[PDF] Black Koreans in Korean childrens literature

2 Abstractkeywords:multiculturalism,multiculturalliterature,Korea,blackKoreanThepurposeofthisstudyistodepictandexaminetheperceptionofblackKoreansinSouthKoreanchildr en'sliter ature.Thisstudyexamin esmyresearc hquestionsthroughfourtheoreticalframeworks:"cultureandidentity","post-colonialism,nationalismandracism","blacknessandblackKoreans'portrayalinKoreanmedia"and"multiculturalisminKorea".MystudyraisesthequestionhowmulticulturalliteraturecanhelpornotpromoteanewperceptionofothernessinSouthKorea.Themethodusedforthisstudyisqualitativetextanalysis.Theprimarysourceofinformationisaclose-readingofWonYouSoon'sbook"PleasefindCharltonSunjaKim"andinterviewswiththeauthorofthisbook.ThefindingsshowthattherearestillsomestereotypesaboutblackKoreansandblacknessthatprevailinSouthKoreansocietyandcanstillbefoundinrecentliteraryworks.

4 TABLEOFCONTENTS1.Introduction.....................................................................................................51.1Background................................................................................................................................51.2Aimofstudy...............................................................................................................................71.3Researchquestions....................................................................................................................72.Method.............................................................................................................82.1Methodologicalapproach.........................................................................................................82.2Criteriaforbookanalysis...........................................................................................................82.3Interviews..................................................................................................................................92.4Validityofresearch....................................................................................................................92.5Translations.............................................................................................................................102.6Transcriptions..........................................................................................................................102.7Personalideologyandbias......................................................................................................112.8Limitations...............................................................................................................................113.Researchliteraturereviewandtheoreticalframeworks...........................113.1Cultureandidentity.................................................................................................................113.2Post-colonialism,nationalismandracism..............................................................................123.3BlacknessandblackKoreans'portrayalinKoreanmedia......................................................163.4MulticulturalisminKorea........................................................................................................194.Bookanalysis.................................................................................................204.1Authorandherpublications...................................................................................................214.2Bookanalysis...........................................................................................................................224.2.1Generalcontents.....................................................................................................................224.2.2DiverserepresentationofblackKoreans................................................................................244.2.3Qualitymulticulturalliteratureanalysis................................................................................274.2.4Misrepresentations.................................................................................................................284.3Commentsontheartisticmedium..........................................................................................304.4Commentsontheintendedaudience.....................................................................................314.5Results......................................................................................................................................325.Summaryandimplications...........................................................................355.1Conclusionandsummaryofstudy..........................................................................................355.2Suggestionsforfuturestudies.................................................................................................36REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................37

5 1. Introduction1.1 BackgroundAstheworldbecomesmoreinterconnected,thenotionofthenation-state,whichconsistsofpeoplewhosharethesameethnicity,beliefs,andculture,isexpectedtodisappear(Hong,2010:387).Foralongtime,SouthKoreahasbeenknownforbeingo neofthemos thomogenouscountriesintheworldintermsoflanguage,ethnicityandculture.Koreanshavemaintainedtheviewthattheyareahomogenoussociety.However,asKoreahasbecomemoremodernizedithasalsobecomeamorepopularcountrytomoveto.ThecountryisnowexposedtoyearlyincreasesofforeignerssettlingdowninSouthKorea,someforworkpurposesandothersfore.g.studyormarriage.Theincreasingnumberofimmigrantshassincethengivenrisetonewsocialissuessuchassocialinequalityexpansionandracialdiscrimination(Park,2014:62).MigrantworkerswhocometoSouthKoreaforworkconstituteoneofthegroupsthatreceivealotofmistreatmentanddiscrimination.Inapoem,titled"Whatareforeigners?",oneforeignworkerexpressedthediscriminationthatmigrantworkersexperienceintryingtomakealifeinSouthKorea(ChungandYim,2012).Inonesentence,itreads:"fornotbeingabletospeak,forhavingskinthat'sadifferentcolor,whycan'tforeignersbemigrantworkers?Whatareforeigners?".ThenotionofKoreabeingone'bloodcommunity'wasrationalizedbynationalisthistoriansalreadyduringtheJapanesecolonizationofKorea(Park,2014:37).Theconceptisknownasminjok,whichusedtobethecommonwordof'people'butinthattimethewordbecameequivalenttoa'family',whichcandrawalinebetween'we'and'others'.Itputsemphasisona'groupbasedonhomogeneousdescent'anda'groupsharingcommonterritory,culture,language,historyandfate'(Ibid.).Inacountrywheretheemphasisonthe'purityofblood'issostrong,howwillSouthKoreamanagenewchallengesofsocialchangesi.e.theconceptofmulticulturalism?Also,whatisfurtherstressedinthepoem,howdoKoreanslookonKoreanswhomaynotlookKorean(e.g.thebiracialpopulation).

