The Limits of Embracing Diversity: A Critical Discourse Analysis of How Korean University Students Interpret Multiculturalism

This paper examines the attitudes of South Korean university students towards the increasing diversity and multiculturalism in their country. Using the tenets of critical discourse analysis, the researchers examined 227 student responses. The findings suggest that multicultural interactions are often interpreted in socioeconomic terms. A deeper interpretive analysis also reveals a conflicted notion of multiculturalism, underscoring the anxiety that stems from potential intercultural conflict and the loss of tradition. This paper contributes to the growing literature on the dominant view of multiculturalism in Korea by demonstrating conflicting motivations for accepting ethnic diversity while respecting traditional identities.