Multicultural children's choir opens Yoon's inauguration ceremony

Dancers give performance during President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

New government expected to promote multicultural policies

By Lee Hyo-jin

President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration ceremony kicked off on Tuesday with the national anthem sung by a choir consisting of children from multicultural backgrounds, raising expectations that policies for people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds will receive more attention under the new government

The Rainbow Choir, comprised of about 30 children from multicultural backgrounds, along with bass Youn Kwang-chul, sang Korea's national anthem for the inauguration ceremony on the National Assembly lawn, Tuesday. The ceremony was held under the slogan of, "Again Korea! A new country of the people," with about 41,000 guests in attendance.

But unlike previous presidential inaugural ceremonies, which usually included star-studded performances from famous artists and K-pop stars, lesser-known stars and ordinary people were invited for congratulatory performances, reflecting Yoon's desire for a society where all people are respected equally, according to the ceremony preparatory committee.

The committee said that the Rainbow Choir's performance is a symbol of the country's future, where everyone is treated equally without suffering from prejudice or discrimination.

Established by the Center for Multicultural Korea in 2009, the Rainbow Choir is the first-ever group to be comprised of children from multicultural backgrounds. It has performed in many official events in the country and overseas, including the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, 2021 ASEAN-Korea Fashion Week and U.N. Peace Day.

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The ensemble was not the only guest representing the multicultural community at Yoon's inaugural ceremony.

Among the 20 representatives of members of the public who walked to the stage with Yoon was Park Chae-eun, a Cambodian marriage migrant, who was selected for her community contributions and taking good care of her parents-in-law.

Moreover, at a bell ringing ceremony held at Bosingak Pavillion in Jongno on Tuesday at midnight, 20 people representing different regions and social backgrounds were invited, including Kim Joy, a marriage migrant from the Philippines living in Muju County, South Jeolla Province.

People attend the bell ringing ceremony at Bosingak pavilion in central Seoul, Tuesday midnight, ahead of the official inauguration ceremony. Yonhap

Kim, 34, who moved to Korea in 2008, was recognized for her leadership in the local community. In November of last year, she was elected as the head of her village, becoming the first-ever foreign national resident in the position.

"I was so thrilled to be invited to last night's event. I feel honored to have been selected among many other foreign residents. I am happy to see that the new president is showing big interest in members of multicultural families." Kim told the Korea Times, Tuesday.

"I hope the government increases support for the employment of marriage migrants, and improves education on multiculturalism at schools, so that every child, regardless of their cultural background, can grow up healthy without suffering from discrimination or prejudice," she said.

The featured presence of these guests from multicultural backgrounds as invited participants in the inauguration ceremony has raised anticipation that multicultural policies will be regarded as one of the priorities of the new administration.

In order to prepare Korea to be a fully multicultural society, experts have been pointing out that the diverse needs of residents from multicultural backgrounds should be better reflected in government policies.

According to Statistics Korea, as of 2020, the number of people from multicultural backgrounds ― naturalized Koreans, migrants and their children ― stood at 2.18 million, accounting for 4.2 percent of the total population.

The number is expected to reach 3.23 million by 2040, to increase its share to 6.4 percent, amid Korea's forecast for a diminishing and fast-aging population.

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