Law and Hypocrisy

By Michael J. Berry

Once again I am left saddened and upset at the absolutely skewed priorities and lack of balance that has unfortunately become a serious and growing aspect of xenophobia in Korea these days.

I am referring to the emphasis placed on the article ``Love Shots Off Limits..." in the March 26th edition of the JoongAng Ilbo. This covers in some detail the rulings of the Supreme Court on a customer forcing female employees of a golf club restaurant to engage in the ``suggestive" and harassing practice of drinking ``love shots'' [whereby the drinkers link arms and hug to drink], under threat of losing their jobs.

The court ruled ― rightly so ― that such actions constitute assault and sexual harassment, and that the lower court decision that found the perpetrator guilty was indeed appropriate and correct.

Now, compare this sensible view of what constitutes assault, and the public castigation of such practices, with the deafening media and law-enforcement silence over an even more egregious and life-threatening case of assault and attempted rape that has ― apart from one article in yesterday's Korea Herald, and numerous expatriate websites ― never received any Korean media attention.

I am referring to the attack on a Korean-Canadian man and his wife by four men on March 9 of this year in Dapshimni, eastern Seoul. The hypocrisy with regard to application of the ``law" is astounding, although probably due in no small part to the open connection between the police and the attackers in this case. According to the article, the police have basically refused to proceed with any investigation and have in fact pressured the couple to ``settle," whatever that means. Surely an assault of this nature is more deserving of a proper investigation than that focusing on ``love shots"?

Why has there been no examination of this issue, especially since the Korean PR machine is going all out to convince the World to see Korea as the ``Hub of Asia"? I would think that a prompt and concerted investigation of violence of this nature directed against foreign residents of Seoul ― there are other examples cited in the article ― would be a top priority, if all the official claims of Korea being a modern, developed country are to be believed.

Unfortunately, I feel the opposite is in fact true: that Korea, for all its professed desire to be considered a part of the developed community of nations, is, in fact reverting to it's xenophobic, mistrustful, and insular past to a degree unimaginable to those of us who felt quite optimistic about Korea's changing society only a few years ago.

A nation's development is not merely predicated upon material success; the moral, socio-cultural and intellectual elements must also be nurtured and embedded. Unless ― and until ― priorities such as a rule of law that covers all residents equally is applied (especially regarding police corruption, ineffectiveness, anti-foreigner sentiment, and lack of initiative) and firmly established, Korea will never achieve the desired ``Hub of Asia'' status it so desperately craves.

The writer is a university professor who has been working in Korea for more than 10 Years. He can be reached at kegsobeer@yahoo.com