Opportunities and Pitfalls: Inclusion of Refugees, Asylum-seekers, and Undocumented Immigrants in the South Korean Education System

• In Event: Displacement, schooling, and inclusion: Experiences and comparisons across diverse contexts

Proposal

Since its ratification of the Refugee Act in July 2013, Republic of South Korea (hereafter ‘South Korea’) has received refugees seeking asylum. According to the Ministry of Justice (2023), South Korea received 18, 838 applications as of December 2023, of whom only 101 refugees were recognized and granted legal status to reside in the country. The rest of the applicants are in constant ‘waithood’ with uncertainties about their future. Among these populations are school-aged children and youth under the age of 18 (Save the Children, 2020). Despite the constantly growing number of refugee children and youth, there has been a lack of attention given by the South Korean government to ensure their access to quality education.

Under the Refugee Act of 2013, refugee children and youth residing in South Korea are entitled to receive elementary and secondary education just as South Korean nationals are (Article 33). Moreover, they are eligible for additional “social adaptation education” such as Korean language training and vocational training to better integrate into South Korean society (Article 34) (Ministry of Justice, 2016). In practice, however, refugee families and children face myriad barriers in accessing educational opportunities due to language barriers and cultural differences, irrelevant curriculum, mistreatment by public servants (or ‘street-level bureaucrats’), and stereotypes and discrimination from classmates and teachers, all of which impede their academic performance, completion and transition (Lee, 2022; Ahn & Kim, 2017; Cho, 2019; Choi & Lee, 2016; Schattle & Seo, 2021; Yoon et al., 2020). To address the gap in the literature regarding South Korea’s refugee education policies and practices, this study asks the following research questions: To what extent do policies in South Korea promote refugees’ inclusion in the national education system? How are refugee education policies enacted in practice? What are the political and practical enablers and obstacles to policy implementation? What are the perceived opportunities and challenges for providing refugees’ access to quality education in South Korea?

In this study, we draw on Dryden-Peterson et al.’s (2018) definition and analytical framework of inclusion, which distinguishes structural integration and relational integration, to investigate the extent to which South Korean education system allows refugees to access educational institutions (structural integration) and creates spaces for them to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in classrooms, schools, and the larger society (relational integration) (Korac, 2003; Strang & Ager, 2010). This qualitative case study drew primarily on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 key informants including South Korean government officials, UN and INGO staff, civil society actors and government contractors. It also includes an analysis of policy documents, reports, and statistics relevant to refugees and refugee education in South Korea.

Overall, the findings suggest that South Korea’s education policy for refugees, asylum-seekers, and undocumented immigrants (hereafter “students of concern”) currently creates conditions for some structural integration, but with limited institutionalized efforts aimed at achieving relational integration outcomes. While students of concern generally have access to education, the system is designed for these students to ‘assimilate into’ the South Korean system rather than celebrate their multilingual and multicultural identities (e.g., Korean language instruction, national curriculum, national certification, etc. ). To be specific, the South Korean government lacks policies addressing the unique needs of students of concern; instead, its so-called ‘multicultural education policy’ applies broadly to any students with one or more non-Korean citizen parents. Unlike other “multicultural” students with “legal status”, students of concern without such status often lack the eligibility required to pursue educational (especially post-primary) and/or employment trajectories in South Korea. Consequently, many of them reportedly either choose to conceal their identity to fit in or permanently drop out of high school. In some cases, they manage to progress with alternative options that allow them to obtain legal status with the support of civil society actors or government contractors.

We also identified a significant policy-practice disconnect regarding these students of concern’s access to quality education. This disconnect stems from a lack of policies addressing identity-based barriers (e.g., insufficient communications on required documents for school enrollment for those without Korean ID) and inconsistent implementation by street-level bureaucrats (e.g., principals may not accept students based on their Korean language abilities and employment rights). Therefore, current education policies and programs targeting students of concern fail to align with these children and youth’s needs and aspirations. Several participants raised concerns that the current education policy does not prepare these students for possible futures as either productive global citizens or integrated members of South Korean society. The findings of this paper have implications for education policy, practice, and future research concerning refugees, asylum-seekers, and undocumented immigrants in South Korea. These implications include the need for stronger coordination among relevant ministries, culturally relevant curricula and learning assessments, additional academic and psychosocial support, teacher and school leadership training, and public awareness programs.

Authors

• Jisun Jeong, American University - School of Education

• Jihae Cha, The George Washington University