Difference in Immigrant Adolescents’ Experience of Life in Korea

This study purposed to analyze difference in experience of life in Korea among adolescents whose immigrant backgrounds were different (Korean‐born children of multicultural families and foreign‐born immigrant children) using the data of the 2012 National Survey of Multicultural Families (adolescent children aged between 9 and 24). According to the results of analysis, first, multicultural adolescents with immigrant backgrounds experienced ‘difficulty in using the Korean language (speaking, listening, reading, and writing),’ ‘school dropout,’ and ‘school violence’ more frequently than Korean‐born multicultural adolescents. Second, with regard to social discrimination (friends, teachers, relatives, neighbors, and unknown people), multicultural adolescents with immigrant backgrounds experienced‘discrimination by teachers,’ ‘discrimination by relatives,’ ‘discrimination by neighbors,’ and ‘discrimination by unknown people’ more frequently than Korean‐born multicultural adolescents. By analyzing these differences, this study suggested directions for differentiated support policies and specific strategies for adjustment to life in Korea by multicultural family adolescents with different backgrounds.