Survey: Korean perception of migrant workers gets worse
South Koreans have become more negative towards migrant workers compared to four years ago, amid the prolonged economic downturn, a poll shows.
According to the Overseas Koreans Foundation survey of 820 people conducted in July and August, 61.1% of the respondents from the ｃountry’s seven largest cities find it hard to accept foreign workers as members of Korean society.
The figure is up 3.6 percentage points from a 2013 survey.
Some 39% of those surveyed said they recognise foreign workers as members of society, down 3.6 percentage points from four years ago, according to the poll.
There are about 260,000 such workers under the scheme out of 1.27 million foreigners living in the ｃountry as of May last year, according to Statistics Korea.
About 57% of respondents said they were not concerned about foreign workers staying in the ｃountry for the long term, while 13.4% were against it.
Some 29% said it depends on the workers’ ｃountry of origin.
Asked whether South Koreans discriminate against foreigners or foreign culture, 57.1% agreed, while 9.5% disagreed.
As to the idea of a homogenous society, South Koreans appear to be more open-minded than before.
Asked if the growing presence of foreigners would harm the purity of the Korean race, only 27.6% said yes, down from 41% in 2013. Some 42% said no, up from 31.8%.
On international marriages, 34.3% of the surveyed singles said they were willing to marry foreigners, while 65.7% answered negatively.
As marriage partners, the respondents favoured those who came from North America the most, followed by Europe, Japan, the former Soviet Union, China and Oceania, and Latin America.
Those from the Middle East, Asia and Africa were the least popular.
“I think the negative perception of foreigners is growing due to a prolonged economic slump,” said Lee Sung-joon, a senior member of GRI Research in charge of the poll, adding that it was an obstacle to Korean society seeking to turn itself into a multicultural society.
Article Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/01/04/survey-korean-perception-of-migrant-workers-gets-worse/
Image Source: http://pds.joins.com/jmnet/koreajoongangdaily/_data/photo/2012/02/29213003.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Perception (n.) ~ a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something a mental impression
2. Scheme (n.) ~ a large-scale systematic plan or arrangement for attaining some particular object or putting a particular idea into effect
3. Discriminate (v.) ~ make an unjust or prejudicial distinction in the treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, sex, or age
4. Homogenous (adj.) ~ of the same kind alike
5. Prolonged (adj.) ~ continuing for a long time or longer than usual lengthy
6. Slump (n.) ~ a sudden severe or prolonged fall in the price, value, or amount of something.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What is your personal thoughts on overseas workers in your ｃountry? How do they influence the Korean job market?
2. What do you think are the factors that cause the negative perception of Koreans regarding foreign workers?
3. How do you feel about your ｃountry becoming a multicultural society?
