By Bonojit Hussain Since July 10th when racist and sexist remarks were launched at my colleague Han Ji-sun and I on a bus in Bucheon, the media has swarmed to the issue. Numerous newspaper articles were written in Korea and abroad. Hundreds of blog en- tries have been made, both supporting and condemning our case. Some criticized the steps we took. But most impor- tantly, an anti-discrimination bill has been proposed by the Democratic Party in the National Assembly. Finally, the case came to an end on Nov. 27 with the Incheon district court convict- ing the defendant and slapping him with a fine of 1 million won. While the episode dragged on for five months, there have been few things that came as surprise to me. I didn’t expect the amount of media enthusiasm that was generated. Perhaps at the be- ginning the case took hold in the media because the incident had all the elements to make it top selling news — a foreigner professor, young Korean woman, an intoxicated man, racial slurs and a bit of vio- lence. But once Korean and mi- grant organizations pitched in to form the Joint Action Committee against Gendered- Racial Discrimination — and with the proposal of the Anti- Discrimination Bill — the news reports took a more seri- ous turn, and many more ana- lytical articles appeared. The foreign media — includ- ing Indian and American out- lets — also noticed and gave extensive coverage to the case. But it might be noteworthy to mention here that a section of Indian media had tried to ap- propriate the news as an Indian nationalist issue. Some tried to be portray me as an Indian hero, which I reject. Since I don’t carry a placard on the streets of Seoul declar- ing “I am Indian” — this case has nothing to do with me be- ing an Indian; it is more about the abuse and discrimination faced by migrant workers from different parts of Asia in Korea. It is purely coincidence that I happen to be an Indian. I would have taken this up even in the land of my birth, or for that matter anywhere in the world, should the need have arisen. The issue is important to me. Nonetheless I believe that the extensive media coverage definitely had a considerably positive impact on Korean soci- ety. It is imperative for any so- ciety in order to address emerging issues of social con- flict to discuss and deliberate them. The extensive media coverage has precisely prompt- ed Korean society to do just that — to talk about racism — whether they agree or disagree is of a secondary importance. In recent months racism has been discussed in Korean soci- ety in way it has never been be- fore. However, the media can’t be absolved of portraying only a part of the story. The male dominated Korean media ut- terly failed to show the ugly underbelly of sexism and gen- dered discrimination of society, which was so blatantly present in our case. Han Ji-sun was not only the victim of sexist com- ments, but she was also physi- cally assaulted. Moreover, Han was my co- complainant in both the court case and the petition to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Like nu- merous other women-related issues, the mainstream Korean media conveniently pushed her story into oblivion. Before being kicked, Han was called a “Joseon Bitch” and was asked “how does it feel to date a black bastard?” This is an isolated incident. I have met numerous Korean women who had similar experiences while being with non-Korean men. In fact after our incident was covered by the media, I re- ceived many e-mails and let- ters from anonymous Korean women who are married to “other” Asians. They invariably reported the same story: When they got married, they were called “prostitutes” — some- times even by Korean family members. Considering the se- riousness and frequency of vio- lence against Korean women in these kinds of incidents, the mainstream Korean media de- serves to be strongly con- demned for having failed in bringing forth the sexist di- mension of the whole incident on the bus. But one of the interesting things arising out of this case has been the response from the expat community in Korea, es- pecially some Western ones. I mentioned in many interviews to newspapers and other me- dia, Asian and African mi- grants face more discrimina- tion than Western expats in Korea. some, especially in the blogosphere. One blogger called me a “per- son with post-colonial hang- ups,” another called me “Cultural Marxist” and then still another blogger declared that “I was searching for racism” in Korea. And another blog conducted an analysis, concluding that the case was a conspiracy by SungKongHoe University, who hired a profes- sional mercenary named Bonojit. Of course, I paid that non- sense little attention, which had been passed off in the name of “an exchange of ideas.” Pointing out that Asians and Africans face more serious dis- crimination in Korea in no way denies that Western expats also face discrimination. It is only to say that the degree and form of discrimination varies between these two groups of expats. It is important to have a dialogue on the grave abuse and discrimination the mi- grant