Experiences of Returning Korean-Chinese Students: The Sociocultural and Psychological Racism Perspectives

Abstract

The South Korean government encourages the Korean diaspora members to return to South Korea for personal and career developments. Many Korean-Chinese students decided to come back to their homeland for education and further career pathways. However, many Korean-Chinese face challenges and difficulties in South Korean schools and communities due to social and cultural differences. This study aims to understand the challenges of Korean-Chinese university students. Two research questions guided this study, including 1) how would Korean-Chinese university students describe their experiences based on the Sociocultural and Psychological Racism perspective during their university voyage in South Korea and 2) do Korean-Chinese university students face any particular difficulties and challenges due to their Korean-Chinese status based on the Sociocultural and Psychological Racism perspective during their university voyage in South Korea. Interview sessions and focus group activities were employed to collect data from 30 participants across the Korean peninsula. The results indicated that cultural characteristics, place of origin, and spoken languages are the three challenges for all Korean-Chinese participants. The results of this study filled the gaps in returning Korean students’ experiences, challenges and difficulties. Also, government leaders may reform and polish the current policies in order to help other Korean diaspora in the South Korean communities.

Received: 20 September 2021 / Accepted: 7 January 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022