6 In2008itwasestimatedthat19.000biracialchildrenwereenrolledinKoreanschools.Inanattempttosolve theis suesofracialdiscriminati on,schoolshavetriedtoi mplementmulticulturaleducation.ThemulticulturaleducationinSouthKoreahasbeensubjectedtomuchcriticasitisnotinclusiveofallchildrenbutittargetsonlythosechildrenwhoareperceiveddifferentlyfrom"ordinary"Koreans(Kang,2010:294).Thusitsignalsastigmathat"wearedifferentfromyou".Multiculturaleducationisaimedtohelpchildrenidentifywiththeirownculture;itexposeschildrentootherculturesandopensthedialogueonissuesregardingdiversity(Harper&Brand,2010:225).Knowledgeandunderstandingisoneofthefoundationsforsocialch ange,whichisthe ultimategoalofmulticul turaleducation.Multiculturalliteraturecancontributetothatknowledge(Bishop,1997).Theselectionofqualitymulticulturalliteratureshouldbedoneonthebasisofauthor's"culturalconsciousness".TheissuewasfirstbroughtupbyHarris(1996).Shemeantthatworksofculturallyconsciousliterature "provideexceptionalaestheti cexperiences;theyentertain,educate,andinform;andtheyengenderracialpride".Therearetwoperspectivesofwhichmulticulturalliteraturecanbeproduced.Aninsideperspectiveisonethatportraysaculturalgroupismadefromtheviewofonewhoisamemberofthegroup(Yokota,1993).Anoutsideperspectiveistheopposite,wheretheportrayalofaculturalgroupfromtheviewofsomeonewhoisnotamemberofthegroup.Thelattergivestheviewofhowothersperceivetheparticulargroup'sbeliefsandbehaviorsandisoftentimesnotasaccurateastheformer.Manyscho larsarguethatauthorswhowr itefromanoutsi deper spectiveoftenmiss esnuanceswhichwouldnotbemissedifwrittenbyapersonfromtheculture(Bishop,1997).However,therearesomeauthorsthathavebeenrecognizedfortheirmulticulturalliterature,despitenotbeingfromtheculturethemselves.Inthesameway,itisnotalwaysthatbeingbornintoaculturalheritageenvironmentgivesonetheexpertisetowriteaboutit(e.g.ifonehasessentiallylivedoutsidethatculture).Thequestionsthatthisbackgroundbringforthis:§ Cansomeonefromanethnicallyhomogeneouscountryportrayanaccuratepictureofaminoritygrouplivinginthesamecountry?

7 Thisquestionisquitebroadsoinordertomakethediscussionmoremanageable,thescopeofthisresearchhasbeenlimitedtotheminoritygroup"blackKoreans"livinginSouthKorea.Theterm"BlackKoreans"referstoblackmixed-bloodpeopleborn,raisedandlivinginKoreawhowereneverculturallyandsociallyregardedasKoreansuntil1997whentheywereentitledtofullKoreancitizenship(Kang,2015).Thisleadsustothesecondquestion:§ HastheviewonblackKoreanschangedinliteratureovertime? Tocircumventtheexistingprejudicetowardmixedbloodpeopleasnon-Koreannationals,whichassumes'thepurityofblood'oftheKoreannation,hereafterIwillusethetermBlackKoreansorbiracialinsteadof'mixedblood'todenotepeopleofdifferentskin-color. 1.2 AimofstudyThepurposeofthisstudyistoseeiftheavailableliteratureonthetopicofblackKoreansgivesabalancedandfairrepresentationoftheminoritygroup.IhopetofindpossibleevidenceoftherepresentationofblackKoreansinKoreanliteratureandseehowmulticulturalliteraturecanhelppromoteanewunderstandingofothernessinSouthKorea.Thisthesisaimstoquestionthecommonbeliefthatonlypeoplefromaspecificethnicitycanwriteaboutac ultu re.Itwillreviewoneauthor'slevelof'cul turalconsciousness' uponanalyzingaworkofmulticulturalliterature inSouthKorea.Thus thisstudyaspir estocontributetoabetterunderstandingoftherecentphenomenaofmulticulturalliteratureinSouthKoreaandhowitisperceivedinthesociety. 1.3 ResearchquestionsInthechapteraboutthebackgroundofthisstudythereweretwoquestionspresented.Thesetwoquestionswillserveasthecoreofthisstudy.Thequestionsareasfollowing:§ Cansomeonefromanethnicallyhomogeneouscountryportrayanaccuratepictureofaminoritygrouplivinginthesamecountry?§ HastheviewofblackKoreanschangedinliteratureovertime?

