State responsibility toward a perpetual minority: Amerasians in South Korea

Abstract

This paper analyses historical processes to explore socially constructed discrimination and inequality against Amerasians, who were born to Korean women by US Army service personnel in US Military Camp Towns (‘Gijichon’) around the time of the Korean War, fromthe perspective of Korean Government policies. I shall discuss the elements that influenced the development of the situation of Amerasians by analysing various sources, including in-depth interviews and documents from their community. The significant finding of this study is that the Korean Government contributed greatly to the presence of Amerasians by promoting the sex trade in Gijichon. However, they were not recognised as Koreans under the Nationality Act, and their presence was officially concealed. A number of them were adopted into families overseas under the government policy of promoting international adoption. Moreover, the government separated them from the mainstream society by establishing Honhyeolin (mixed-blood) schools and legally exempting them from military service. The situation of Amerasians is still fragile, as they are excluded from unprecedented support systems for ethnic minorities, reflecting structural violence according to Galtung’s theory (Galtung, 1969); therefore, special consideration from the Korean Government is required.