Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

"The Horrible Country" by Park Jeong-hoon


Junko Ito is a Japanese freelance journalist who has lived in Korea for 11 years. She published a book in Japan last year with the provocative title, "Korean Nationalism as a Disease." In the book she notes, "A hotel attendant I met while in Nepal became horrified when I mentioned Korea" - 'Korea? I hate Korea. I heard that they cut off your hands and feet if you do not obey them. I hate both North and South Korea.' Who in the world could have told him this? Obviously someone."


I never realized our country was known for this kind of thing. Of course we do not cut off the hands and feet of foreigners, even though Korean gangsters are barbaric. However, I am sure the Nepalese man must have seen his countrymen returning from Korea after suffering an industrial accident in which they lost a limb. Many of his friends and neighbors came to Korea to earn money, but returned home with injuries and their only comments about the country were complaints, giving him the view that it is a horrible country.


Korea has been lauded as a successful model in coping with the financial crisis, but to people in countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, it has exported the image of a "horrible country." Ito said, "Koreans who had suffered have now become a people who oppress others." Her book continues, "Korea is a country where foreigners find it difficult to live. There are no residence rights and it is the only country in the world where a Chinatown failed. Koreans are well aware of issues concerning green cards in the US and fingerprinting in Japan, but completely ignorant about what foreigners go through in Korea."


Ito writes in her book Japan is not that generous to foreigners; there are shops that have 'No Foreigner' signs in towns where Brazilian workers live and ports where Russian ships dock; and adds she hates such closed nationalism. Until a few years ago, the Japanese government fingerprinted Koreans living in Japan as if they were potential criminals, and Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara is infamous for his statement looking down on Asia. We were the people who suffered from this nationalism, so whenever there was news of discrimination in Japan against Koreans, we criticized it and demanded corrections.


However, do we really have the rights or qualifications to condemn Japan? There have been continued reports of human rights infringements such as forcing Philippine women into prostitution, violence, harsh working schedules and non-payment of wages. Have we acquired a sense of superiority over Asians from developing countries in such a short time?


There are figures that show in the first half of this year, six foreign workers a day were involved in industrial accidents, and one every five days is killed. There are reports that the workplaces of foreign workers are human rights dead points, where images of cutting off of hands and feet are generated. Human rights are infringed because of the illegal status of many and this is the picture seen by the international community.


Last week a group of Chinese women apprentices returned home helped by a human rights group following a confrontation with the company. They reportedly said as they left Incheon International Airport, "We never want to see the Korean people again." Now there are several more Korean haters who will never change their mind throughout their lives.


(Chosun Ilbo Assistant Economic Editor)


November 28, 2002

[I guess it's not only "spoiled" Westerners who have trouble with Korea.
Korea seems to enjoy the same bad reputation as some of the Persian Gulf countries when it comes respecting the rights of their workers.
It is my hope, that Korea, an ally of the US and a partner amongst the G20 countries, stamp out corruption, abusive practices against people from developing and developed nations. This country has great things going for it, but beautifying the country isn't going to really change the image people have of the country in the region. ]

[samcheokguy]

-It is sad...because the Chosun Ilbo(and conservative, gyopo-free press) defends the rights and advertises the plight of working foreigners far far more than 'leftist' groups like the teachers unions or students communist treason union. Many conservative Koreans see Korean nationalism and xenophobia as a political tool used by the left. Remember, you can be a left wing or right wing racist.

[sarbonn]

My initial observation (and this can definitely change over time here) is that the Koreans have this desire to be treated with respect around the rest of the world, and at the same time they have a very high opinion of themselves that they don't seem to understand why the rest of the world doesn't agree. But at the same time they have this inability to improve themselves on a personal basis, convinced that with enough public relations and calls to egotism, they can convince the rest of the world that they are as great as they want to perceive themselves. That means they will go out of their way to dismiss any criticism against them as irrelevant, and even do everything possible to gloss over such frailties

The Koreans are really quick to pounce on the Japanese for their ability to "forget" the past, but at the same time the Koreans have no qualms about doing exactly the same thing about forgetting what's happening in their present. To the Koreans, the won mess isn't a problem; it's a miscnception of the market: They believe it will get better because Koreans can't do any wrong. It's this Ostrich approach to everything that gets really frustrating sometimes.