8 Furthermore,throughadetailedreviewofpreviousresearchliterature,Iseektounderstandhowpastexper iencesh aveshapedandinflu encedthewaythe Koreansocietyview smulticulturalisminthepresent. 2. Method2.1 MethodologicalapproachThisthesistacklesthequestionofhowminoritygroupshavebeenperceivedinliteraryworksinrecentyears(inparticularblackKoreaninKoreanliteraryworks).BecauseofthenoveltyofmulticulturalliteratureinSouthKoreathisisanunexploredresearchareawithnotmuchpriorresearchonit.Inordertofullyexploretheresearchareathisthesiswillapplyanexploratoryresearchdesignandbeofaqualitativenature.Thequalitativeresearchapproachservesthepurposeofcreatingadeep erunders tandingofhowconcepts sh ouldbeperceivedand discussed(Ghauri&Grønhaug,2010).TheepistemologicalresearchtraditionIfollowisinterpretivismandcriticalrealism.Thesetwoaremostcommonlyusedinqualitativeresearch.Theaimistograspindividualanduniquetruthswithanemphasisonunderstanding.Todothis,IwillconductinterviewswiththeauthorofoneKoreanchildren'smulticulturalliteraryworkfollowedbyaclose-readingoftheauthor'sfictionalwork.Thefindingsintheliteraryworkwillbecontextualizedwiththeauthor'sanswersintheinterviews.Duetotherestrictionsofthestudytheresultswillthereforeshowcaseacontextualizedandlimitedreality.2.2 CriteriaforbookanalysisThebookwillbeanalyzedfromthecriteriaofitsauthenticityasmulticulturalliterature.Harris(1996)argue sthatqualitymulticul turalbo oksshouldbewri ttenby"culturalconscious"authors.Shemeansthattheliteratureshouldpresentaculturalexperienceinculturallyandhistoricallyauthenticways.Thecriter iarangeofsource sinformingtheselectionofmulticulturalliteratureandincludethefollowingelements:(1) Thetextandillustrationsusehistoricalinformationanddevelopsettingsaccurately(2) Theauthorportrayscharacterspositively

9 (3) Thetextandpicturesaffirmdiversitywithinaculturalgroup(4) Thestoryintegratesculturalcontentandeventsnaturally(5) Theauthorportraysindividualsandcommunitiesauthentically(6) Theworkresistsstereotypingorromanticizingtheexperiencesofminorities(Ching,2005:129)However,asscholarsstress,itisnottoforgetthatreadingliterature,especiallyfiction,nomatterwhatcultureitreflects,oughttobeanaestheticexperience(Bishop,1997;Yokota,1993;Harris,1996).Thus,criteriashouldbethesameaswhenreadingchildren'sliteratureingeneral.Literaryelementssuchasplot,characterization,setting,theme,andpointofviewmustbeinterwoventocreateaconvincingstoryinanage-appropriatemanner(Harper&Brand,2010:225)andhencewillalsobeconsideredwhenreviewingthebook.2.3 InterviewsOnesemi-structuredinterviewwasconductedwiththeauthorofthebook .The semi-structuredinterviewallowedtheauthortospeakmorefreelyandallowedmetoaskfollow-upquestio ns,addorremovequestionsthro ughoutthe interview (Yin,1994).Aseco ndinterviewwasconductedthroughemailexchanges. Thereasonsforchoosing tocollectinterviewanswersasaprimarysourcewere(1)tocomparetherealityoftheauthor'srealitytomyownobservations,(2)toestablishtheintentionoftheauthorwritingaboutthetopicand(3)toprovidevaliditytomyresearch. 2.4 ValidityofresearchToensuretheauthenticityandvalidityofthisresearchtheinterviewshavebeentranscribedandsenttotheauthorforapproval.Inordertominimalizepersonalbiasandincreasethecredibilityofthestudy,relevantpreviousresearchliteratureonthetopicsofmulticulturalisminSouthK oreanliterarywo rksandmediawillbecarefullyreviewed.Usingmultipleapproachestothedatacollectioncangivemetheadvantageoftriangulationwhichalsoincreasesthevalidityoftheresearch.

