Dear editor,
I currently reside in Korea and I am working for a well-known institute in Daejeon as a visiting researcher in the field of materials science. I've lived here for three years, and Daejeon is obviously a great city, but I've experienced discrimination quite regularly.
I felt particularly offended when I was recently refused entry to two different Korean restaurants. When my Korean friends enquired why, the owner said because this is a “conservative restaurant” and that “no foreigners are allowed.” It really made me feel unwelcome in Daejeon.
The Republic of Korea joined and ratified the “International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination” ― a United Nations convention ― in August 1978. Article 5 specifies that Korea undertakes to prohibit and eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, notably in the enjoyment of the “right of access to any place or service intended for use by the general public, such as transport, hotels, restaurants, cafes, theatres and parks.’’
The record of past initiatives in Korea highlights the importance of contemporary international political imperatives and common living standards around the world, but I still need to ask this very important question to the national and local authorities: What can we do ― together ― to prevent the illegal and unconstitutional discrimination of people on the basis of their race, color, ethnicity or nationality?
Edoardo Magnone
Korea Institute of Energy Research, Daejeon