Anti-Korean sentiment or Koryophobia describes negative feelings towards

Korean people Koreans are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As ...

Korean culture The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea before the division of Korea in 1945. Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean sovereign state, stat ...

, or the countries,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

and/or

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Anti-Korean sentiment has varied by location and time. Major historical events that impacted it include the

Japanese occupation of Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and its

aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...

. In recent years, sentiment has largely been impacted by politics, military aggression, territorial disputes, disputes over claims of

historical revisionism In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of a historical account. It usually involves challenging the orthodox (established, accepted or traditional) scholarly views or narratives regarding a historical event, timespa ...

, economic competition, and culture. Anti-Korean sentiment occurs in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and between the two Korean nations. The

Korean Wave The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...

has been met with pushback in some countries, and the general sentiment on North Korea often incites negativity.

Statistics

China

Korea and China have historically maintained complicated ties. When Korea was

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

in 1910, it fell under Japanese influence. In China it is believed that some ethnic Koreans served in the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

whose invasion of China launched the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

in July 1937. Adding to this sentiment is the allegation that some Koreans reportedly operated the Burma-Siam Death Railway. The Chinese referred to Koreans using the slur ''er guizi'' ( zh, c=二鬼子, p=èr guǐzi).第一滴血──從日方史料還原平型關之戰日軍損失 (6)

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

December 16, 2011 At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, North Korea, which was aligned with the

Soviet bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

, became an ally of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(PRC), while the PRC and the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

did not recognize each other. During the

, when China was engaged in war with South Korea and its United Nations allies, propaganda was used to indoctrinate people into hating South Korea, which was called a "puppet state" of the United States by the PRC government of the time. From 1992 onward, after South Korea's normalization of relations with China, the relationship between the two nations gradually improved. From 2000 onward, Korean popular culture became popular within China. A February 2021 survey conducted by scholars from

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

, the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, and the

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) is an autonomous postgraduate school of the National University of Singapore (NUS), named after the late former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. History The Lee Kuan Yew School of ...

had 43% of Chinese respondents expressing an unfavorable view of South Korea, compared to 49% expressing a favorable view.

Japan

In the

Kantō Massacre The was a mass murder in the Kantō region of Japan committed in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. With the explicit and implicit approval of parts of the Japanese government, the Japanese military, police, and vigilantes mu ...

shortly after the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

, ethnic Koreans in Japan were scapegoated and killed by mobs of Japanese vigilantes. During the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

, Japanese and Korean supporters clashed with one another. Both sides were also known to post racist messages against each other on online bulletins. There were also

disputes Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

regarding how the event was to be hosted, as a result of the rivalry between the two nations. The territorial dispute over the

Liancourt Rocks The Liancourt Rocks, known in Korea as Dokdo () and in Japan as Takeshima (), are a group of islets in the Sea of Japan between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago administered by South Korea. The Liancourt Rocks comprise two ...

also fuels outrage. '' Manga Kenkanryu'' (often referred to as ''Hating the Korean Wave'') by Sharin Yamano discusses these issues while making many other arguments and claims against Korea.

Zainichi Koreans () are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...

in Japan are also publicly perceived to be a nuisance and are seen as likely to cause trouble and start riots, a view shared by former

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Governor

Shintaro Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer, who served as the Governor of Tokyo Metropolis, Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the Far-right politics, radical right Sunrise Party, later merged with Toru Hashimoto's Japan ...

. A Zainichi organisation which has strong ties to the DPRK,

Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan,
" ''

, is commonly accused of providing funding and material to North Korea and indoctrinating the Zainichi Korean population to actively hate Japan. Some right-wing groups in Japan today have targeted ethnic Koreans living within Japan. One such group, known as

Zaitokukai Zaitokukai, full name , is an ultra-nationalist and Far-right politics, far-right extremist political organization in Japan, which calls for an end to state welfare and alleged privileges afforded to Koreans in Japan, Zainichi Koreans. It has b ...

, is organized by members on the Internet, and has led street demonstrations against Korean schools. There is also much concern in Japan regarding North Korea and its nuclear and long-range missile capabilities, as a result of missile tests in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

and

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and an

underground nuclear test Underground nuclear testing is the test detonation of nuclear weapons that is performed underground. When the device being tested is buried at sufficient depth, the nuclear explosion may be contained, with no release of radioactive materials to ...

in 2006. There are also controversies regarding

North Korean abductions of Japanese Abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government took place during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese citizens (eight men and nine women) are officially recognized by the Japanes ...

