Is S Korea racist towards Thais? Dehumanizing immigration ordeal says yes

[richard_smith237]

100% racist…. 
  
I know of two recent cases where ‘well do to’ Thai females travelling with their husband were rejected a visa (3x in a row), and one refused upon entry. 

 

Korea Immigration is definitely racist towards Thai’s, especially Thai females.

& Thai Immigration retaliate against Koreans making life difficult for many of them. It’s tit-for-tat. 
 

Wife was going on an all girls trip, they’d planned for Korea, but after looking into it some more just decided to boycott the place.

[ThaiFelix]

5 hours ago, patongphil said:

Not surprised here.

Tens of thousands of Thais work illegally in S. Korea. My brother in law was one of them until caught and deported last year.

Now busy trying to get enough money together to return, again illegally.

Exactly right!.  Last yeat they even turned a whole plane around I believe, because it was mostly Thai "touristys" looking for work.  About the same time my S in Law lost money to an agent who got caught organising Thais to korea for work.  The Koreans are fed up with it, its been in the news lots.  However I have a Thai step son there having a great time and making lots of money, no talk of racism there.

[richard_smith237]

22 minutes ago, essex boys said:

Great to hear that Thais are getting the same treatment that they dish out to foreigners who are entering or living in Thailand, round of applause to the Koreans 👍🏻

So you are also racist then? taking pleasure at fully legal Thais encountering dehumanising treatment at the hands of overzealous Korean immigration officers who are racist against Thai citizens. 

[LALes]

Every country in Asia is racist/xenophobic with their own, peculiar, often demeaning terminology for outsiders.  Gwailo in China, Gaijun in Japan, Farang in Thailand...

Hey Thailand, karma's a biatch  ain't it.

[Falcon]

6 hours ago, PJ71 said:

brilliant - now they know how it feels for tourists getting interogated entering thailand and their silly requirements, ie onward flights / 20K cash / proof of hotel blah blah blah.

And what questions are the Thais asked when they go to other countries like the UK, us, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc? They have to first fight for a visa and the are subjected to all of the questions you have just complained about Thailand asking. If it was as easy for the Thais to travel to other countries and stay for immeasurable time as we foreigners can do here  in Thailand, I’m sure that everyone would be happy.

[sabai-dee-man]

Brilliant!

 

Som num nah!

[Cabradelmar]

There many Thais working in Korea illegally (as prostitutes, domestics, restaurant workers, farm hands, etc.). Korea has every right to deny someone entry if they can't prove their intent and purpose of their visit. It's not racism. It's call boarder control. And every sovereign country has the right to control immigration. Get over yourselves. 

[Cereal]

I lived and worked in S. Korea for 6 years. They are, generally speaking, incredibly racist. Especially to non-whites. 

 

As for the mention in the article about S. Korea being a travel destination for tourists worldwide...

 

HA!

As mentioned, I lived there 6 years and met precisely 1 tourist who was there specifically to see the country. The huge majority of tourists were from Japan (whom the Koreans actively hate) and were there to shop in Seoul. 

[Nemesis7]

Well I read the comments and  understand it is also a lesson for Thai not to discriminate but Iam also sure they won’t emphasise on that nor have better training how to handle in bound tourist or business man.

but on the other hand it’s also true that on recent social media it’s been observed that SK’s are targeting Asians and misbehaving with them . I personally don’t support any form of illegal work or overstaying issues but being racist is totally a new level. I heard they also have issues with skin color in particular with darker shades and day by day plastic surgery and other medical procedures are being performed for them to look white and younger . I have also seen many Korean Individual in several Asian countries setting up businesses illegally and doing business on tourist visa. can we deny many South koreans are still having illegal status in many countries in Europe or North America ? Should they be treated with racism?  They don’t cause people in first world countries are more civilized.  

[sabai-dee-man]

24 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

So you are also racist then? taking pleasure at fully legal Thais encountering dehumanising treatment at the hands of overzealous Korean immigration officers who are racist against Thai citizens. 

