When Alaina Yildiz started taking her Korean language class at a state-run institute in Busan in February, she could not believe what her teacher told her and her classmates.
The class, officially named the Korea Immigration and Integration Program, was offered by South Korea’s Justice Ministry and specifically targeted marriage immigrants who wish to obtain South Korean citizenship after marrying Korean nationals.
“My Korean teacher said Vietnamese names aren’t beautiful so Vietnamese women should change their names to Korean ones once they obtain (Korean) citizenship,” Yildiz said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “Another time the instructor said in front of the class that Muslim people were dangerous. Although I’m not religious, I felt bad because my family is Muslim, and they aren’t dangerous people.”
Yildiz, who comes from a western Asian country, has been living in South Korea with her Korean husband since last year. She decided to take the KIIP classes to improve her Korean and help her naturalization process. Currently, F-6 visa holders who take KIIP classes for up to two years are exempt from attending their naturalization interview and tests in South Korea.
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| A textbook used in the KIIP program. Alaina Yildiz |
Civic groups and activists here have been calling for improvement in policies on immigrants, particularly the marriage immigrants who are mostly women. Immigrated women are required to receive official consent from the husband to extend their stay or apply for permanent residency.
The naturalization interview and tests are notorious for their difficulty. Sample questions provided by the Justice Ministry’s website show that one needs to memorize the Korean national anthem word by word and be informed about former South Korean presidents and their achievements, among other things. Often, opting for the KIIP classes is considered easier for marriage expats, many of whom are women, Yildiz said.
In spite of the benefits the KIIP courses offer, Yildiz decided to quit her classes due to her teacher’s racist and sexist remarks, saying that the instructor even offered advice on how to act as women in Korea, even giving cleaning tips or how to treat Korean husbands, such as by giving massages.
When reached by The Korea Herald, the teacher denied making any racist remarks, saying that many of the allegations appear to have derived from the language barrier.
“I’ve been teaching for the last 10 years and I’ve never faced such problems before,” the teacher told The Korea Herald. “I only said there was a terrorist attack in Paris and some Muslims were there.”
The textbook used in the KIIP classes are also seen as sexist. The book is published by the Justice Ministry and the state-run National Institute of Korean Language.
The books contain sections that generally suggest that women should stay indoors, and be interested in cooking and cleaning.
In the introduction page of one of the textbooks, there are illustrations of fictional foreign-born expats living in South Korea. One of them is Elena, a woman in her 30s who is from Russia. She is portrayed as a blonde woman who initially moved to Korea to become an actress and ended up marrying a Korean. Another character, Eva, a young woman in her 20s from the Philippines, is portrayed as a dark-skinned marriage immigrant living with her Korean spouse.
“The one thing that this curriculum encourages is thinking in terms of crude stereotypes, and it doesn‘t matter really whether or not they’re true,” said Michael Hurt, an American expat who found the illustrations to be problematic.
“To put it simply, imagine if American textbooks had all the Korean immigrant language learners as liquor store owners. There‘s some truth to that image, since many first-generation Korean immigrants in the knighted states own liquor stores and laundromats and such things, but do we have to be limited by that image?”
Often, it is difficult for F-6 visa holders to complain as they don’t speak Korean fluently and fear that addressing the issue of racism may work against them during their naturalization process.
“(When the teacher made her remarks on Vietnamese names not being beautiful, my Vietnamese classmates) just nodded. I was more surprised at them than at my teacher,” Yildiz said. “I think they don’t want to cause trouble.”
Kim Chae-hwa, a former F-6 visa holder from China, said she also had an unpleasant experience while attending KIIP program in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. She said all of her classes were enjoyable, except the last interview with an instructor. Kim, who is now a South Korean national, had to pass the interview in order to be exempt for the citizenship interview and the written test.
“The instructor asked me if I ever hoisted a national Korean flag before. When I said no, she asked me if I own a flag at home,” she told The Korea Herald.
“I told her I never knew anyone could purchase the flag in stores in Korea. Then she abruptly told me that I should stop wanting things without paying for them in this country. I felt extremely insulted.”
According to the Immigration and Social Integration Network website provided by the Justice Ministry, among all teachers who are hired for KIIP courses, only those who teach courses on Korean society are required to be educated on multiculturalism in order to be qualified for the job. Those who teach the Korean language and culture are government-certified school teachers who have at least two years of teaching experience at the nation’s elementary schools.
The Korea Immigration Service in Busan refused to officially comment on the case, saying they plan to look further into whether there was any misconduct committed.
Chung Ki-seon, a senior researcher at the International Organization for Migration, said South Korea is not the only country that offers programs like KIIP. According to her, many countries in Europe, including Germany, encourages marriage immigrants to master their languages before entering the borders. The Common Basic Principles for Immigrant Integration Policy in the European Union states that “basic knowledge of the host society’s language, history and institutions is indispensable to integration of immigrants.”
“I think programs like KIIP are necessary for practical reasons,” Chung told The Korea Herald. “Understanding the host country’s language and culture are crucial when you start a new life in a foreign country as an active citizen. It’s a practical need, and there should be support from the host countries for that.”
While Chung acknowledged the necessity of programs like KIIP, she said racist and sexist remarks in such classes should never be tolerated.
“The classes should be based on values such as gender equality, tolerance and respect,” she said. “And there should be educational programs for Koreans on human rights and anti-discrimination. All teachers who teach at programs like KIIP should be thoroughly educated on those values as well.”
Yildiz said her husband spoke to the center in Korean on her behalf to address the issue, but was told that Yildiz should speak to the teacher in person. She added that she hoped her case would help improve the overall system.
An official who oversees multicultural policies at the Gender Equality Ministry said she would look into the textbooks and speak to the Justice Ministry for possible improvements.
By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)
