Positive Attitude Changes in Korea

It's no secret that I take a very dim view of the jingoism that seems to pervade modern Korean society, but I'd like to take a break for once from criticizing to note that the picture of Korean attitudes towards foreigners isn't all bleak.

The survey asked Koreans if they'd dislike having the following sorts of people as neighbors:

Drug addicts: 98.6 percent
AIDS patients: 93.5 percent
Ex-cons: 88.4 percent
Homosexuals: 87.3 percent
Alcoholics: 76.4 percent
Unmarried couples: 48.2 percent
Foreign laborers and immigrants: 38.7 percent
People of a different race: 36.5 percent

Bias against foreign laborers had decreased dramatically, with 62.8 of respondents saying they would not like to have foreign laborers as neighbors in 1995 and 50.0 percent in 2001, but only 38.7 percent said they'd dislike having Ahmed the Bengali factory worker as a neighbor in 2005.

It might not seem like much to cheer about that essentially 2 in 5 Koreans are openly xenophobic while more than 1 in 3 openly confess to being racists, but considering where attitudes were a mere 10 years ago, this is indeed a change of drastic proportions, and with any luck this trend is set to continue for a while yet. No country is free of xenophobes and racists, and I'm sure that as elsewhere there'll always be a hardcore 10-20% who will never stop hating those who are different simply for being different, but the prospect of Korea becoming a more open society in which every little thing foreigners do is no longer enough to set the angry mobs ablaze is one we can realistically look forward to - though I'm sure anti-American and anti-Japanese posturing will still remain favored activities even when that glorious day dawns.

Now, as for the attitudes revealed even today towards homosexuals and unmarried couples ...

PS: That there is still quite a ways to go is made abundantly clear by this post on pride-motivated arms development plans, as well as this one on Korean troublemakers "farmers" locked up in Hong Kong.

Comments

[Andrew]

I suppose we could also be encouraged that fewer people are eager to go to war for Korea today than in 1995, so that the jingoism has less chance of being translated into actual war...

[Abiola Lapite]

That was my first thought as well, but my inner cynic keeps telling me that this probably has a lot more to do with an infatuation with "brotherhood" with the DPRK than it does with any great decline in tolerance for belligerence per se; I bet if the question were rephrased with Japan as the implied target of hostilities the answers received wouldn't be quite so positive. Korea's come a long way in a very few years, but I think many more Hwang-gate style deflations of "urinara manse" jingoism are going to be needed yet.

[gene berman]

I spent just a bit over 18 months in Korea almost 45 years ago and could say that there were divisions in their society even then with respect to "attitude toward foreigners" (at least Americans). Most of the hostility seemed to come from young men and, I would guess, was based primarily on the pre-emption of gals by the comparatively wealthy US soldiers. That hostility seemed much reduced among ROK soldiers and even more so among the KATUSAs--ROK soldiers assigned in units to the US forces. Older folks (who could remember being governed by Japan) seemed far less resentful; these also were probably far more cognizant of the protection they were being afforded from attack by NK.

I was involved in a particularly dramatic display of pro-US sentiment. I was bound for Seoul after work from our base, which was about 40 mi north (actually in part of NK we held which ended up on our side of the DMZ).

I had missed the regular bus from the base and so walked to the nearby Korean town, where I knew there were buses in the same direction. The bus I boarded was almost full, most being ROK soldiers. I paid the requested fare and found a place to sit. Pretty soon, I became aware of heated argument, mostly between the driver and various soldiers (and between some of the soldiers). Abruptly, the bus pulled over and most of the soldiers and the driver got off and continued outside. Gradually, even the soldiers who hadn't gotten off did so and joined the others.

Then, the argument seemed settled. All the soldiers reboarded. Finally, the driver, the last to reboard, came to me and thrust a bit of money at me. I had no idea what was going on--hadn't realized any connection between myself and the activity I'd seen. Then, a ROK lieutenant came and explained that the driver had charged me the regular fare and the argument was that many of the soldiers (they were divided on the issue) thought I sould be entitled to the same discount as other soldiers. Those in favor of the discount for me had demanded to be let off the bus and wanted their fares returned. And, while the bus was stopped and the argument still ongoing, the soldiers apparently achieved unanimity on the matter, leaving the driver with no support.