, where Japanese citizens were abducted by North Korean agents during the 1970s and 1980s. The

, or the exportation of South Korean pop culture, has created some negative feelings among pockets of Japanese society. Many Japanese citizens with conservative views and some

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

nationalist groups have organized anti-Korean Wave demonstrations via

2channel , also known as 2ch, Channel 2, and sometimes retrospectively as 2ch.net, was an anonymous Japanese textboard founded in 1999 by Hiroyuki Nishimura. Described in 2007 as "Japan's most popular online community", the site had a level of influe ...

. On 9 August 2011, more than 2,000 protesters demonstrated in front of

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

's headquarters in

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s. The land was dramatically expanded during the late 20th centur ...

against the broadcasting of

Korean drama Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean language, Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise ...

s. Earlier, in July 2011, well-known actor

Sousuke Takaoka is a Japanese former actor, known for his break-out performance in the controversial movie '' Battle Royale''. Career His break-out performance was in the controversial movie '' Battle Royale'', in which he played the pacifistic Hiroki Sugimu ...

was fired from his agency,

Stardust Promotion is a leading Japanese talent agency, headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It was founded in 1979 and invests in entertainment forms including music, cinema, and modelling. The agency has a dominant share in the management of actresses. For example, ...

, for tweeting criticisms against the influx of Korean dramas. The general perception of Koreans on 2channel is negative, with users depicting them as a violent, unethical, and irrational people who are a 'threat' to Japan. Users often reference stereotypes of Koreans, such as the use of dogs in Korean cuisine. In April 2014, several anti-Korean stickers were found posted at 13 locations along the

Shikoku Pilgrimage The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (''Kōbō Daishi'') on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long history, ...

route; the stickers were denounced by a spokesman from the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Association. According to a 2014 BBC World Service Poll, Japanese people alike hold the largest anti–North Korean sentiment in the world, with 91% negative views of North Korea's influence, and with only 1% positive view making Japan the third country with the most negative feelings of North Korea in the world, after South Korea and the United States.

Within the Korean Peninsula

North Korea–South Korea

Since the end of World War II, the relationship between both North Korea and South Korea have been hostile. The two nations fought in the Korean War, which ended with an

armistice agreement An armistice is a Treaty, formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived f ...

in 1953 without a

peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...

. Both nations claim the entire Korean Peninsula and have competed for sovereignty. Tensions after the war have further escalated in 1968, starting from a failed North Korean assassination attempt on South Korean President Park Chung Hee, a failed counter-assassination attempt against Kim Il Sung, the

Uljin–Samcheok Landings The Ulchin-Samcheok landings was an unsuccessful attempt by North Korea to establish guerrilla camps in the Taebaek Mountains on October 30, 1968, in order to topple Park Chung-hee, Park Chung-hee's regime and bring about the reunification of Ko ...

, and the execution of a 9 year old South Korean boy by North Korean commandoes during the landings. Although the relationship somewhat warmed during the

Sunshine Policy The Reconciliation and Cooperation Policy Towards the North (), colloquially referred to as Sunshine Policy () is one of the approaches for South Korea's foreign policy towards North Korea, lasting from 1998 to 2008 and again from 2017 to 2020. ...

of the late 1990s to early 2000s, they have since cooled. In January 2024,

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

was officially reported to abandon the goal of

reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller politics or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal govern ...

, and recognize South Korea as a "primary foe and invariable principal enemy". In South Korea, hostility toward North Korea is called "anti-North sentiment" () and is commonly associated with right-leaning politics. According to a 2014

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

poll, 3% of South Koreans viewed North Korea's influence positively, with 91% expressing a negative view, making South Korea, after Japan, the country with the most negative feelings of North Korea in the world. Naval skirmishes frequently occur between the two states, with North Korea targeting South Korean naval bases. The

Bombardment of Yeonpyeong The Bombardment of Yeonpyeongdo () was an artillery engagement between the North Korean military and South Korean forces stationed on the island Yeonpyeongdo on 23 November 2010. Following a South Korean artillery exercise in disputed waters ...

was cited by former UN ambassador

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...

to be "the most serious crisis on the Korean peninsula since the 1953 armistice".

North Korean defectors

, there are around 33,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea. They have widely and consistently reported experiencing discrimination. Areas of discrimination include but are not limited to employment discrimination, social isolation, and difficulty finding spouses. Some South Koreans even admit to avoiding businesses owned by North Korean defectors. According to a 2012 study, North Korean men have greater difficulty than North Korean women in finding a spouse. A 2015 paper highlighted the tendency of a South Korean variety show, '' Now On My Way to Meet You'', to disproportionately present North Korean women as attractive marriage partners.

