Man indicted in S. Korea's first racial discrimination case

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean man has been indicted on charges of
racial discrimination, the plaintiff's employer said Sunday, in the first such
case ever to be brought to court in this country that does not legally recognize
the offense.
The defendant, identified only by his surname Park, is accused of making
"racially biased remarks" to a visiting research professor at SungKongHoe
University from India, the university said.
Park, 31, allegedly called the professor "dirty" and said that he "smelled" while
the two were on a bus on July 10, according to university officials.
The defendant had brought a counter-suit against the professor, surnamed Hussein,
saying he first made insulting remarks, but later withdrew his complaint, they
said.
It was still unclear whether Park will be convicted of racial discrimination as
the country's criminal code does not recognize such an offense, according to
prosecution officials, who said the defendant was being tried only on insult
charges.
"Domestic law does not differentiate foreigners from local residents in such
cases," said Kim Joo-sun, the prosecutor in charge of the case in Bucheon,
southwest of Seoul.
Hussein's legal counsel hoped the case would at least raise the awareness about
racial discrimination in the country.
"The case will be an occasion to call our society's attention to racism that has
been tacitly permitted for so long and to raise questions about the issue," they
said.
Over 1 million foreigners currently reside in South Korea. That number is
expected to reach over 4 million in 2050.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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