Racist Propaganda on MBC

Some of my friends on Facebook had linked to this video on their walls. They expressed a great deal of distaste over it, so I was curious as to what it was about. Fortunately someone had posted a translation under it, so I could follow along.

It quickly came clear I wouldn’t really require that translation, because the video was exceedingly blunt. It was racist clap-trap; the type I am all-too familiar with over here in Korea. Its subject matter supposedly exposed just how dangerous foreign men were to Korean women. It’s a nasty stereotype that just won’t die away, and it’s part of the reason why E-2 Visa holders in Korea require HIV tests before teaching.

I figured this video deserved a wider audience, so I took the liberty to download it myself, and then painstakingly added English subtitles to it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you MBC’s The Shocking Reality About Relationships With Foreigners.

Will it ever end?

This type of BS is exceedingly hurtful. It creates an air of distrust between foreigners and Koreans. It attempts to shame Korean women into staying away from foreign men. It damages Korea’s international image.

The country is expected to host the 2018 winter Olympics, and yet programing such as this continues to be produced.

For those of you who think this is just a problem with MBC, I beg to differ. Here is a video I shot myself in 2010 with an immigration official talking about rising foreign crime rates and the need for HIV testing:

The attitude goes far beyond MBC

If you need help understanding the why of it all, I direct you to another blogger: Gusts of Popular Feeling.
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As was noted, the video was translated before I got to it. The subtitles differ a bit, but here is the original translation. People have asked for it, so they can make their own YouTube videos:

Translation: MBC ‘세상보기 시시각각’s "The Shocking Reality About Relationships with Foreigners"
Voice 1:“If I say "I'm an American", I have no trouble with trying to meet women in Korea."

Voice 2: "I became pregnant."

Voice 3: "I tested positive for HIV"

Narration: As the days go by, the foreign population in Korea is increasing, and it causes an inconvenient truth as Korean women are trying to hang out with foreigners in Korea. We covered this news story.

Sub: (Title: "The Shocking Reality About Relationships with Foreigners")

Narration: A foreign participant who has recently become famous from a Korean audition tv program "Superstar Korea" has caused controversy on fraud charges and for being involved with many Korean women. A moral about foreigners who live in Korea has become a social issue.

Sub: Fraud, A sex scandal.....

Narration: We went to a place where we can meet foreigners easily. In that place, we can find couples who look like foreign men and Korean women walking all over the streets with daring intimacy.

Sub: Compromising scenes are happening all over the place.....

Sub: in a club...

Narration: We went to a club that is popular for many Korean women. We can see many couples who are physically affectionate there, making onlookers uncomfortable. This is like the compromising physical intimacy as seen in films.

Sub: It seems natural for them to have physical contact (with foreigners)....

Narration: Do you think that their relationship is based upon trust or just curiosity?

Foreign man 1: “If I say "I'm an American", I have no trouble with trying to meet women in Korea."

Foreign man 2: "She came to the bar to meet me and my friend. (indistinguishable) and then the next day, we woke up and she left and it was all well and good. And that night she called me 27 times in less than 30 minutes.”

Narration: What makes Korean women open their mind so easily to foreign men?

Junsung Park (Professor of Psychological Rehabilitation, at Korea Nazarene University): In comparison to dating Korean men , there are fewer opportunities to date foreign men. So, it is important for Korean women to develop a relationship with foreign men rapidly.

Narration: A Korean woman is trying to catch a cab. Later, a foreign man is approaching her. In a few minutes, they are in the romantic mood like an old couple.

Sub: In less than 10 minutes, their intimacy develops as if they are an old couple.
What do foreign men think about Korean women?

Foreign man 3: Korean girls are beautiful. (edit) I'm open minded so—(edit) (indistinguishable) stupid because you've never slept with a Korean. (edit) I come to the clubs and I'm going to get one later.

Korean Woman: Some Korean women are trying to meet foreign men to learn English but foreign men meet Korean women with a different purpose. I think that's why the relationship can't last long.

Sub: Physical contact is accomplished very easily.

Narration: Moreover, some Korean women who are interested in foreign men are trying to date with foreign men frequently. For this type of women, some foreign men make bad comments about Korean women. Therefore, other innocent Korean women suffer a lot from that. The problem is there is no place to appeal to for these women who are victims of foreigners.

Sub: Korean women are like a fast food.

Sub: “Help me, I was swindled by a foreigner"

Sub: Women being sexually assaulted by foreigners are increasing.

One reporter was trying to contact these victims of foreigners.

Victim 1: hello?

Reporter: hi, I am calling from MBC ‘세상보기 시시각각’ production team.

Victim 1: What's your business?

Reporter: We called because we heard you were the victim of a foreigner.

Victim 1: I have nothing to say about that.

Victim 2: I don't know what you're talking about.

Victim 3: That’s not true.

Narration: Most of the victims avoid telling the truth.

Victim 4 (for the victim, changed voice and scene): I became pregnant so I called him and told him about my pregnancy. Then he was trying to avoid my phone calls, telling me he was busy. A few days later, I called him again and the number was unavailable.

Korean man: (Talking about (Korean female) friend who met a foreigner at a foreigners club): She said she lent (her foreign boyfriend) 3,000,000 won. It was her key money for her monthly rental. Her boyfriend took her money and disappeared. This money issue doesn't surprise me at all...

Korean man (continued): One person wanted to talk to me. (After having a relationship with a foreign boyfriend), she went to the hospital to check her health. The doctor said that there was something wrong with her blood. He said he wanted to retest her blood, so she got her blood tested again, Don't be shocked... She was HIV positive.

Sub: At night, young Korean people and foreigners mingle in the street.
Narration: Most of the foreigners who were dating with Korean female victims disappeared without a trace directly after the event, so Korean female victims have to deal with all of the damages and remaining loss.

Junsung Park, Professor of Psychological Rehabilitation, at Korea Nazarene University: The foreign population in Korea will be increasing now and forever. Because of this growth, I think we should think critically about foreigners and keep thinking about this problem. Korean society should consider this problem too.

Narration: There are only a few uncomfortable cultures of affection that cause problems in Korea. It is now time that we formed proper and wholesome relationships with the opposite sex.