Isn’t that the sentiment that nearly all immigrants had about coming to America? As South Korea continues to climb the worldwide economic ladder, it has seemingly come to mirror America’s rise as the land of opportunity.
Yin Shuilian is an ethnically Korean Chinese, who for 11 years attempted to leave China, and make a living in South Korea. She was $80,000 in debt when she finally was able to arrive in Korea.
For Yin, and others like her, their opportunities are limited to jobs in restaurants, factories, and domestic jobs. And while Yin may be happy with what she has now, one wonders what will happen when the Korean Chinese community inevitably want more equality – financially and in South Korea’s society overall.
It’ll be interesting to see how the government and people of South Korea confront these issues when they crop up. Will the culture of Xenophobia, racism, and prejudice be heightened with an influx of foreign laborers? Or will South Korea finally address these issues head-on and bring about programs and legislation that promote equality?
We’ll just have to wait and see I guess.
