Global Korea Youth awardees call for better multicultural education

Winners stress need for better teaching programs to connect students from diverse backgrounds

By Jung Da-hyun

Winners of the Global Korea Youth Awards emphasized the importance of greater opportunities to take pride in their multicultural backgrounds and strengthen their ties to Korean society. They highlighted the need for improved multicultural education and more chances to engage with peers from similar backgrounds.

During a meeting with Gender Equality and Family Vice Minister Shin Young-sook on Thursday, winners of the Global Korea Youth Awards shared their experiences to help shape policies that can better support multicultural families.

"While the ministry works to develop initiatives that ensure children from multicultural backgrounds can grow up without social barriers amid Korea's increasing diversity, it is especially meaningful to hear directly from these talented students and consider their policy suggestions based on real-life experiences," Shin said.

The awards were established by The Korea Times in 2012, aiming to encourage students from multicultural households, who sometimes experience and have to overcome hardships due to cultural differences and language barriers.

Formerly known as the Korea Multicultural Youth Awards, the prize was rebranded last year as the Global Korea Youth Awards to reflect the nation's growing diversity and highlight young people's aspirations to connect globally and make a broader impact.

Most awardees agreed on the need for a more structured approach to multicultural awareness education and greater opportunities to connect with others from multicultural backgrounds in Korea.

Nurgashevadilbek, the grand prize winner of the 12th awards, highlighted the importance of enhancing multicultural education in schools.

"From elementary to high school, there were many programs aimed at fostering multicultural understanding, but most simply involve watching video clips,” he said. "I don’t think these programs effectively help students truly understand multiculturalism."

He suggested that bringing in expert instructors and incorporating more interactive lectures could enhance students' understanding of multicultural issues.

Lee Ji-myung, a recipient in the high school category from the ninth awards, echoed this sentiment, stressing that education for children from multicultural backgrounds should prioritize reinforcing their sense of belonging in Korean society rather than highlighting differences.

"Most support programs for multicultural teenagers are centered on basic education or entrance exam counseling," she said.

"It would be more effective to introduce role models — people from multicultural backgrounds who are actively engaged on the international stage — or to provide opportunities for exchange among students with similar experiences."

Awardees also highlighted the need for support, not only for children from multicultural backgrounds but also for their parents, who often face language barriers.

"I spent most of my time in Korea, so I didn’t have many communication issues, but my mother struggled due to language difficulties," said Kwon Ji-ae, a recipient in the middle school category from the 11th awards.

Born to a Korean father and a Taiwanese mother, Kwon shared that her mother often faced challenges when handling official documents, sometimes missing deadlines because many government online services were not available in multiple languages.

"I would like to suggest expanding multilingual support for government-run systems," she said.

Park Ji-han, a grand prize winner of the third edition of the awards, shared an experience in which a broadcaster reached out for a feature, only to find that many positive moments were largely omitted from the final program. Instead, the show primarily focused on the struggles faced by multicultural individuals.

"There’s a saying that individuals of Western mixed heritage are featured on entertainment shows, while others are highlighted in documentaries that focus on their hardships," he said.

"After that experience, I realized the media should also showcase the positive and successful sides of multicultural youth. This event is a great platform for that, and I hope it continues."

Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin emphasized that the significance and purpose of the awards have evolved amid the country's growing diversity.

"When the awards were first established 13 years ago, the focus was on helping children from multicultural families adapt to society, reflecting Korea’s early transition into a more diverse nation," Oh said. "However, over time, the purpose has expanded beyond adaptation to creating opportunities for these students to become future leaders."

With Korea trying to become more open to diverse cultures, Oh expressed hope that students from multicultural backgrounds will see their heritage as a strength and step onto the global stage as leaders.

"As the awards have continued, the goal has shifted from simply supporting social adaptation to empowering multicultural youth to lead in society," he said.