| Hangul: | 한국 혼혈 |
| Hanja: | 韓國 混血 |
Multiracial people in South Korea, or Multiracial South Koreans, are residents or citizens of the Republic of Korea of mixed race origins, being of only partial Korean descent.
Multiracial non-royal individuals have lived in Korea since at least the Joseon period, with one of that era's best-known cases being the first descendants of the Byeongyeong Nam clan, founded by a Dutchman who accompanied Hendrik Hamel.[1] Centuries later, the population of multiracial Koreans, in particular "Amerasian" war babies, rose drastically during and shortly after the Korean War.[2] While intermarriage occurred between Goryeo royals and leading families of the Yuan court during Mongol rule from the 13th century,[3] a persistent concept of Korea as ethnically and culturally homogenous has prevailed in Korea, and continues as Korean ethnic nationalism.[4]
In the past decade, South Korea has seen a rise in interracial relationships between native Koreans and foreign residents and subsequent births of multiracial children. It is believed that this phenomenon is a result of the popularization of South Korean media abroad (Korean Wave), and its ongoing population crisis.[5] [6]
There are several common terms multiracial South Koreans to identify or label themselves, or monoracial Koreans use to refer to such individuals. The most prevalent term is 혼혈 ('honhyeol'), a Sino-Korean word that comes from the Hanja 混血, meaning 'mixed blood'.[7] From this first term, several others have emerged. Multiracial individuals of African and Korean descent may use terms such as 한흑 혼혈 (; Hanja: 韓黑 混血), which adds 韓한 (; Korea) and 黑/흑 (; black (color)) or 블래시안, which is the word "Blasian", a portmanteau of 'black' and 'Asian', transliterated into the Korean alphabet. Individuals of European and Korean descent might use terms such as 한백 혼혈 (; Hanja: 韓白 混血), adding 韓白/한백 (white Korean), or 와시안 (Wasian) and 유라시안 (; 'Eurasian'). Western, and specifically American terms, such as Amerasian, Afro-Asian, and Eurasian, are also used.