"They Own a Home and Two Cars, and Aren't Poor, So Why?"... Parents Outraged Over Kindergarten 'Priority Admission for Multicultural Families'

Questions over priority admission for multicultural families spread on social media
"Multicultural regardless of citizenship" rebuttals also emerge
Debate continues as President Lee Jaemyung calls for review of preferential treatment system

Opinions are divided online over giving children from multicultural families priority in kindergarten admissions.

"They're not even disadvantaged, so why give them priority?" Debate spreads on social media

Children who have finished classes at a kindergarten in Seoul are seen on a bus. The image is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Photo by Kang Jinhyung.

On November 3, a post questioning the eligibility of children from multicultural families for priority kindergarten admission appeared on Threads, a social media platform, during the priority application period. The family of an acquaintance described by the author, A, originally consisted entirely of Chinese nationals, but the husband and children later acquired Korean citizenship. The wife, who has lived in Korea for about 10 years, is said to have retained her Chinese citizenship. A claimed that the woman "said she did not acquire Korean citizenship because she wanted to apply as a member of a multicultural family when her child entered kindergarten."

A said, "I'm in a dual-income household, so I'm at the bottom of the priority list, but I was angry when an acquaintance proudly said, 'You can apply as a multicultural family.'" A added, "This family isn't poor. They own a home and have two cars, and although only the husband works, his family seems well-off," arguing, "Shouldn't priority status for multicultural families be abolished?" The post also spread to other social media platforms.

One user agreed with A, saying, "A family I know also has a Chinese mother who acquired Korean citizenship, but they receive a lot of benefits for being a multicultural family. They're not poor or anything, either." Others, however, pointed out that a family is considered multicultural regardless of whether its members acquire Korean citizenship, commenting, "They're still multicultural after naturalization," and asking, "They're multicultural whether they naturalize or not, so how are they abusing the system?" A user who identified as a member of a multicultural family said, "I'm applying to kindergartens now, and dual-income families, families with multiple children, and multicultural families are all in the same priority category. Each kindergarten has different priority admission guidelines, and even when they select children from multicultural families, it's only about one child."

In practice, eligibility and priority rankings for kindergarten admissions vary according to the guidelines set by each provincial or metropolitan education office and kindergarten. Even if children from multicultural families are eligible for priority admission, applicants should check the guidelines of the relevant kindergarten for detailed eligibility requirements and selection criteria.

As the debate continued, A acknowledged that the post could be interpreted as expressing hatred. A said, "I know the criteria differ by region," but added, "What I want to say is that I question why this priority exists for people who aren't disadvantaged." A continued, "It's a problem because they receive preferential treatment not only in my neighborhood but in many other areas."

Survey of priority admission to childcare centers follows president's remarks

President Lee Jaemyung. Yonhap News

On October 28, President Lee Jaemyung shared on X (formerly Twitter) a post from an online community criticizing the fact that mothers from multicultural families ranked second, alongside mothers of persons of national merit, in the booking priority system for Seoul-style Safe Postpartum Care Centers. He wrote, "I will carefully review whether there is a strong need to give multicultural families preferential treatment, beyond ensuring they are not disadvantaged, and whether the preferential treatment system should be abolished. I will consult with local governments and consider all options, including revising the enforcement decree."

On October 30, President Lee also said, "Opinions pointing out the problems with priority rights that are difficult to justify, such as giving multicultural families priority without exception over Korean families for places in public childcare centers or postpartum care centers, deserve full consideration and review." He added, "Treating multicultural families as an inherently vulnerable group without exception places the emphasis on categorizing them." Following these remarks, the Ministry of Education decided to survey the current state of priority admission to childcare centers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.