Foreign-born ethnic Koreans

The treatment of ethnic Koreans who were born abroad and returned to South Korea has changed over time. In the 1990s, many young people with pro-unification sentiment viewed ethnic Koreans positively, and saw them as "representatives of the authentic Korean nation". However, sentiments subsequently cooled, and South Korean identity came to exclude both North Koreans and foreign-born ethnic Koreans. Foreign-born Koreans who now live in South Korea have widely reported experiencing discrimination from South Koreans. They are reportedly seen as lazy, prone to commit crimes, and dirty. A 2009 study found that while foreign-born ethnic Koreans were preferred over non-Korean workers by employers, ethnic Koreans were "at least as likely to report discrimination".

South Koreans of mixed heritage

People with partial Korean heritage have also experienced discrimination in South Korea, although this trend may be diminishing since at latest the late 2000s. In 2009, South Korean schools were prohibited from promoting ideas of ethnic purity and homogeneity, and in 2011 the Korean military amended their oath, replacing the term ''minjok'', meaning "nation", with "citizen".

United States

Early history

For much of the US's early relationship with Korea, the overall American public was overwhelmingly disinterested in or even unaware of Korea. The perception of Korea by politicians and the press, however, began much more negatively. Korea's earliest interactions with the US caused it to gain notoriety with American politicians and press. The 1866 ''General Sherman'' incident, in which Koreans destroyed and killed the crew of a US ship that was illegally navigating its rivers, drew widespread condemnation in American newspapers. The ''New York Tribune'' wrote: Koreans were widely portrayed as vicious, xenophobic, and savage "orientals" that rejected the ideals of the civilized West. The following 1871

United States expedition to Korea The United States expedition to Korea, known in Korea as the ''Shinmiyangyo'' () or simply the Korean Expedition, was an American military action in Korea that took place predominantly on and around Ganghwa Island in 1871. Background Freder ...

and its ensuing conflict also contributed to these negative perceptions. The American press mostly reacted positively to the

Joseon–United States Treaty of 1882 A Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation (, Hanja: 朝美修好通商條約), also known as the Shufeldt Treaty, was negotiated between representatives of the United States and Korea in 1882. The treaty was written in English and Hanja, ...

. For decades, most publications portrayed Korea as backwards, poor, and inferior to Japan. Most exoticised the country with nicknames such as "The Hermit Kingdom" and "The Land of Hats". W. C. Kitchin wrote in his 1884 book ''Christianity in Corea:'' Many publications commented negatively on the poor social status of Korean women. One newspaper headline read " Women: Noble Ladies and Degraded Slave Girls of the Hermit Kingdom: They are More Secluded than Turks and Have Few Rights Respected by Man".'''' The minority of American journalists, politicians, and activists who visited Korea generally held more favorable opinions of it, and some expressed frustration at the negative opinions of their countrymen.

During Japanese colonization

Initially, sentiments towards the Japanese colonization of Korea were positive. US President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

was an outspoken critic of Joseon and Korean people. He described Koreans as "unenlightened and recalcitrant" and proudly called himself "pro-Japanese". These sentiments were mostly shared by other high-level US officials, who felt that colonization by the more-enlightened Japanese would be beneficial to Korea. Negative impressions may have been somewhat influenced by "Japanese information channels", which had significantly higher funding and reach in the US than any Korean sources did. In 1894, an article in the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

'' declared: However, writings about Korea became more sympathetic in the late 1910s, after information about Japan's

Twenty-One Demands The Twenty-One Demands (; ) was a set of demands made during the World War I, First World War by the Empire of Japan under Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu to the Government of the Chinese Republic, government of the Re ...

to China became public knowledge, and after Japan's violent suppression of the Korean

March First Movement The March First Movement was a series of protests against Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial rule that was held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. Protests were largely concentrated in ...

in 1919. Before World War II, parts of the African American community began viewing the Empire of Japan favorably, as they saw Japan as a challenger to the White West. Several prominent African American intellectuals, including

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

, published sympathetic writings that attempted to justify Japanese colonialism in Korea and China. Du Bois wrote: Several Black Americans criticized Japanese imperialism, but according to historian Marc S. Gallicchio, the majority were more likely to describe criticism of Japan as Western prejudice and insecurity. A. Phillip Randolph and

Chandler Owen Chandler Owen (April 5, 1889 – November 2, 1967) was an African-American writer, editor and early member of the Socialist Party of America. Born in North Carolina, he studied and worked in New York City, then moved to Chicago for much of his c ...

wrote in 1919 that:

Modern

Following North Korea's heavy re-militarization and a series of missile tests, Americans were conditioned to fear a possible attack by a "

rogue state "Rogue state" (or sometimes "outlaw state") is a term applied by some international theorists to states that they consider threatening to the world's peace. These states meet certain criteria, such as being ruled by authoritarian or totalitaria ...

