Gwangju Talks – Do You Think Foreigners’ Human Rights Are Guaranteed in Gwangju?

Teacher from America

Discrimination is actually quite difficult to identify. The feeling of being discriminated is dependent upon reactionary mechanisms and personality quirks that are set differently within each individual, so I try to be very careful and truly analyze a situation before considering it potentially marginalizing.

I am a white 24-year-old American male who once lived in a relatively diverse environment in California; yet I now live in the second-most ethnically homogenous country on the planet. So yes, I obviously receive aggressive looks and comments as a byproduct of how different I am compared to the surrounding community. However to label these small encounters around the city of Gwangju and elsewhere in Korea as discriminating would be somewhat of a misconception on my part. Human beings often trivialize things that they don’t understand so as to make themselves feel more comfortable with their own identity. I have gotten remarks about my obnoxiously loud English and my incredibly white skin, and even incessant pointing (“외국인이다!”); but these are all byproducts of people lacking an understanding of what I bring to their community.

Prejudice is actually more likely to occur within circles of people who have a hard time differentiating themselves. Characteristics become too close to distinguish and more drastic methods of intolerance occur. I would argue I have seen more discrimination within purely Korean communities than in those including foreigners. I have been exposed as a minority in Korea, most certainly. However, I have not experienced true discrimination from anyone.

Laborer from Malaysia

I worked at a construction site here in Gwangju. I got fired last year because I got injured at work, which is pathetic because the boss should have taken me to the hospital or arranged for someone to take me to hospital. It is the company’s responsibility if someone is injured at work. Also, the company should pay for all medical bills; but because I am foreign, I did not know my rights at work. The government sucks because they want to hire cheap qualified laborers from countries like Malaysia and China who they can pay low wages and fire at any time because those laborers are afraid of losing their jobs. However, if it was a Korean worker, the worker would get a higher wage and worker’s compensation in the event of a work-related injury.

Korean student

I heard that labor jobs for foreign workers are in poor conditions. Most foreigners in labor jobs come to Korea without knowing the circumstances. The reality is that [Korea’s foreign] labor force is taken for granted. We have to appreciate their cultural differences. In my opinion, their sense of human rights deprivation [is] superior because they are not respected for their differences.

Exchange student from Philippines

I think discrimination is inevitable. You can’t really avoid discrimination in any society because that’s just how it is. For foreign students that come here, all I can say is that they should be ready for anything and all the stereotypes that they will face.

Exchange student from Malaysia

I feel like I can adapt to the environment here. I can get along with the students from Indonesia since I know how to speak Bahasa and they feel comfortable with me. I think learning and understanding other people’s culture is important. In terms of skin color, [some Asian foreigners] can experience discrimination because Koreans have fair skin compared to other Asian students. After developing a good relationship [though,] they forget about it.

US Army soldier in Korea

I just feel like because of my race or where I come from and since I’m not Korean, and I am in the army, I already have a bad reputation. Yet I’m human just like everyone else, I have feelings and morals.

When my [Korean] ex-girlfriend and I used to hang out, a lot of men walked by and cursed at us because we were together. She hated it. They even seemed quite suspicious of our relationship just because she was with a foreigner, especially one who was in the army. She eventually hid from her friends that we were dating. Even when I was on a train going back to base a man yelled at me for no reason, just because I am the one who he sees as bad guy. These things happened many times and it makes me furious.

What do the Team Members think about the issue? Park Eun-yeong I examined myself about this, but I have not made an effort to remove my own wrong thoughts, even though I have recognized this implicit discrimination. Kim So-hyun I knew that some foreigners were being treated unfairly in Korea, but I didn’t expect the people around me to be having these kinds of problems. We need to not overlook the fact that foreigners ARE NOT different even if they LOOK different. Kim Yoo-joong When I was in Australia on a working holiday visa, I worked as a kitchen hand in a famous restaurant. Being Asian, I was discriminated against by my team manager who overworked me. That being said, discrimination happens everywhere. We as a city need a supporting policy from all foreigners suffering from this. Catherina Takoh I think foreigners’ rights are guaranteed, but not so much. For example: multicultural marriages. Koreans are proud that they are homogeneous, and many members of the older generation tend to refuse to acknowledge someone’s spouse who is a foreigner and also their children. However, help has begun to be provided for them; such as a tutoring system where the children from these marriages are able to learn Korean, and other activities such as cooking Korean dishes. Jo A-ra Meeting with foreigners in Gwangju is not difficult anymore these days. I hope that GN readers, including myself, have opportunities to reconsider human rights for foreigners… The World Human Rights Cities Forum 2014 will be a good opportunity for it.