Gwak, Tae-Hwan
| 2024, 17
| pp.1~19
| number of Cited : 0
This study aims to examine the military of Korea, which appears to be heterogeneous with an increasingly Korean multicultural society. The military is currently shown to have a large number of service members with immigrant backgrounds, which is expected to grow further. However, measures for response have not been relatively active compared to another significant topic of the moment, the population cliff. It could be attributed to the following characteristics of the military : First, the military is accustomed to an agenda that prioritizes grand discourse. Second, it has inherent limitations in relation to nationalist and ethnocentric identity based on the principle of unitary country with unitary people. Third, as an organization for which public support is essential, it is excessively obsessed with integrity. Meanwhile, the neglect and disregard for the advent of a multicultural society is expected to have a negative impact by hindering the solidarity of its members. For measures to address the issues, it is suggested that, first, the perception of ‘us’ be redefined through the concept of ‘comrades-in-arms’; second, the multicultural acceptance of commanders be investigated and measures should be established to strengthen its intercultural competence and finally, policy-level support for military personnel with migrant backgrounds be actively implemented.