인구조사와 종족 정체성: 평등 실현의 딜레마

Information on ethnic groups in the census has a history of being used as an instrument for discrimination and oppression by the state. These days, however, many states collect and analyze information on ethnic groups for the purpose of combatting discrimination. The Republic of Korea, as now said a state transforming into a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society, faces an issue to consider whether to ask ethnic groups in the census. The census in Korea does not collect information on ethnicity. Rather, it has adopted a nationality-based approach that categorizes people into citizens and non-citizens, as well as ‘multicultural people,’ who are defined as members of families consisting of at least one Korean citizen, whether born or naturalized. On the one hand, the state’s act of categorizing people into certain ethnic groups may form divisive and exclusionary ideas among citizens and thereby can create such reality. In this perspective, any question on ethnicity in the census is in itself harmful and should be avoided. On the other hand, those who support inclusion of ethnicity in the census focus on the entrenched discrimination existing in society and argue that collecting data on ethnicity is a way of gaining visibility of minority groups and uncovering hidden structural inequalities. The data is crucial as a basis to demand affirmative measures to achieve equality. This article discusses the dilemma surrounding data collection on ethnicity in the census as a tool that can both facilitate and frustrate realization of equality and non-discrimination, and aims to provide insightful guidance on issues and principles to consider before making a decision. It concludes with an emphasis that the census should not be understood as a mere administrative tool but as a democratic political process in which participation of all members of society, including minorities, is guaranteed.