A series of ugly incidents in China which involved the kidnapping of South Korean ``businessmen'' and demands of ransom in exchange for their safe release is an extremely ominous sign of very serious ill tidings awaiting South Koreans operating in various Asian countries. And somebody in Government must pay close attention to the root causes of the problem and remedy the situation fundamentally through a national campaign.

The fact, however, is that these incidents are neither sudden nor new; and should have been expected long ago and properly addressed by the entire country.

Some years ago, at an international conference [dealing with the theme:``Foreigners'Perspectives on Korean Society''] in June 1996, sponsored by the Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific (FDL-AP), an NGO established by President Kim Dae-jung in December 1994, one Reverend Kim Hae-sung deliveredan extremely important paper with shocking stories, titled ``Don't beat me, please!''

His stories exposed alarming episodes, which, if not addressed properly and promptly by the people as a whole and the government, will soon make Koreans the objects of greater hatred and contempt than that accorded the Japanese due to their historical sins/crimes in Asia. What has been happening in different parts of Asia towards South Koreans seems to point to the conclusion that in a very short period of time, our people apparently have accomplished the major feat of besting the Japanese in becoming Asia's Number One bogeys.

Reverend Kim's stories were truly alarming, although since then the media hasreported an ever increasing number of similar cases. His examples deserve re-airing:

(1) When two Korean businessmen arrived at the Manila International Airport, Philippines, they were beaten by six young Filipinos. Both the Koreans and the Filipinos were on the same flight from Korea. The Koreans immediately called the airport police and the policemen showed up to take the Filipinos to the police station. At the police station, however, the Filipinos told the policemen how badly they were treated when they worked in Korea. Their story angered the Philippine policemen and both the Philippine workers and the policemen beat the Koreans. The Koreans told the Korean Embassy in the Philippines about what happened to them in the airport but they were eventually driven out of the country.

(2) An old Korean, who just got back from Australia, said he felt so ashamed to be a Korean. His story: It happened at the Sydney Airport in Australia. Some Sydney Airport employees beat Korean visitors. They attacked the Koreans because they got angry when they read the news story about the abused Philippine workers in Korea. A Korean professor was also beaten by Nepalese when he was traveling in Nepal, just because he was Korean. In the Philippines, a restaurant was burned down because it was a Korean-owned business.

3) We often hear news that many Korean tourists in China are robbed of their money by young Korean-Chinese. The robbers are Korean-Chinese workers who were mistreated by Koreans when they worked in Korea. A recent news report stated that a Korean tourist was murdered by a Korean-Chinese in China. He was the fourth Korean traveler to have been killed by other Koreans living in China. Many Korean-Chinese often ask Koreans, ``Are we the same Koreans, brothers by blood?'' Some others even say, ``If I had an atomic bomb, I would drop it on South Korea.'' ``I really wish a war would break out between North and South Korea because I want to help North Koreans and take my revenge on South Koreans.''

In fact, their animosity against South Koreans has almost reached the danger level as an increasing number of Korean-Chinese workers here in Korea suffer from inhumane treatment, industrial disasters, wage postponements and even rapes.

(4) Reverend Kim's story continued: Recently, I led a delegation to Nepal,Bangladesh, India, and Thailand to convey compensation to families of foreign workers who died of industrial accidents here in Korea. As we walked down the street, two Nepalese looked at us as they passed by on their bicycles and blocked our way. They asked in English, ``Are you from Korea or Japan?'' And we answered, ``Korea.'' Then they immediately said, ``We can speak Korean. Do you want to hear us speak Korean?'' I thought they must have worked in Korea. We said, ``OK,'' out of curiosity. They fiercely said in Korean, ``You, son of a bitch! Do you want to die?'' We were scared and left immediately. After that, we said, ``We are Nepalese'' whenever we were asked our nationality.

Reverend Kim's conclusion: ``There are many upon many stories of this kind. All of them have one thing in common. If they were not Koreans, all those incidents would not have happened at all.'' Indeed, the report in 1996 said that a best selling book in Malaysia was titled ``Koreans, Sons of Bitches''!!

Now four years later, the situation has aggravated. The Chosun Ilbo reported last March (3/6) that a Korean-Chinese web site (www.koreanchinese.com) is full of stories of blood-curdling grievances and anger against South Koreans. The common message that floods the web site seems to be that although the incidents of kidnappings increased in China against the South Koreans, ``the damage done to the Korean-Chinese in South Korea would be several scores more or even several hundred times more.''

All the hate and revulsion against South Korea throughout Southeast Asia and the deep feelings of hurt felt by the Korean-Chinese are not just small and insignificant events that should be buried in back pages of newspapers. These are the material for front page blockbuster headlines that must be taken very seriously by the government and the people in South Korea, unless we are determined in our perverse way to become the Number One pariah of Asia _ an image that we cannot afford and should not accept.

For a nation which depends so crucially on other nations in the world for its physical survival, such a negative image is a kiss of death. If the root cause of all these shameful repercussions overseas is the unlimited and uncontrolled greed for money at all costs, through whatever means, we, as a nation, will have to do the necessarydraconian surgery to remove that corrupted mentality. The``maximum-profits-for-me-and-damn-the-others'' mentality the unfortunate outcome of the hellbent industrialization sanctioned by the politically tainted military boys who ran this country since the early sixties _ must go. And the massive job ahead for the government and the people, is clear. Unless we address this problem of crooked and distorted mentality, Korea will NEVER have a future in Asia or elsewhere in the world. Several tour guides in Guam confessed honestly after some prodding that they have no use for South Korean tourists. So we are singled out for particular and singular attention of the most negative kind, yet we go on nonchalantly as if nothing is the matter.

Let's just suppose and imagine a situation when someday and somehow the Korean Peninsula is unified and our people have not changed an iota. What would happen to ``north'' Korea when all the ``southern'' crooks by the thousands beg n a mass migration to the north, and practice their well honed skills of stealing, robbing, cheating, and eating anything and everything that doesn't eat them first (for longevity) on a mass scale, wreaking havoc in the north like conquering armies of looters or African fire ants. Even in generally better behaved Germany, there were numerous cases of West Germans just ttroubles that will last generations. The picture is too horrible to even speculate.

With a shameful record like this, how can or will we ever insist that our citizens residing overseas be well treathe audacity or temerity to demand our own rights when we trash other people's rights and dignity with such abandon? We will have lost, if it's not already too late, all the moral ground to cry foul, when we do the most foul things to our foreign guests and foreigners even in their own countries. And this applies mainly to the Korean residents in Japan and the United States.

I truly hope that we have not become a criminal race without hope for redemption. Unless we address this problem A.S.A.P and with resolve and draconian measures,we will become world class pariahs _ and the future will truly be bleak!

Korea's Ugly Image in other Asian Countries