Abstract

This article examines Korean elementary primary grade teachers’ perspectives and ideas on multiculturalism and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds with a color-blindness ideological approach in order to reflect and understand the current multicultural Korean reality. Although Korea has a more ethnically diverse population, discourses about multicultural issues are still insufficient because applying the concepts of multiculturalism in education and social spheres is a relatively recent adoption. Therefore, this article looks closely at Korean teachers’ perceptions of different cultures and children from multiethnic backgrounds with the multicultural education framework. In the study, there were color-blindness tendencies displayed among these teachers but, at the same time, the color-blindness ideology was not completely applicable in understanding their standpoints. Many teachers in the study indicated that their intention of multicultural education did not stem from their interests in a socially just Korean society, but from their professionalism and personal motivation. This article concludes with some suggestions and implications for Korean elementary multicultural education.