10 Asnuancesintranslationcanaffectthewaysomeoneinterpretsatext,allKoreantranslationswillbereviewedandacceptedbymysupervisor.Inordertoguaranteevalidity,theKoreansentencesarealsoaddedinthethesis.2.5 TranslationsWhentranslatingsensitivetopics(e.g.race),Kim-Russell(2015)arguesthatonhastobareinmindthattranslations ared oneforareadershipthathasitsownhistory andset ofexpectationsregardingtheuseoflanguag e,sensi tivity,andauthenticity.She posesthequestionwhethertranslatorshavear esponsibilitytoaddressdepictionsth atmaybe stereotypicalorproblematic(Ibid.).Thefundamentalquestionbehindtranslation,though,iswhethertopreservetheauthor'swordchoiceasaccuratelyaspossible,ortoadaptthetexttothesensitivitiesofthetargetreadership(Kim-Russel,2015).Whendealingwithliteraturethatismeanttobeproblematic,arepresentationofahistoricalmomentoraprevailingsentimentofthesociety,thenitmakesmoresensetoproceedwiththeformer(Ibid.).Followingthisargument,thetranslationswillpreservetheauthenticityintheauthor'swordchoices.Asmulticulturalliteratureshouldprovideanauthenticandtruthfuldepictionofthelivesofanotherculturalgroup,itisinaccordwiththisprincipleofauthenticitytoreviewtheliteratureinregardstolanguageusageaswell.2.6 TranscriptionsThetranscriptioninthisthesiswillfollowtheMcCune-Reischauersystem,whichisoneofthetwomostcommonlyusedsystemstotranscribeKoreanintoEnglishscript.ExceptionswillbemadeforwidelyknownKoreanpersonssuchashigh-rankingpoliticianswhoarefrequentlymentionedinEnglishpublicationsandmedia.ThoseKoreanauthorswhohavewrittentheirnamesinEnglishlanguagepublicationsinadifferentromanizationsystem,willbecitedastheirnamesappearinthepublication.Forconsistency,WonYouSoon'snamewillalsobegivennotintheMcCune-Reischauersystem,butaccordingto theArtsC ouncilKoreapublicationabouther.

11 2.7 PersonalideologyandbiasIamfullyawareofthefactthatpersonalbiasesmaybegeneratedbasedonlifeexperiences.Family,education,socialnorm,culturalvalues,anddiasporaexperiencesmayconstructthesebiases(Sung,2009).Asapersonbornofmixedrace(AfricanandEuropeanorigin)questionsregardingracialidentityandmulticulturalismareintimatelyfamiliartome.Myexperiences,socialidentityandculturalvaluesmaythereforeaffectthewayIviewparticularquestionsandmayinfluencethestatementsImakeinthispaper.2.8 LimitationsDuetoconstraintsoftimeanddistance,Iwasnotabletoconductmorethantwointerviewswiththeauthorofthebook.Naturallythiscannotberegardedtobesufficientenoughforgainingafairimpressionofahuman'slineofthoughtstomakeanyfinalstatements.TheKoreanauthor,WonYouSoon,haswrittenahandfulofchildren'sbooksthatfallintothecategoryofmulticulturalliteraturebutasthestudyofthemwouldgofarbeyondthescopeofthisstudy,theyhavenotbeenmentionedinthisthesis.Itwouldbeworthtoexaminethesebooksinfutureresearchworks,inordertogetafairerdepictionofhowethnicallyKoreansdescribethelifeofminoritygroupsinSouthKoreainchildren'sliterature.3. Researchliteraturereviewandtheoreticalframeworks3.1 CultureandidentityThetermculturehasbeendefinedinmultiplewaysbydifferentscholars.Themeaningoftheconceptvariesdependi ngondifferentdi sciplinesandcontexts.Itoftenre ferstothe intellectual,musical,artisticandliteraryproductsofasociety(Harrison&Huntington,2000).However,Geertz(1994)referredculturetotheentirewayoflifeinasociety.Helaidtheemphasisontheim portanceof values,practices,symbols, institution sandhumanrelationships.InthisthesisthedefinitionofTriandis(1973)willbereferredto.Triandisdefinescultureas"sharedattitudes ,bel iefs,categorizations,ex pectations,norms,roles ,self-definitions,valuesandothersuchelementsofsubjectiveculturefoundamongindividualswhoseinteractionswerefacilitatedbysharedlanguage,historicalperiod,andgeographical

