KOREA: Local People Get To See Migrants
As More Than Workers

KOREA: Local People Get To See Migrants
As More Than Workers

YONGIN, South Korea (UCAN) -- A cultural festival that foreign migrant workers in South Korea staged with a Church group's assistance has introduced local people to some of the many cultures of Asia.

The Migrant Workers Human Rights Center of Christian Life Community (CLC) Korea, with support from local NGOs and the migrant workers, presented the "Let's Meet Asia" festival Oct. 3 in Yongin, 50 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

About 300 Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Indonesians, Mongolians, Nepalese, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans participated. They set up information displays introducing their countries, and sold national food and souvenirs at booths.

Workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka performed traditional dances and songs.

Some Koreans also demonstrated their familiarity with other cultures. Among them were students majoring in Malay-Indonesian language at nearby Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, who performed a traditional Indonesian dance.

Center director Paul Ahn Eui-seok told UCA News the purpose of the festival was to allow local people and migrant workers to experience various Asian cultures. He explained, "We don't see the migrant workers just as workers, but rather as Asians with a history and culture." He added that the center hopes to help build a multicultural local community. It estimates that about 10,000 migrants are working in the Yongin area.

UCA News spoke with several of the workers and local people at the fair.

At the Vietnamese food booth, Pham Duy Trinh was busy making spring rolls. "I cook this food when I miss my hometown," he said, adding that the ingredients are available at a nearby market. The festival "is a great chance to let people know Vietnamese food and culture," Pham exclaimed.

Local resident Lim Myoung-ae brought her children "to introduce them to the various Asian cultures." The Protestant woman runs a study room for children of low-income families. "I hope my children can break through the wall of discrimination against migrant workers and think of them as friends," she said.

Some workers, however, say they their experience is not all bad.

Sri Lankan Ruwan Prathap Hewabatage, 33, "met lots of good people, good neighbors and good employers," at the festival. He commented that although some people say migrant workers are frequently exploited and maltreated, he has "not been beaten by anyone" during his nine years in the country.

Park Yong-won, a welfare officer of the center, reported that "all the national communities worked together to prepare the festival, where they showed that they have unique and old cultures, and are our neighbors."

A center volunteer, 19-year-old Im Hyeon-jeong, said his service has given him the opportunity to meet people from various Asian countries. "I hope there will be no more discrimination against people based on skin color and language, so that we can live together as neighbors," he said.

According to statistics compiled in 2002 by the South Korean Ministry of Justice, there were 361,000 migrant workers in the country, of whom an estimated 290,000 were staying in the country illegally.

The CLC established the Yongin center to promote human rights for foreign workers and to organize activities for them such as Korean language classes, community days and summer camps.

Christian Life Community is an international lay association active in about 60 countries. In South Korea it has more than 250 members and has organized programs since 1991 to help Korean laity deepen spirituality in daily life.

END

KO6901.1309 October 6, 2004 51 EM-lines (562 words)

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