Have You Experienced Racism In Korea As A Foreigner?

Añadido: 2026-06-03

[00:00:01]What's going on? Welcome to Korean American Expats. So, about the site to go back with K Explorer. And yeah, when he was doing the street interviews, the question is have you experienced racism in Korea as a foreigner?

[00:00:20]So, let's get into this.

[00:00:23]>> Where are you from and how long have you been living in South Korea?

[00:00:26]>> I'm from Portugal and I've been living for 3 years.

[00:00:29]>> I'm born in Korea, raised in Australia, Melbourne, Australia and I've been in Korea for roughly about 7 years.

[00:00:36]>> I'm from Seattle and I've been here for 8 months.

[00:00:40]>> I'm also I'm from Hawaii and I've been in Korea for about 7 months.

[00:00:42]>> Okay, I'm from India and I have been living here for 6 years. Yeah.

[00:00:47]>> What do you do for a living in Korea?

[00:00:48]>> Oh, I'm an English teacher, typical of, you know, if you're a foreigner and I'm casually taking photographs over the weekend.

[00:00:55]>> In the army.

[00:00:56]>> Yeah, we're both we're both in the army.

[00:00:58]>> I'm a software engineer and yeah, I came here as a student and then uh tried to see if I can get a job and I was successful, so I decided to stay a little bit more longer.

[00:01:11]>> How has your living experience been so far in Korea?

[00:01:14]>> Oh, it's been it's been fine, good.

[00:01:16]>> Uh so far it's been great, you know. I love it. Like it's it's a very fun country, so yeah.

[00:01:22]>> Like what do you love about South Korea?

[00:01:24]>> Uh just I like the food, I like the culture and like just it's just a lot different than America, I guess, in that sense. So.

[00:01:34]Yeah.

[00:01:35]I really like the culture here.

[00:01:39]You can go go to and see so many different things. I'm trying to stay here longer. Like I really like being here.

[00:01:47]>> Have you experienced any form of discrimination or racism in Korea? Or like do you know anyone around you that have experienced something like that?

[00:01:55]>> I know some people, but I've never experienced that extreme.

[00:02:00]>> Okay.

[00:02:01]>> Yeah.

[00:02:02]>> You just made mention about you know like that extreme, but like you've had you know like a form of discrimination somehow?

[00:02:08]>> Not discrimination, but you always feel different. You It's not You're always the foreigner. I don't know if you know what I mean, but Yeah.

[00:02:25]I think you know in >> For me For me, there's some people out there who don't attitude towards people who speak English. So like looking like a Korean, but speaking English, they kind of look at you like um like uh you're not Korean or something like uh it's hard to explain, but it's like they have that attitude where they kind of like you're a traitor.

[00:02:46]Like you're Korean, but like you're fled overseas or that kind of attitude, which is kind of ridiculous. And I mean that's the kind of attitude you can't really explain or understand. But I think like any type of racism it's really difficult to understand.

[00:02:58]>> Super.

[00:02:58]>> Yeah, so I have that. Um Apart from that, um no not nothing nothing too extreme, but I think like the skin color helps me out, too.

[00:03:07]>> Oh, okay.

[00:03:08]>> Yeah, so I mean I don't look too different to other Koreans. I'm not like full white, I'm not full black. I don't have that kind of like a huge difference where people look at you. Just visually like I'm just one of them. So you know I I think that's a advantage for me as a foreigner.

[00:03:20]>> I would say >> Yeah, uh what is it? Uh Yeah, I we we could pretty much blend in especially if you're you know Asian here. We blend in and that's probably the advantage that we have. Uh yeah, there's once in a while maybe It's mostly the older folks.

[00:03:42]Uh Like one time um yeah, I was with uh And this is like my buddy who's Korean-American.

[00:03:52]I ran into older Korean and he's like, "Why don't you speak Korean?" I said, "I don't feel like it." Uh he goes, "Give me the respect." And I'm just like, "You know what? I'm I'm going to just roll out cuz I don't want to get into a fight with you and end up beating your ass and that's that, you know?" And they're like, "What, dude?" I said and I'm like, "Dude, don't have him come here. I I don't even care, man. Just let it be, you know?" And and that's what it is. And then of course, like the guy said, you might have a few Koreans that are like, "Why is that Why is those fools speaking English?" And they don't understand we're Korean-Americans or overseas Koreans. And yeah, that's what we're comfortable with. So, it's like, "Okay."

[00:04:35]And yeah, I just uh prefer English. It's just It is what it is. So, yeah.

[00:04:41]>> A little bit. Yeah, of course. I mean, I can see I'm a brown chick and >> [laughter] >> I Like, if I compare it when I go out with my white friends who are girls and like boys approaching, they would be like, "Oh, they don't even look at you." Kind of.

[00:04:58]Yeah, right. I know. So, that's the one thing and then even in the workspace, maybe it's just the foreigners, not the mm any color thing.

[00:05:08]But even in the workspace, you don't get treated very well sometimes. Uh they are mean to you guys. Like, that's what I hear.

[00:05:23]Yeah.

[00:05:29]>> They both change it up and say like, "Oh, 23 and under" or something. But really, it's like, "No, I know exactly like who you're saying you don't want in there."

[00:05:37]And it's it's just not me, you know? So, and then obviously, it's a taxi cab a lot of times. We'll try to go in, ask to go somewhere and they'll say like, "No" immediately and then pick up somebody else that's like literally right next to us, you know, so >> Okay. that's all really. Yeah.

[00:05:51]>> And like how do you feel about that?

