다문화 속의 에스니시티와 유목성 고찰: 재한 몽골인을 중심으로

Abstract

In this article I look into the interrelationship between ethnicity and multiculturalism in contemporary Korean society. In particular, I focus on the Mongolian community in Korea where many other ethnic groups are also living at the moment. The most distinctive point for the Mongolian community compared to other ethnic communities in Korea should be their nomadic characteristics. Today there are about thirty thousand Mongolians living in Korea. This number suggests that at least one out of hundred Mongolians is now residing in Korea. This phenomenon is quite astonishing for nomadic people like Mongolians. In other words, in nomadic culture normally all family members are moving together from one place to another in the steppe. So Mongolians in Korea are also eager to get together with their family members and friends. This is one major reason why many Mongolians staying in Korea have established a communication center in a special building, namely the "Mongol Tower" near the Dongdaemun subway station. This ten stores high building offers all sorts of Mongolian products such as food, newspapers, books, souvenirs, clothes, etc, and even beauty shops, tourist offices, banks and restaurants can be found there, also many shops selling electronic devices, especially cellular phones. Mongolians who visit this area normally communicate with each other in Mongolian and consolidate their human networks although many of them are in command of fluent Korean. The Mongolian ethnic identity is also very visible throughout the Naadam festival held in Kwangjang middle school, Seoul, around July every year. This festival is the most popular nomadic festival in Mongolia and historically held by nomadic Mongolians and this tradition is still followed by Mongolians in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and Buriat in Russia. Except these regions probably Korea is the only place where Mongolians host the Naadam festival outside Mongolia. Several thousands Mongolians usually participate in this festival in July. With every year more and more Koreans are also taking part in this traditional Mongolian festival. In this way, the Mongolian ethnic community in Korea is well represented by Mongol Tower and Naadam festivals. So Mongolians are able to preserve their own ethnic identity on the one hand, but also at the same time they try to adopt themselves into the new Korean environment on the other. In general cases, ethnicity rather puts emphasis on "difference" and sometimes even on "conflict". However, Mongolian ethnicity in Korea today could also involve some other aspects like "similarity" or "harmony". Hence, ethnicity and multiculturalism in Korea should further be in co-existence with reciprocal balance and mutual understanding.