Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Junior]

Law vs. anger

By Kim Heung-sook
Korea Times
07-16-2010

When I came across the headline ``New drug test plan angers native English teachers" in the Tuesday (July 13) edition of this paper, I had to delve into the article. Why does the government plan to add a new drug test for English teachers? Do English teachers commit drug related crimes in increasing numbers?

I was struck particularly by what Mike Long of Daegu National University of Education said in the article: ``The level of media coverage given to alleged drug crimes and acts of violence by native speaker English teachers seems to be completely disproportionate. We are seldom given reliable statistics concerning actual convictions, and even when these are given, it is clear to see that these apply to a tiny minority of those working as English teachers in this country."

So, I decided to look for related statistics and the process posed quite a challenge. I went through news archives and head-aching tables on the websites of government offices concerned and learned that crimes committed by foreigners have increased more than three times during the past six years. The number of foreigners apprehended by Korean police for murder, robbery, rape, assault and other violence increased from 6,144 in 2003 to 23,344 last year, according to a newspaper report. The increase was most conspicuous for drug-related crimes.

Some statistics were available on the website of the Supreme Prosecution Service (SPS), yet finding the figures I wanted was another issue. I barely managed to get the fact that the number of foreigners involved in drug-related crimes rose by more than ten times from 86 in 2003 to 890 last year. During the first five months of this year, 266 foreigners were arrested for smuggling in, dealing in, using, and/or in possession of drugs.

I wanted to know how many of the drug criminals had E-2 visas, but was unable to find that out. I may have obtained the answer if had I tried harder, but after hours of talking to the officials of the Justice Ministry on the phone, I was too exhausted and displeased to continue. I was left with bits of insignificant information: E-2 visas are given not only to English language teacher hopefuls but also to all those who aspire to teach foreign languages in Korea; There are some 23,600 E-2 visa holders in Korea and 12,415 are from the United States, followed by 4,860 from Canada, 2,167 from Britain, and 1,340 from South Africa, among others.

An official at the ministry's Korea Immigration Service (KIS) said that the government couldn't be too keen on matters related to E-2 visa, as the visa holders directly contact and affect Korean children and youths. Once the applicants get the visas through the strengthened procedures, he said, they would have a less administrative burden than in the past. For instance, they won't have to submit additional documents to the KIS when they move from one institution to another in the nation, he said.

While trying to understand the ministry's efforts to take precautions to protect the nation's youths, I sympathize with the frustration of foreigners who have to go through additional tests because of ``a tiny minority" of drug users. In the KT article that motivated me to write this piece, a 26-year-old Canadian teacher says that the use of ``cannabinoids," the drug which the government has newly added for test, is not a criminal offense in many countries. ``To penalize a citizen from another country based on Korean standards of conduct smacks of cultural elitism," the teacher says.

A nation's socio-cultural tolerance usually reflects its strength and self-confidence. If the use of a certain drug doesn't constitute a crime in a country, it means the country can cope with problems resulting from it. Unfortunately, Korea is least capable of dealing with many drugs, being in a worrisome state already as far as youth security is concerned. Because situations differ from one country to another and the difference can cause discomfort and friction, people often resort to the time-honored adage, "In Rome, do as the Romans do" as the guiding principle.

If the Korean situation had been fully explained to the foreign teachers, would they still be angry about the addition of a drug test? I think not. From my own experience with the Ministry, KIS and SPS, I think the anger has more to do with their attitude than with the addition itself. Today is Constitution Day. I hope the ministry officials will realize that they have no reason to be heavy-handed, being ``public servants" enforcing the law, the minimum system of rules to maintain society.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/07/137_69538.html

[Steelrails]

Darn other foreigners giving us a bad name. I bet 90% of those involved are poor, down on their luck immigrant types. 5% Cali gyopos and 5% miscellaneous.

Or the population of foreigners has tripled.

[Junior]

[Patrick Bateman]

There's a huge gaping hole in the logic of this article.