12 region"(Triandis,1973).Thisdefinitionwillbereferredtoasitputsemphasisonthecollectivesocietalfactorssuchassharedlanguage,historicalperiodandgeographicalregion.Identityisabroadconcepttodefine.Inwhole,aperson'sidentityis,inlargepart,madeupofsocialrolesandculturalcategories.Theselfiscomposedofmultipleidentitiesandroles-familial,territorial,class,religious,ethnicandgender(Smith,1991).Forexample,onepersoncanbeasister,astudentoraconsumerdependingonthesituation.Therearenumerousdefinitionsofidentitybutadiscussionofthesegobeyondthescopeofthisthesis.Basically,therearefourrelevantconceptsofidentitythatgoinlinewiththisthesis:socialidentity,nationalidentity,culturalidentityandracialidentity.Socialidentityisdefinedas"thepartoftheindividuals'self-conceptwhichderivesfromtheirknowledgeoftheirmembershipofasocialgroup(orgroups)togetherwiththevalueandemotionalsignificanceattachedtothatmembership"(Tajfel,2010).Nationalismisthe'beliefthatcitizenshipinastateshouldbelimitedtooneethnicity,oneculture,oneidentitygroup'(Park,2014:12).Thenationalidentifyisderivedfromthissharedcitizenshipandunity.Therearetwowayso flooking atcultural identity(Hall,1990).The firstviewtake sitsfoundationin'onesharedculture',meaningacollective'onetrueself'.Itreferstopeoplewithsharedhistoryandancestryholdas'onepeople'(Ibid.).Thesecondviewtakesitsfoundationinculturalidentitybeingaprocessofconstanttransformation.Itdiscusses"whatwereallyare"contra"whatwehavebecome"(Ibid.).RacialidentityisdescribedbyHelms(1995)as"asenseofgrouporcollectiveidentitybasedonone'sperceptionthathe/shesharesacommonheritagewithaparticularracialgroup". 3.2 Post-colonialism,nationalismandracismKoreawascolonizedbyJapanfrom1910to1945.JapanesecolonialismpromotedKoreanmodernization,butattheexpenseoftheKoreanpeople'swelfareandculturalidentity(Kim,2007:30).TheKoreanlanguage,historyandculturewerelargelydistortedbymeansofamanipulativeideologyofracialinferiority(Kang,2010:288).Infaceofcolonialoppressionandcontrol,Koreanagencydeve lopedintoorganized strugglesfornatio nalliberationandfreedom.ThefocusoftheK oreanpeople movedtonational-andcultural identity.The

13 beginningoftheresistancemovementwasmarkedwitharallyinTapgolParkinKoreaon1March1919(Chapman,2007).Theycarriedonfor35yearsuntiltheendofthecolonialization.Althoughthereformsando pposition againstthe Japanesec olonialpowerwerelar gelyunsuccessful,thenationalisticspiritremainsclearintheKoreansociety.AfterliberationfromJapanin1945andtheimmediatedivisionofterritoriesandthearrivaloftheUSarmyinSouthKorea(Kim,2014:10),thenotionofnationalidentitywasstressedfurther.AtfirstthesoldiershadbeenregardedasthesaviorsfromtheJapanesebutafterthe"massiveinfluxoffaciallydistinctforeignsoldiers"theforeigners'presencewasregardedasacrisisforthenation(Ibid.).TheKoreanwarwagedin1950-1953,killingapproximatelythreemillionpeople.Undertheconditionsofnationaldivision,nationalismbecameanimportantideologyforthetwoseparateparts.InSouthKoreanationalismhasbeenpromotedasatooltodefeattheenemyanddeveloptheeconomysuchasotherpowerfulnation-states(Kang,2010).Globalizationhasbeenshapedbytheideologyofethnicnationalismaswellasitsownspecifichistoryofnationaldevelopment(Shin,2006:207).Asaconsequence,immigrantsorpeoplewereperceiveddifferentlyfromthemselvesandnotfullyincludedinsociety(Kang,2010).Theissueofm ixed-bloodchildrenin Koreawasalreadybroughtupi nthe1940s.Intermarriages,usedasanassimilationtoolduringthecolonialperiod,hadbeenstronglypromotedbytheJapanese(Caprio,2014:148).ThisinturnleadtoissuesofKoreanandJapanesemixedoffspring,ethnicdiscriminationandclass-basedexclusion.TheissuewasfurtheremphasizedaftertheKoreanwarwhentheproblemofmixed-bloodorphanswasbroughtup.ThisconcernedallchildrenwhowereofforeignoriginmixedwithKoreanblood.MostchildrenwerebornbyKoreanmothers,sonaturallyonewouldthinktheyshouldbeconsideredKorean.However,accordingtotheNationalityActin1948inSouthKorea,thiswasnotthecase(Kim,2014:23).TheactdefinesKoreansby1)whenthefatherisaKoreancitizenatthetimeofbirth,2)whenthefatherdiedbeforethebirth,andthefatherwasKoreanatthetimeofdeath,3)whenthefatherisnotknownordoesnothaveanycitizenship,andthemotherisKorean,4)whentheparentsarenotknownordonothaveanycitizenship,andthechildisdiscoveredonKoreanland,babiesfoundonKoreanlandaredeemedborninKorea(Ibid.).Thepatriarchallawwasamendedin1998.Thisamendmentchangedeverylinethat