 

I don't have a racist bone in my body, but that doesn't preclude me from enjoying a bit of karma and laughing at the irony, having been on the recieving end in Thailand, China, Hong-Kong,  and India! That's hardly the definition of racism. 

[wensiensheng]

Can’t see that the thai government will make much of this. They want S Koreans to visit Thailand as tourists so won’t want to start a tit for tat war ( no pun intended)

in any case, what does the thai government care if a few Thais get treated badly trying to enter SKorea? There’s no money to be made in objecting and if the Koreans did a deep search for Thais working illegally in SKorea, they wouldn’t come up empty

[wensiensheng]

16 minutes ago, Falcon said:

And what questions are the Thais asked when they go to other countries like the UK, us, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc? They have to first fight for a visa and the are subjected to all of the questions you have just complained about Thailand asking. If it was as easy for the Thais to travel to other countries and stay for immeasurable time as we foreigners can do here  in Thailand, I’m sure that everyone would be happy.

Stay for immeasurable time?

 

pretty sure that most foreigners have to go through visa hoops to do that. You know, the ones where you have to hold a cash deposit in a thai bank, take photos of yourself in your own home, photocopy quite a few documents and THEN, even when you have a visa to stay, not immeasurable time but 1 year, report to immigration every three months to report your whereabouts, or report to immigration if you spend even one night outside of your own home.

 

you know, those kind of hoops.

[proton]

38 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

100% racist…. 
  
I know of two recent cases where ‘well do to’ Thai females travelling with their husband were rejected a visa (3x in a row), and one refused upon entry. 

 

Korea Immigration is definitely racist towards Thai’s, especially Thai females.

& Thai Immigration retaliate against Koreans making life difficult for many of them. It’s tit-for-tat. 
 

Wife was going on an all girls trip, they’d planned for Korea, but after looking into it some more just decided to boycott the place.

 

Thais do need need visas for Korea for up to 90 days

[spidermike007]

18 minutes ago, Cereal said:

I lived and worked in S. Korea for 6 years. They are, generally speaking, incredibly racist. Especially to non-whites. 

 

As for the mention in the article about S. Korea being a travel destination for tourists worldwide...

 

HA!

As mentioned, I lived there 6 years and met precisely 1 tourist who was there specifically to see the country. The huge majority of tourists were from Japan (whom the Koreans actively hate) and were there to shop in Seoul. 

Koreans, like the Chinese have very good reason to hate the Japanese. They were subjected to two or three generations worth of brutality, rape, subjugation and humiliation. Those kind of scars don't heal easily especially when your grandparents are telling you about the horrors. 

 

The Thais are completely different story, what have the Thais ever done to the Koreans? And if they suspected them coming there to work illegally, I suppose that's a different story. However it's much the same as in the US, these countries desperately need laborers, if not legal than illegal. 

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Thais do need need visas for Korea for up to 90 days

They need an electronic entry authorisation (eTA) or an e-visa.

My Thai friend is VP of major car brand here in Bangkok,  his wife has been rejected for eTA 3x in a row (she’s a former actress, relatively famous & wealthy).

 

Another friend travelling with his wife, his wife was refused outright at Korean immigration & returned (they’ve traveled all over the world together without an issue). 

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The ordeal involved a Thai national being interrogated relentlessly at various checkpoints, with questions probing deeply into personal plans, financial status, and even the minutiae of daily meals during their stay. Despite providing detailed answers and showing preparedness with all necessary documents, the traveler was ultimately denied entry on the grounds of supposedly insufficient preparedness.

What goes around comes around... plenty of Thais have gone to other Asian countries on false pretenses and have given Thailand a bad reputation.

[richard_smith237]

34 minutes ago, sabai-dee-man said:

 

I don't have a racist bone in my body, but that doesn't preclude me from enjoying a bit of karma and laughing at the irony, having been on the recieving end in Thailand, China, Hong-Kong,  and India! That's hardly the definition of racism. 

