Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

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I am Jay Shankar, a 3^rd year Ph.D. student from Nepal. It has been 3 years since I am residing in Korea for the sake of my graduate study. To be very honest, it was by chance that I joined a research group here while I had applied for different graduate research positions abroad. Among the different countries, I had applied for, Korea was the first country in the queue officially granting me a research position. Thus for the sake to resume my research career soon as possible and to avoid gap in my study, I have joined my current lab as a research fellow.

Looking at the fast pace development with hard struggle of the Republic of Korea to reach this very position, this was something that inspired me initially while I was reading the history of Korean development setting in my country. After getting into the Republic of Korea, being a researcher and writer, I was a bit surprised knowing the gap between cognitive and material development of the nation. There are still some soft disciplines that direly need to be addressed to be truly called as a developed nation. I have been to different developed nations of the world (particularly Europe), people are far diverse and open culturally than any other part of the world. In Korea, authorities particularly academicians and social scientists need to address this point in their work that true development comes from developing the cognitive spectrum of a nation’s mind rather material development (although material development is also an integral part of the true development). It is very sad while stating that some academicians are involved in doing unethical and humiliating acts against few locals and more foreigners. There must be a proper balance to integrate both cognitive and material aspects of a nation’s development.

I have been to my country during the pandemic, I witnessed the way Pakistani authorities treat public during the pandemic is way more humanistic than I felt here although my country is attributed as developing nation. I felt a kind of sympathy and empathic consideration which lacks here. A person who resides far away from his people and country in a totally new environment, having various cultural differences, is always treated and expected to behave like Koreans. I think it is all due to less exposure or intentional ignorance. Being a brown skin Alien (외국인), travelling around in local transport and out in streets is nothing more than a challenge for me these days. I was treated like I am a virus carrier although majority of the cases are coming from locals and very few from some not that well aware foreigners. More than the pandemic itself, this stereotyping hurts which may last long as per my experience.

To the viewers, particularly Korean, I will utilize your platform to request for empathetic consideration while they interact any foreigner here. I also believe that there is some ignorance among the ex-pat communities but that doesn’t mean all are the same. This stereotyping needs to be eliminated with proper awareness (those Koreans who got some foreign exposure are way different than those who didn’t).

I hope things will go well as per international standards soon!

All the best

Jay