The Peace columnist in the Catholic Peace Weekly describes the problems of immigrants seen as an immigrant professor in an American University.
Her legal status is a migrant worker. Until she received permanent residency a few years ago, she had to worry about immigration documents. This is because if you cannot maintain your visa, you could become an ‘unregistered resident’ at any time. Some people would have called her an ‘illegal immigrant.’ After obtaining the documents, she was free from the threat of crackdowns and deportation. However, many people she knows miss deadlines and opportunities, and without the documents, become ‘illegal’, and endure discrimination. Their stories are rarely heard. This is because "the farther away a being is from power, the less it is talked about."
Because of this situation, we pay close attention to the images of immigrants represented in Korean media. The 'Gukppong' concept, (국뽕) is a Korean satirical phrase meaning "intoxicated with nationalism". As a result of extreme nationalism, it becomes negative for others
when it promotes national pride through the experiences of foreigners classified as elites and experts living in Korea.
Asian immigrants do not appear in these programs. They are represented as murderers, agents of violent organizations, human trafficking brokers, servile service workers, kind but ignorant people who do not know their rights, irresponsible and lying women in international marriages, and female victims who are always in need of help. Moreover, their appearances follow a set formula. Either get completely beaten by the main character and be discarded like rags, or be forgiven by the generous indigenous people, repent, realize who you are, and live on. Unable to accept this perspective of the indigenous people, she gets upset and changes the channel.
It was five years ago that the United Nations Committee on Racial Discrimination expressed concern that the racial discrimination situation in Korea was already serious and could lead to a national crisis. However, Korean society does not yet recognize discrimination against refugees and immigrants as racial discrimination. Racism in Korea takes the form of a racial hierarchy that looks down on people of color while viewing white people as superior. Its roots are racism, mental colonization, and internalized Orientalism stemming from modern and contemporary colonial history and the Korean War. The mechanism that encourages and justifies that discrimination is the law. Since most immigrants of color believe they are in the country, without following legal procedures, it's only natural to be discriminated against. Discrimination is most dangerous when it feels natural.
No immigrant wants to become an undocumented resident. The reason they are unable to register is not because they are involved in crime, as the media portrays, but because of institutional racism that leads to unequal administration. Under current law, migrant workers cannot change workplaces unless the employer is at fault. In other words, you cannot change your workplace without the consent of the company. Even if permission is obtained, movement is only possible within the same industry and within a certain area. They leave the workplace to survive and thus become ‘illegal’.
Moreover, if a child is born as an unregistered resident, the child is also placed in a blind spot of basic rights and legal protection. The government has expanded the scope for granting status of residence from 2022 to guarantee the right to education of undocumented migrant children, but migrant families are having difficulty applying due to various barriers such as access to information and language. In addition, apart from improving children's rights, unregistered parents are subject to departure from the country. Racism in Korea is stratified by class and is passed down from generation to generation. Discrimination centered on race has become class stratified and is being passed down to the next generation.
"In terms of basic human rights, all forms of discrimination, whether social or cultural, or based on gender, race, skin color, social status, language, or religion, are contrary to the will of God and must be overcome and eliminated." This is the teaching of the church as specified in the Catechism. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1935)
There is no person in the world who deserves to be discriminated against. The gospel leaves no room for compromise on the need to love unconditionally. Opposing discrimination is not simply about showing mercy. It means acknowledging the minimum share that should be given to everyone, sometimes giving up one's own share, and even reclaiming the share of those who do not even know they should be given it. All humans have the right to be respected for the sole reason of life. Because God is breathing through that life.
