Racism in Asia: More Widespread Than We Know

Racism in Asia is more widespread than one can imagine. Fame is no shield from racism.

Lalisa Manobal, better known as Lisa, the Thai rapper in the global K-Pop phenomenon Blackpink, is adored by millions. Yet, she endures racist remarks from some South Korean fans simply because of her Thai nationality.

When Thai beauty queen Petch Teeyapar accused South Korean airport officers of "scamming" her in April, it highlighted a common complaint of Thais who travel there: racism.

Petch accused the officials of swindling her with a 5 percent tax on the cash she had brought into the country for plastic surgery but had never spent. Forced to hand over around US$1000 as she departed the country, she said a female Korean officer was prejudiced, specifically against Thai women.

Last year, beauty influencer @Heiditalks complained on her social media about being discriminated against in Korea. These are just two examples of numerous complaints by Thai tourists.

The problem is not exclusive to popstars and influencers.

These incidents highlight the complex relationship between Thailand and South Korea — a mix of admiration for South Korean pop culture and economic success alongside accusations of discrimination against Thai tourists and workers.

Discrimination allegations

The hashtag "#bankoreatravel" often trends in Thailand after incidents such as South Korean immigration officers putting Thai tourists on a flight home due to various suspicions of criminality. Or when Thai tourists complain of poor treatment at stores, restaurants and on the streets. Or when there's a viral clip arguing over who's better looking, Thai or Korean men.

Many Thai travellers have been subjected to exhaustive interrogation by South Korean immigration officers, highlighting the humiliating and prejudiced situation faced by many Southeast Asians visiting South Korea.

Last year, a Thai woman made headlines, accusing South Korea's immigration officer of discrimination for turning her back home while allowing her husband and one-year-old child through. Social media erupted, only to later find out that she was an agent trafficking illegal workers.

Therein lies the issue.

At South Korea's Incheon International Airport, immigration officers are vigilant for illegal workers posing as tourists. Most are from Southeast Asia, with illegal workers from Thailand ranking at the top.

According to South Korea's Immigration Service, as of January 2023, there were more than 100,00 Thai workers residing in the country, 75 percent of them being illegal workers.

Malaysia too is not spared. There have been incidents where many Malaysians were denied entry to South Korea despite providing sufficient travel documents. This was mainly due to cases of Malaysians overstaying their tourist visas and working in the country illegally or were duped by fake job ads promising lucrative income.

Even an Australian highlighted the racial discrimination and mistreatment her Malaysian friend endured in South Korea. The racist attitude towards non-Koreans is more prevalent among older Koreans who do not accept foreigners.

Population challenges

South Korea has among the world's lowest birth rates, of just 0.72 in 2023 — down from 0.78 the previous year.

To address the declining population, the country has implemented policies to attract foreign workers and students.

According to a 2023 report by US News & World Report, South Korea ranks ninth out of 79 countries in the world in terms of racism.

A survey by South Korea's National Human Rights Commission revealed that nearly 70 percent (68.4 percent) of 338 immigrants felt they faced racial discrimination. The most common reasons reported were language barriers (62.3 percent), nationality (59.7 percent), ethnicity (47.7 percent), race (44.7 percent), and skin colour (24.3 percent).

In the 2019 article "The Devolution of Multiculturalism in South Korea," researchers stated that South Korea has a "vague and broad understanding of multiculturalism".

The "explosion" of low-wage migrant workers that started in the 1980s is "unusual, and even counter-intuitive, given that Korea has long maintained a strong sense of ethnic nationalism based on (a myth of) mono-ethnicity."

The pattern is not dissimilar to the explosion of new Irish and Italian immigrants to the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s and African immigrants or asylum seekers to Australia and Europe in more recent years. The social impact leads to tribalism, whether based on race, skin tone, culture, nationality, religion, or all of the above.

However, it would be too simplistic to pin everything on migrant workers. Tribalism — whether in terms of race, religion, culture, nationality, skin tone, or income level — exists with or without them.

