In South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province, mandatory coronavirus testing for foreigners sparks accusations of racism

The country’s most populous province has ordered all migrant workers to get tested following a number of infection clusters

While some have no problem with the free tests, other foreigners have called the order ‘humiliating’ and say they have been scapegoated

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A medical worker sprays disinfectant at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul. Photo: AP

Published: 6:00am, 13 Mar 2021Updated: 6:37am, 13 Mar 2021

Mark Ivan and his wife, a Filipino couple in their early 30s, were on Friday standing in a queue of people – so long it snaked around a corner – to take Covid-19 tests under a row of white tents manned by medical workers in sky-blue protective gear.

They work in the city of Ansan, some 30km (19 miles) southwest of Seoul, in Gyeonggi Province – which on Monday issued an administrative order calling for all foreign employees to get tested before March 22 or face fines of up to 3 million won (US$2,630).

The order sparked a mixed reaction in Ansan, which is home to an estimated 20,000 migrant workers, including those without documentation. Many migrant workers welcomed the free tests, which they said gave them a sense of assurance, while others decried discrimination against foreigners or outright racism.

“We have no problem with receiving this test,” Ivan told This Week in Asia. “I think the South Korean government is doing this just to protect foreign workers living in this country.”

Asked whether he felt insulted by the order to receive the test, the 31-year-old salesman said tersely: “Not at all.”

People shop at a mall in Gyeonggi Province,South Korea. Photo: EPA

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