" such as North Korea. In United States President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

State of the Union Address The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condit ...

on January 29, 2002, he described North Korea as a part of the "

Axis of evil The phrase "axis of evil" was first used by U.S. president George W. Bush and originally referred to Iran, Ba'athist Iraq, and North Korea. It was used in Bush's State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, less than five months after the ...

". Following the development of the

nuclear program of North Korea North Korea has a nuclear weapons program, and, as of 2024, is estimated to have an nuclear arsenal, arsenal of approximately 50 nuclear weapons and sufficient production of fissile material for six to seven nuclear weapons per year.

and the

2006 North Korean nuclear test On October 9, 2006, North Korea performed its first nuclear test, detonating a plutonium-based device underground. On October 3, 2006, North Korea announced its intention to conduct a nuclear test. The blast is generally estimated to have had ...

, the United States imposed UN sanctions on North Korea. These economic sanctions are very unlikely to be lifted by the United States due to North Korea's noncompliance with the six-party talk agreements. From 1988 until 2008, and since November 2017, North Korea has been designated a

state sponsor of terrorism State-sponsored terrorism is terrorist violence carried out with the active support of national governments provided to violent non-state actors. It contrasts with ''state terrorism'', which is carried out directly by state actors. States can s ...

for supporting

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

and

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

against

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, their role in the murder of

Kim Jong-nam Kim Jong-nam (, ; 10 May 1971 – 13 February 2017) was the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. From roughly 1994 to 2001, he was considered the heir apparent to his father. He was thought to have fallen out of favor after embarras ...

, supporting dictator

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

in the Syrian Civil War, close relationships with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and the suspicious death of

Otto Warmbier Otto Frederick Warmbier (December 12, 1994 – June 19, 2017) was an American college student who was imprisoned in North Korea in 2016 on a charge of subversion. In June 2017, he was released by North Korea in a vegetative state and died ...

. The

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...

were partially motivated by Anti-Korean sentiment among

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

, and famously lead to the rise of the phrase "roof Koreans" or " rooftop Koreans". A year before the riots, on March 16, 1991, Korean American store owner Soon Ja Du fatally shot 15-year-old African American Latasha Harlins. This incident and other tensions became a significant part of the 1992 riots, which were sparked by alleged police brutality towards

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by Police officer, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high spe ...

. The protests saw mass ransacking and destruction of Korean American and other Asian-owned stores in the

Koreatown, Los Angeles Koreatown (, Latn, ko, Koriataun) is a Neighborhoods of Los Angeles, neighborhood in central Los Angeles, California, centered near Eighth and Irolo streets. Koreans began immigrating in larger numbers in the 1960s and found housing in the Mi ...

area by groups of African-Americans, as well as armed Korean Americans defending stores from the rooftops of buildings. Both Koreans and African Americans were killed in the riots. Of the $1 billion in damages the city experienced, around half was suffered by Korean business owners.

United Kingdom

During the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

, Korean students studying in the UK reported experiencing anti-Korean sentiment as part of

xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

related to the pandemic. A study conducted by

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. It ...

with 12 Korean students who studied in the UK between 2017 and 2021 found that Koreans studying in Britain were often mistaken as being Chinese by wider society even before the outbreak of COVID-19. Koreans in the UK also reported being discriminated against during the pandemic due to false claims that East Asians were spreading COVID-19. According to the study's authors, their results "suggest that institutional and professional interventions are needed to improve the safety and mental health of Korean students studying abroad in a global pandemic situation such as COVID-19".

Former Soviet Union

In 1937, nearly 172,000 ethnic Koreans were forcefully transferred from the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

Soviet Central Asia Soviet Central Asia () was the part of Central Asia administered by the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union between 1918 and 1991, when the Central Asian Soviet republics declared independence. It is nearly synonymous with Russian Turkest ...

under the

national delimitation In international law, national boundary delimitation (also known as national delimitation and boundary delimitation) is the process of legally establishing the outer limits ("borders") of a state within which full territorial or functional sovereig ...

policy.Martin, Terry (1998)
The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing
''

The Journal of Modern History ''The Journal of Modern History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering European intellectual, political, and cultural history, published by the University of Chicago Press. Established in 1929, the journal covers events from appro ...

'' 70 (4), 813–861. The deportation was preceded by a typical Soviet scenario of

political repression Political repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry's ability to take part in the political life of a society, thereby ...

: falsified trials of local party leaders accused of insurrection, accusations of plans of the secession of the

Far Eastern Krai Far Eastern Krai () was a krai of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1938. Its capital was Khabarovsk. It was the largest administrative-territorial unit of the Soviet Union after the Yakut Autonomous ...

, local party purges, and articles in ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, 'Truth') is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most in ...

