A Wake-Up Call for DEIB: Reflecting on the Forced Repatriation of Uzbekistani Students

-

In a recent exposé by The Hankyoreh, the forced deportation of foreign students from Hanshin University (reported on December 12, 2023) has sent shockwaves through the global higher education community, including many universities in South Korea. This incident glaringly reveals a disturbing tendency to treat international students as mere tools for the university's survival. On November 27, 2023, Hanshin University deceitfully lured Uzbekistani students from its Korean language program onto a bus under the pretense of collecting their Alien Registration Cards, only to transport them to Incheon International Airport for forced repatriation, according to the report. 


The response from migrant rights groups has been swift, demanding thorough investigations and lodging complaints with the National Human Rights Commission. Yet, both the immigration office and Hanshin University seem to be caught in a blame-shifting loop, with a glaring absence of institutional accountability and humane consideration. Regardless of the complexities between these two entities, South Korea has transformed from a land of hope to a reprehensible nation for the students who were coerced onto flights to Uzbekistan against their will.


A persistent theme in South Korea's approach to foreign students is the assumption that they are mere transients, passing through the country. Despite their aspirations to find employment and settle here, our societal gaze towards foreigners remains cold and detached. We empathize with the discriminatory experiences of our students abroad, yet seem oblivious to the racist prejudices and sufferings faced by international students within our own borders. Particularly, our xenophobia towards certain races or ethnicities is a debt that South Korean society will inevitably have to confront.


In light of this incident, it's crucial to critically examine why criticisms about South Korea's international student policies, which have been generating "anti-Korean waves," persist over the past two decades. This calls for a reflection beyond technical debates, such as maintaining bank balances for residency requirements, to how South Korean universities and society perceive and treat foreign students, especially those from developing countries. At the end of this introspection, we must encounter the concept of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).


DEIB has emerged as a key concept in global higher education in recent years. In developing countries, it focuses on expanding basic educational rights and access for low-income groups and women. In developed nations like the United States, it began with affirmative action for historically discriminated groups and now intertwines with the increasing immigrant and refugee issues, striving for social integration tailored to each country's context. Notably, the US Supreme Court's June 2023 decision on the unconstitutionality of race-conscious admissions policies and the resignation of the University of Pennsylvania's President in December over controversial responses to anti-Semitism related to the Israel-Hamas conflict have further fueled the DEIB discourse.


In this context, domestically, Seoul National University's launch of a DEIB organization labeled "SNU Diversity Council" in 2016 marked a significant progress, followed by similar initiatives at KAIST, Korea University, and a few more. These organizations transcend mere legal compliance and correction of discriminatory or anti-humanitarian acts within the campus. They lead in cultivating a campus culture and system where every member, regardless of gender, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, race, or political beliefs, is welcomed and respected. The formation of a consortium “AUDUO” (Association of University Diversity and Inclusion Organizations) in the first half of 2023 by six universities operating dedicated DEIB organizations is a groundbreaking development.


As we welcome 180,000 foreign students and 2.5 million resident foreigners, embracing DEIB in higher education and society is the path to a healthier and more sustainable future.


*Related report: https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1120870.html


*Disclaimer
This is a translation of the op-ed I published through The Hankyoreh, one of the major news outlets in South Korea; for the original article, please visit https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/opinion/because/1122553.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

South Korea's Emergence in Post-Pandemic International Education for the U.S.

-
US students are choosing South Korea. This marks a new milestone for the country, which over the past decade has been receiving spotlight as a popular study abroad destination for international students globally.  The data from the Institute of International Education (USA) and Korea’s Ministry of Justice corroborate the shift in mobility patterns. In 2002/03, a small margin of internationally mobile US students was found in Korea, 834 or about 0.4% (739 of 174,629). Since then, inbound numbers have grown eight-fold (to 5,909) in 2022/23, representing a dramatic increase in the shares of total US students found globally. The ratio of US students in Korea to global numbers stood at 2.1% for the 2022/23 academic year while pandemic levels were even higher with US students in Korea representing nearly 7 percent of the global US study abroad population (977 out of 14,549). Notably, Korea is exemplary for having not only the highest rate of growth in recent years, but also fast rebound ...
Read more

Export of Education: Korean Universities' Path to Internationalization in post-COVID World

-
The COVID-19 pandemic has held sway over the globe for over two years now, yet the fervor of countless experts involved in internationalization at local Korean universities remains undeterred. In January, approximately 230 faculty and staff members from various local universities converged at the 22nd regular general meeting of the Korean Association of International Educators in Jeju. The gathering served as a platform for them to engage in fervent dialogues on innovation and development in international exchange, as well as the management of foreign student recruitment. This could be attributed not only to their concerted efforts toward internationalizing domestic universities, but potentially also to their experience working in American universities operating within Korea. The idea of 'internationalization' has entrenched itself as a top policy priority in our universities for over two decades. Despite apprehensions over rapid quantitative growth and the manifestation of uni...
Read more

10 Years of Incheon Global Campus: Achievements, Obstacles, and Future Prospects

-
In 2012, South Korea initiated a global educational hub called Incheon Global Campus (IGC) as part of government-led efforts to globalize higher education. This article explores the developments at the US campuses in Korea over the past decade. South Korea is globally renowned for its contribution to international student mobility, with roughly 200,000 Korean students enrolled in higher education institutions worldwide in 2020. Notably, the most popular destination was the US, followed by China, Japan, and Canada. However, this student mobility is largely outbound, with the number of Korean students studying abroad significantly outnumbering incoming international students. This has led to a substantial trade deficit in education. In an attempt to balance this situation, the Korean government, inspired by globalisation and international pressures, encouraged educational exchanges by setting up the IGC, inviting prestigious universities to establish campuses in Korea. This initiative ai...
Read more