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

[James105]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Not really….  If you’ve ever been to Japan you’ll see Thai’s there everywhere.

 

The TG flights are always full of Thai tourists.

 

Tokyo metro & subway is cheap.

Ramen is 230 baht / a beer is 140-200 baht in most places. 
 

Japan is doing very well out of Thai Middle Classes tourism.

 

Go to Hakuba, Niseko, Furano, Kuraro in ski season & there are always Thai’s there. 

Japan is an incredibly popular tourist destination for Thai’s. 

 

 

If Japan was as lax with illegal workers as S.Korea seems to be then maybe they would also be more strict at the airport.   My ex-gf pretended to be a "genuine tourist" with a 3 month visa and return flight booked 18 months ago with the full intention to go and work illegally in Korea.   She is still there working on a golf course and intends to stay as long as she can get away with it.   Of course the golf course pays her peanuts in comparison to what they would be required to pay a Korean person, but that is still 4x what she can earn in Thailand.  

Edited February 23 by James105

[Neeranam]

41 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

No. Would go if the trip was free. Otherwise, don't have much interest. Japan is near the top of the list. Great food, sake, sights, culture, etc. Not South Korea. 

Totally agree. Korea, China no interest.

[ujayujay]

Immigration authorities logically have a racist approach, worldwide! Due to their order.

[Phil1964]

Pot kettle black.

What Thais don't think they're racist? Well I never would have guessed.

They're more racist than the Klan towards those of Afro/Caribbean origin.

 

[Skeptic7]

11 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.

True that. Knew one myself working there illegally for a few years, then caught...detained...deported. This guy not returning tho. 

[NoDisplayName]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

Despite providing detailed answers and showing preparedness with all necessary documents, the traveler was ultimately denied entry on the grounds of supposedly insufficient preparedness.

 

This incident starkly illustrates the dehumanizing scrutiny

 

Hahahahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care.

[bradiston]

12 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

Philippines for example. Myanmar. Cambodia. Lao. What goes around....

[MangoKorat]

Some, if not most of these immigration issues are because of the huge amount of Thai's working illegally in South Korea.

[Mickboy]

What goes around comes around.

[cowellandrew]

I wish we could introduce the 90 day reporting to Thais in the UK oh and not able to own vehicles and houses and land,

 

Ps and called them racist terms like falang!

 

Oh and 156 jobs they are not allowed to do!

😂

Edited February 23 by cowellandrew

[jimn]

What a load of bull manure. As already said 1,000's of Thai's go to South Korea with the sole intention of not coming back, overstaying their visa and working illegally on the fruit farms. My wife's sister is there for 3 years already. Her brother wanted to go but got rejected. There are even Thai organisations that organise these illegal trips and take them to Vietnam first for a week just to get a visa stamp and a travel history. 

No way it is racism, its just a click bait headline.

[Marco100]

Racism is a sickness of the poorly educated societies and nations ... and is far more common than we think . 

So " Never Mind " .... 

[NanLaew]

13 hours ago, khunpin said:

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

 

That's unconscionably bad behavior IMHO. I hope you filed a complaint.

[NanLaew]

4 hours ago, cowellandrew said:

I wish we could introduce the 90 day reporting to Thais in the UK oh and not able to own vehicles and houses and land,

 

Ps and called them racist terms like falang!

 

Oh and 156 jobs they are not allowed to do!

😂

 

Really? I wish I had paid more attention in school or had an Ekornes Stressless recliner. But whatever floats your boat, I guess.

[Toby1947]

Who gives a toss ? 

[thesetat]

On 2/23/2024 at 6:55 AM, 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.

The article is a crock. This story focuses on one Thai's experience only. From all I know S. Korea is not prejudice the same way Thais are. Most likely this Thai person got grilled and harrassed and sent back to Thailand because there are so many Thais entering S. Korea and then going to work illegally. The questions asked and their grilling was meant to sort out if they really came as a tourist or if they came to work illegally. My guess would be that the one person who got the news to write this story has left out a lot of what was asked when being questioned and that their replies did not convince the immigration as to their reasons for entering the country.. Thailand does this quite often to people entering the country.. The philippines also does this to their own people leaving the country. America will do this if you enter from a country that has a history of using tourism to work there illegally. 