'' about the Japanese espionage in the Far East. The resettlement plans were revived with new vigor in August 1937, ostensibly with the purpose of suppressing "the penetration of the Japanese espionage into the Far Eastern Krai". This time, however, the direction of resettlement was westward, to

. From September to October 1937, more than 172,000 Soviet Koreans were deported from the border regions of the

Kazakh SSR The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Located in northern Centr ...

and

Uzbek SSR The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist P ...

(the latter including

Karakalpak ASSR The Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Karakalpak ASSR; Karakalpak: Қарақалпақстан АССР, ''Qaraqalpaqstan ASSR''; , Qoraqalpog‘iston ASSR; , ''Karakalpakskaya ASSR''), also known as Soviet Karakalpakstan or simpl ...

Taiwan

Within Taiwan, some existing animosity towards Koreans amongst Taiwanese may be present as a result of the rivalry between the two states in relation to baseball. Disputes between Taiwan and Korea in the international sport competition arose numerous times. In November 2010, Taiwanese citizens protested against the disqualification of

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

athlete

Yang Shu-chun Yang Shu-chun or Judy Yang (; born October 26, 1985, in Yingge, Taipei County, now New Taipei City) is a female Taiwanese taekwondo athlete. She won the women's flyweight (under 51 kg) gold medal at the 2008 Asian Taekwondo Championship ...

at the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), were a regional multi-sport event held from November 12 to 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (although several events commenced ear ...

after a Korean-Filipino referee disqualified a Taiwanese fighter. Images and messages deriding South Korean products and culture were widely shared online. There were reports of restaurants displaying 'No Koreans' signs on their doors, and protesters burning the Korean flag or destroying South Korean products. On 23 August 1992, South Korea's "

Nordpolitik Nordpolitik ( German for "Northern Policy") was the signature foreign policy of South Korean president Roh Tae-woo. The policy guided South Korean efforts to reach out to the traditional allies of North Korea, with the goal of normalized relatio ...

" (Northern diplomacy) have made it to establish a diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China after Soviet Union. This resulted in the change in the diplomatic relationship of South Korea with the Republic of China, since it replaced anti-communist foreign policy with an effort to improve relations with other surrounding countries in the sense of geopolitics, including the People's Republic of China, in order to pressure and appease North Korea that eases the political anxiety and softens military tension in the Korean Peninsula and enables the possibility of a peaceful reunification of Korea. As normalization begun, President Roh transferred diplomatic recognition from the ROC to PRC, and confiscated the property of the ROC embassy, transferring it to the PRC. According to an official from the Korean trade office in Taipei, sales of Korean products are not very successful in Taiwan because "the Taiwanese felt very betrayed after Korea severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and reestablished ties with China in 1992, because the people of Taiwan had seen Korea as an ally in the fight against Communism... Now because the two countries have similar export-oriented economies and focus on the same business sectors, the Taiwanese see Korea as a great rival, and think that losing to Korea would be the end of Taiwan." (South Korea's GDP and population are more than twice those of Taiwan, but the two countries competing in the semiconductor sector.) In June 2012, CEO of

Foxconn Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (), Trade name, doing business as Hon Hai Technology Group () in Taiwan, Foxconn Technology Group () in China, and Foxconn () internationally, is a Taiwanese multinational corporation, multinational electron ...

Terry Gou Terry Gou (; born 18 October 1950) is a Taiwanese billionaire businessman and politician. Gou is the founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics. Founded in 1974, ...

stated that he had "great esteem for Japanese (businessmen), especially those who are able to disagree with you in person and not stab you in the back, unlike the '' Gaoli bangzi'' (a racial slur for Koreans)", sparking controversy.

Vietnam

It has been reported that South Korean soldiers committed war crimes during the Vietnam War that killed somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 civilians, which has led to lingering anti-Korean sentiment especially amongst older Vietnamese people. The South Korean government has long denied these charges. However, in 2020, reported Vietnamese survivors of these war crimes, including citizen Nguyen Thi Thanh, filed lawsuits against South Korea. By contrast, Vietnam and North Korea enjoyed a more positive relationship in the Vietnam War. Allegations of sex trafficking in South Korea of Vietnamese women has also sparked some negative sentiment amongst Vietnamese people. While the Korean Wave has been mostly enthusiastically accepted among younger women in Vietnam, there has been some pushback from government and the public. Criticisms focused on the perceived femininity of Korean male idols and perceived self-indulgence that went against the spirit of the collectivist Communist culture.

