While the immigration rate of our society was skyrocketed, the number of foreign women flowed into Korea incredibly increased by means of international marriage. Because the concept of family is essential in Korean society, this international brides a...
While the immigration rate of our society was skyrocketed, the number of foreign women flowed into Korea incredibly increased by means of international marriage. Because the concept of family is essential in Korean society, this international brides are supposed to experience Korean society by their new family before they meet unfamiliar circumstance-Korean culture.
However, not only their image as a new member of the society is not acceptable, but also policy, institution, or even ethic for them, which make the women adapt successfully in new circumstance, isn't concerned by political body. They have to become Korean when they married their Korean groom. Nevertheless, we are mentally, culturally, and institutionally not prepared to embrace them. So, it is not easy for them to melt into Korea as a member of the society. Besides, even if they continually try to adapt in our nation, this strangers are frustrated when they face exclusive attitude to foreign of Korean.
The most difficult issue that they confront in here is the relationship trouble among the members of family. According to a report, international brides experience lots of difficulty about the patriarchal system, intervention of husband's family, and conflict related to their children.
This issues are a phenomenon come from Korean culture and ethic itself. In terms of the inter-family problems, it is resulted from distorted family ethic of the Confucianism in Korea. Korean groom and foreign bride are grown in different society, and have different family ethic.
However, the husband and his family do not tolerate their new member's cultural difference and force them to adapt in our society: it is problematic because it is linear process.
In the Korean Sung confucianism, man and woman's role was categorized by 'Li' and 'Qi': it defined 'Li' as a man, and 'Qi' as a woman. And also it described the relationship between husband and wife, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and parents and children as hierarchical model. Because of this custom, Korean family norm was unsociable to foreign brides.
The brides can't understand obedience and submissiveness in Korean patriarchal system, and are offended by constant self-sacrifice and tolerance that is acquired by their new family. So, it is urgent to change our idea of family ethic presupposed in the multi cultural generation. Family ethic of Korean Buddhism would provide alternative to solve this problem.
In Korean Buddhism, relationship among human being is based on the parallel and mutual model. So, it explained family relationship as mutual net which is supported by the idea of Compassion, Wheel of life, Naught, and Middle path, and try to embrace every relationship in the moderate course.
It can be matched to international brides' wish in the family and Korean society
Facing multi cultural generation, we are, and will be meeting from different person to different group continually. In the line of this, conventional family ethic in Confucianism have to be developed to settle down our new problem and to retain cultural identity.
Family ethic of Buddhism would compensate the deficiency of Confucianism-as a parallel and mutual relationship rather than a hierarchical relationship. As our society is now globalized, our traditional family norm and ethic should be redefined.