Koreans in US ham-handed on racial issues

A group of African Americans protest in front of a gas station run by a Korean-born U.S. citizen in a predominately black neighborhood in South Dallas in January, taking issue with what they claim were racial remarks by the station’s owner. / Korea Times file

NEW YORK ― The recent death of Rodney King, the face of the brutal 1992 Los Angeles riots, has people looking back to what’s remembered as America’s worst urban disturbance that turned into an attack against Koreans.

The buildup of racial tension exploded into violent mayhem, triggering angry blacks to burn, loot and rob businesses owned by Koreans in L.A.’s Koreatown.

Now 20 years later, is the racial rift still there, deep and wide?

Leaders of the Korean-American community say two decades isn’t long enough to overcome tension with such deep roots, but there’s at least a bridge between the two to start a conversation.

“We’re not talking about a full-fledged conversation _ just barely enough to understand each other,” says Chung Jae-joon, senior executive vice president of The Federation of Korean Associations, the umbrella group for all regional Korean-American groups.

Chung, who is responsible for planning events and exchanges between Korean and black communities, feels that Koreans’ racial prejudice is a major speed bump in building a friendly relationship.

“We need to take a look at our attitude and how we’re treating people,” he said, pointing out that Koreans, especially business owners, often come off as rude and condescending.

Poor English ability is one of the biggest reasons.

For example, if a customer comes into a store asking to break a $10 bill, an appropriate way of declining would be, “Sorry, I can’t because we’re out of change.” But many Koreans short on English grammar would simply say or shout, “No change!”

“Language is more than words. It shows respect and manners,” says Kim Tae-joon, who organizes monthly cultural exchanges between Koreans and Hispanics in New York.

The relationship between Koreans and people of color has improved compared to 10 or 20 years ago, but a lack of trust and respect hampers progress.

“What goes around comes around. If you mistreat someone, don’t expect to get any better treatment,” says Kim.

But many say that the problem is first-generation Koreans often don’t realize that their way of communication can be misunderstood. Plus, racial slurs and derogatory racial stereotypes are taken too lightly.

An example of such situation happened in January in Dallas, Texas, when a Korean gas station owner spit out a racial slur that led to the black community’s month-long boycott against Korean businesses.

The dispute began when a customer asked the owner to charge $5 for gas to his debit card, but the owner refused, telling him that there was a $10 minimum for debit card purchases.

The situation soon got heated and the customer told the Korean owner to return to his country, to which the owner responded “go back to Africa.”

The confrontation triggered a boycott on the area’s Korean businesses, drawing national attention as a racial showdown between blacks and Koreans.

The Korean-American community feared that the incident would escalate into a second L.A. riot, especially with the widespread use of social networking sites.

One race relations expert says we can’t rule out the possibility of another standoff breaking out.

Structural issues, such as low income, high unemployment rates and poor education levels in black communities, continue to loom as risk factors, says Edward Chang, professor of Asian-American studies at the University of California, Riverside.

“Even today, we’re living with that chance of another violent outburst,” he said, adding that forging relationships and building political strength are ways to minimize damages in the future.

As part of relationship-building efforts, the Korean federation and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), one of the nation’s largest black advocacy groups, is working on a formal memorandum of understanding.

“We are at a crossroads in this nation,” Texas State NAACP President Gary Bledsoe said at a recent leadership conference. “There are a lot of people with money and power who do not want to see us together. In that regard, we must join hands. When we open our minds, sometimes, there’s right on both sides.”

Chung says various Korean-American groups nationwide are offering programs to introduce Korean culture to the local community as a way of engagement. But he warned that Koreans should listen as much as they speak.

“Oftentimes, we get caught up in one-way communication where we just shove information about us,” he said. “We have to be willing to learn about our counterparts too. That’s how relationships begin.” <The Korea Times/Jane Han>

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