Recent attacks on Koreans studying abroad in Australia have been trending of late, with a particular focus on the brutal case of a man, known only as Mr. Jang, who suffered a nasty injury at the hands of a group of racist attackers in Australia (who, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, reportedly mistook him for being Chinese).
This article in particular focuses on the ‘unsatisfactory’ investigation by Victoria Police in Melbourne, and the reaction to this from the Korean Consulate, as well as their pledge to carry out a full reinvestigation, after the original led to just one arrest.
Netizens have reacted mostly with anger, with some even claiming that such mishandling would never have occurred were the victim to be Chinese. Some Netizens blamed Australia’s atmosphere as a whole, whilst others claimed that this was a worldwide problem. Others argued that the Korean Government should do more to defend its citizens.
Australian Police Apologise to Korean Victim, Reinvestigation Begins
Australian Police in Melbourne, where mob attacks on Korean students have occurred, have apologised to the victim for the poor and improper handling of the initial investigation.
Last September, Korean student Mr. Jang (33) was racially attacked in Box Hill Park, Melbourne by about ten caucasian teenagers. Mr. Jang was severely injured, having had a finger severed. Victoria Police sparked controversy by ending the investigation after charging only one person.
According to statements made on the 18th by the Korean consulate and the victim, Mr. Jang, the Victoria Police Department is replacing the policeman in charge of this case, who caused the recent controversy, with a policeman, well-versed in multicultural relations, who will join the new investigation team reinvestigating Mr. Jang’s case.
The police informed Mr. Jang about the reinvestigation and apologized for the poor and unsatisfactory handling of the case and investigation.
Mr. Jang said: “Victoria Police have replaced the officer who caused the controversy with two female investigators who are responsible for multicultural affairs, and they have met with me to convey their apologies.”
Mr. Jang has said that the new investigation team has apologized for the officer in charge who seemed to dump the responsibility on the victim by saying “you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He added: “The Australian police have accepted our government’s official complaint and showed their volition for reinvestigation. I will give my testimony about the incident to the new investigation team around the middle of next week.”
He also stressed that, judging from the circumstances, this incident was not a simple assault or mugging, but is relevant to general Asian-targeted racist crimes, so he hopes to find the truth through this investigation.
The Melbourne Korean Embassy announced that, in connection with this incident, Mr. Jang was given a 6 month extension on his visa’s expiration date last July.
Comments from Naver
jomh****:
Australia’s image has nosedived.
csc9****:
What happened to the incident in Greece? A Korean tourist got attacked by policemen there.
33thekey:
Older Australians are very nice but young people have a great sense of racial supremacy. Their arrogant attitude toward Asians is so predictable.
unko****:
If there’s personal danger for Korean citizens, the government has to respond immediately and deal with it like this.
ibbe****:
The consulate is a laughing stock. They turned blind eye to the incident until the Korean press reported it and now they are making a fuss. I live in Australia. Compared to what happened with the Chinese foreign students’ incidents in Australia, our government is pathetic.
holl****:
Cut off their fingers. Painfully.
merr****:
As the unemployment rate in Australia goes up, I heard racism is getting worse there….. It’d be a bum country without its natural resources.
luck****:
This reminds me of Lee Dong-gun’s little brother who got stabbed to death by a jang-gae student in Australia
csmo****:
The thought alone of spending painful time after the incident abroad makes me very angry. Justice is always on your side. Cheer up.
bkki****:
Female ESL students should be especially careful in Australia… Criminals can target you…. Cookies given as gifts can contain narcotics… There is no country as safe as Korea when it comes to drugs… If you get addicted to those cookies, you will want to go buy some more.
chic****:
A month ago, a friend of mine in Ultimo got assaulted by a group of white teens with a golf club. They dented his skull, broke both of his arms and two ribs. The police said they couldn’t catch the criminals and there has been no heads-up. Is this a normal country where a stranger walking downtown is beaten to a pulp with a golf club and the police turn blind eye to it? When walking the streets of Australia you should be prepared to wear a helmet. If you don’t want your head cracked open.
ingk****:
I read the previous article. It made no sense and made me upset. Racism is a problem. Yeah, that’s a problem. What I have felt is that our government is very passive in dealing with incidents like this. While they always try to walk on the diplomatic eggshell, our citizens suffer more abroad. Our government has to protect our citizens wherever they are. It was too late this time again.
kwn1****:
They cut off his finger????
navy****:
Here in Canada..racism is much less of a problem than Australia. Very occasionally, you would encounter arrogant people but ignoring them is the best idea. However, it would be terrifying to get attacked for no reason like he did. It seems racism is really severe in Australia and New Zealand.
asso****:
Australia was originally a place of exile for criminals and their descendants founded the country after gaining independence from the UK. Their economy isn’t big and their technology isn’t strong. Except that they have white people and good natural environment, it seems to fall short to be called an advanced nation.
kipp****:
Our country is that much comfortable ke ke ke It feels very relaxing if you come back from abroad.
dltj****:
Everyone who went to Australia says they have been victimized.
mig_****:
I’d rather go to America than Australia! You may not know this but if you check the exchange rates, there is no big difference between the two and sometimes you would find the prices in Australia are even higher. If you exclude a few shitty conservative states, it’s hard to experience serious racism in the US. Only one guy was charged although the victim got his finger cut off ㅡㅡ Do they think Korea is a fucking punchbag? Damn Australians.
smar****:
This is a problem of teens everywhere.
uliu****:
I visit Australia frequently due to work. Korea gets a bad reputation because of Korean girls. They come to work at farms in Australia on a working holiday visa. Every night they drink together and sleep around. In downtown, you can see normal-looking Korean female students negotiating the price for sex with white guys. I was shocked to see white, black and even rich Chinese guys holding Korean girls in night clubs. One guy I know said Australians look down on Korean girls and call them ‘free holes’. Because of these Korean prostitutes, Australian society doesn’t have a good perception of Koreans.