laborers face on the fac- tory floor. And if one travels to places like Pocheon or Namyangju, its not very diffi- cult to find that these migrant workers are often not allowed to enter restaurants. I remember hearing some Western expats complain that they were not provided with chopsticks — and instead were given a fork and spoon in a Korean restaurant — and they felt discriminated against. Now, being given a fork and spoon instead of chopsticks and not being al- lowed to enter the restaurant are completely different, not only in form but also in de- gree. Again, getting stared all the time on public transport and in public places is also dif- ferent in form and degree than getting kicked by a bus driver just because someone fell asleep and ended up in the bus terminal (in this case it happened to me last June). However, female Western ex- pats do face very serious abus- es and discrimination with a number of incidents of sexual abuse and rape being report- ed. Let me put forth the proposi- tion that even though we are all expats living in Korea from different backgrounds, with different color, creeds and be- liefs, we can still find some common ground that will not only be mutually beneficial to us, but also to our host society. There could be bridges built be- tween migrant factory workers and Western expats in general and English teachers in partic- ular, wherein migrant workers’ struggles don’t remain silent and Western expats don’t stop only at campaigning against Anti-English spectrum. But to build those bridges, differences have be recognized and re- spected, including the differ- ence in form and degree of dis- crimination faced. And the onus lies with Western expats. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of The Korea Herald. To comment, e-mail matt- [email protected]; to con- tact the author, e-mail h.bono- [email protected] — Ed. COMMUNITY 18 WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2, 2009 Expat Living is a section dedicated to the daily living of expatriates. It is printed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. To share stories about your life abroad, send stories or story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected] Submissions may be edited for length or clarity. By Brian Deutsch Representative Cho Jeon-hyuk of the GNP has some big plans for English education, and they in- clude making it mandatory for native speaker English teachers to undergo training programs on Korean culture. According to an English-language article from KBS, last week he said “most for- eign teachers in the nation do not have enough of an understanding about Korea’s culture and prac- tices,” and this program would “(raise) the quality of the nation’s English education programs by mandating that foreign teachers have better knowledge of Korea.” At first glance this looks like another attempt to criticize for- eign teachers without providing any evidence. How did Cho come to the conclusion, for example, that “most foreign teachers” here don’t know about Korean culture and what impact does that have on Korean schools? But Cho’s plan hits on some important is- sues worth discussing by foreign and domestic teachers alike if any real progress toward “raising the quality of the nation’s English ed- ucation programs” is to be made. When Cho talks about “better knowledge of Korea” and “Korea’s culture and practices” what does he mean? He might be surprised to learn that public school teachers often undergo mandatory orientation sessions and seminars already, though unfortunately for them they fo- cus not on teacher training but rather, well, on “Korea’s culture and practices.” When I attended a week-long orientation in 2006, I sat through many lengthy pre- sentations on topics such as mu- sical instruments, holidays, and funerals, and through several redundant talks on “Korean cul- ture” reminding me that kimchi is spicy and that Korea has four distinct seasons. There was nothing, though, on lesson plan- ning, classroom management, or on the expectations of NSETs. Anecdotal evidence shows my experience is not unique, and that teachers consider sessions poorly-planned, impractical, and condescending. I’m reminded of a passage in a book called “Mastering Business in Korea: A Practical Guide” by Tom Coyner which I think ap- plies well here. He notes that most books on Korea start with the same lengthy introduction to Korean history and culture, though his is different: “we as- sume the reader knows how to use the internet and can read up to his or her heart’s content about Korean history.” Knowing about Baekje and gayageum is less im- portant than other considera- tions, and though he talks here about business professionals, we might change that to fit our situ- ation: “As a business profession- al, however, one need not be con- versant on historical trivia but one does need to know the impor- tant basics that Koreans will eventually expect even a foreign- er to know at a minimum — and perhaps more importantly, one should have some insight on the impact of the legacies of Korean history in the workplace.” The