Not foreigners anymore

Over 200,000 people from 110 countries around the world are naturalized as Korean citizens, but the related system is still lacking.

CHOI HYUN-JOO The author is a stock market news reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo.

The concept of “monoethnic Koreans” emerged around the time when the Korean government was established. In 1948, historian Son Jin-tae discussed the concept in his book, “Study on the Korean Folktales” and claimed that “if blood from one group makes up 80 to 90 percent in a nation, it is a monoethnic nation.”

He argued that since the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) unified the three kingdoms, one nation with one people has continued for 1,300 years. Scholars point out that the argument is an excessive simplification. Some say that was a political strategy to help the newly established government.

In fact, foreigners often appear in old documents, most notably “Samguk Yusa,” or “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms.” In A.D. 42, King Suro, the founder of the Gimhae Kim Clan, was looking for a bride, and a ship docked at Jinhae, South Gyeongsang. On the ship were people wearing fairy-like dresses, and one of them was 16 year-old Heo Hwang-ok, a princess from Ayodhya, modern-day India. It is considered the first international marriage in Korea.

One tale goes like this. In 875, 49th King Heongang of Silla Dynasty built a temple for the dragon of the East Sea. Cheoyong, one of the seven sons of the dragon, remained in the land and helped the king to govern the country. The wife of Cheoyong was beautiful, and the God of Smallpox admired her and slept with her secretly. But Cheoyong did not get angry and instead sang a song. The God of Smallpox was moved and promised that the epidemic won’t spread to the houses with the painting of Cheoyong.

A custom of singing the Song of Cheoyong and praying for health started since then. As the mask worn when singing the song has exotic features, some in academia considers Cheoyong as a naturalized Korean with Arabic origin.

The government is easing regulations on foreign workers one after another. The extension of the stay period of seasonal foreign workers and the pilot program of foreign domestic helpers are under discussion. There are considerable negative reactions in Korea because of worries about decreased jobs for Koreans and security concerns.

But foreigners are already an indispensable part of Korean society. They are handling 3D jobs — or dirty, dangerous and difficult ones — which Koreans avoid. 70 percent of construction workers are foreigners, and foreign workers make up 20 percent of the entire workforce at major shipyards. In rural areas, more than 90 percent of the labor force during the harvest season are foreigners.

Over 200,000 people from 110 countries around the world are naturalized as Korean citizens, but the related system is still lacking. They are also shunned. But let’s not forget the sufferings that Korean nurses and miners had to go through when they were sent to Germany only 50 years ago to make money and send it to their home country.