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49 tHE trutH about rElationsHips witH forEignErs A report broadcast by MBC titled “The shocking reality about relationships with foreigners” exploited a long-held view of Western men as predators on Korean women, portraying them as hapless victims. Expressions of protest abounded, including a Facebook group 5,000+ strong. Groove asked readers to respond in words and pictures offering a positive portrait of international relationships. The damage had been done, with one reader saying that it “make(s) us feel that no matter how much we love Korea, it may not be open enough to be our home.” KorEa’s blacK racism EpidEmic Day-to-day life in Korea for black people often mimics life in the U.S., and it’s no wonder since the U.S. is the source of many of the racist stereotypes and practices that predominate in Korea. Anti-black sentiment has been fed by media portrayals that include K-pop bands appearing in blackface and ads featuring black people eating chicken or drawn as monkeys. The best way to end the discrimination here, says blogger Michael Hurt, is to push Korea’s racism into the global spotlight. If Korea were identifed as the most racist country in Asia, he says, “Shit would change like that.” tHE womEn’s issuE Groove celebrates the women of Korea and examines the challenges they face: their struggles to defy prejudice, stereotypes and tradition; a glass ceiling that hasn’t moved in years; a lack of child care support; beauty standards that entice women to spend billions of won in a lucrative cosmetic surgery industry; the lack of choices in family planning; and the culture of blame surrounding abuse. We also highlight women’s successes in advocacy and activism, with profles of women who are taking control of their own destiny and setting an example for future generations in the process. have the problems faced by a new generation of mixed-race children. The visit from NFL MVP player Hines Ward in 2006 with his Korean mother threw a spotlight on the questions of multiculturalism, racism and who the country recognizes as Korean. “Children of mixed marriages are more likely to not be attending school,” says Corks, “which denies those children the opportunities that a regular Korean child would have. (The govern- ment) has been extremely slow to act.” Members of both the mixed race and South- east Asian communities are trying to raise their visibility, but obstacles still exist. The Migrants Trade Union was formed in 2005, but the government does not recognize the union as a legal entity and has made several attempts at union suppression by deporting its leaders. Black residents also face a wide range of prejudice, from job placement to instances of Story by Tom Godfrey / Illustration by Michael Roy / Sidebar by Jenny Na ‘tHE migrant laborEr populations in KorEa HavE incrEasEd dramatically ovEr tHE past fivE yEars, but wHEn pEoplE talK about forEignErs tHE first tHing tHat comEs to mind is wEstErnErs. tHis sHows tHat tHEsE populations arE socially and politically invisiblE to most.’ daniEl corKs, KorEa Human rigHts foundation 07.2012 02.2014 05.2014 05.2014 poor treatment in public. “The older generation is about the same,” says hip-hop artist Jason Waller, better known as Pinnacle TheHustler. “But the younger generation is a lot cooler and more accepting. It gives me a lot of hope for Korea’s future.” Prejudice and discrimination are also a part of daily life for members of Korea’s LGBTQ community, who struggle for acceptance in society. The community itself is squeezed into pockets in the capital and remains largely invis - ible elsewhere. Bullying and suicide are prev- alent among the youth population, and those who choose to come out are often kicked out of their homes. Yet members of the community are taking steps to reverse these trends. Hong Seok- cheon, now one of Korea’s most prominent gay celebrities, came out on national television in 2000, the same year the Korea Queer Culture Festival kicked off. He was followed by the ap - pearance of Harisu, Korea’s first transgender celebrity. Pride festivities defy discrimination and draw a larger crowd each year. As Daniel Payne, pastor emeritus of Open Doors Community Church, the first church in Korea to accept members of the LGBTQ com- munity, told Groove, “As Korean society slow- ly — emphasis on slowly — opens up, many young, gay Koreans are feeling more and more empowered to be out in other places and areas of life.” The process of opening up can be painful at times, but for Korean society, it is a crucial step toward establishing itself as a true success sto - ry of economic development: equal access for all.