I was considering a headline that was on Drudge yesterday, about Koreans being worried about a backlash after the VA Tech massacre. It’s down now, but typing “Korean” into a Google News search brings up plenty of similar headlines. My favorite: “Seoul “shockedâ€? by Virginia massacre, fears for Koreans in the Usa”

I was thinking of this in relation to something Asteroid posted yesterday, about rising anti-Americanism in South Korea. It’s been so bad, that prior to the massacre, many were blaming it for the troop draw-downs that the US has been doing at the North/South Korean border:

Of more concern, they say, is the state of the alliance between Seoul and Washington.

“Anti-American sentiment has given the impression that US troops are not welcome in South Korea – it has contributed to uncomfortable relations between the two countries,” said Park Jin.

There is an underlying fear in South Korea that the country is being punished for massive anti-American demonstrations two years ago, after two South Korean school-girls were crushed to death by a US armoured vehicle.

I find all this to be a bit rich. Never mind the 50,000 plus troops who lost their lives to spare the South Koreans the fate of the Kim dynasty. The problem is much deeper than simple ingratitude.

I remember in college, the University of Chicago in the early 1990′s, campus was filled with Korean students. This was largely because Chicago didn’t practice affirmative action, meaning that all those qualified Asian students who didn’t get an “Asian” slot at Harvard or Stanford were welcome additions at Chicago. Most were kind, friendly and courteous. Some socialized better than others, in particular ones born and raised in America. But one group stood out as being particularly rude and separatist: immigrant Koreans. By and large, you couldn’t even ask one of them the time without getting a glare akin to “Why the heck are you trying to talk to me, asshole?” It was kind of unreal.

Maybe some of that attitude explains some of the animosity between blacks and Koreans during the LA riots. Then again, maybe not. My experience is anecdotal, and in some sense what happened to the Koreans in LA seems like a “wrong place, wrong time” kind of thing.

But what isn’t anecdotal, and is far worse in my opinion, is how the South Koreans have taken to treating their own. Namely, refugees from the North:

But now, a year after he escaped to Seoul, the former policeman has found that his accent sparks dirty looks. He has been unable to land a decent job, and his hopes of realizing the “Korean dream” are fading. [...]

“We have no chance competing against South Koreans; they all have a complete education,” said Oh, the former policeman. “Business owners think North Koreans are no use. They would rather hire migrant workers from Southeast Asia — but I am a South Korean citizen.”

The distaste of some employers for defectors is such that the government pays half the wages of North Korean employees as a hiring incentive.

Some Northerners, like Kim, the accountant, find that skills learned in a socialist economy have no use here. But others with transferable skills also find their qualifications unrecognized.

“The South Korean government did not approve of my certificate from the North,” said Kim Ji Eun, an acupuncturist who arrived here in 2002. “It is the same story for other professionals, such as doctors who used to practice Western medicine.”

Those lucky enough to land reasonable jobs face social prejudice in an environment in which a North Korean accent can raise eyebrows.

“I lost my job at a car center because of my accent,” said Kim, the former accountant. “Whenever I spoke on the phone, my heart pounded. A customer complained that I didn’t know the names of car parts — all foreign words.”

The result is high unemployment rates among North Koreans. A report by the Ministry of Unification to the National Assembly in October showed that 70 percent of defectors rely on government handouts.

Discrimination also arises in the social sphere.

“It’s difficult to make friends here,” said Meng, a student who arrived in South Korea in 2003 and asked not to be identified by her full name. “All my friends are North Koreans,” she said. “When I meet young South Koreans in my computer class, they don’t even make eye contact.”

Negative Southern stereotypes of defectors are reflected in the media.

“The first time a North Korean defector was featured in a TV drama here,” said the Reverend Douglas Shin, a human rights advocate from Los Angeles, “he was portrayed as a barbarian: He didn’t use shampoo, couldn’t use a toilet and so on.”

Meanwhile, fears of a potential mass influx of North Koreans are growing in the South. “When I was in a taxi just after 468 refugees arrived this year,” Oh said, “the driver asked me ‘Why do you all keep coming?”‘

You got that? Rather than integrating their fellow Koreans, they discriminate against them, and treat them like second class citizens. No German-style integration there.

Oh, but it’s the US who are the racists, right? Here’s more:

They also face prejudice in their new home. South Korea is a homogenous nation, where the only visible minorities are about 37,000 U.S. troops and several hundred-thousand factory workers from Third World countries.

“Recently, we tried to establish a school for North Korean children, but the residents in the area did not want it built near their homes,” said Mr. An, adding that the project will go ahead.

“Many people, when they hear a North Korean accent, automatically think of the North Korean stereotype — that they are inefficient and untrustworthy,” Mr. Yim said.

Wow, what a tolerant and understanding people.

Now I doubt that this kid at VA Tech shot people due to Korean cultural influences. I’m not saying that. What I am saying, though, is that it’s a bit rich for Koreans to be lecturing others about tolerance towards Koreans when they are so xenophobic that they cannot even tolerate other Koreans with a funny Northern accent.

An expression about throwing stones and glass houses comes to mind.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 8:35 am and is filed under News & Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.