While I imagine all native English teachers are by definition foreigners in Korea, not all foreigners in Korea are English teachers. In fact, I would wager we (NET) are a minority in the foreigner population.

[ED209]

The article also doesn't seem to notice that there has been a marked increase in the number of foreigners coming into this country, especially E2s. How many E2s or foreigners were there in 2003. And what does 'involved in a drug related crime' mean? Many innocent teachers have been rounded up and tested by the police for simply being in the wrong person's phone book. Has there been a policy shift by the police to target more foreigners? I also feel that Korea has a different definition of the phrase 'When in Rome...', I always thought it meant to let your hair down and relax like the locals do, not simply another way of saying 'THIS IS KOREA!!'

[tiger fancini]

[Junior]

[kiknkorea]

[seonsengnimble]

I personally don't really care if they test for weed for an E2 visa. If you're fond of the drug, stop smoking it for a while and take your test.

What I am a little peeved about is the FBI check. I'm fine with obtaining an FBI check, but getting one that is less than a month old when the results take an uncertain amount of time to come in makes the entire process considerably more complicated. I can lose a job because I applied one day too early or one day too late for a background check.

[huffdaddy]

[comm]

[Adventurer]

In every country, there is paranoia against foreigners including people who are citizens. In Korea, you have a paranoia against all foreigners. In the US, there is a paranoia against Muslims with people not knowing that most Muslim Americans opposed 9/11. People want those Muslim Americans in many cases to be treated in ways that may violate the constitution. I digress... I am just saying paranoia exists in every country and so does ignorance. Look at Sarah Palin she was freaking out about how a large mosque is being built in NYC two blocks from ground zero. People build in New York City. She was trying to say if Muslims simply wanted to build a mosque, swimming people, and gym combo for their community in order to provoke people like her. Give me a break.

Koreans assume all kinds of evil comes from foreigners, and that Koreans don't take drugs just as Koreans can't be gay. Regardless, if they want a drug test for foreigners, it is their right. It's their country.
I am sure only a tiny minority of foreign teachers take drugs. I would say a very, very, very tiny minority.

Also, there are far more foreigners in Korea as someone said in comparison to 2003. What percentage of foreigners are teachers?
I mean a guy from Thailand and Nigeria are foreigners just as a guy from England. I would wager more Nigerians and some Southeast Asians are involved in the drug business than a person on an E-2 visa.
I am not saying this to be prejudiced against Nigerians or any Southeast Asian or to say no E-2 visa English teacher has been involved in drugs.

If they want us to take drug test, fine. If you don't want to bother, then go to Japan. I don't think they ask there. My problem is the racism and assuming foreigner means bad. I don't like racism anywhere.

[Junior]

Just to qualify the statistics.

The article states that number of foreigners apprehended by Korean police for murder, robbery, rape, assault and other violence in 2009 was 23,344.

Tourists come under the category of foreigners. 2009 saw more than 7 million tourists visit Korea- more than ever before.
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=875823

On Jan. 1st 2010 (ie figures for 2009) There were 1,139,283 foreign residents in Korea.I assume this includes E2 visas under immigrant workers.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7022640.html

Added together we have 8,139,283 foreigners in Korea in 2009. Of them, 23,344 were arrested for crimes.

Thus the overall foreigner crime rate in 2009 was 0.2%.

Looking at the Korean police website, no statistics are given for 2009. However the number of Koreans arrested for the same crimes as foreigners in 2007 was 385,704.
http://www.police.go.kr/eng/index.jsp
In 2007 Korea's total population was 49,044,790.
http://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/Korea/Population.html
The foreigner population in 2007 was 1,000,254.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/08/117_8926.html
Minus the foreigners and that leaves you with an ethnic Korean population in 2007 of 48,044,536.

So in 2007, the crime rate for Koreans was 0.8%.

..assuming that rate held steady in 2009, we arrive at the unavoidable conclusions that in Korea...

Koreans commit four times as much crime as foreigners.

[jrwhite82]

The above post wins this thread.

[huffdaddy]