More than skin deep

According to a 2020 study, South Korea has a racial and skin-tone hierarchy. At the top of the pyramid are ethnic Koreans. In the middle are light-skinned immigrants from East and Central Asia, plus mixed Korean-White. At the bottom are dark-skinned Southeast Asian immigrants, mixed Korean-South Asian, and mixed Korean-Black. Thais, of course, are Southeast Asians with a darker skin tone.

Worth noting is the differentiation of light skin tone. The "right" light skin tone is the Korean skin tone, not the Western light skin tone.

There is also a wealth hierarchy between developed and developing nations.

In the early Cold War era, South Korea's GDP was lower than Thailand's. By the later stage of the era, both became export-led economies fuelled by American aid and investments, helmed by an autocratic regime. Over three decades after the Cold War ended, South Korea became a developed country with its K-pop soft power influencing the globe.

Thailand, meanwhile, went through three military coups, is politically unstable, and is still a developing country.

Heidi, the beauty influencer, is mixed white and light-skinned. She was treated courteously until the revelation of her nationality, a Thai, from a poorer nation.

The article "Understanding Koreanness" discussed the Korean identity encompassing bloodline, language, and cultural knowledge. The article elaborated on the "Korean skin privilege", or "Koreanness", works much like the racial construct of whiteness in the US in the sense that it differentiates Koreans and non-Koreans and grants privileges and unearned advantages to those who fit the description of Korean.

The media also reinforces the privilege or sense of superiority by publishing articles that claim one country is better than others.

A CNN article on the things Koreans do better than everyone else isn't designed or intended to foster racism. But there is no doubt it is an ego boost that fuels the sense of superiority.

A racial, skin tone, and wealth hierarchy in Thailand also exist. At the top of the hierarchy are light-skinned Thai-Chinese and mixed Thai-White. Below are the darker-skinned ethnic Thais, Isaan, Malay, mixed Thai-Black, and others. Migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia also face discrimination.

Those considered "hi-so" (high society) are stereotypically Thai-Chinese that dominate the economy. Plastic surgery and skin lightening/bleaching are lucrative businesses in the megalithic beauty industry, where many Thais want to achieve the East Asian look.

A question of identity

While there is Koreanness or the Korean identity, there is also Thainess or the Thai identity.

But Thainess is more cultural than skin tone.

Traditionally, it encompasses traditional values of national slogans: Nation, Religion, and King. As such, when Miss Thailand Universe 2020, Amanda Obdam displayed her support for the right to protest by monarchy reformers, she faced a backlash for being "un-Thai". Her Eurasian features, normally considered a high-valued beauty standard in Thailand, became negative with accusations that "she doesn't even look Thai."

The current Thai government is promoting "soft power" through Thainess, not in a traditional sense, but by defining Thainess as traditional clothes, foods, festivals, cultures, temples, and monuments, among other things.

Muay Thai is also classified as Thainess, leading to a social media war between Thai and Cambodian netizens. The latter claims that the Cambodian martial art of Kun Khmer preceded Muay Thai.

Therefore, as Koreans look down on Thais, Thais look down on Cambodians. Racism is more prevalent than we think. In addition, within a given society, there's a hierarchy defined by social values that feed internal discrimination. In fact, we can open up a world map, shut our eyes, and point a finger down onto any space. There, we will find prejudice and discrimination based on tribalism at one level or another.

Voranai Vanijaka is a journalist and a political communications and global media industries lecturer at Thammasat University. Between 2008 and 2014, he wrote the Sunday Commentary for the Bangkok Post, critically analysing Thai politics, society, human rights, and democracy. He won the 2010 M.R. Ayumongkol Sonakul Award for his column.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

Dive deeper with The Probe. For thoughtful analysis and in-depth stories directly to your phone, join our WhatsApp channel. Click and Connect with us Today: [WhatsApp Channel Link] 🔗

At The Probe, our commitment to social impact journalism is at the core of everything we do. Funded by well-meaning individuals from the public, our aim is to drive positive social change and make a real-world impact through the stories we report. 

If you wish to support us, please visit our Truth Brigade page and contribute to a cause that resonates with you the most. It is through your support that we have been able to keep the flame of our journalism alive in these difficult times. Click link to support us to make a difference: https://theprobe.in/truth-brigade