Philippines

Historically, Korean soldiers were compelled to serve on the side of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

during the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

. This has caused some Filipinos, especially older ones, to associate the Koreans with atrocities committed during the war. Ethnographic fieldwork done in Sabang from 2003 to 2015 found that the influx of Koreans was viewed negatively by some locals and resident Westerners. South Koreans were also identified in 2007 as the top violator of immigration laws according to the Philippine Bureau of Immigration. Many Korean social media influencers have been accused of a marketing strategy dubbed pinoy baiting, a practice that many other foreigners are also accused of. The strategy refers to the insincere usage, appropriation, and acknowledgment of Filipino culture by foreigners to pander to a Filipino audience. Some Filipinos perceive Koreans to be rude and to refuse integration into

Filipino culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by great ethnic diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by ...

. Another area of concern was the prohibition of South Korean tourists from doing business with local tourist firms by South Korean tour operators. This would mean that Filipino firms would benefit significantly less from South Korean tourists. Some Korean media portrayals of Filipinos in movies such as Wandeuki (Punch) and negative treatment of Filipino-born or Filipino-raised celebrities living in South Korea such as politician Jasmine Lee and entertainer

Sandara Park Sandara Park (; born November 12, 1984), known mononymously as Dara (), is a South Korean singer, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in the Philippines as a contestant on the ABS-CBN original talent show ''Star Circle Quest'' i ...

, have worsened Filipino views of Koreans. In an interview, Sandara Park stated, " ilipinosare really gentle. I feel upset because the Korean media only reports crime hen talking about the Philippines" Senator

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...

proposed banning all Korean dramas and movies in the Philippines, and said "My observation is if we continue showing Korean telenovelas, our citizens praise the Koreans while Filipino artists continue losing jobs and money. So sometimes it comes to my mind that we should ban the telenovelas of the foreigners, and the Filipino artists who have great talent in acting are what we should be showing in our own country." Estrada clarified that he was only frustrated "that while we are only too eager and willing to celebrate South Korea's entertainment industry, we have sadly allowed our own to deteriorate because of the lack of support from the movie going public."

#CancelKorea

In September 2020, Filipino-American TikTok star

Bella Poarch Denarie Bautista Taylor (born Belinda Marie Macadengdeng Batumbakal; February 9, 1997), known professionally as Bella Poarch ( ), is an American social media influencer and singer. On August 17, 2020, she created the most liked video on TikTok ...

posted a video of herself dancing, in which Japan's

rising sun flag The is a Japanese flag that consists of a red disc and sixteen red rays emanating from the disc. Like the Flag of Japan, Japanese national flag, the Rising Sun Flag symbolizes the Sun. The flag was originally used by daimyō, feudal warlords ...

could be seen tattooed on her arm. Koreans swarmed the comments section saying the tattoo was offensive and that she should apologize and get it removed. Shortly after backlash and criticism from her video, Bella posted a comment of apology on TikTok : "I'm very sorry if my tattoo offends you," she wrote. "I love Korea, please forgive me." Additionally, her caption read, "I would never do anything to hurt anyone." Bella also explained that she got the tattoo back in March 2020 but had it scheduled for removal. She also promised to learn more about the symbol's history and help educate people further on the symbol, but has been unable to remove the tattoo as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the apology, many Korean users continued with hostile comments, attacking Filipinos referring to them as

poor Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse

, slaves, ugly, and uneducated, as well as making racist remarks. The issue soon spilled over Twitter, sparking an argument on Korea's racist attitudes and the long history between South Korea and the Philippines. Along with #CancelKorea, the hashtags #ApologizeToFilipinos including #CancelRacism and #한국취소 (meaning Cancel Korea, or in

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: #韓國取消) also trended with Twitter, with Filipino users airing out their anger at the mockery and insults. However, the anger was relieved when other Korean netizens apologized on behalf of the racist remarks, spreading the hashtag '미안해요 필리핀 (#SorryToFilipinos)'. From these apologies, some Filipinos suggested to change the hashtag #CancelKorea to #CancelRacism. Some Filipino netizens went out to apologize for any offensive remarks made against the Koreans during the spat, using the hashtag #SorryToKoreans and accepting the apology.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, Anti-Korean sentiment emerged in the 2000s. The emergence of anti-Korean sentiment is caused by several factors, such as plastic surgery and atheism in South Korea. Some Indonesians call Koreans "

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

". This stereotype arises because of the popularity of plastic surgery in South Korea. This stereotype has strengthened since the suicide of the former member of

Shinee Shinee ( ; ; ; stylized as SHINee) is a South Korean boy band formed by SM Entertainment in 2008. The group consists of four members: Onew, Key (entertainer), Key, Choi Min-ho, Minho, and Taemin. Originally a five-piece band, Jonghyun died on ...

Jonghyun Kim Jong-hyun (; April 8, 1990 – December 18, 2017), known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under the SM Entertainment label. He was the vocalist of the South Korean bo ...