Callousness then, masked in racist schadenfreude. 

 

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

What goes around comes around... plenty of Thais have gone to other Asian countries on false pretenses and have given Thailand a bad reputation.

That happens all over…. Westerners coming here & working… 

 

Thai’s are specifically targeted by Korean Immigration…

& Koreans targeted by Thai immigration.

Its been a long running tit-for-tat battle…

 

By comparison, Japan is extremely welcoming - why the difference ?

 

 

[expat_4_life]

The Westoids have the Asians calling each other racist now, SMDH

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, khunpin said:

Around 10 days ago when I arrived in Bangkok I was NOT asked a single question ! 🤷🏼‍♂️

So you were made to feel anonymous. How dispiriting...and racist.. 😉

[hotchilli]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

That happens all over…. Westerners coming here & working… 

 

Thai’s are specifically targeted by Korean Immigration…

& Koreans targeted by Thai immigration.

Its been a long running tit-for-tat battle…

 

By comparison, Japan is extremely welcoming - why the difference ?

 

 

Japan is more open than S.Korea, in many ways Korea is still emerging with a generation to go before they are at the same level.

The younger generation are savvy, yet the ruling generation is still stuck in the past and in control.

Give it another 20 years it will be a totally different country...

[PJ71]

1 hour ago, khunpin said:

Around 10 days ago when I arrived in Bangkok I was NOT asked a single question ! 🤷🏼‍♂️

Well done.

[PJ71]

20 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

My Thai friend is VP of major car brand here in Bangkok,  his wife has been rejected for eTA 3x in a row (she’s a former actress, relatively famous & wealthy)

"Do you know who i am" - lol, that old chestnut.

 

I expect nothing less of you to mention this Dicky....

[PJ71]

17 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

By comparison, Japan is extremely welcoming - why the difference ?

Japan and Korea are two different countries, google it if you don't believe me.

[Will B Good]

South Koreans treat Thais the same way as Thais treat the poor souls from Myanmar.......which all pales into insignificance when you consider how the Tories treat Afghan special forces and interpreters.

[soi3eddie]

6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Is that something like the pot and the kettle?? Many Thais abused their visa for overstaying in S Korea and stayed to work there.. Wondering why there are stricter measures now for Thai??? Thailand is doing the same with other countries too

 

...and Thai PM Srettha wants visa free access for Thai citizens to Europe and Australia? IF (big if), that ever happened, I would expect a lot more stories such as this about lengthy questioning of Thai travellers on arrival.

 

[BritScot]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

If this is the case, it is best to simply boycott South Korea entirely. It is not like they offer entirely unique sights. You don't want us? OK. No problem. See ya. 

Have you ever been? 

[Will B Good]

6 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Is that something like the pot and the kettle?? Many Thais abused their visa for overstaying in S Korea and stayed to work there.. Wondering why there are stricter measures now for Thai??? Thailand is doing the same with other countries too

My wife's sister and her husband have been over there for ten years now.......working illegally.

[Pouatchee]

i taught MANY south koreans here, in thailand. i even went to work there for a short time. of all the people i tutored koreans are the most selfish and inconsiderate. mothers would book all my time slots making it impossible for others to book them, and when no one else could book they would cancel. this may not seem racist, but it shows the consideration these people have for others. their attitude is definitely that they think they are above others.

 

they treat north koreans that make it there as if they are less than nothing... the worst kind of racism is, for me, when you are racist against your own brother.

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

If this is the case, it is best to simply boycott South Korea entirely. It is not like they offer entirely unique sights. You don't want us? OK. No problem. See ya. 

Annual number of outbound tourists to Thailand from South Korea from 2000 to 2023: 1,660,000 in 2023 vs 618,000 in 2009. Thailand needs So. Korean tourists.

On average, a Koreans spend between $1,000 to $2,000 per person on an international trip, based on an average trip stay of 4.61 days. 

Bite your tongue Thailand and open your wallet.