Children Make Friends, Different Color Doesn`t Matter

“Never knew that the Children`s Day is such a fun day.” The `Children`s Day Rainbow Festival` was held at the Han River Park in Sangam-dong, Seoul on May 5, joined by children of foreign laborers as well as their Korean counterparts.

The event, hosted by the Medical Mutual-Aid Union for Migrant Workers in Korea, was attended by some 100 children from families of foreign laborers, who are from Nigeria, the Philippines, Mongolia, Bangladeshi, Sri Lanka and China, as well as Korean families. Some of parents were internationally married couples.

˝ Although my father could not come because of his work, I am so happy because this is the first time that I have fun on the Children`s Day,˝ 10-year-old third grader Tiana, who came to Korea 3 years ago from Bangladeshi, said in fluent Korean. ˝I want to make good friends with Korean kids.˝

˝Even on the Children`s Day, these kids have little chance to play with parents, who have to work on holidays, too,˝ said Yu Young-ae, a 32-year-old social service worker at the Shalom House who brought Tania to the festival.

At the event, foreign kids were teamed with their Korean counterparts to participate in eight games such as a huddle race, Korean traditional Yut-nori and a splitting the gourd game. The event also offered a free physical check up to foreign children.

˝At first, it was awkward, but we soon made friends,˝ said 11-year-old fourth grader Cha Sae-ra adding this was the first time she got along with foreign kids.

˝We organized this event to teach little children how to live along with people with different colors like a rainbow on the sky and give some time for children of foreign laborers to have fun,˝ said Lee Wang-joon, director of MUMK.

The union pointed out that children born in illegal laborers` families are subject to discrimination and alienation as illegal residents themselves although 37% of its medical care fund was spent on delivery of babies last year.

Sun-Woo Kim sublime@donga.com