A recent debate on multiculturalism in Korean society was disturbed by some people antagonistic toward expatriates here.
최근의 논쟁 논쟁의 주제는 다문화주의라는 주제로 한국사회의 논쟁이며 이 논쟁을 몇몇의 국외 거주자를 반대하는 사람들이 소란스럽게 했습니다.
One of them jumped on the podium and claimed that multicultural policies would destroy the integrity of the nation.
이 반대하는 사람들중 한명이 단에 점프하여 올라가서 그리고 주장한 바는 다문화 주의 정책은 아마도 국가의 완전한 상태를 붕괴한다고 했습니다.
He then hurled invective against the organizer of the debate, a female immigrant from the Philippines who was elected to parliament as a proportional representative for the ruling Saenuri Party in the April general elections. While being taken out of the conference hall, the man shouted that Koreans had not voted for Rep. Jasmine Lee and she was not entitled to be a lawmaker.
그리고 그는 욕을 퍼부었으며 그 대상은 논쟁의 주최자입니다, 이 주최자는 필리핀에서 온 이민 여성이며 이 여성은 국회의 비례대표자로서 새누리당에 5월 총선때 당선 되었습니다. 회의장에서 끌려 나오는 동안에, 그 남성은 소리 쳤습니다 한국은 마땅히 자스민 리를 뽑아선 안됬었다고 그리고 그녀에게 국회의원이라는 권리를 주면 안된다고.
Though subdued in minutes, the disturbance made the participants realize again there were still many obstacles to Koreans embracing multiculturalism.
몇 분만에 교체되었음에도 불구하고, 이 소란은 참가자들이 다시금 깨닫게 했습니다 많은 장해물을 거쳐야지 한국이 다문화 주의가 정착 할 수 있다고.
The lawmaker, who had already suffered from a flood of xenophobic remarks online shortly after her election, must have felt disheartened at the scene that made all sensible Koreans feel ashamed.
자스민 리, 그녀는 이미 벌써부터 외국인을 싫어하는 말들로 괴로워 하고 있습니다 선거 직후에, 는 틀림없이 이 장면에 대해서 실망했을 것 입니다 그 남자가 했던 행동의 장면은 모든 양식적인 한국인들을 부끄럽게 만듭니다.
But she never lost her composure, telling other participants she believed a multicultural society could be achieved more easily if efforts were made to understand and respect each other’s culture.
그러나 그녀는 절대로 그녀의 침착함을 잃지 않았습니다, 그리고 다른 담가자들에게 말했습니다 나는 믿습니다 다문화주의적인 사회가 아마도 더욱 쉽게 이루어 질 것 이라고 만약 노력을 기울여서 각각의 문화를 이해하고 존경한다면 말이죠 라고 말 했습니다.
Her comment might pass as yet another common sense expression!. Coming from a woman who has done her best to adapt to her adopted country for the past 18 years, however, it should not fall on deaf ears.
그녀의 비평은 어쩌면 이전의 다른 일방적인 감정의 표현으로 통합니다! 이 여성은 지금까지 그녀의 최선을 다해서 적응하려 했습니다 그녀의 입양에 대해 지난 18년 동안 이 그녀에서부터
Koreans should now recognize that building a multicultural society is needed to ensure sustainable economic growth and social viability beyond simply getting along with the increasing expatriate population.
Most immigrants here were admitted into the country for its own needs.
Many single Korean men in rural areas have been able to start a family by marrying foreign women, mostly from Southeast Asian nations.
Most small manufacturing firms here have filled jobs shunned by young Koreans with expatriate workers.
Korea recently became the world’s seventh country with a population of more than 50 million, whose per capita income exceeds $20,000. A growing number of expatriates here have contributed to the nation achieving the landmark figures. Their roles will be more essential to maintaining the status in the future, especially in demographic terms.
The interrupters of the debate on multicultural society should have attended a forum on demographic policies on the same day, in which experts raised concerns about the population shrinkage in the coming decades.
With the fertility rate stuck at the current level of 1.24, the estimated population will be 170,000 short of the optimal population needed to guarantee sustainable growth in 2045, 1.26 million short in 2050, 3.51 million in 2060 and 7.8 million in 2080.
The number of economically active people aged 15-64, which stood at 35.98 million in 2010, is projected to decrease by more than 7 million over the coming three decades and by another 7 million in the following 20 years.
What demographists suggested as one of the most effective measures to cope with the shrinking population at the forum was to accept more immigrants with the fertility rate unlikely to increase sharply.
Under this circumstance, Koreans need to redefine the concept of their common community as the one embracing the growing number of expatriates, which has exceeded 1.26 million, accounting for more than 2 percent of the entire population.
Many of them are no longer mere guests to the country but have become new “Korean” people, who should be allowed to join native Koreans in creating a bright and prosperous future.
They should not be subject to exclusion but to consideration, support and inclusiveness. To help them settle in Korea should not be misunderstood as providing benefits for them or discriminating against native Koreans. Such support is necessary to further promote prosperity and interests of Korean society as a whole.
To ensure Korea’s smooth transition toward a truly multicultural society, tougher measures may be needed to prevent some misguided people from attempting to spread xenophobia and thus hamper social harmony.
It may be the time to consider enacting a law to make it possible to punish discriminative acts or words based on differences in appearances, religion, culture or language.
The shameful fuss at the event arranged by the first foreign-born lawmaker should serve as a lesson to show ― in a paradoxical way ― the need for ceaseless efforts to establish multiculturalism in our society.
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