By Kim Bo-eun
Multiracial family members in Korea have become more stabilized but continue to feel isolated due to obstacles in building relationships with locals, a survey shows.
According to a Statistics Korea's survey of 17,849 multiracial households here, more immigrant brides and naturalized Koreans have trouble befriending Koreans than in 2012, when the last survey was conducted.
More than 30 percent of the respondents said they lacked social ties — they did not have anyone with whom they could discuss problems they need help with, or enjoy pastimes and spend their leisure time with.
More respondents said they felt lonely. And perhaps due to the lack of acquaintances and friends around them with whom they could share information, they also were found to have greater problems in raising their children here.
Trouble with relationships was not only limited to mothers with foreign backgrounds — the children were also found to have trouble finding close friends.
The survey showed the children mostly shared their problems with their parents (42 percent), followed by their friends (33.2 percent). This is the mirror opposite of the figures for Korean adolescents here — 46.2 percent confided in their friends and 26.1 percent with their parents.
The rate of enrollment at schools for children of multiracial families has risen from 2012, with high school enrollment rising by 4.8 percentage points and university by 4 percentage points.
However, significantly less students enter university — there is a 14.8 percentage point gap in the enrollment rate to the total student population here.
Children continue to face difficulties with school — the percentage of struggling students is double the figure of their counterparts. Their Korean language skills — 3.92 on a scale of 5 — also fall short of that of Korean students (4.8).
This can be attributed to how the children spend after-school hours. Whereas their counterparts mostly spend time studying either at private academies, in private lessons or doing homework, children of multiracial families spend most of their time watching TV.
While 63.9 percent of all adolescents engaged in academic activities after school, the figure for multiracial children was only 37.3 percent.
The number of multiracial households totaled 278,036 last year, which is a 4.3 percent rise from 2012. These families account for 1.3 percent of all households here.
The largest percentage of immigrant brides and naturalized Koreans were Korean-Chinese (30.7 percent), followed by Chinese (22.4 percent) and Vietnamese (20.8 percent).
They showed overall an improvement in Korean language skills and their employment rate rose more than 5 percentage points compared to 2012.
They were also found to be subject to less discrimination than previous years, the survey showed.
Multiracial family members in Korea have become more stabilized but continue to feel isolated due to obstacles in building relationships with locals, a survey shows.
According to a Statistics Korea's survey of 17,849 multiracial households here, more immigrant brides and naturalized Koreans have trouble befriending Koreans than in 2012, when the last survey was conducted.
More than 30 percent of the respondents said they lacked social ties — they did not have anyone with whom they could discuss problems they need help with, or enjoy pastimes and spend their leisure time with.
More respondents said they felt lonely. And perhaps due to the lack of acquaintances and friends around them with whom they could share information, they also were found to have greater problems in raising their children here.
Trouble with relationships was not only limited to mothers with foreign backgrounds — the children were also found to have trouble finding close friends.
The survey showed the children mostly shared their problems with their parents (42 percent), followed by their friends (33.2 percent). This is the mirror opposite of the figures for Korean adolescents here — 46.2 percent confided in their friends and 26.1 percent with their parents.
The rate of enrollment at schools for children of multiracial families has risen from 2012, with high school enrollment rising by 4.8 percentage points and university by 4 percentage points.
However, significantly less students enter university — there is a 14.8 percentage point gap in the enrollment rate to the total student population here.
Children continue to face difficulties with school — the percentage of struggling students is double the figure of their counterparts. Their Korean language skills — 3.92 on a scale of 5 — also fall short of that of Korean students (4.8).
This can be attributed to how the children spend after-school hours. Whereas their counterparts mostly spend time studying either at private academies, in private lessons or doing homework, children of multiracial families spend most of their time watching TV.
While 63.9 percent of all adolescents engaged in academic activities after school, the figure for multiracial children was only 37.3 percent.
The number of multiracial households totaled 278,036 last year, which is a 4.3 percent rise from 2012. These families account for 1.3 percent of all households here.
The largest percentage of immigrant brides and naturalized Koreans were Korean-Chinese (30.7 percent), followed by Chinese (22.4 percent) and Vietnamese (20.8 percent).
They showed overall an improvement in Korean language skills and their employment rate rose more than 5 percentage points compared to 2012.
They were also found to be subject to less discrimination than previous years, the survey showed.
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