. In addition, there are assumptions that Korean drama lovers are excessive and people of Korea are always committing adultery. It was reported in 2013 that some

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

businesses had put up signs prohibiting Korean customers, due to reports that a number of them flouted regulations during their stay. In 2021, a South Korean man allegedly launched racist attack against Indonesian woman on social media, this sparked anger among Indonesian public and triggered further anti-Korean sentiment in the country. also in that year, A Korean internet personality living in the country named SunnyDahye also under fire by Indonesian people due to her past comments calling Indonesians are "stupid" and she also allegedly pretended to fast during the month of

Ramadhan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting ('' sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed to have been rev ...

, the live coverage of the

2020 Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

in garnered ire to some Indonesians after MBC mistakenly setting a picture of the map of

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

when the

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

contingent arrives at the opening ceremony. In June 2024, it has been widely discussed on social media about racism committed by some South Koreans in a website called Indosarang. It is an online forum used by South Korean workers living in Indonesia. In the forum, several user have made

derogatory A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility ...

comments towards Indonesians and their religion.

Mongolia

In 2008, it was reported that some South Korean men took

sex tourism Sex tourism is the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships, in exchange providing money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly oper ...

trips to Mongolia, often as clients of South Korean-run businesses in the country. This was said to spark anti-Korean sentiment and an increased number of assaults on South Korean nationals in the country.

Thailand

The popularity of the

Korean wave The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...

in Thailand has led some Thai authorities to cast it as a threat to local culture. Some locals in 2017 reportedly began to perceive Hallyu negatively or as a form of

cultural imperialism Cultural imperialism (also cultural colonialism) comprises the culture, cultural dimensions of imperialism. The word "imperialism" describes practices in which a country engages culture (language, tradition, ritual, politics, economics) to creat ...

Italy

In early 2020, a leading Italian music school banned all

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

n students from attending classes due to coronavirus fear, with South Koreans the largest nationality being affected. South Korean students also describe being barred from the building and being mocked by other students because of their origin. In addition, some South Korean residents have reported fear of leaving their homes amid rising incidents of discrimination and mockery, and others considered leaving Italy because they could not "stay in a place that hates us".

Israel

Because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, South Korean tourists were instructed to avoid public places and remain in isolation in their hotels. The Israeli military announced its intention to quarantine South Korean nationals to a military base. Many of the remaining South Koreans were rejected by hotels and were forced to spend nights at

Ben Gurion Airport Ben Gurion International Airport , commonly known by the Hebrew language, Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on outskirts north of the city of Lod and directly south of the city of Or Yehuda, i ...

. An Israeli newspaper subsequently published a Korean complaint that "Israel is Treating orean and other AsianTourists Like Coronavirus". South Korean Foreign Minister

Kang Kyung-wha Kang Kyung-wha (; born April 7, 1955) is a South Korean diplomat and politician who was the first female Foreign Minister of South Korea under President Moon Jae-in from 2017-21 as well as the first woman nominated for and appointed to the pos ...

has described Israel's response as "excessive".

Germany

Many Korean residents in Germany have reported an increase in anti-Korean incidents following the outbreak of COVID-19, and the South Korean embassy has warned its citizens of the increasing hateful climate facing them. As suspicion toward Koreans is growing, locals are also opting to avoid Korean restaurants, some of which have reported a sales decline of 80%.

Netherlands

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),

, the country's flag carrier airline, prohibited only Korean passengers from using their toilets on one of their flights. In general, there has recently been a spate of anti-Korean incidents in the Netherlands, which have targeted both Korean nationals and Dutch people of Korean descent. These incidents range from vandalism of homes to violent assault to harassment. More than 150 Korean expat respondents in an online survey indicated they had experienced an xenophobic incident.

Brazil

Despite the popularity of South Korean culture in Brazil among young people, some anti-Korean incidents have occurred in Brazil. In 2017, the Brazilian television host Raul Gil was accused of racism and xenophobia while making derogatory jokes to Asians and a "slit eye" gesture during a live interview with the K-Pop group Kard (group), K.A.R.D. This drew backlash from the Brazilian and foreign press. In 2019, a Brazilian couple published several videos on social media making fun of Korean food and language during a trip to South Korea. The case generated harsh criticism on social media.

Derogatory terms

The following is a list of derogatory terms referring to either Korea or Korean people.

In Chinese

* ''Er guizi'' – literally "second devils", negatively associates Koreans with the assumed first devils: the Japanese. The term arose during the 1937–1945 Second Sino-Japanese War, Second Sino–Japanese War, and generally referred to all perceived Hanjian, collaborators with the Japanese. * '' Gaoli bangzi'' or ''Han bangzi'' () – derogatory term used against ethnic Koreans that likens them to hillbillies. ''Gaoli'' refers to the historical Korean state Goryeo and ''Han'' refers to the native name for Korean people, while ''bangzi'' means "club". * ''Gaoli paocai'' () – literally "Goryeo kimchi". Used by Taiwanese baseball fans, as a result of their rivalry against South Korea. Variants include 死泡菜 ("dead kimchi").

