Time to Lay Legal Framework to Ban Discrimination

South Korea is no longer a ``racially homogeneous'' nation as it has been rapidly transforming itself into a multicultural society. But it has still a long way to go to eliminate deep-rooted prejudice and discrimination against foreigners. The country has little legal framework to ban racial discrimination as well as guarantee human rights and equal opportunities of migrant workers, foreign spouses and other residents from abroad.

A recent legal battle by a visiting Indian professor shows how deeply imbedded prejudice is in South Koreans' minds. On Friday, the Incheon District Court ordered a Korean man to pay 1 million won ($855) in fines for humiliating the 28-year-old scholar, identified as Bonojit Hussain. The accused, identified as Park, 31, was indicted of calling Hussain ``dirty'' and ``smelly'' on a bus in July.

Hussain immediately filed a complaint against the man with a police station in Incheon, just west of Seoul. The initial reaction from the police was quite disappointing as they tried to persuade the victim to drop the complaint and reconcile with the suspect. Claiming that he has endured a series of racially oriented humiliation from other Koreans, Hussain insisted on bringing Park to justice. Unquestionably, his patience had run out.

However, it is regrettable that the prosecution was unable to bring racism charges against the suspect because there is no law banning racial discrimination in this country. In the end, it had to indict Park on insult charges and the court fined him for his criminal act. It is the first time for a Korean to be indicted and subject to punishment for making racially motivated remarks against a foreigner. It has raised public awareness of racial issues in the country where 1.2 million foreigners reside, accounting for about 2 percent of the total population.

The nation should learn a lesson from the case. First, we Koreans have to make the utmost effort to root out widespread prejudice against foreigners, especially those from developing countries. We also must shake off double standards in which white people from advance countries are treated well, but colored people from poor states face discrimination.

Second, the nation is required to lay the legal groundwork for the racial issues. In 2007, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended that South Korea should push for separate legislation to introduce the definition of racial discrimination and spell out its illegality. Then, the Ministry of Justice submitted an anti-discrimination bill to the National Assembly that year. But the bill was scrapped last year without lawmakers' deliberation on it. Thus, it is urgent for the government and political parties to work together to legislate a law to crack down on racial discrimination.

Third, Koreans should have better awareness about racial problems. Most of all, it is imperative for them to discard the misguided notion of ``pure bloodedness,'' which has created an illusion about racial superiority. It is also important to provide better education about racial and cultural diversity, respect for different values and how to accept foreigners as our neighbors. It is time to act, as we will soon be a real multicultural society, with one in every 10 residents likely to be from another country by 2050.