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By Yoon Jea-hoon, AWN Staff Reporter

South Korea 'skin-coloured crayon' was charged with racial discrimination in the National Human Rights Committee. Even though the crayon itself has never intended to discriminate against people because of their colour, it is regrettable that the term, skin colour markers, crayons and watercolours, offends many migrant workers who have a different skin colour from ours.

Suing the crayon for discrimination, along with pastor Kim Hae-sung from the Chinese Shelter in Seongnam, Sri Lankan, Vicky told his embarrassing story that took place in a subway a year ago, to the National Human Rights Committee. At that time a child next to him asked his/her mother, why is this person's skin so black? The mother answered the child by saying; His skin has become black because he didn't clean his body well.

When I met Vicky at the Chinese Shelter, I told him that I saw him on a TV program. He then asked me, do you think it (the situation) is exaggerated? His Korean is very good, in spite of his being here for less than three years.

He told me that he would have felt better if he hadn't understood Korean when he heard the child and mother speak. He also mentioned the current and controversial dog meat dispute that is currently going on in Korea.

He noted a French actress' remarks, which criticized the Korean
dog meat culture as a barbaric one, in a telephone interview with a Korean broadcasting station. He said how dare she say that, when the French eat monkey's brains and horsemeat. He also added that it is understandable for Koreans to be angry at other people's careless interference or prejudice.

Like the matter above, the label skin colour is an expression of prejudice and discrimination against coloured races, so the use of that term must end, he said.

The UN Declaration of Human Rights regulates that 'men should not be discriminated against for their race, nationality, gender, colour or any other reason. But Vicky thinks Korea is a very hard place to live for many migrant workers and for him self.
Where drums beat, laws are silent. Koreans often poke fun at those who eat their food with a spoon and fork in restaurants by saying, why don't you use your hand?

The issue of colour is just one of the discrimination cases. We now insist that we not use the name skin-coloured because the name has been implanted on our children's minds with discrimination and distinction against people who have a different skin colour from theirs.

If we don't teach our children the truth that the black skin colour of Negroes is their skin colour and the white skin colour of Caucasians is their skin colour our children will still misunderstand many migrant workers as dirty people, whose skin is black because they don't clean their bodies, even 10 or 20 years from now.

I don't think that discrimination and violation of human rights against migrant workers in Korea will disappear in a day by prohibiting the use of the term skin colour, but I do hope that the result from the committee over this case would be a significant turning point and milestone in the field of human rights of our society.