[00:05:53]>> Uh, I mean, I kind of get it and I understand, you know, I'm not going to make a big deal out of it, you know, I'll just move on to the next thing and you know, I mean, obviously I I can get where I need to get to just fine or I can go to the next club, you know, just fine, so I'm not and it kind of sucks, but at the same time like I'm not going to argue it, you know.

[00:06:10]Yeah.

[00:06:11]Um, like the biggest one for me would be the taxi drivers as well.

[00:06:15]I don't think that they'd like be malicious about it, but I just think they see you're foreign, they see you're different, it's a little uncomfortable.

[00:06:23]And it racism, arrogance, ignorance, all of it is in a different shape, color, and size anywhere you go. So, I think as being a foreigner and definitely a minority here, you see a little more of it than the average person once, but I don't think it's any worse here. I actually think it's really mild here, but it is what it is.

[00:06:43]>> What what part of the >> Yeah, uh, the thing is, yeah, I don't really like taking taxis unless I really have to. Like for example, like I'm carrying a lot of, you know, luggage, so those taxis are effective or there's no trains or buses, then I have to take a taxi, but most of the times I just don't want to take a taxi and a lot of my friends are like, "Take a taxi, a taxi."

[00:07:10]You know, even my when my sister and mom came, "Take a taxi." I'm like, "No, I don't want to deal with that fool, man."

[00:07:16]I don't want to deal with the taxi driver. I just don't in general. So, but yeah, it is what it is, so yeah.

[00:07:26]>> Besides like doing your fitting biz, you know, like on your 3-year, you know, like experience here?

[00:07:31]>> I I was doing a master's before, but now I'm working and they don't speak much of English, so I have to speak most of the time in Korean. So, when I don't understand something, I feel out of place.

[00:07:43]>> Is xenophobia like a thing here based on like your living experience for the past 7 years?

[00:07:48]>> Um xenophobia as in like for skin color wise and stuff like that?

[00:07:51]>> Generally, like towards foreigners.

[00:07:53]>> Yeah.

[00:07:54]Um I think it's a very underlying thing.

[00:07:57]Like it like it is there. Socially, I think um people kind of second guess you. So, if you walk into a restaurant, I'm not sure if you if you if you've experienced it, but um for me and my friends when we're hanging out, if we're heading to a restaurant, um they kind of look at you like, are you here to eat or like they they're not that welcoming. They're kind of looking at you with like a strange look first.

[00:08:18]And then I might step in and speak in Korean like, oh like do you have a table for four or do you have a table for for three? And then when they see someone speaking Korean, they're they look like they're a bit more at ease.

[00:08:28]So, I think there is that definitely underlying thing.

[00:08:30]>> If you are a girl, you have been you are being treated a little bit better, I would say. I think like they compliment you sometimes. Oh, you look pretty.

[00:08:39]Where are you from? Um something like that. But the discrimination part maybe it's just the foreigners. They don't like the foreigners at all.

[00:08:48]>> You made mention as to like, you know, clubs don't accept, you know, like foreigners like, you know, sometimes.

[00:08:52]Why do you think, you know, like they they they do that?

[00:08:55]>> Um I mean, there are instances obviously where like foreigners may cause some sort of trouble, you know, a lot of times. And so, maybe they experience some like those those little few minority groups where there there are issues a lot of times, you know, there might be fights or something, but you know, the fact that they equate those small issues with like the bigger group is like is is probably what they're doing, you know.

[00:09:15]>> Um it's really mild here. Like I think that they do a now I don't think it really comes off as racism.

[00:09:27]It's definitely it's see before you're not from here in this like I I like some Yeah, it's pretty mild.

[00:09:38]>> My friend >> [laughter] >> she was she's a teacher and she was teaching and they were talking about India I guess and the kids were like that you know they're like small kids and they were like oh we don't like Indian people they look like muddy and oh my god.

[00:09:55]Right? I was like where are you listening this from? They're like kids and this is going to mold them in future yeah. This is going to be their thing in the future if you treat them or show them these things yeah.

[00:10:09]>> What do you like and also you know Yeah, before you go yeah I've heard stories from other foreigners of color you know they're like oh like one of the what the kindergarten it was I'm trying to bite off your skin. I'm just like whoa.

[00:10:26]Um yeah it's chocolate. Um yeah let's see if you turn white. Oh my oh my own. It's like what the hell man.

[00:10:37]It's like who's telling this to the you know the kids and stuff. You're like what the hell are you guys teaching them at home or something? You're you're just wondering.

[00:10:48]>> What you dislike about living in South Korea?

[00:10:50]>> First I have a lot of friends and Korean people are very nice mostly.

[00:10:55]And what at work even though I work a lot of hours they're very welcoming as I said before.

[00:11:02]And bad things I can't go to because because I work I can't really go to Portugal often. And I feel like my English is getting very bad because I always speaking in Korean.

[00:11:13]>> Transportation it's so easy to get anywhere yeah right?

[00:11:18]The convenience store it's open like 24/7.

[00:11:22]Uh I mean people are nice too if you find the right people they are nice.

[00:11:27]>> Where are you from?

[00:11:29]>> Yeah so So you go K Explorers. So I mean we don't deal with too much like blatant racism, but you know, some of the things like yeah, yeah, Koreans are like or they could be curious, but you know, it is what it is.

[00:11:46]And we have, you know, problems everywhere around the world. So yeah. All right, so if any of you enjoyed Andy's content, please give me the HKO special. Help the king out. Hit the like, subscribe, and comment. And wherever you are, stay safe, and I'll see you in my next video.