The recent Libyan attacks on Korean construction sites have raised concerns over the safety of Koreans overseas.
About 300 Libyans stormed into three construction sites last week, damaging buildings under construction, taking away belongings of Korean supervisors and workers and leaving one Korean worker wounded. The assault was controlled, but the damage will rise.
The attacks were not the fault of the Korean builders. The local residents stormed the site after a slip of the tongue by a Libyan leader, who said that the homes now under construction belong to Libyans and that they have the right to live there. The statement falsely led Libyans to believe that anyone taking over the vacant homes could become an owner.
It was reassuring to hear that the Tripoli government has informed Korea that the unfortunate incident is not attributable to either anti-Korean sentiment or terrorism. Tripoli and Seoul are under negotiations for compensation.
Seoul’s successful anti-piracy operation last Friday is a stern warning that Korea will not strike a deal with pirates, hijackers or terrorists. On the other side of coin, Seoul should not be complacent over the recent impeccable operation to rescue a Korean ship from pirates. The pirates have vowed to kill Koreans in retaliation.
Christians should abide by the government’s guideline on overseas travel. Ten college students and young missionaries were singing hymns with guitars on a main street of Yemen this month. It is illegal in Yemen for religious groups other than Islamists to do missionary work. South Korean diplomats took a preemptive step to stop the illegal activity.
If the Islam fundamentalists and terrorists had spotted them, they might have held them as hostages. Just years ago, the Taliban captured Korean evangelists in Afghanistan. Christians should refrain from inflaming Muslims and other religious followers. Their missionary work should be done under a legal framework. They should respect other religions as they want them to respect Christians.
Hired Bangladesh thugs attacked factories of Youngone Corp. last December allegedly for wage hikes.
As the latest incidents demonstrate, foreigners’ assail on Koreans overseas are not attributable to the fault of Koreans and their companies. Attacks on Koreans will continue to grow as local companies go overseas and more locals visit foreign countries.
Korea is the world’s 14th largest economy. It is the world’s seventh largest trading nation. Korea joined the so-called `2-5’ club, which refers to countries with per capita income of more than $20,000 and a population of more than 50 million.
The nation is to achieve $1 trillion in exports and imports this year. Trade dependency is one of the highest in the world.
As the economy goes global, foreign risks to Koreans will grow. The government needs to map out plans to protect the safety of Koreans in the case of contingency.
Koreans should also behave themselves so as not to antagonize the specific groups, including religious fundamentalists, terrorists and pirates. Local firms must take care not to invite unnecessary misunderstandings for their lack of knowledge of local culture and sentiment.