultaneously enticing Koreans to have children with attractive incentives, such as increasing the parental leave allowance, extending time off for fathers, flexible employment schedules, increasing public housing support, offering tax breaks for employers to promote family-friendly working conditions, after-school care, and childcare services. To ease the South Korean family burden even more directly, the government launched a pilot project to import foreign care workers into the country to ease the childcare responsibilities of Korean families.

Under this project, 100 Filipino workers were recruited into South Korea for a minimum wage of 9,860 won (USD 7.2) per hour. Should the project run smoothly in the first phase, more foreign workers could be imported into the country, further raising the possibility of even more migrants entering the country. But to what degree has the inflow of migrants transformed South Korea into a multicultural society?

So Close, Yet So Far

While Korea is on track to becoming a multicultural society, it is not there yet. According to the standards of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), for a country to be considered a multicultural and multiracial society, the state needs foreign residents to exceed 5% of the overall population. 

Taking that matrix, the Republic of Korea is, at the moment, not a multicultural society, yet. If the inflow of migrants and foreign residents keeps increasing at the current pace with little to no adjustment to the migration policy, South Korea will see a migrant population of 3.23 million by 2040, accounting for 6.4% of the overall population. Hence, despite not having a huge and noticeable transformation yet, Korea is slowly turning into a multicultural and multiracial society.

South Korea’s Multiculturalism

Source: The Korea Times

Challenges to Korea’s Multiculturalism 

Although transitioning to a multiracial society suggests greater diversity and represents a departure from South Korea’s longstanding monoracial identity, various challenges have emerged. Issues such as policy and legal adaptation, social and identity integration, and public perception and accession to services are challenges for the country.

While embracing migrants can greatly enrich a country, ensuring their admission without compromising the integrity of the state’s domestic laws, regulations, norms, and social structures require careful and strategic planning. For instance, the pilot program in July 2024 to recruit 100 Filipinos to work in the childcare service industry was done through strict selection criteria, including language proficiency in English and Korean, health exams, and criminal record checks, to ensure the incoming nannies will not be burdened by the sudden shift in social life nor become a burden to the Korean government. 

However, just a month after their arrival, issues such as low wages, working conditions, curfews, and unauthorized departures resulted in pressure on the Seoul government to scrap the program entirely. As a solution, the Seoul Metropolitan government later decided to abandon the curfew and revise the pay system and regulation – a swift action resulting from the cooperation between the Philippines and the Korean government to ease the tension by making adjustments to the program. 

The Philippines Caregivers arrived at Incheon International Airport

Source: The Korea Times

Despite this, importing migrant workers could have an immediate effect on addressing the labor shortage and promoting multiracial social transformation in South Korea. However, conducting frequent evaluations, adapting policies, and monitoring regulations will remain the ongoing challenges in the foreseeable future to integrate the inflow of migrants with South Korea’s existing norms.

In addition, ensuring integration would be another challenge. Integration between the foreign population and Koreans is vital for fostering connections to build a more cohesive, diverse, and enriching society in the long run. This would also bring a variety of ideas, innovation, and creativity which are needed for South Korea to sustain its economic robustness. 

Lately, the Korean government has been pushing for social integration programs such as education in the Korean language and culture. While the efforts are appreciated by migrants, issues of discrimination, prejudice against foreign populations, and language barriers are still vibrant challenges that could hinder South Korea’s pace toward a multicultural society.

Lastly, the Korean public perception of the foreign population is also crucial to the longevity of South Korea’s multicultural transformative future. A survey conducted in early 2024 revealed that Koreans’ main concerns about rising migration included increased social costs related to illegal immigration, welfare, and crime rates, as well as heightened job competition and reduced employment opportunities for locals. 

One research found that there is a deep concern among Koreans that the increasing level of immigration would incite social conflict. While incoming migrants are welcome, another study also found that South Koreans prefer co-ethnic migrants from culturally similar or desired origins than otherwise. Despite the research, there is no study suggesting that the majority of South Koreans are against the inflow of migrants in the country. Therefore, there is a strong likelihood that the increasing population of migrants combined with the current South Korean population would eventually fuel the country’s multicultural transformation. 

Onward to a Promising Path

South Korea’s approach towards a multicultural society, driven by immigration to address its low birth rate, has seen both progress and challenges. While foreign workers sustain economic growth and cultural diversity, challenges such as regulation and policies, social acceptance, and discrimination remain to be worked on. Promoting social solidarity is seemingly the next step for the Korean government’s long-term success.

As the country embarks on its multiculturalism path, it must strive for a balance between economic needs and embracing diversity. In doing so, South Korea has the potential to build a more resilient, innovative, and socially cohesive future that enhances both domestic stability and Korea’s international standing.

Bunly Ek
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