By Kim Heung-sook
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.