Or is this unfounded, racist reactionism?
And as for the requirement to screen for HIV for working in a classroom, this just furthers the already discriminatory attitude towards HIV-infected members of Korean society, who are forced to move out of their homes, fired from their jobs, and reduced to absolutely pariah-status. HIV is not SARS, and this is already a human rights violation, before even extending this to non-Koreans trying to work in a hagwon.
Here's the press release, which I just received from the Association for Teachers of English in Korea:
January 5, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amendment to Immigration Control Act Proposed to Korean National Assembly
LEAD: On December 30, 2008, a bill was introduced to the Korean National Assembly proposing an amendment of the Immigration Control Act. The Association for Teachers of English in Korea responds.
On December 30, 2008, a bill was introduced to the Korean National Assembly proposing an amendment of the Immigration Control Act. The bill seeks to establish the "legal basis to require foreigners applying for an employment visa to submit a criminal background check and health certificate" [1].
A complete translation of the reasons (제안이유) for the bill's introduction is as follows: "Nowadays, the number of foreigners working in Korea is increasing, but a good many [Korean: 상당수] have previous convictions for drug and sexual crimes or carry infectious diseases. As we require measures to deal with the threat they pose to our society's public order and our people's health, we herein prepare the legal basis to require that foreigners applying for an employment visa submit a criminal background check and a health certificate." [1]
E-2 visa holders are already required by the Korea Immigration Service to submit to drug checks, medical checks including an HIV test, and criminal background checks, however, the proposed bill states the revision would apply to "foreigners applying for an employment visa". This is a markedly larger group of foreigners than just E-2 visa holders. Further, by becoming an Act of the National Assembly, it becomes much more difficult to challenge.
An identical bill was introduced to the National Assembly on October 24, 2007 (5 days after the arrest of Christopher Paul Neil on October 19, 2007), but consideration was delayed due to the BBK controversy, and it expired with the adjournment of the 17th session of the National Assembly.
The October 2007 bill was introduced by twelve Members of the National Assembly. The December 2008 bill was introduced by 18 Members and is said to represent a broad political consensus. It is scheduled for vote within the next two months. The bill (in Korean) is available in PDF from the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK). See below for contact information.
The Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) calls on the author(s) of this bill to provide their evidence that "a good many" (상당수) foreigners working in Korea have previous convictions for drug and sexual crimes or carry infectious diseases. Obviously, with the stringent checks being done on E-2 visa holders, they are not part of the "good many" foreigners mentioned. How many E-1, E-6, E-7, and/or C-4 visa holders have been discovered to have criminal convictions or infectious diseases? This evidence cannot be produced because it does not exist.
Names of the 18 Members introducing the December 2008 bill:
신학용 - 박기춘 - 구본철 - 송영선 - 안민석 - 김희철 - 박종희 - 김우남 - 양정례
김종률 - 강성종 - 김충환 - 심재철 - 박상돈 - 진성호 - 원혜영 - 김성곤 - 강창일
Names of the 12 Members introducing the October 2007 bill:
신학용 - 강창일 - 박상돈 - 김태년 - 김영주 - 정봉주 - 이계안 - 한광원 - 송영길 - 김교흥 - 김부겸 - 홍미영
About the Association for Teachers of English in Korea
The Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) is a newly forming group representing teachers of English in Korea. Media inquiries are handled by Communications Director Tony Hellmann, at [email protected] or 010-3993-2484.
[1] Based on a translation of the original Korean document.
As anyone who has lived in Korea for a long time knows, the politics of shame and bad PR work wonders here. Spread the word about increasing racial scapegoating of foreigners for what are really very domestic problems.
PERCEPTION: Foreigners are AIDS-carrying, child molesting threats to youth.
REALITY: There are almost no documented cases of child molestation from foreigner teachers, even though half-baked (or even made up) cases make it to the papers, with no retractions after BS is called. In fact, the cases of sexual violence and abuse carried out in normal KOREAN schools shocks as they make the news daily, but no one's calling it a pattern.
PERCEPTION: Foreigners are bringing in drugs and even selling it in large numbers in the country, and foreigner crime is increasing.
REALITY: The overall crime rate amongst foreigners is up, but only in relation to rising numbers of foreigners overall. In terms of proportional numbers, the crime rate for foreigners across the board is far, far lower than for the Korean population, as a few responsible venues (namely, the Chosun Ilbo) have pointed out.
The context of all this is the creation of a racist whipping boy for all problems, foreign and domestic.