14 read"father"to"fatherandmother"(Ibid.).Thus,before1998 ifaKoreanwomanmarrie daforeignman, thechild w ouldnotbeconsideredKorean.Inotherwords,nationalityorcitizenshipwasdeterminedbyjussanguinis(therightoftheblood,descentfromapersonofthatnationality).Thisisacommontraitofethnicnationalism,whichisdefinedas'nationsdeterminedbyasharedheritage,whichusuallyincludesacom monlanguage,acommonfaith,an daco mmonethnicancestry'. Commonbloodbecomestheconditionformembershipinthenationstate(Park,2014:13).Inmostcaseswherethechildrenwouldberegisteredineitherastepfather'sfamilyregisteroramaternalsidefamilyregister,thechildwouldtechnicallybeconsideredKorean.However,inpractice,ifthechildrenwerenotrecognized(e.g.clearbiracialappearance)byothersasKorean,theywouldnotbetreatedasKoreans(Kim,2014:24).DerogatoryracialtermsupondiscoveringbiracialchildrenandtheirmotherswerecommonlyusedamongtheKoreanpopulation(Kim,2014:10).Especially,biracialchildrenbornofblackmenfellvictimtothesetermsbecauseoftheobtrusivelydiscernableskincolor.Theemphasisonthe"problem"inthesecasesthusgraduallyshiftedfrommixed-bloodtotheblacknessofskincolor.ThereareclearexamplesofracismtowardbiracialchildreninSouthKorea.OneispracticalimplementationoftheKoreanMilitaryServiceEnforcementOrdinancewrittenin1949.ItstatesthenationaldutyofeveryKoreanmantoserveacertainperiodoftimeinmilitary.Thechildrenofmixedorigins,whowereregisteredasKoreancitizens,alsoabidetothislaw.However,inlatethe1960sandearly1970swhenmostbiracialchildrenreachedadulthoodthisbecameaproblem.Ahighlevelofhesitationandtensionwhetherwhomtoincludeinthemilitaryservicearoseandthehesitationwasdirectedtowardthepeoplewhowereraciallyperceiveddifferently(Kim,2014:25-26).Intheearly1970s,theMinistryofHealthandSocietyannouncedthattheywouldexemptmixed-bloodpeoplefrommilitaryduty.Theministryclaimedthattheparticularsituationofbiracialchildrendidnotfittothemilitarybecause"theirbirthandphysicalappearanceissodifferentfrom[Korean]thatitisverydifficultforthemtoadaptthemselvesinto[theKorean]societyandinthemilitarythereisahighpossibilityofcausinganaccident"(Kim,2014:25).

15 Hence,biracialKoreanpeoplewerecategorizedas"improper"andrelegatedto"secondarycitizenmilitary",whichisacategoryforcriminalsandthehandicapped(Kim,2014:26).ThestandardofexclusionwasreaffirmedbytheamendmentintheMilitaryServiceEnforcementOrdinancein1984.Theamendmentprescribedthattheexclusionwasforthoseof"clearphysicaldifferenceinappearance"(Kim,2014:23).Thisclausesetasignificantmarkerindecidinginclusionandexclusioninthenation.Itmadeclearthatbeingperceivedphysicallydifferentautomaticallymeantthattheydidnotbelongtothenation.Although"bloodmixing"hadoccurredbeforeinKoreaduringthecolonialperiod,ithadmostlybeenbetweenKoreanandotherAsianraces,inparticularJapanese.Thiswasthereforenotas"bad".ThemixingofKoreanbloodwiththatofblackpeople"generatedacolor-linethatsignifieda'dangerouscrossing'thatshouldnotexistinsociety"(Kim,2014:27).Visibleblacknessbecamethesymboloftheviolationofnationaldignityandillicitsex.Anevenharsherformofexclusionappearedasearlyasinthemid-1950s.UnderSyngmanRhee'sgovernmenttheypursuedthemostvirulentformofracismbysettinganationalpolicyonmixed-raceorphanchildrentohavethemdeported"back"totheirfathers'land.Notmanyinthosetimeswouldarguethatthesechildrenshouldbeadoptednationally.(Kim,2014:29)ThiswasbecauseKoreanpeoplefirmlybelievedthatbiracialpeoplewoulddamagetheirimageofahomogenousnation.The"weversusthem"wayofthinking,whichledtothedeportationofbiracialblackchildren,isnotspecificforKorea.Itcouldalsobeseeninpost-warGermany.AfterWorldWar2,WestGermanyhadalotofmixed-bloodchildreninthecountry.BasedonastilllingeringNaziideologyinthesociety,thepeopleofWestGermanybelievedthatthebestsolutionwastosendthechildren"back"totheirperceived"homecountries"(Kirst,2011).BecauseofthismisconceptionofblackKoreanchildren,theSouthKoreangovernmentactivelypromotedinternationaladoptionstowardtheAmericans.TheimageofblackmixedracechildrenawaitinghelpoftenappearedinAmericanmedia.Atthesametime,theKoreangovernmentinstitutedtheirpolicybyhighlightingthegoodlifethemixedchildrenwerehavingintheir"homecountries".ThiswasinattempttoappealtotheemotionalsideoftheKoreanpeople.Newspapersoftenpublishedlong,detailedarticlesdescribingthegoodlivesthe

