A Study on the Per ception of Kor eans about the Kor ean Pr oficiency of Individuals Seeking Kor ean Citizenship
The purpose of this study is to provide data for effective immigration policy by investigating the factors that influence Korean citizen’s expectations for the Korean language proficiency of foreigners who seek Korean citizenship. The factors that influence these expectations are Korean citizen’s sense of national identity, multicultural receptivity, and preference for type of social integration. To summarize the results, first, Korean women showed stronger preferences for foreigners being required to demonstrate their Korean proficiency level when compared to their male counterparts. Second, there was a difference in multicultural receptivity of Korean citizens according to academic background, with higher education levels trending with higher rates of multicultural acceptance. Third, when the civic factor, a sub-factor of national identity perception, was high, the preference for foreigners to prove higher Korean language proficiency was also higher. Fourth, if multicultural receptivity was high, the preference for foreigners to demonstrate high levels of Korean language proficiency increased. Fifth, among social integration types, those who favored assimilationism reported significantly higher preferences for demonstration of Korean proficiency. Sixth, the level of Korean language proficiency expected of those who acquired Korean citizenship was 30% for beginner level and 50% for intermediate level.