In Japanese

* Cockroaches () – commonly used to refer to

. * ' – vernacular nickname for Koreans, with strongly offensive overtones. Various suggested etymologies exist; one such etymology is that it is an abbreviation of , a Japanese Names of Korea, term for Korea.Mark J. McLelland, 2008
'Race' on the Japanese internet: discussing Korea and Koreans on '2-Channeru'
''New Media & Society, 10''(6), 2008, 811–829. Faculty of Arts, University of Wollongong. "The racial insult in posting 101 is further underlined by the choice of user name: 'bakachon', a compound comprising ''baka'' ("stupid") and ''chon'' (an abbreviation of ''Chōsen'', a term for Korea), a once widespread term for simple things, so easy, even 'stupid Koreans' could do them (Gottlieb, 2005: 114)". In 2021, The CEO of DHC Corporation used this term to widespread controversy. Variants of the term also exist, including . * – the term was once considered neutral, especially because it literally means "Joseon person", but became associated with anti-Korean sentiment especially after World War II, as some perceive it as harkening to the Japanese colonial era. * ' () – term meaning "insubordinate Korean", where ''senjin'' is short for ''Chōsenjin''. This term was often used to describe the Korean independence movement, although it was also used to portray Koreans in general negatively. * ' () – term meaning "suspicious Korean". Used during and after the colonial period to refer to ethnic Korean criminals, now considered discriminatory. * – literally "kimchi bastard". Notably, in 2003, the Mongolian sumo wrestler Asashōryū sparked controversy by calling a Korean journalist this term. * Parasites () – commonly used to refer to

. * – antiquated term meaning "people from third countries", referring to ethnic Korean/Taiwanese (former colonial subjects) people in Japan. Considered by some to now be a slur. Made infamous after the Governor of Tokyo

used the term in 2000, when he said "Atrocious crimes have been committed again and again by ... we can expect them to riot in the event of a disastrous earthquake". This implied he believed the widely rejected rumors (even within Japan) that started the

, in which Koreans were lynched after rumors circulated that they were poisoning water supplies and rioting. Ishihara later refused to apologize for the remark. * – meaning "Tokutei Asia, Tokutei (East) Asian". A derogatory term used against Koreans and Chinese people, Chinese.

In Korean

*Black-haired foreigner () – used by South Koreans to refer to ethnic Koreans who are either foreign-born, are foreign citizens, or spent significant time abroad. It is also used to refer to people with perceived foreign interests. *Chinese dog () – a slur normally used to refer to Chinese people that is also used towards Chinese-born ethnic Koreans. *''Hell Joseon'' () – used internally in South Korea by South Koreans to criticize the country's difficult socioeconomic situation. The term is seen as being self-deprecating. *''Jjokbari'' () – a slur normally used to refer to Japanese people that is also used towards Zainichi Koreans, Zainichi Korean people. A more specific variant of the slur is ''ban-jjokbari'', meaning "half ''jjokbari''". *''Josen-jing'' () – used internally in South Korea by South Koreans as a reference to the Japanese slur for Koreans, ''Chōsenjin''. It is seen as self-deprecating or even dehumanizing. *''Kimchi-nam'' and ''Kimchi-nyeo'' () – meaning literally "Kimchi male" and "Kimchi female". Used by younger South Koreans to pejoratively refer to perceived stereotypical Korean men or women. They have also become associated the conflict over feminism in South Korea. *''Anti-communism, Ppalgaengi'' () – meaning literally "little red", has similar connotation to the word "commie" in English. Used in South Korea to pejoratively refer to either North Koreans or any left-leaning person.

In English

* Gook – a derogatory term used by occupying US military to refer to native people, mainly Asians. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the etymology is unknown and disagreed upon. It states that the word traces its usage through US military deployments in the

, Korea, and

, although other sources record it during the 1915–1934 United States occupation of Haiti, occupation of Haiti. A widespread urban legend holds that it derives from the Korean term 미국/美國, ''miguk'', meaning "America", which American soldiers interpreted as "me gook", or from other variants involving the word for country, ''guk''. * Kimchi – referencing the Korean dish.

In Filipino (Tagalog)

* ''Retoke Koreano'' – literally "plastic Korean", referring to South Korea's high rates of plastic surgery.

In Indonesian

* ''Jepang Barat'' – literally "West Japan", pejoratively recalling Korea under Japanese rule.

Notes

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anti-Korean Sentiment Anti-Korean sentiment, Anti–East Asian sentiment, Korea Korean-American history