word he uses in his title is “practical,” and the orientation sessions mandated thus far have been anything but. And what’s “practical,” what’s vital for native-speaker English teachers, is an understanding of the Korean classroom and how they fit into it. I’ve written nu- merous times that most of the challenges that accompany NSETs are due to the lack of planning and support they re- ceive and to the ambiguous role they fill in the system, and any new training session needs to address these concerns. A new teacher doesn’t need a lecture about kimchi — he’ll get it often enough at mealtime — but would benefit from presen- tations on lesson planning for a class of 40. A foreign teacher doesn’t need a lesson on how to pour drinks Korean-style — she’ll get one from her friends later — but will need to learn how to fit into the teachers’ of- fice. An orientation doesn’t need a mundane lecture on Hangeul—-teachers take the initiative to learn on their own — but NSETs should be given the opportunity to take Korean classes while here. Teachers — some of whom have never taught before — need to be ac- climated to the Korean class- room as quickly as possible through practical lessons from experienced NSETs, not from teachers or bureaucrats who don’t understand the NSET ex- perience. Training sessions need to fo- cus on the classroom and how English is taught, and thus need to include Korean English teachers. It’s been several years since NSETs have been intro- duced, yet schools are still un- clear about how they’re to be used. With some co-teachers, NSETs work as pronunciation guides, with others they split time, and in some cases the co- teacher doesn’t show up for class or workshops at all. And just as there is ignorance of Korean culture by some NSETs, there is ignorance of English and the culture of English-speaking cultures held by Korean teachers, an igno- rance that can damage how English is learned and how its speakers are understood. Some teachers believe, for example, that English doesn’t have polite speech, or that “What’s up!” is an acceptable greeting, or that “negro” or “colored” is an appro- priate term for “heukin” be- cause the dictionary says so. One wonders whether a new mandatory training session on “Korea’s culture and practices” would be for the benefit of NSETs or Koreans. Koreans spend a lot of time worrying about their image in the eyes of foreigners, and it’s no coinci- dence that unsavory elements of Korean culture are sup- pressed around foreign teachers in favor of sources of pride such as food or weather. Koreans re- sent that some teachers come to Korea to travel and have fun, though this motive is perpetu- ated not only by recruiting com- panies that advertise Korea thusly, but by presentations that treat teachers not like pro- fessionals but as tourists. Foreign teachers actually seem responsive to the idea, and though a local reporter titled his story on this “Foreign Teachers Unenthusiastic Over Culture Course,” the president of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea said right in the article “This is a great idea, if it’s done right.” Unless Cho intends to give teachers a lesson on Korean bias and last-minute planning, a lot of thought needs to go into making these sessions work for everybody. He should start by first offering opportunities for practical training, language courses, and professional devel- opment, rather than announc- ing with much fanfare that they’ll be mandated. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of The Korea Herald. For more of Brian Deutsch’s writ- ings, go to http://brian- deutsch.blogspot.com — Ed. Skip kimchi lesson — teachers want real training My crusade against discrimination Korean media deserves to be strongly condemned for ignoring sexism The media can’t be ab- solved of por- traying only a partof the sto- ry.The male dominated K orean media utterlyfailed to show the ugly underbelly of sexism and gen- dered discrimi- nation of soci- ety,which was so blatantly present in our case.Han Ji- sun was not only the victim of sexist com- ments,but she was also physi- cally assaulted. Bonojit Hussain poses in Seoul. He is currently in his home country of India preparing his Ph.D proposal and will return to Korea. Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald Bonojit Hussain poses in Seoul. He is currently in his home country of India preparing his Ph.D proposal and will return to Korea. Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald
Crusade against discrimination
Mar 28, 2016
Korean media deserves to be strongly condemned for ignoring sexism
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By Bonojit Hussain
Since July 10th when racistand sexist remarks werelaunched at my colleague HanJi-sun and I on a bus inBucheon, the media hasswarmed to the issue.Numerous newspaper articleswere written in Korea andabroad. Hundreds of blog en-tries have been made, bothsupporting and condemningour case. Some criticized thesteps we took. But most impor-tantly, an anti-discriminationbill has been proposed by theDemocratic Party in theNational Assembly.
