Multiracial people in South Korea
| Multiracial people in South Korea | |
| Hangul | 한국 혼혈 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 韓國 混血 |
| Revised Romanization | Hanguk-honhyeol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hanguk-honhyŏl |
Multiracial people in South Korea (Korean: 대한민국의 혼혈 사람 Daehanmingugui honhyeol-saram), or Multiracial South Koreans, are residents or citizens of the Republic of Korea of mixed race origins, being of only partial Korean descent.
Multiracial individuals have lived in Korea since the Joseon period, with one of the earliest cases[disputed – discuss] being the first descendants of the Byeongyeong Nam clan, founded by a Dutchman who accompanied Hendrik Hamel.[1] Centuries later, there the population of multiracial Koreans, in particular "Amerasian" war babies, rose drastically during and shortly after the Korean War.[2]
In the past decade, South Korea has seen a rise in interracial relationships between native Koreans and foreign residents and subsequent births of multiracial children. It is believed that this phenomenon is a result of the popularization of South Korean media abroad (Korean Wave), and its ongoing population crisis.[3][4]
Terminology
There are several common terms multiracial South Koreans to identify or label themselves, or monoracial Koreans use to refer to such individuals. The most prevalent term is 혼혈 (honhyeol), a Sino-Korean word that comes from the Hanja 混血, meaning "mixed blood".[5] From this first term, several others have emerged. Multracial individuals of African and Korean descent may use terms such as 한흑 혼혈 (hanheuk-honhyeol; Hanja: 韓黑 混血), which adds 韓한 (han; Korea) and 黑/흑 (heuk; black (color)) or 블래시안 (beullaesian), which is the word "Blasian", a portmanteau of 'black' and 'Asian', transliterated into the Korean alphabet. Individuals of European and Korean descent might use terms such as 한백 혼혈 (hanbaek honhyeol; Hanja: 韓白 混血), adding 韓白/한백 (white Korean), or 와시안 (Wasian) and 유라시안 (yurasian; Eurasian). American, and generally Western terms, such as Amerasian, Afro-Asian, and Eurasian, are also used.
Notable people
- Insooni (Kim In-soon, born 1957), African American and Korean
- Stephen Park, White and Korean
- Hines Ward (born 1976), African American and Korean
- Yoon Mi-rae (born 1981), African American and Korean
- Michelle Lee (born 1991), African American and Korean
- Vernon (Choi Han-sol, born 1998), White American and Korean
- Jeon Somi (born 2001), Dutch-Canadian and Korean
- Huening Kai (Jung Hawon, born 2002) White American and Korean
- Han Hyun-min (born 2001), Nigerian and Korean
- Bae Yujin (born 2002), Nigerian and South Korean
- Jenny Park (born 2006), Nigerian and Korean
See also
References
- ^ 성씨 · 본관별 인구(5인 이상) 전국, Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) (in Korean) — retrieved 2024-07-26
- ^ Mixed Race Children in 1960s-70s Korea and ECLAIR, Presbyterian Historical Society — retrieved 2024-07-26
- ^ "South Korea sets new record for world's lowest fertility rate, despite spending billions to stem population slide", South China Morning Post — retrieved 2024-07-26
- ^ The Growth of South Korean Soft Power and Its Geopolitical Implications, Air University Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs — retrieved 2024-07-26
- ^ '혼혈', Naver Korean-English Dictionary - retrieved 2024-07-26