KBS Program May 31st 10PM Comparing Korean Attitudes to Light VS. Dark Skin

[k.l.]

If anyone is online and has a chance to check out a very very interesting documentary about Korean attitudes toward foreingers and their attitudes toward skin colour, it's on today. KBS and it is very, very telling about Korean perceptions. It is all in Korean, so home your level is up to the task! If you really want to know their perspective, this one is very honest.

They conducted a test with 2 Americans. One had Caucasian features and the other more South Asian. They tested asking for help carrying heavy bags up a subway, giving up a seat for injury etc. In 90% of cases, the lighter skinned person received much, much better treatement while the darker skin was almost completely ignored. This included walking around in a cast with two crutches on the subway and walking around in the same crutches asking for directions.

I've been here a long time and know this all already, but for those of you not to knowledgable, check it out, or try to get someone to help you watch a replay or something. I didn't catch the program name yet.

[sweetiesmith]

Unfortunately, that is very true the discrimination against darker people. That being said, I'm an African American and I've been here two years. When I really needed help, there has always been someone there to help me. I feel that sometimes when I travel into Seoul and I look lost or need help translating, there is someone always there to go out of there way and help me.

[k.l.]

Yes, I totally understand. I'm not saying at all that no one helped. But when they did the comparative, there was a big difference in treatment. In the end, someone did assist in every case. The program is really just highlighting cultural differences and what has become normal in society.

In Korea, it is not just where you are from but also the tone of your skin. Dark tones are associated with having to work outside and lower class. Still persists.

[Danzo]

Its similar with Dark-Skinned Koreans or Asians too. Your treatment in society is much better if your skin is fair. There's plenty of products in USA for tanning but the opposite is true here, more products are involved for skin whitening (few have meager results that I've tried). Anyways, I don't like the discrimination.
But aesthetically, the contrast of lighter skin against dark hair looks better so I would like lighter skin.

[sweetiesmith]

So anyone with darker skin and black hair doesn't look as nice as with lighter skin? Wow, I feel bad people in Malaysia, Philippines, Thai, etc....you know since they have darker skin and black hair.  :(

[NZ4Life]

If anyone is online and has a chance to check out a very very interesting documentary about Korean attitudes toward foreingers and their attitudes toward skin colour, it's on today. KBS and it is very, very telling about Korean perceptions. It is all in Korean, so home your level is up to the task! If you really want to know their perspective, this one is very honest.

They conducted a test with 2 Americans. One had Caucasian features and the other more South Asian. They tested asking for help carrying heavy bags up a subway, giving up a seat for injury etc. In 90% of cases, the lighter skinned person received much, much better treatement while the darker skin was almost completely ignored. This included walking around in a cast with two crutches on the subway and walking around in the same crutches asking for directions.

I've been here a long time and know this all already, but for those of you not to knowledgable, check it out, or try to get someone to help you watch a replay or something. I didn't catch the program name yet.

i haven't watched the clip yet, but koreans don't even help each other out in these cases so why is this necessarily correlated to skin color? Being associated with the country that liberated Korea [could] have a lot to do with it whereas being an immigrant/migrant worker may not necessarily elicit the same appreciation. that being said, i am a darker-skinned south east asian (filipino) but if  koreans don't first confuse me as one of their own and understand i am indeed an american with a degree from a california university (as far as i can tell) i am never associated with the "lower class" of these asian manual laborers. somehow i think this is again, the same irresponsible journalism the network has been known for 

[Sara]

Please remember the OP simply wanted to announce the program. This is not a discussion about race in Korea...we've already had plenty of those and they've always ended badly.

This is why we can't have nice things... 

[adriansergiusz]

My Korean friend showed me a similar thing that was done a few years ago with a similar situation.

EBS conducted it. It's in Korean but you can very much grasp the idea very quickly.

Sorry here is the program I forgot to post.

[NZ4Life]

Please remember the OP simply wanted to announce the program. This is not a discussion about race in Korea...we've already had plenty of those and they've always ended badly.

This is why we can't have nice things... 

what if we play nice this time? =(

[Sara]

Please note: writing "swear i'm not trolling" after your post does not mean you're not trolling. If your statements are still inflamitory and off topic then you are trolling, regardless of your very best intentions.

This is your second warning. If there's another post which violates terms and conditions, we will have to lock the topic.

[k.l.]

I don't mind if it is locked. It was just an announcement...people should watch the program first and then form their own opinions.

[woman-king]

For what it's worth I think it's good to see some halfway-empirical investigating done about race in Korea by a Korean network.  To anyone who's been here very long, though, the information won't be new or surprising--but it could be informative for newbies (though not sure there are too many new NETs with a strong grasp of Korean...)