Finally, the case came to anend on Nov. 27 with theIncheon district court convict-ing the defendant and slappinghim with a fine of 1 millionwon. While the episodedragged on for five months,there have been few thingsthat came as surprise to me.
I didn’t expect the amount ofmedia enthusiasm that wasgenerated. Perhaps at the be-ginning the case took hold inthe media because the incidenthad all the elements to make ittop selling news — a foreignerprofessor, young Koreanwoman, an intoxicated man,racial slurs and a bit of vio-lence. But once Korean and mi-grant organizations pitched into form the Joint ActionCommittee against Gendered-Racial Discrimination — andwith the proposal of the Anti-Discrimination Bill — thenews reports took a more seri-ous turn, and many more ana-lytical articles appeared.
The foreign media — includ-ing Indian and American out-lets — also noticed and gaveextensive coverage to the case.But it might be noteworthy tomention here that a section ofIndian media had tried to ap-propriate the news as anIndian nationalist issue. Sometried to be portray me as anIndian hero, which I reject.Since I don’t carry a placardon the streets of Seoul declar-ing “I am Indian” — this casehas nothing to do with me be-ing an Indian; it is more aboutthe abuse and discriminationfaced by migrant workersfrom different parts of Asia inKorea.
It is purely coincidence that Ihappen to be an Indian. Iwould have taken this up evenin the land of my birth, or forthat matter anywhere in theworld, should the need havearisen. The issue is importantto me.
Nonetheless I believe thatthe extensive media coveragedefinitely had a considerablypositive impact on Korean soci-ety. It is imperative for any so-ciety in order to addressemerging issues of social con-flict to discuss and deliberatethem. The extensive mediacoverage has precisely prompt-ed Korean society to do justthat — to talk about racism —whether they agree or disagreeis of a secondary importance.In recent months racism hasbeen discussed in Korean soci-ety in way it has never been be-fore.
However, the media can’t beabsolved of portraying only a
part of the story. The maledominated Korean media ut-terly failed to show the uglyunderbelly of sexism and gen-dered discrimination of society,which was so blatantly presentin our case. Han Ji-sun was notonly the victim of sexist com-ments, but she was also physi-cally assaulted.
Moreover, Han was my co-complainant in both the courtcase and the petition to theNational Human RightsCommission of Korea. Like nu-merous other women-relatedissues, the mainstream Koreanmedia conveniently pushed herstory into oblivion.
Before being kicked, Hanwas called a “Joseon Bitch”and was asked “how does it feelto date a black bastard?” Thisis an isolated incident. I havemet numerous Korean womenwho had similar experienceswhile being with non-Koreanmen.
In fact after our incident wascovered by the media, I re-
ceived many e-mails and let-ters from anonymous Koreanwomen who are married to“other” Asians. They invariablyreported the same story: Whenthey got married, they werecalled “prostitutes” — some-times even by Korean familymembers. Considering the se-riousness and frequency of vio-lence against Korean womenin these kinds of incidents, themainstream Korean media de-serves to be strongly con-demned for having failed inbringing forth the sexist di-mension of the whole incidenton the bus.
But one of the interestingthings arising out of this casehas been the response from theexpat community in Korea, es-pecially some Western ones. Imentioned in many interviewsto newspapers and other me-dia, Asian and African mi-grants face more discrimina-tion than Western expats inKorea. some, especially in theblogosphere.
One blogger called me a “per-son with post-colonial hang-ups,” another called me“Cultural Marxist” and thenstill another blogger declaredthat “I was searching forracism” in Korea. And anotherblog conducted an analysis,concluding that the case was aconspiracy by SungKongHoeUniversity, who hired a profes-sional mercenary namedBonojit.
Of course, I paid that non-sense little attention, whichhad been passed off in thename of “an exchange of ideas.”
Pointing out that Asians andAfricans face more serious dis-crimination in Korea in no waydenies that Western expatsalso face discrimination. It isonly to say that the degree andform of discrimination variesbetween these two groups ofexpats. It is important to havea dialogue on the grave abuseand discrimination the mi-grant laborers face on the fac-tory floor. And if one travels toplaces like Pocheon orNamyangju, its not very diffi-cult to find that these migrantworkers are often not allowedto enter restaurants.