[thesetat]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:39 PM, Marco100 said:

Racism is a sickness of the poorly educated societies and nations ... and is far more common than we think . 

So " Never Mind " .... 

I beg to differ. You see more racism with the wealthy than you do with the poor. The poor are forced to accept people in their community that are not of the same race. 

[Poseidon]

No different than what this do to us. Also South Korea is a rich country if it does nothing will have many illegal immigrants. Situation I sympathize with as a Brit 

[essex boys]

On 2/23/2024 at 12:52 PM, 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. 

Go and hug a tree and make yourself feel better, people throw the word racism around when they don’t have a valid answer, you are just another “apologist “ who wakes up every morning looking for something to ‘ apologise ‘ about or be offended by…

[IndomitableSpirit]

At least it's SK's interrogating Thais or Thais interrogating other nationalities. I am currently in the Philippines for vacation and people here are complaining that their own immigration interrogates them like hell when leaving the country. They also "off-load" right and left their own people even if they are genuinely going for just a tour/trip. Have you ever heard of an immigration officer asking their fellow citizen to show 10 birth certificates and year book? It happened in the Philippines. 

[bradiston]

10 minutes ago, IndomitableSpirit said:

At least it's SK's interrogating Thais or Thais interrogating other nationalities. I am currently in the Philippines for vacation and people here are complaining that their own immigration interrogates them like hell when leaving the country. They also "off-load" right and left their own people even if they are genuinely going for just a tour/trip. Have you ever heard of an immigration officer asking their fellow citizen to show 10 birth certificates and year book? It happened in the Philippines. 

Yes, leaving the Philippines for especially filipinas is notoriously difficult. No idea why they do that. But also foreigners here who have Filipina gfs have a lot of problems getting them out of the Philippines and into Thailand. No amount of bank statements, cash, covering letters, addresses will do. You're just immediately singled out for extremely harsh and unfair treatment. Maybe because the average filipina is 10 times smarter than her Thai equivalent.

[IndomitableSpirit]

4 hours ago, bradiston said:

Yes, leaving the Philippines for especially filipinas is notoriously difficult. No idea why they do that. But also foreigners here who have Filipina gfs have a lot of problems getting them out of the Philippines and into Thailand. No amount of bank statements, cash, covering letters, addresses will do. You're just immediately singled out for extremely harsh and unfair treatment. Maybe because the average filipina is 10 times smarter than her Thai equivalent.

True that. Filipinas with foreign boyfriends need to attend a certain seminar and get a certificate before leaving the country. The immigration also checks the phone for photos if you have been together already or you are meeting somewhere for the first time. I get that they are being cautious for human-trafficking, but they go over the line as to even tell these women they might be prostitutes! However, I am not aware it's also hard for them to enter Thailand. What's the deal with that?

 

[mot]

Korea is proud to have ethnic homogeinity. It is the most overvalued country in the world. They have used softpower like moovies, series, kpop to be fashionable. I wonder why because when you visit Korea you don't feel welcome. I'm not thaï, I'm french I go to Korea frequently for my job and I can say that they don't like foreigners. They are not friendly, they smill the less they can, they are reluctant to talk, to interact or to help you. I don't see any other country like that and I travel a lot. 

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, IndomitableSpirit said:

True that. Filipinas with foreign boyfriends need to attend a certain seminar and get a certificate before leaving the country. The immigration also checks the phone for photos if you have been together already or you are meeting somewhere for the first time. I get that they are being cautious for human-trafficking, but they go over the line as to even tell these women they might be prostitutes! However, I am not aware it's also hard for them to enter Thailand. What's the deal with that?

 

My friend's gf got hauled off to the immigration lock up at BKK despite having all her docs in order etc etc. Finally got a call out to my mate who went down there sharpish and rescued her. Brutal. And tried to force her to buy a ticket back to Manila on the first available flight. I've heard other stories similar to that. They get treated like scum. I think they're singled out for making people feel superior. Soft targets. They know no embassy will help them out. And they're ASEAN members. A fricking joke. Treat Lao, Khmer, Myanmarian all the same. But Singaporean? Oh, step this way sir, yes sir, no sir, yes madam, bow wai wai etc etc.