18 effectsofit.Basedontheallegedly"scientific"evidenceofatavism,hemeansthatblackbloodcanbecomevisibleinlatergenerationsandbecauseofthisthebabymustbeburiedalive.Hecontinuestosaythattopreventsuchatragedy,killingthebabywasnotabadidea(Kang,2015:11).Inthispassagethereisastrong,specialemphasisonthe"tragedy"whichwillhappenandhavelongtermeffectsinKoreansociety.TheauthorexplainsthetragedyastheshockthatethnicalKoreanparentsmayexperiencegenerationsaheadwhentheygivebirthtoablackchild.However,theunderlyingmeaningoftragedyinChu'sstatementisevendeeper.Itreferstonotonlytoanindividualoracertainfamily'scasebutittouchesthedestinyoftheKoreannationasawhole.ThepreventionoftragedyisdescribedastheverypreventionofanincreaseofblackmixedbloodintheKoreanbloodasthebiracialchildbecomesolderandeventuallygivesbirthtochildrenofhis/herown.Infact,thereisadirectcorrelationbetweenChu'snovelandtheperceptionofKoreansinreallife.HistoricalevidenceshowsthatitwasnotuntilblackKoreanchildrenreachedadulthoodthattheycametoberegardedasaserioussocietalproblemandathreattosocietywhichwasreflectedini.e.theamendmentofthemilitaryserviceordinance.Partofthereasonforthedistortedrepresentationofblackpeople(andotherminoritygroups)inliteratureisbasedonpowerdistributioninthesociety.Thegroupsofindividualswhodonotreflec tthecharacteristicsofth edominan tgrouporcultureareoftensubjecttomisrepresentationormisunderstanding,leadingtob eingmark edasout-groupmembersthroughcomplexstrategiesofothering(Sung,2009).DespitebadviewsofblacknessinKoreanliterature,theimagepossessedsomeambivalenceinpost-liberationpopularcultureandfilms.In1949thepopularstagemusical"Porgy"wasreproducedbyaKoreanproducer.Hechangedthetitleto"ANegroisSad"andfromthistitleitisfairtoassumethattheemphasison'black'and'sadness'wastoexposehiddenracismagainstblackpeopleinSouthKorea.Themainattractionoftheplay,however,wastheskincolorofblackpeople,ratherthantheirsorrow(Kim,2014:4).Afilmversionwasreleasedin1955.Thefilmhighlightedboththehardshipsofthemother

19 andthechild.Thestoryrevolvedaroundthemotherwhofellinlovewithablacksoldierbutafterbeingridiculedbypeopleforbeingaprostitute,sheaskedthemantoleave.Hegrantedherwishandleftbutsoonaftershefoundherselfpregnant.Sheraisedthechilddespitehardshipsandintheendofthestorythemanreturns.Hereturnsasasuccessfulmanandheisportrayedinapositivelight.HebringsthechildbacktotheUnitedStatesaftertheyagreethatitwasforthebest.Thestorysympathizeswithboththemotherandalsothechild.ItwasusedforpropagandapurposesunderSyngmanRhee'spolicyofsendingchildrenawaytotheir"father'scountry".3.4 MulticulturalisminKoreaTheforeignpopulationinSouthKoreahasmassivelyincreasedinthepasttwentyyears.Inthebeginning,theforeignpopulationwasmainlycomposedofoverseasKoreanswhocameasjobseekers.However,thecompositionofforeignersslowlystartedtodiversify.Itwasnotonlyjobseekerswhocamebutoftenpeoplecameforotherreasonssuchastravel,study,marriage,etc.In2007,thetotalforeignpopulationofSouthKoreareached1million(Park,2014:52)andby2014,almost1.8millionforeignerslivedinSouthKorea,constitutinga14.1%increasefromthepreviousyear(KoreaImmigrationService,2015).ThesechangeshavetriggeredthediscussionwhetherSouthKoreaisbecomingmoremulticultural.However,SouthKoreahasproceededinmodernstatebuildingwithanambivalentsenseofnationalidentity(Kim,2007:6).Asaconsequence,inpartoftheethnocentricnationalprideinone'sowncultureandhistoryimmigrantsarenotfullyincludedinsociety.Thisnaturallygoesagainstthenotionoflivingindiversitythatmulticulturalismpromotes.However,theKoreanethnicnationalismiscontextualandbroughtaboutduringcolonialism.Thedualethnicbiasbasedonethnicexclusivismisalsoknownas"whitecomplex"amongKoreans(Kang,2010:289).Thereisasympatheticorientationtowardpeoplefromadvancedcountries,andtheotherisanantagonisticorientationagainstethnicminoritiesfromless-developedcountries(Ibid.).Thusitimpliesthatcertainethnicminoritiesarediscriminateduponbecauseofthestatusoftheirhomecountry.TheseminorityimmigrantsoftenincludepeoplewithdarkerskinlivinginAsia,AfricaandLatinAmerica.

