S Korea withdraws marriage handbook over ‘racist’ views

SOUTH KOREA has had to withdraw a handbook used in mandatory classes for citizens who are marrying foreign nationals due to its racist and stereotypical descriptions of foreigners.

Published by Seoul’s ministry of justice in 2019, the book – entitled Understanding t he Social Customs and Marriage Culture of Foreign Countries – has been used to instruct thousands of Koreans who apply for a marriage visa for spouses from Cambodia, China, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The book claims the Vietnamese are not able to admit they have done something wrong and have a tendency to make excuses for a mistake rather than apologising, The Korea Times reported.

“Insulting Filipinos with high selfesteem may lead to unexpected violence,” the book claims. “It is advisable to refrain from commenting about their skin colour or curly hair as they have feelings of inferiority about their looks.”

It also asserts: “Chinese tend to perceive other neighbouring ethnic groups as barbarians. Thais focus on getting things done quickly, but do not care about quality. Cambodians are usually shy and quiet, but they change their attitude dramatically when they are insulted, leading to violence and, in some cases, shootings.”

Politician Kim Jin-ae, of the Open Minjoo Party, condemned the booklet in a parliamentary hearing. He said: “It is simply discriminatory to educate people about their spouse’s culture through just one or two sentences.”

Reports on the contents of the handbook have triggered anger in online sites popular with people from Southeast Asian countries. “I have really soured on the country with their racist and disgusting views of other peoples,” said one post on the Resetera website.

The ministry said the manual was primarily designed for people who had met their future spouse online. It has promised to “consult human rights experts” on a revised version.