Are All Korean Parents Evil?

“Asian Invasion”, is what some American reply to me when asked about the growing Asian immigrant population in America. One of the Asian immigrant societies is the Korean population. Most western people do not even know where the small country of Korea is even located. Some think that Korea is a part of China or Japan. Korea might be a small country but it has a very distinct culture, a rich history, and vibrant people.

These immigrant Koreans in America still maintain their strict way of discipline for their children. Sometimes they inflict corporal punishment on their children when they cause trouble. Corporal punishment against any child is a big problem not only for Koreans, but many nationalities living in America.

The title, “Characteristics of Child Abuse in Immigrant Korean Families and Correlates of Placement Decisions” caught my eye on an Internet site. Many Korean parents in Los Angeles are charged with physical abuse of their children. The corporal punishment used to discipline their children is judged as physically abusive towards children by American judicial system.
Korea has followed its philosophical and official educational system dating back to the 14th century with the Chosun Dynasty. The system is Confucianism. Confucianism controls social order as self-regulating but it is different with law. One of Confucianism is based on the rules, manners, and family relationships. The young have to listen and respect their parents or older members of their families. Parents and/or teachers need to give corporal punishment to children or pupils when these children show bad behavior or cause trouble. The punishment should be given out evenly and is not meant to be abusive but to instill discipline. A common form of corporal punishment is to get whipped on the back of the calf or the palm. These children do not feel deeply humiliated by this punishment, but instead they realize they are wrong and reflect on their conduct.

Confucianism still remains in Korea, even though Korea is modern country now. The idea of Confucianism has also influenced immigrant Korean families moving to America. However, the corporal punishment of children is social problem in America. Some Korean kids in America use American law against corporal punishment to avoid punishment from parents. Children then report the punishment as a physical abuse to their school administrators. Finally, parents will be charged with domestic violence and the physical abuse of their children. All Korean parents are then labeled as evil and savages.

Today, the most common reason why Koreans immigrate to America is for their children’s education. All Korean parents place a strong emphasis on education. There is keen competition for high school boys and girls to enter college. It is expected that these teenage boys and girls study from early morning to midnight, and on weekends. Therefore, many Korean parents try to move to other countries in order to lessen their child’s burden. Even though some parents have a stable career and enjoy financial success in Korea, they give this up for the well being of their children. All Korean parents support their children by providing for private tutoring and paying for college tuition, graduate school, even a doctorate degree. Most of a family’s savings is used for their child’s educational aspirations. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for their kids. These Korean parents’ love for their children is all encompassing. The punishment dealt on their children is partly love and partly the parents desire for the child to straighten up their act.
I hope we can distinguish between real physical abuse and corporal punishment for discipline of children with the relative viewpoint of different cultures.

References:

Chang, Janet, Siyon Rhee, Dale Weaver. "Characteristics of Child Abuse in Immigrant Korean Families and Correlates of Placement Decisions." Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, v30 n8 August 2006.

<http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ742869&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ742869

"Hidden Korea." PBS Online. <http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/>

Introduction to Multiculturalism

Many international people have moved to America for different reasons. Even though they have been rooted for several generations in America, these minorities keep their own cultures. The diverse cultures are making America a multicultural country.

Early social scientists expected that America would be a “Melting pot”: all immigrant cultures would be mixed with American traditional culture and then new style American culture would be created. However, America could not be a “Melting pot”. These diverse immigrant cultures exist individually in America.

I am interested in the cultures of the world. I have traveled to several countries and worked international culture festivals with about 350 peoples from other countries as an international culture coordinator in Korea. I have recognized that each country has different manners, their way of life, thought, and so on, even though some countries share their cultures in past time. The cultures from the same nation are also very different and depend on people’s socioeconomic position, education, religion, or region of the country.

Fortunately, I have met more diverse international people and their cultures in America. I can enjoy their food, ethnic styles, and their thoughts. The more I know other cultures, the more enjoyable and attractive they are.

The blog that I create will help me inform others about biases by commenting on stereotypes. I can share my knowledge and experiences by posting my thoughts online with people who are hungry for information about multiculturalism.