Diversity in Korea

It's interesting to talk to my students about Korea and diversity. Like the student project contrasting Korea and Western countries in my last post, most seem to have a pretty skewed perception of what America is like. I think the idea of a 'melting pot' (or 'salad bowl' to go with the more current metaphor) is not something they have any frame of reference for. Likewise, even after living here and being surrounded by Koreans every day, it's hard for me, as an American, to conceive of a nation of people in which everyone has the same history and cultural traditions.

Recently, the New York Times posted an article on the increasing number of mixed ethnicity children in Korea. Interesting read.