Abstract: South Korea has always overflowed with ethnic pride. Koreans, during their 5,000 year history have regarded themselves as a homogeneous population. However, the situation changed rapidly in the last two decades owing to globalization and the rising immigration from East Asia. It compels a change in the way in which ethnicity is conceptualized by the Korean government. Although, Koreans face the prospect of diversity their attitude toward it has not yet changed completely. Moreover, South Korea’s experiences with a multicultural society are often viewed as being unequal to those of other developed nations. The emergence of cultural diversity introduces various social issues that are strongly linked to the social welfare system. It forces Koreans to redirect their focus away from a nation state oriented perspective and adopt a globalized one. With this in mind the Korean government has developed a national social service law for immigrant families the "Support for Multicultural Families Act". In this context I explain the issues and limitations of social service for immigrant families from three dimensions. First I discuss the definitional limitations on multicultural families. Second I explore the major issues they face. Third I analyze the Support for Multicultural Family Act and discuss its problems. Finally I examine the implications of these issues for developing culturally appropriate social services.