Governing Minority Groups in South Korea: a Case Study of Multiculturalism Policy’S Inclusions and Exclusions
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Governing Minority Groups in South Korea: A Case Study of Multiculturalism Policy’s Inclusions and Exclusions By Yihyun Ryu A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2020 Yihyun Ryu ABSTRACT Since the mid-2000s, the South Korean government has produced policies around “multiculturalism.” Researchers have actively studied these policies, focusing almost exclusively on what are termed “multicultural families,” i.e. families where wives and mothers are female marriage migrants from other countries. Restricting the research focus in this manner presents a skewed understanding of South Korean multiculturalism and helps to legitimize the government's interest in maintaining a very narrow interpretation of the multiculturalism policies. To address these limitations, this dissertation examines the inclusions and exclusions of three main migrant groups - North Korean defectors, multicultural families, and migrant workers - through the lens of South Korea’s multiculturalism policy. The dissertation is inspired by the Foucauldian theoretical concepts of governmentality and genealogy; it also draws on anti-colonial nationalism literature to examine South Korea's particularities as a post-colonial society. The primary source of data for policy discourse analysis is textual data, centred around the National Assembly minutes for the last 20 years (1998-2017), which is supplemented by interviews. The dissertation puts forward three main arguments: First, the notion of multiculturalism was embraced in South Korea to “politely” denote those cultural differences that South Korea has become willing to tolerate but at the same time to subordinate to the Korean nation. This is exemplified by the production of “multicultural families.” Second, in the context of South Korea’s political-ideological landscape shaped by the Japanese colonization and the division of the Korean peninsula, conservative forces have condemned Korean ethnic nationalism and i dominated its multiculturalism discourse while their liberal and progressive counterparts have held onto this nationalism and remained passive, if not mute, on migrant-related issues. Third, this dissertation shows that South Korean multiculturalism discourse has become fraught with conservative forces’ preferences for certain types of migrants, i.e. migrants who are politically conservative (or passive), nostalgic for a mythical Korean-ness, and obedient to the existing economic order. Of the three different migrant groups addressed in this study, it is the North Korean defectors and the multicultural families who are generally thought to satisfy these conservative preferences while the migrant workers do not. This study contributes analyses about multiculturalism policies in a country outside the usual horizon of Western studies of multiculturalism; it highlights the value of considering how South Korea’s unique historical, geopolitical, and ideological conditions have shaped its engagement with the multiculturalism discourse. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my dissertation committee, who made every effort to provide thoughtful advice and multidisciplinary expertise, all of which has enriched this dissertation. First and foremost, I would like to express gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Xiaobei Chen, who patiently stood by me while I struggled to write this dissertation. Without her unwavering academic and overall support, I could not have completed my doctoral study. The sincere kindness and words of encouragement offered by Professor Leslie Pal boosted my morale, and his elaborate feedback deepened the quality of my dissertation. Professor William Walters offered me new and diverse experiences, and his insightful feedback broadened my intellectual horizons. My genuine thanks to Professor Yasmeen Abu-Laban and Professor Megan Gaucher for the constructive discussion and fruitful advice at my dissertation defence. It gave me courage and confidence for new challenges ahead. I appreciate my precious friends for willingly coming into my life. Aazam, Deborah, Erin, Euijeong, Jiyoung, Juyoon, Khalud, Layomi, Seungchan, Victoria, Wookyung, and Yenyen. They helped to draw me out of the box I used to think was a whole world. My fellows in the SPPA, Hasan, Kassem, Nahya, and Sylvie, who picked me up and offered support while we were in the same boat. Lastly, I cannot express the depth of my love and gratitude to my parents. Their wholehearted trust in me, especially when I go adrift and into uncharted territory, always makes me stronger. Thanks to those mentioned above, I was able to successfully wrap up this dissertation, and now I gear up to head into the next phase of my academic journey. iii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iii Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1-1 Problematization: Why Multiculturalism and How Did It Emerge in South Korea? ........................ 1 1-2 Why a Single Case Study? ........................................................................................................... 12 1-3 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 15 1-4 Use of Terms ............................................................................................................................... 17 1-5 Chapter Outline ........................................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 2 Literature, Theoretical Framework, and Research Design ................................................. 29 2-1 Literature on South Korean Multiculturalism ............................................................................... 29 2-1-1 North Korean Defectors ........................................................................................................ 29 2-1-2 Female Marriage Migrants .................................................................................................... 33 2-1-3 Migrant Workers .................................................................................................................. 36 2-2 Theoretical and analytical framework .......................................................................................... 42 2-2-1 Anti-colonial nationalism...................................................................................................... 42 2-2-1-1 Nationalism ................................................................................................................... 42 2-2-1-2 Anti-Colonial Nationalism in the Post-Colonial Era ....................................................... 45 2-2-1-3 Anti-Colonial Nationalism and Post-Nationalism ........................................................... 49 2-2-2 Governmentality ................................................................................................................... 55 2-2-2-1 Power and Governmentality........................................................................................... 55 2-2-2-2 Governmentality and Subjectification ............................................................................ 59 2-2-2-3 Multicultural Governmentality ....................................................................................... 61 2-2-3 Genealogy ............................................................................................................................ 62 2-3 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 65 2-3-1 Data sources ......................................................................................................................... 65 2-3-1-1 Government Documents and Newspapers ...................................................................... 65 2-3-1-2 In-depth and Semi-Structured Interviews ....................................................................... 69 2-3-2 Analysing discourse.............................................................................................................. 70 CHAPTER 3 Antecedents of South Korean Multiculturalism ................................................................. 74 3-1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 74 iv 3-2 Korean Ethnic Nationalism .......................................................................................................... 76 3-3 Political Competition Surrounding Korean Nationalism: 1945 to the Mid-1990s .......................... 81 3-3-1 The Ruling Power ................................................................................................................. 82 3-3-2 Progressive Political Oppositions .......................................................................................... 87 3-4 Laying the Foundation for Multiculturalism: The Late 1990s to the Present ................................