The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby

  • 3

    Suicidal pedestrian saved over Han River bridge

  • 5

    Kim Jung-hyun returns to small screen with 'Kokdu: Season of Deity'

  • 7

    Youth, foreign drug offenders increase threefold in 5 years

  • 9

    NK rejects alleged arms trading with Russia, warns of 'undesirable result'

  • 11

    Samsung to introduce low-carbon diet for employees to help tackle climate change

  • 13

    Seoul International School celebrates 50th anniversary

  • 15

    Base taxi fare to rise by 1,000 won to 4,800 won next month

  • 17

    Main opposition leader faces pressure to resign in case of indictment

  • 19

    3 dead, 4 hurt in upmarket Los Angeles neighborhood

  • 2

    Japanese teen romance film attracts 1 mil. Korean viewers for 1st time in 21 yrs

  • 4

    Korea to lift indoor mask mandate Monday

  • 6

    US four-star general warns of war with China in 2025

  • 8

    INTERVIEWBusan has potential to be world-class city, says mayor

  • 10

    K-pop releases for February

  • 12

    'Someday or One Day' cast says film spin-off has new plot

  • 14

    Plum trees, pheasants and promises of old Korea

  • 16

    Koreans reluctant to unmask on first day of eased indoor mask rule

  • 18

    S. Korea mistakenly fires machine gun near border with N. Korea

  • 20

    NATO chief calls for stronger security ties with S. Korea to counter China

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Tue, January 31, 2023 | 07:05
Koreans Reassess Concept of Blood Purity
Posted : 2007-09-02 17:24
Updated : 2007-09-02 17:24
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

A heated debate is mounting over the term ``blood purity'' as the United Nations advised the Korean government to refrain from using the term.

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a UN-affiliated organization said in a report that ``the emphasis placed on the ethnic homogeneity of Korea may represent an obstacle to the promotion of understanding tolerance and friendship among the different ethnic and national groups living on its territory.'' It also asked the government to promote banning the usage of term ``pure blood'' and ``mixed-blood.''

The report advised Korea to include in its school textbooks and educational curricula information about the history and culture of the different ethnic and national groups living within its borders as well as human rights awareness programs to promote understanding among all racial, ethnic and national groups.

The UN advice rekindled debate here. Critics said the advice lacked an understanding of the particular Korean historical and cultural background, saying the term ``blood purity'' was not discriminatory.

They said that having long suffered the invasions of other countries' and colonization in the past, the people's will to retain their national identity is strong.

``If I am unfriendly to foreigners, it's not because I dislike them, but because I am shy or not accustomed to being with them,'' Lee Ji-hye, a 26 year-old office worker said. She said blood-purity is not a judgmental term, but is used to point out differences between Korean and non-Koreans.

Some said racism and discrimination exist everywhere and singling out Korea as racist is not fair.

However, others said the word itself reveals how people view things, and inspires discrimination, causing prejudice.

``What is blood purity? Is there such as thing as pure blood? If so, is mixed blood not pure but dirty?'' Kim Susan, a researcher of the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea (NHRC), said. To the question of whether ``mixed blood'' is just a term referring to people who are born from parents with different nationalities, she asked, ``If we just take them as `human,' we will never have to label them in such a way,'' she said.

``The blood purity issue is driving many foreigners away. They say Korea is a very closed country,'' Moon Ene-hyun, the organization spokesperson, said. Foreigners dating Koreans, foreigners trying to live in the territory but are not Korean nationals, all suffer from lingering prejudice and a sense of exclusionism. ``Some said Koreans should live with Koreans, and refused (to accept) my partner,'' a 26-year-old university student who has an American boyfriend, said.

A netizen (ID Darwit) offered these thoughts: ``The idea of blood purity can exist. But it is not right. Blood purity in Western countries is often White Supremacy, and in Korea, it is also just another form of racism,'' he said.

``Blood purity becoming a hot issue means that society is finally thinking about not only `us' but also others when the country has a million foreigners living in the territory,'' Prof. Nah Gan-chae of Chonnam National University said. But he noted that the differentiation does not become discrimination. ``We all know that it was us, who have suffered the most from other countries' blood purity policies throughout our history,'' he said.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
 
Top 10 Stories
1Koreans reluctant to unmask on first day of eased indoor mask rule Koreans reluctant to unmask on first day of eased indoor mask rule
2Over 76% of South Koreans support development of nuclear weaponsOver 76% of South Koreans support development of nuclear weapons
3[ANALYSIS] Pandemic awakens demand for data-driven automation ANALYSISPandemic awakens demand for data-driven automation
4Busan seeks to take lead in expo race after BIE's April visit Busan seeks to take lead in expo race after BIE's April visit
5Retailers seek to bolster beauty product sales as lifting of mask mandate approaches Retailers seek to bolster beauty product sales as lifting of mask mandate approaches
6Stock-leveraged investments rise again amid bullish KOSPI Stock-leveraged investments rise again amid bullish KOSPI
7Biohealth geared for growth Biohealth geared for growth
8Korea-US defense talks likely to bring up extended deterrence Korea-US defense talks likely to bring up extended deterrence
9SPC opens 120th Paris Baguette store in US SPC opens 120th Paris Baguette store in US
10NK slams NATO chief's Seoul visit as 'prelude to war'NK slams NATO chief's Seoul visit as 'prelude to war'
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Song Joong-ki marries British woman, expects babySong Joong-ki marries British woman, expects baby
2Kim Jung-hyun returns to small screen with 'Kokdu: Season of Deity' Kim Jung-hyun returns to small screen with 'Kokdu: Season of Deity'
3K-pop releases for February K-pop releases for February
4'Someday or One Day' cast says film spin-off has new plot 'Someday or One Day' cast says film spin-off has new plot
5Itaewon music fest brings love to the healing process Itaewon music fest brings love to the healing process
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group