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27 On a subway in Seoul, Beauty Epps is approached by a middle-aged Korean woman. “Africa!” the Korean says. “No,” Epps, a young African-American woman, calmly replies. “American. Migukin.” “No,” the Korean woman replies. “Africa.” Then, after a pause, the Korean woman says, “We domesticated you.” In Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, Ashanti Lee, a young African- American man, is hired to substitute at a kindergarten. He speaks to the manager on the phone, and everything seems fine. But when he shows up, the owner opens the door, stutters and then says, “Oh, no, no.” “Why not?” asks Lee. “Black ugly,” the manager replies. “White okay.” Many foreigners would agree that, even if their experiences here are generally positive, Korean racism and xenophobia are impossible to ignore. There is still a clear disconnect between the 98 percent ethnic Koreans and the 2 percent “foreigners” of all sorts — mixed-race children, foreign brides, native English teachers, migrant factory workers and the tiny number of permanent immigrants and refugees who are now Korean citizens. In a survey last year, the Washington Post found South Korea to be one of the least racially tolerant countries in the world. It found that “more than 1 in 3 South Koreans said they do not want a neighbor of a different race.” In 2009, The New York Times reported that “42 percent of (Korean) respondents in a 2008 survey said they had never once spoken with a foreigner.” In one way or another, racism affects almost every foreigner in Korea. But being black here is different. Whether African- American, African or not even black but mistaken for it, experiences in Korea are tainted by the perception that blacks are lower than other races: Blacks are violent, unintelligent and poor. Black Americans are not really American, and are inappropriate teachers for Korean children. Africans live in a backward, single African country, consisting of little more than jungle. These views are not universal, but they are commonly heard in Korea. Everyone has a different experience. While some black residents say they have never felt a touch of racism here, others say they must deal with it every day. Some, like Epps, just walk away. Lee convinced the academy owner that he was a perfectly good teacher, and was asked to stay. The infamous “see these rocks” guy of YouTube fame (explained in detail later in this article) snapped and unloaded on an old man on a bus. Korea’s anti-black sentiment stems from a range of influences, from the traditional Korean preference for the color white, to the burning of LA’s Koreatown in 1992, to the Confucian philosophy of hierarchy, to the idea that blood type defines personality. Much of it is directly imported from the U.S. Racism happens in the workplace, on the street and at the first meeting with a girlfriend’s family. The local media continues to be flooded with racist sentiments, advertisements and perceptions. It’s painful and it’s widespread. American Maria Hernandez, 30, says she experiences racism every day. “I’ve never had to come to terms with (racism) like I have here.”
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