Organization helps underprivileged mixed children in Korea …

Organization helps underprivileged mixed children in Korea

CVK

The Korea Herald profiles the work of Pearl S. Buck International Korea, an organization which helps mixed Korean children navigate the prejudice and discrimination in Korean society:

“The Christmas party is also a great boost for the organization itself, as it strives to help Amerasian children who are often orphaned, impoverished and socially ostracized because of their mixed racial heritage.

"Most of times, we struggle to get sponsorship for our activities. These Christmas parties are special because we don't have to worry about that part," he said.

The Amerasian population is about 15,000 and Kosian 10,000, according to rough estimates by the Pearl S. Buck group. Kosian is a newly coined word for a child from the marriage of a Korean and another Asian national, mainly migrant workers…

One out of 10 Amerasian children drops out of elementary school and the rate doubles in middle school. Over 80 percent of the children are from single-mother families, and they face prejudice and discrimination not only at schools but also at workplaces.

"Children of Korean-black or Korean-southeastern Asian mix tend to have more of a hard time than those of Korean-Caucasian origin, reflecting the bigotry of our society," Lee said.”