35 5. Summaryandimplications5.1 ConclusionandsummaryofstudyThestudyraisesthequestionthatthestrongfocusonnationalismversusmulticulturalisminSouthKoreainrecenttimesmaycausepossibleproblemsofglobalizationinSouthKorea.ThestudylookedatthisproblemthroughananalysisofaSouthKoreanmulticulturalchildren'sbookwiththeintentiontoanswerthefollowingtwoquestions:§ HastheviewofblackKoreanschangedinliteratureovertime?§ Cansomeonefromanethnicallyhomogeneouscountryportrayanaccuratepictureofaminoritygrouplivinginthesamecountry?Thechildren'sbookwasanalyzedfromfourtheoreticalframeworks:§ Cultureandidentity§ Post-colonialism,nationalismandracism§ BlacknessandblackKoreansportrayalinKoreanmedia§ MulticulturalisminKoreaTheauthorofthebookPleasefindCharltonSunjaKimhighlightsthestrugglesandhardshipsofblackKoreansthroughouttheyears.BlackKoreanshavelivedalmostinvisibleintheKoreansocietyuntilrecentlyandtheauthorofthisbookremindsusoftheirexistence.ShealsoauthenticallyexplainstheirhistoryandtheirstrugglesinSouthKorea.Theauthorbringsforthahighlyrelevanttopicinlightsofasocietythatisgraduallybecomingmoreglobalizedandmulticultural.TheauthordescribesthelivesofblackKoreansbutitalsotouchesonthetopicofbiracialchildrenandidentityquestion singeneral .Ther efore,thisbookisrelevantnotonl yforunderstandingthestrugglesofblackKoreansbutforanyonewhoisperceiveddifferentlyfromthenorminSouthKorea.Theauthordescribesissuesnotonlyrelatedtoaspecificethnicitybuttheycouldbeapplicabletoanyonewhoisperceiveddifferently(e.g.questionsasking

36 whereones'rootsarefrom).ThebooksuccessfullytacklestheissueofhowothernessisperceivedinSouthKorea.However,findingsofthebookreviewalsoindicatedthattherearestillproblematicaspectsofhowblacknessandblackKoreansareportrayedinKoreanliterature.Theauthorhaswrittenthebookforapositivepurposetodescribethesituationofanotherculturalgroupbutstillworkswithsomestereotypes.SomeprevailingstereotypesintheKoreansocietyaboutblackKoreanswerefoundintheanalyzedbook(e.g.thedreamtobecomeasinger).TherewerealsoimplicationsthatblackmenshouldnotmarryKoreanwomen.AlltheseaspectsincludethepotentialtocontributetoastepbackinthedevelopmentofmulticulturalliteratureinSouthKorea.Whenauthorswriteaboutdifferentculturesitisimportanttotakeallnuancesintoconsiderationsotheirworks'descriptionsdonotnegativelyportraytheculture.Thiscanbeespeciallyimportantinchildren'sliteratureaschildrenarethetargetedgroupandchildrenaremoreeasilysubjectedtowhattheyread.InthecaseofPleasefindCharltonSunjaKimtherearestillsomeaspectsthatcouldbeimprovedforfurtherdevelopmentofmulticulturalchildren'sliteratureinSouthKorea.5.2 SuggestionsforfuturestudiesInamoreextensiveresearchofWonYouSoon'schildren'sliterature,moreofherbookscouldbereviewedandcompared.Examplesoftheauthor'sworksarelistedin"4.2Authorandpublications"ofthepresentthesis.TherecenttrendofmulticulturalisminSouthKoreahasleadtoanincreaseofchildren'sbooks'authorsfocusingonthetopic.Multiculturalismcanbefoundinallliterature:fictionalandfactual.Itcanalsobefoundinliteraturetowardallagegroups.InamoreextensivestudyofmulticulturalliteratureinSouthKoreamoreliteraryworksfromdifferentauthorsandfordifferentagegroupscouldbereviewedandcompared.

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