[ONLINE lecture] July 17 (10am, CET)/17:00 (KST) “Current status and policy response to migrant integration and multiculturalism in Korea” by Prof. In-Jin Yoon (Korea University)
Dear members,
We are organizing our last lecture as a part of Research Forum =E2=80=9CDiversifying Immigrant Societies in (East) Asia=E2=80=9D by the In= stitute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST) in the University of Duisburg-Essen. This forum is co-organized with collaborative research project QuaMaFA (Qualification and Skill in the Migration =C2=ADProcess of Foreign Workers in Asia) funded by = the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Germany (BMBF). Prof. Yoon will give a talk entitled =E2=80=9CCurrent status and policy response to migrant integration and multiculturalism in Korea=E2=80=9D on 17th July 20= 24, 10 *:00 (am/CET) / 17:00 (KS*T) ONLINE.
You can join this lecture via Zoom (registration): https://uni-due.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/u50qdeCgqToqHtePLf6_S_NppjpA9Wk6= vica
Look forward to seeing you all online!
Abstract
The current status of migrant integration in Korea seems to be far from ideal. The human rights violations against migrants remain common in the workplace and everyday life. The public=E2=80=99s perception and attitudes = toward migrants have changed from paternalism to apathy, and is deteriorating to the level of hatred toward certain groups. Korean adults' multicultural acceptance increased from 2010 to 2015, but has continued to decline since then. The level of social integration of migrant workers and married immigrant women, which are representative groups of migrants in Korea, is not high in both material and psychological aspects. Migrant workers have a high employment rate, but they work long hours in low-skilled, low-wage work, are exposed to non-payment or delayed payment of wages and physical and verbal violence, and their labor rights are greatly restricted. They cannot bring their families, and their opportunities to acquire permanent residency and nationality are greatly limited, so they are not subject to social integration. Marriage migrant women tend to have low employment rates, employment stability, and income due to their low age and education level, ability to understand Korean language and culture, the large age and cultural gap with their husbands, and the burden of childbirth and childcare. They are also dependent on their husbands because they need their consent when applying for permanent residency and nationality. The language and culture of their home country are not respected and they are under strong pressure to assimilate into Korean culture.
Bio
In-Jin Yoon is a professor of Sociology at Korea University and the director of the Korea University Library. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago and taught in the Asian American Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests include social psychology, international migration, immigration policy, and overseas Koreans and Korean diaspora. He is the author of On My Own: Korean Businesses and Race Relations in America, Korean Diaspora, North Korean Migrants, International Migration and Multiculturalism in Northeast Asia.
This event is partially funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and co-organized with the IN-EAST.
Dr. Aimi Muranaka (=E6=9D=91=E4=B8=AD =E3=81=82=E3=81=84=E3=81=BF=EF=BC=89 Post-doc/ Research Associate Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen Tel (Germany): +49 203 379-2166 Research project website: https://quamafa.de Latest publications: Muranaka, Aimi (2024): "Being a Foreigner During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Researcher Positionality in Online Interviews". Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-25.1.4075 Muranaka, Aimi (2023): "'Framing' and 'Packaging' of Foreign Skilled Workers: Diversity of the Intermediary Actors in the Cross-Border Labour Market Between Japan and Vietnam". Globalizations. DOI: 10.1080/14747731.2023.2165376 Tran, Huy An and Aimi Muranaka (2022): "Editorial - Transnational Flows of Contemporary Asia: Trends and Futures". The German Journal on Contemporary Asia. 162/163: 7-14. Muranaka, Aimi (2022): "Brokerage in the cross-border labour market: Recruitment and training of Vietnamese IT workers by Japanese temporary staffing firms". Asian Studies Review. 46(4): 578-596. DOI: 10.1080/10357823.2022.2093836