Edited February 27 by bradiston

[Barnet1900]

On 2/23/2024 at 7:29 AM, ChrisY1 said:

As mentioned in earlier posts...this treatment toward Thais is quite usual. I've been in line at immigration and there are people scanning arrivals and picking out suspect people. Most young women..and men.

Illegal workers and hookers are the main targets....

Every time I take the missus back to the UK the only grief we get is both visits to Suvarnabhumi airport.

 

The immigration dept in the UK are first class. Friendly, passive yet asking the relevant questions.

 

Every time I take my son out of Thailand alone I get interrogated. I don't mind them asking the necessary questions but it's their sheer attitude that gets me. Treat you like a criminal before you sit down.

 

How Thailand can complain about any immigration anywhere in the world is a joke. They're by far the worst part of living/travelling here.

 

Like many posts mention, now you know how it feels.

[DrJoy]

1 hour ago, mot said:

I can say that they don't like foreigners

100 % correct

[fusion58]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:05 AM, proton said:

So many Thais turning up and working illegally, what do they expect? Four of our family have been there 6 years, another one got deported and one turned back at the airport last year. Koreans must get a bit jaded with their lies at immigration.

 

Everybody - including the South Koreans, no doubt - knows law enforcement in Thailand is nothing but a big joke (no pun intended) and that Thais, consequently, tend to regard laws more as "suggestions" which can always be negotiated with the right bribe or BS story. Unfortunately, many Thais carry this mindset with them when they travel abroad - and then they're shocked when they discover such attitudes don't play well in developed countries.

[IndomitableSpirit]

On 2/27/2024 at 8:24 PM, bradiston said:

My friend's gf got hauled off to the immigration lock up at BKK despite having all her docs in order etc etc. Finally got a call out to my mate who went down there sharpish and rescued her. Brutal. And tried to force her to buy a ticket back to Manila on the first available flight. I've heard other stories similar to that. They get treated like scum. I think they're singled out for making people feel superior. Soft targets. They know no embassy will help them out. And they're ASEAN members. A fricking joke. Treat Lao, Khmer, Myanmarian all the same. But Singaporean? Oh, step this way sir, yes sir, no sir, yes madam, bow wai wai etc etc.

 

I don't think it's the Thai immigration's fault alone as they weren't like that just few years back. I feel like the immigration here tipped them off for the same human trafficking issue. I actually believe that the Philippine-immigration is the one that tips other ASEAN countries to make the screening harder for Filipinas, most especially the younger ones who fly solo or to meet their partners in Thailand. It has something to do with the government not wanting to shell out money or save their fellow citizens when things go bad abroad. Then on the Thai side, they also don't want to take the burden of such issues which will give them "headaches." Like I have mentioned earlier, I'm all for rescuing women from human-trafficking, but it's not fair to give hell to those who just want to go on a trip, regardless if they will meet a bf or not. 

[bradiston]

22 minutes ago, IndomitableSpirit said:

 

I don't think it's the Thai immigration's fault alone as they weren't like that just few years back. I feel like the immigration here tipped them off for the same human trafficking issue. I actually believe that the Philippine-immigration is the one that tips other ASEAN countries to make the screening harder for Filipinas, most especially the younger ones who fly solo or to meet their partners in Thailand. It has something to do with the government not wanting to shell out money or save their fellow citizens when things go bad abroad. Then on the Thai side, they also don't want to take the burden of such issues which will give them "headaches." Like I have mentioned earlier, I'm all for rescuing women from human-trafficking, but it's not fair to give hell to those who just want to go on a trip, regardless if they will meet a bf or not. 

But Philippines is rife with scam call centres and offshore gambling sites. No need to travel to Thailand, or Cambodia or Myanmar. I very rarely read about 100s of Pinoy getting rounded up in these raids, bars, call centres, brothels, whatever. They seem to be amongst the cleanest living migrants in Thailand. They work as nannies, teachers, front of house, customer service ops etc etc, mostly because of their highly valued English language skills. But many are extremely pretty and I guess therefore add 1 and 1 and come up with 3. Just chauvinist rubbish.

[joonchan]

On 2/23/2024 at 4:45 PM, Neeranam said:

Not sure the relevance of your wife's job.

Thais like the Korean soaps and terrible Pop music.

I met Korean on the golf course last week, very unfriendly. My caddy said none of the caddies like them.

Thank you for being honest about your racism.