The thoughts and feelings from Asian people about Black people seem to be a hot topic as of late.  While some try to paint everything and everyone with broad brush, it is not that easy.  The viewpoint of many people will depend on their experiences, so not everyone feels the same way.  But it is sometimes helpful to ask what will cause a person to feel a certain way about a person or a group of people.  So today, we’ll look at some reasons that could cause a Korean person to look or feel a certain way towards people who are not Korean.  Please keep in mind that this is not true of all Koreans, but it could explain why some feel a certain way.

If You’re Black in Korea, You Are From Africa

This may seem strange, but a number of waygookins in Korea that are Black have commented that people assume they are from Africa.  The Reason?  There are a number of people from Africa that work in Korea.  Is it a large number of people?  No.  Korea is still, by most estimates, 97% Korean as far as population.  So for many, they have never seen a Black person in person.  But if you were in an area where every Black person you saw was from Africa, you may also assume that the next Black person you see is from Africa as well.  Many times, it’s not meant to be disrespectful, even though it can come across that way.

Waygookins Cause Lots of Problems in Korea

The reason for this feeling with some is that, people who are not Korean do cause some problems in Korea.  Years ago, according to some, there was a major issue with soldiers from other countries coming to Korea, getting women pregnant and then leaving the mother and child behind to fend for themselves.  Some soldiers would commit crimes, but could not be punished because they were not Korean.  Since Korea has very strict drug laws, some drug issues are brought from waygookins.  Does this mean that all of Korea’s problems are from people who are not Korean?  No.  Not by a long shot.  But some problems are due to that.

Black People Are Poor, Criminals and Treat Women Badly

This is considered to be the most offensive stereotype that some Koreans have.  But what causes this stereotype to exist in the first place?  According to some, these stories were told to Korean parents so that they would not allow their daughters to marry Black men.  Since most Koreans at that time did not have any personal dealings with Black people, what would cause them to believe this is true?  For many, it was the negative images of Black people in music, movies and television.  Much of what was shown to people showed Black people living in poverty, resorting to crime in order to get by and viewing women as sex objects.  Although not every Korean thought this was true, and many had dealt with enough Black people to know this wasn’t true, some did believe what they saw.

Before judging Koreans harshly for this, keep in mind that the same feelings have been held by people in other countries as well.  Also, Korean people have been the victims of this same treatment because of negative stereotypes spread about them to other people around the world.  Because of this, many feel that Korean people are greedy, materialistic people who care very little about others.  But just as people who actually know Black people know that many stereotypes are true, the same goes for Korean people as well. While media can do good to report the truth and help people to come together, it can do negative things to drive people apart as well.

This post is not designed to make excuses for when people behavior in a rude or prejudice manner.  But if you know the reason why some negative thoughts exist, it helps you to better deal with and overcome them.  It also helps to keep in mind that not everything on TV and the internet is true.  Not everyone feels one way, positively or negatively towards any one group of people.  But as knowledge is built up, walls start to come down.  Hopefully this will help you to deal with any behaviors or feelings that you are not familiar with, so you can allow the truth to shine through and educate others.  Just be sure that you are equally open minded when dealing with others as well.