I remember hearing someWestern expats complain thatthey were not provided withchopsticks — and insteadwere given a fork and spoon ina Korean restaurant — andthey felt discriminatedagainst. Now, being given afork and spoon instead ofchopsticks and not being al-lowed to enter the restaurantare completely different, notonly in form but also in de-
gree. Again, getting stared allthe time on public transportand in public places is also dif-ferent in form and degree thangetting kicked by a bus driverjust because someone fellasleep and ended up in thebus terminal (in this case ithappened to me last June).However, female Western ex-pats do face very serious abus-es and discrimination with anumber of incidents of sexualabuse and rape being report-ed.
Let me put forth the proposi-tion that even though we areall expats living in Korea fromdifferent backgrounds, withdifferent color, creeds and be-liefs, we can still find somecommon ground that will notonly be mutually beneficial tous, but also to our host society.There could be bridges built be-tween migrant factory workersand Western expats in generaland English teachers in partic-ular, wherein migrant workers’struggles don’t remain silentand Western expats don’t stoponly at campaigning againstAnti-English spectrum. But tobuild those bridges, differenceshave be recognized and re-spected, including the differ-ence in form and degree of dis-crimination faced. And theonus lies with Western expats.
The opinions expressed heredo not necessarily representthose of The Korea Herald. Tocomment, e-mail [email protected]; to con-tact the author, e-mail [email protected] — Ed.
COMMUNITY18 WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2, 2009
Expat Living is a section dedicated to the daily living of expatriates. It is printed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. To share stories about your life abroad, send stories or story ideas to Matthew Lamers at [email protected] Submissions may be edited for length or clarity.
By Brian Deutsch
Representative Cho Jeon-hyukof the GNP has some big plans forEnglish education, and they in-clude making it mandatory fornative speaker English teachersto undergo training programs onKorean culture. According to anEnglish-language article fromKBS, last week he said “most for-eign teachers in the nation do nothave enough of an understandingabout Korea’s culture and prac-tices,” and this program would“(raise) the quality of the nation’sEnglish education programs bymandating that foreign teachershave better knowledge of Korea.”
At first glance this looks likeanother attempt to criticize for-eign teachers without providingany evidence. How did Cho cometo the conclusion, for example,that “most foreign teachers” heredon’t know about Korean cultureand what impact does that haveon Korean schools? But Cho’splan hits on some important is-sues worth discussing by foreignand domestic teachers alike if any
real progress toward “raising thequality of the nation’s English ed-ucation programs” is to be made.
When Cho talks about “betterknowledge of Korea” and“Korea’s culture and practices”what does he mean? He mightbe surprised to learn that publicschool teachers often undergomandatory orientation sessionsand seminars already, thoughunfortunately for them they fo-cus not on teacher training butrather, well, on “Korea’s cultureand practices.” When I attendeda week-long orientation in 2006,I sat through many lengthy pre-sentations on topics such as mu-sical instruments, holidays, andfunerals, and through severalredundant talks on “Korean cul-ture” reminding me that kimchiis spicy and that Korea has fourdistinct seasons. There wasnothing, though, on lesson plan-ning, classroom management,or on the expectations of NSETs.Anecdotal evidence shows myexperience is not unique, andthat teachers consider sessionspoorly-planned, impractical,
and condescending.I’m reminded of a passage in a
book called “Mastering Businessin Korea: A Practical Guide” byTom Coyner which I think ap-plies well here. He notes thatmost books on Korea start withthe same lengthy introduction toKorean history and culture,though his is different: “we as-sume the reader knows how touse the internet and can read upto his or her heart’s content aboutKorean history.” Knowing aboutBaekje and gayageum is less im-portant than other considera-tions, and though he talks hereabout business professionals, wemight change that to fit our situ-ation: “As a business profession-al, however, one need not be con-versant on historical trivia butone does need to know the impor-tant basics that Koreans willeventually expect even a foreign-er to know at a minimum — andperhaps more importantly, oneshould have some insight on theimpact of the legacies of Koreanhistory in the workplace.”
