Korea to allow biracial police officers
CVK
(Thanks to Tariq for this tip!) I had no idea mixed people weren’t allow to be cops in Korea, but apparently it’s so. Chalk another one up to the Hines Ward effect, but according to The Korea Times, The National Police Agency has announced that mixed race Koreans would now be allowed to serve as police officers:
The National Police Agency (NPA) said Wednesday that it would recruit mixed-race people in irregular recruitment as a measure to abolish discrimination against them…
The NPA plans to employ multi-racial people having Korean nationality and expertise such as foreign language skills as police officers. They will be posted in regions where large groups of foreigners reside, including Ansan, Kyonggi Province, where 25,000 foreigners live.
This part, however, gave me pause. They’re going to encourage mixed Koreans to serve as riot police? That sounds a bit like Operation Human Shield from the South Park movie to me…
The NPA will also encourage biracial people who want to serve in the army to apply as riot police. Previously, mixed-race people were exempt from military service, but a revised enforcement ordinance of military law allows them to join the armed services if they want.
Lyonside wrote:
My biggest question is how long S. Korea has had these ideas ready to roll out - it seems like a lot of change very soon (too soon, I suspect, to be tied to Ward, bless him). Total speculation, but I wonder if the government was waiting for the right time to start integrating mixed Koreans in these ways and the national conversation over Ward Hines made it possible?
It may also be in part that as the world attention is on the Korean peninsula, S. Korea may see these changes as yet more ways to differentiate themselves from N. Korea…
Whatever the reason, I hope it works. I fear for a backlash as social conservatives (as they will everywhere) cry “TOO much, too soon.”
Posted 24 May 2006 at 6:23 am ¶
gatamala wrote:
OPERATION HUMAN SHIELD? HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA
When they say mixed, who are they talking about? So if someone is part Korean/ part Black American they get posted to an area where there is a large Chinese population? Huh? Will language skills matter or do they just need mixed people to bear the brunt of state anger??? Do they have the opportunity for advancement or other positions? Or is it just the riot goons????
Posted 24 May 2006 at 1:20 pm ¶
Brad wrote:
Gatamala:
I hope that the Koreans would be smart about their placement. Given the racism that exists still in the U.S. police departments around the country, I don’t envy the mixed-race Korean officers.
Posted 28 May 2006 at 5:22 pm ¶