From Margins to Global Assets?: The Rebranding of Multicultural Youth in South Korea's Global Citizenship Education Discourse

• In Event: Redefining Diversity and Inclusion: Global Perspectives on Multicultural Education, Social Justice, and Language Policy

Proposal

From Margins to Global Assets?: The Rebranding of Multicultural Youth in South Korea's Global Citizenship Education Discourse

Hyunkyung HWANG, Seoul National University, South Korea
Hyungryeol KIM, Seoul National University, South Korea

Abstract

1. Objectives and Purpose
The complex interplay between multicultural education and global citizenship education in South Korea presents a compelling area of study, particularly in light of the country's evolving approach to diversity and globalization(Kang 2010; Kim & Heo, 2013; Kim, 2024). While multicultural policies in South Korea have historically been critiqued for their assimilationist tendencies(Park & Kwak, 2009; Jeong & Jeong, 2014), functioning as a government-led ideology to integrate individual students from diverse backgrounds(Yun, 2008), recent years have seen a significant shift in this paradigm. The education sector has become a crucial channel for addressing the needs of immigrant children entering the formal school system, challenging long-standing monocultural pedagogical philosophies and methodologies. This shift is particularly significant in South Korea, where declining birth rates and decreasing local student populations have led to multicultural students increasingly filling classroom seats(MoE, 2022;2023)
Prior to 2015, discourses surrounding multicultural students in South Korea often oscillated between framing them as educationally disadvantaged groups requiring welfare support and viewing them through a lens of cultural diversity and relativism. However, the active incorporation of global citizenship education into the Korean educational landscape post-2015 has led to a notable convergence of multicultural and global citizenship education discourses(MoE, 2017). While academic discussions have focused on theoretically and philosophically distinguishing between these two educational approaches or exploring their intersections to promote a more peaceful, just, and sustainable society, there remains a significant gap in understanding how these discourses are being articulated and merged within media representations.
This study aims to address this research gap by critically examining the formation and implementation of multicultural education and global citizenship education discourses in South Korean media. Specifically, it seeks to analyze how major daily newspapers have portrayed the convergence of these educational paradigms since 2015, and to elucidate the social implications of this discursive shift by focusing on how discourse enacts, confirms, legitimizes, reproduces or secures power relations in society (van Dijk, 2015), viewing discourse as a social practice “dialectically tied to society insofar as it both constitutes and is constituted by social phenomena” (Carvalho, 2008, p. 162).

2. Methodology

The study employs Fairclough's critical discourse analysis framework (1992; 1995; 2003) to investigate how multicultural education and GCE discourses have been articulated and socially impacted since 2015. The analysis operates on three levels: textual analysis, style & genre analysis, and discourse analysis. The research analyzed 68 articles from seven top-circulation daily newspapers, selected using the keywords "multicultural education" and "global citizenship education". To ensure validity and reliability, the analysis was supplemented with examinations of related policy documents and interviews with GCE educators.

3. Findings

3.1. Education Offices and Municipal Authorities Drive the "Rebranding"

A significant discursive shift was observed in the portrayal of multicultural youth from subjects of re-education and support to global talents. This shift is primarily driven by local education offices and municipal leaders, especially in regions experiencing an increase in multicultural populations. Local authorities have been implementing multicultural global citizenship education primarily through regularized programs and educational initiatives, rather than focusing solely on cultural exchange or language support. Recent news reports have highlighted events related to sharing outcomes and disseminating these practices.

3.2. From Assimilation to Asset: The Evolving Narrative of Bilingual Competencies

A notable transition from assimilation-focused narratives to human resource discourses emphasizing the bilingual competencies of multicultural students was identified. This shift is evident in the lexical analysis of interview quotes from local education superintendents and municipal leaders.The research found a co-existence of traditional vocabulary associated with multicultural education (e.g., "Korean language," "adaptation," "help," "support") alongside newly prevalent terms (e.g., "global," "future," "talent," "innovation," "leader," "growth," "competency"). This lexical evolution reflects a significant transition in how multicultural students are conceptualized within the neoliberalized South Korean educational system.

3.3. Convergence of Global Citizenship and Multiculturalism: Implications for Urban Rebranding

The convergence of global citizenship and multicultural education discourses, linked to educational internationalization and welfare policies, contributes to urban rebranding strategies and regional development initiatives. While some articles juxtaposed GCE with Korean language and culture education, others used neoliberal language emphasizing global prospect and competitiveness of the city and multicultural regions, as a strategy for rebranding rural areas to an attractive educational environment where parents can enhance their children’s global competitiveness.
Rewording strategies were effectively employed to transform "multicultural concentrated areas" into "optimal cultural hubs," "international cities with coexisting diverse cultures," and "industrial centers," and to rebrand "multicultural youth" as "(next-generation)global talent."

4. Discussions and Implications
This research illuminates how the convergence of GCE and ME discourses in South Korea is being leveraged for urban rebranding and regional development, revealing how media discourse-forming agents appropriate GCE, often diverging from UNESCO's framework in locally-based implementations.The findings highlight a shift from deficit-based to asset-based models in conceptualizing multicultural students. While this shift may promote a more positive view of these students, it also raises questions about the underlying motivations and potential consequences of such framing. The emphasis on global competitiveness and leadership could impose new pressures on multicultural students to serve as cultural bridges or embody certain ideals of global citizenship.This linguistic evolution reflects broader changes in South Korea's economic and social aspirations, positioning multiculturalism as a potential catalyst for national development and global competitiveness. However, it's crucial to critically examine whether this rebranding truly serves the interests of multicultural students or primarily benefits institutional agendas.
The study contributes to the field by providing a language-based analysis of the unique convergence of multicultural and global citizenship education in South Korea and its social implications. It offers valuable insights for the future development of these educational discourses, emphasizing the need for approaches that genuinely empower multicultural students rather than simply repositioning them within new narratives of national economic benefit.

Key words: Global Citizenship Education, Multicultural Education, Critical Discourse Analysis, Media Representation, South Korean Education Policy

Authors

• Hyunkyung Hwang

• HYUNGRYEOL KIM, Seoul National University