The word he uses in his title is
“practical,” and the orientationsessions mandated thus farhave been anything but. Andwhat’s “practical,” what’s vitalfor native-speaker Englishteachers, is an understanding ofthe Korean classroom and howthey fit into it. I’ve written nu-merous times that most of thechallenges that accompanyNSETs are due to the lack ofplanning and support they re-ceive and to the ambiguous rolethey fill in the system, and anynew training session needs toaddress these concerns.
A new teacher doesn’t need alecture about kimchi — he’ll getit often enough at mealtime —but would benefit from presen-tations on lesson planning for aclass of 40. A foreign teacherdoesn’t need a lesson on how topour drinks Korean-style —she’ll get one from her friendslater — but will need to learnhow to fit into the teachers’ of-fice. An orientation doesn’t needa mundane lecture onHangeul—-teachers take theinitiative to learn on their own
— but NSETs should be giventhe opportunity to take Koreanclasses while here. Teachers —some of whom have nevertaught before — need to be ac-climated to the Korean class-room as quickly as possiblethrough practical lessons fromexperienced NSETs, not fromteachers or bureaucrats whodon’t understand the NSET ex-perience.
Training sessions need to fo-cus on the classroom and howEnglish is taught, and thusneed to include Korean Englishteachers. It’s been several yearssince NSETs have been intro-duced, yet schools are still un-clear about how they’re to beused. With some co-teachers,NSETs work as pronunciationguides, with others they splittime, and in some cases the co-teacher doesn’t show up forclass or workshops at all.
And just as there is ignoranceof Korean culture by someNSETs, there is ignorance ofEnglish and the culture ofEnglish-speaking cultures held
by Korean teachers, an igno-rance that can damage howEnglish is learned and how itsspeakers are understood. Someteachers believe, for example,that English doesn’t have politespeech, or that “What’s up!” isan acceptable greeting, or that“negro” or “colored” is an appro-priate term for “heukin” be-cause the dictionary says so.
One wonders whether a newmandatory training session on“Korea’s culture and practices”would be for the benefit ofNSETs or Koreans. Koreansspend a lot of time worryingabout their image in the eyes offoreigners, and it’s no coinci-dence that unsavory elementsof Korean culture are sup-pressed around foreign teachersin favor of sources of pride suchas food or weather. Koreans re-sent that some teachers come toKorea to travel and have fun,though this motive is perpetu-ated not only by recruiting com-panies that advertise Koreathusly, but by presentationsthat treat teachers not like pro-
fessionals but as tourists.Foreign teachers actually
seem responsive to the idea, andthough a local reporter titled hisstory on this “Foreign TeachersUnenthusiastic Over CultureCourse,” the president of theAssociation for Teachers ofEnglish in Korea said right inthe article “This is a great idea,if it’s done right.”
Unless Cho intends to giveteachers a lesson on Koreanbias and last-minute planning,a lot of thought needs to go intomaking these sessions work foreverybody. He should start byfirst offering opportunities forpractical training, languagecourses, and professional devel-opment, rather than announc-ing with much fanfare thatthey’ll be mandated.
The opinions expressed heredo not necessarily representthose of The Korea Herald. Formore of Brian Deutsch’s writ-ings, go to http://brian-deutsch.blogspot.com — Ed.
Skip kimchi lesson — teachers want real training
My crusade against discriminationKorean media deserves to be strongly condemned for ignoring sexism
The mediacan’t be ab-solved of por-traying only apart of the sto-ry.The maledominatedK orean mediautterly failed toshow the uglyunderbelly ofsexism and gen-dered discrimi-nation of soci-ety,which wasso blatantlypresent in ourcase.Han Ji-sun was notonly the victimof sexist com-ments,but shewas also physi-cally assaulted.
Bonojit Hussain poses in Seoul. He iscurrently in his home country of Indiapreparing his Ph.D proposal and will returnto Korea. Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald
Bonojit Hussain poses in Seoul. He iscurrently in his home country of Indiapreparing his Ph.D proposal and will returnto Korea. Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald
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