Race in Korea

I knew something was up when I read the words, "Cow dung huts."

During a staff meeting in January, the teachers were discussing a new project aimed at informing our students about global cultures. The kids were, after all, almost 7 years old. It was about time they memorized the capital cities of Finland, Mozambique, and Papua New Guinea. How else were they supposed to succeed in the cutthroat world of kindergarten education? Valuable berths in prestigious elementary schools were at stake.

We were handed a garishly designed packet of materials. Purportedly, these were intended to facilitate students' learning by providing a quick rundown of the essential facts for about a dozen nations. Through a series of strenuous coloring exercises, the students could learn about the food, clothing, shelter, and environments of each country. Which all sounded perfectly reasonable, until we actually looked at the packet.

One of the countries in question was Kenya. Under the category of "dress", there was a picture of several Kenyan women wearing what appeared to be lion-skin togas. Their ears, noses, lips and eyebrows were full of piercings; their cheeks and foreheads were streaked with paint. It was the same caricature of "dark savage" that convinced 17th century Europeans that full-scale colonization and conversion wouldn't be such a bad thing for Africa.

When it came to housing, our materials were equally unforgiving. According to the packet, Kenyans lived in "cow dung huts". Having never been to Kenya, I'd have a hard time claiming this is unequivocally false. However, look around the streets of Nairobi and you probably won't see bovine feces used as a building material. The most generous thing I could say about the packet is that it was purposefully inaccurate.

Our students, though they are extremely young, already have prejudicial views towards Africans. Anyone who thinks that racism is a major problem in America would be flabbergasted to see its manifestations in Korea. The color of one's skin is incredibly important - the lighter, the better. Hence, the many cosmetic creams that contain bleach to chemically obliterate any trace of pigmentation.

Dark skin is considered "dirty", for reasons that continue to befuddle me (if anything, a tan would help hide the facial blemishes that plague many people here). Old women wear enormous ahjumma visors that flip down in front of their faces like riot police helmets, and it's not unusual to see beach-goers wearing full tracksuits as they splash around in the tide.

It is quite astonishing to see the undisguised scorn that many Koreans, old and young, hold for dark-skinned peoples (especially those from Africa and Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines or Thailand). My students, who write incredibly endearing notes and give  more unsolicited hugs than a room full of hippies, are also capable of spouting incredibly racist comments that would get them expelled from an American kindergarten. And they have no idea that someone could consider this offensive.

Of course, in a homogeneous society like Korea, one could argue there's no reason to watch what you say or do. Over 99% of people in this country are ethnically Korean. If a TV show features comedians in 1930s blackface and no black people see it, is it offensive?  There are very few big angry black men who would cause a fuss over such jokes. Besides, Koreans never owned African slaves so they have none of the residual guilt/sensitivity that comes with such a stain on a nation's historical record. It makes sense, in a way.

Considering Korea's own unpleasant experience with exploitative colonial powers, though, it's a little surprising to see Koreans so easily stepping into the role of ubermensch. The Japanese occupation (with requisite oppression, deprivation, and wholesale rape of the country) hasn't made the Korean people any more inclined to feel a connection to fellow victims of imperialism.

In my entirely uneducated opinion, I think the recent economic success of Korea has gotten its people a bit high on their own supply (of electronic goods). Put simply: Korea makes refrigerators, cell phones, and affordable mid-size sedans. Africa can't even figure out how to stop everyone from getting AIDS. The memory of poverty fades, and all that's left is a smug sense of superiority and some crotchety old ajusshis.


Americans haven't yet succeeded in getting all creeds and colors to sing Kumbaya under a triple rainbow while enjoying unicorn stew, but life in Korea gives one a greater appreciation for the progress that has been made over the past 50 years. We don't always move quickly or gracefully, but I do believe we are slowly stumbling our way to a better society.

It would be tempting to end this blog post with a grimly condescending analysis of Korea's future, saying something along the lines of:

 "As the former Hermit Kingdom is drawn into the multicultural world of tomorrow, it will need to radically alter its attitudes and policies to cultivate greater equality and tolerance if it wishes to maintain its place as a major economic power."

But in reality, I don't think it really matters (in that sense). Korea is already too damn crowded to accept a massive influx of immigrants. Their electronics-based economy isn't really dependent on the cheap labor that comes from underdeveloped countries, so the demographics aren't likely to shift in a manner that requires a new evaluation of race relations. Koreans marry Koreans, few foreigners move here permanently, and thus the cycle is continued. Korea can enjoy basketball and rap music without having to worry if those menacing black teenagers with baggy pants are going to rob them.

And foreign English teachers will continue to be bemused and slightly offended at all the odd little bits of racism in Korean culture. Like the time our Arts and Crafts project was a black paper-cup "African" with a grass skirt, bulbous eyes, and a Sambo-esque pair of giant grinning red lips that would've made D.W. Griffith say, "Damn, fellas, ain't that a bit much?"

But eh, that's Korea sometimes.