A recent video posted by Indian travel vlogger Deepanshu Sangwan has ignited a heated discussion on social media about racism in South Korea. Mr Sangwan, who runs the popular YouTube channel Nomadic Indian with over 1.7 million subscribers, shared his personal experience of facing racial discrimination during a trip to South Korea. In the video, Sangwan recounts how he encountered persistent stares from locals, making him feel alienated due to his brown skin.
"We're Indians, we have brown skin - what can we do? We were born this way," he says. He also notes that white individuals, on the other hand, are often viewed as exotic by Koreans. He acknowledges that racism exists in India as well but emphasises that the nature and extent of discrimination differ. He said, "We could poke fun at Koreans too since much of their culture is borrowed from Chinese traditions and other influences."
"We don't give dirty looks to others. Yes, people of African descent may face challenges in India, but it's not as widespread,'' he added.
''An Indian YouTuber with 1.7M subscribers faces racism in South Korea, exposing the darker side of the K-pop and K-drama craze. Ironically, Indian radfems bingeing these shows are seen as ugloids by Koreans,'' caption of the video reads on X.
Watch the video here:
The video has sparked a passionate debate on social media, with many sharing their own experiences of racism in South Korea. Some recounted similar encounters, while others defended the country, citing cultural differences.
One user wrote, ''A friend who worked at samsung went to Seoul for 3 months. He told me that no Korean would sit next to him during the lunch break. Some clubs won't even allow non asian or white people in.''
Another commented, ''Sorry dude, i worked in Seoul and that was 11 yrs ago and didn't face any racism. Infact they were very much sweeter than other countries. Yes i have seen racism in Thailand. If you bargain there, some of them abuse you.''
A third said, ''I experienced similar issues in Singapore and Japan. A Singaporean once told me they don't like Indians because we're too loud, often break rules, and lack civic sense.''
A fourth added, ''Whole world is racist towards India - they are not as welcoming as we are for the outsiders historically.''
