Seoul-searching: South Korean authorities accused of discriminating against Thais (video)

Outraged Thai netizens called for a ban on travel to South Korea, accusing authorities of discriminating against Thai nationals, pushing the hashtag #BanTravelToSouthKorea (#แบนเที่ยวเกาหลี) to the top of Twitter (X).

The Southeast Asian nation is a popular destination for Thais due to the influence of K-pop artists, fashion and South Korean drama. Thais do not need a visa to enter the country but they must register on the website K-eta.

The process takes a few days or more to evaluate each traveller but for Thais, it does not mean that they will be able to enter the country even if their application has been approved.

At the immigration checkpoint, many Thais are detained and forced to return due to the number of illegal Thai workers, known as “little ghosts” in South Korea.

The measures seemed to be getting stricter and stricter. Even Thai celebrities and social media influencers who can prove their identity, profession and financial security were denied entry.

Furthermore, many deported Thai people said that the reasons behind their deportation didn’t make sense.

Deportation experiences

A Thai woman on Twitter recently revealed that a South Korean immigration officer asked her to name every train station in the country.

She was able to name only a few of them, so officers concluded that she did not understand the South Korean language and disapproved of her.

Another woman said that she was detained because her surname was different from her friend’s family members who were travelling with her.

The others said they were questioned about the colour of their hotels and the number of trees in front of their accommodation.

Another woman said that she worked as a professor at a university in Thailand and had travelled to more than 20 countries but was refused entry to South Korea.

Some said they had prepared all the documents they could think of, such as salary slips, bank accounts, financial transactions, travel plans, hotel reservations, departure tickets, etc., but could not get in.

Korean Air

A Thai woman shared her experience of working as a flight attendant for Korean Air. She said she and other foreign members were discriminated against by superiors and colleagues.

She said that her junior South Korean colleagues spoke in South Korean behind her back thinking she did not understand. However, she was able to communicate in the language and understood all the insulting messages.

The woman added that the Thai cabin crew were not allowed to talk to each other but South Korean members could. She added that the airline always blamed the foreign cabin crew when mistakes were made.

Some netizens said that South Korea needed foreign workers, especially in agriculture. Some Thais even paid bribes to South Korean police to work there, and the officers turned a blind eye to the workers.

During today’s media briefing, reporters raised this issue with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. The 61 year old PM said he had never heard of these problems but promised to discuss the issue with the Thai Foreign Minister to find a solution to the problem.

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