Benjamin Wagner, of Kyunghee University, has this article in The Korea Herald today. He focuses on a quotation by Lee Eun-eung, the venomous representative of Anti-English Spectrum, who has been spreading the word that “At an AIDS testing center for foreigners, 80 percent of those requesting tests were foreign English teachers” — a phrase he’s harped on repeatedly. Wagner discusses the way HIV testing is actually a good thing, and rips Lee for perpetuating the stigmas against HIV testing which lead to Koreans not getting tested…increasing the danger of undiagnosed HIV positives at large, who might be unintentionally spreading the virus.
From the article:
These foreign English teachers [getting tested for HIV] should have been held up as examples of correct behavior and prudent action for responsible Korean citizens everywhere; instead they were vilified as depraved and dangerous.
…Rather than promoting the idea that everyone, Koreas and non-Koreans alike, should seek voluntary testing for HIV, this group’s leader is determined to manipulate the public’s fear in order to promote his own agenda, even if it means putting the Korean population at risk.
…And as long as there are groups that seek to increase that stigma, prejudice and discrimination by portraying AIDS as a “foreigners’ disease,” Koreans living with HIV/AIDS will remain undiagnosed and unknowingly spread the disease in society.
As the Seoul High Court explained in the landmark “Heo” decision, “the most dangerous thing for society is not persons who are infected with HIV and aware of their status, but persons who are infected with the disease and unaware of their status.”
Go read.
There is also a letter from Human Rights Watch to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea on Korea’s bullcrap HIV laws.
22/06/2009 at 11:54 pm Permalink
Interesting.
However, Korea can if it chooses screen immigrants and foreign workers for HIV as a visa issuance requirement. They can request this screen to take place in the applicants home country.
HIV is a contagious and incurable disease that can be terminal. I for one am not quite confortable dictating to a country how they should approach this Public Health issue.
The way they administer the test now is imperfect and opens Korea up for criticism. I would think they move the whole kettle of fish off-shore and make it a visa issuance requirement. Case would be closed then. It would be simpler: all applicants for E-2 visas that will work with kids need, in order to obtain their visa prior to arrival to undergo a Criminal Records Check and a medical test (which would include HIV).
Should a person with HIV be denied a visa? That is another debate….but should they be checked before teaching kids…you bet.
People living in Korea should also be required this test as part of their medical. Case closed I think.
Human Rights is a label that gets tossed around far too quickly and far too easily…it is used to stamp many things that often are not HR issues at all. It is interesting as a debate however.
23/06/2009 at 2:45 am Permalink
Why are you limiting such tests and checks to E2s? They are far from the only ones teaching children.
23/06/2009 at 9:46 am Permalink
Chris/Fan Death Avenger – why should teachers be checked for HIV before teaching anyone? HIV is not spread by casual contact such as teaching and, unless the person has reached the full-blown AIDS phase, it has no impact on the persons’ ability to work.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully support of voluntary, confidential testing and education. Like Chris said, HIV/AIDS is a communicable and deadly disease but I don’t see the issue as ‘dictating’ how a country deals with public health issues. It’s basic common-sense and everyone is entitled to an opinion. It’s generally accepted that those who are most at risk of spreading it are those who are unaware of their HIV statuses, regardless of their nationalities or visa statuses. If Korea really wants to get the HIV/AIDS infection rate down and treatment rates up, I think they need to move away from reactive policies that target a small group of people and they should be actively encouraging voluntary, confidential testing and education.
Unfortunately, the current policies and social climate generated by an irresponsible media do nothing except increase social stigma and drive the HIV/AIDS issue underground. And groups like AES, who vilify those who take responsibility for their sexual health, have no place in a forward-thinking South Korea.
Chris – how does the goverment singling out a small group of foreign nationals (based on nothing but sensational media reports), labeling them a threat and requiring them to have HIV/AIDS tests not a HR issue? Surely discrimination comes under the HR umbrella.
23/06/2009 at 10:58 am Permalink
should they be checked before teaching kids…you bet.
Why? How can teachers give HIV to kids?
23/06/2009 at 12:56 pm Permalink
“They can request this screen to take place in the applicants home country.”
That’s one of the stranger elements of all this for me. When I applied for a student visa to Japan my HIV test was done in America (college doctor), then the results were notarized and mailed to the Japanese Embassy in DC.
Why doesn’t Korea do it this way? IMO, it would be more efficient in the long-run but also require more work on the part of Korean immigration officials. They’d probably have to spend a little more money and planning too, god forbid, to coordinate with embassies back in the states.
23/06/2009 at 2:24 pm Permalink
Sorry, some of the grammar in my previous post was bad. I was in between classes at the time!
23/06/2009 at 5:00 pm Permalink
“but I don’t see the issue as ‘dictating’ how a country deals with public health issues”
At the risk of sounding like a broken record — IMO, teachers coming to Korea on one-year contracts should be tested for any number of life-threatening conditions, including HIV, because you’ll be on the Korean health-care system while you’re here. That doesn’t seem unfair to me at all. If the ROK is on the hook for any medical conditions you might need taken care of while here, they have a right to now if you have anything that can be screened for easily.
I do think it would be unfair to bar entry to tourists or other short-term visitors due to HIV, since the probability of transmission is so low. And I do think many Koreans have some outlandish ideas about the nature of HIV/AIDS, but that doesn’t mean the country shouldn’t enact its own rules when it comes to screening migrant workers (i.e., English teachers).who aren’t just entering Korea’s work force, but its health system as well.
23/06/2009 at 5:20 pm Permalink
Jaim – fair point on the burden to the health system… however, if Korea wants to deny people with HIV/AIDS (or any other life threatening diseases) entry into the country and to their health care system, then they should do the screening before people get into the country. That way they can say they’re ‘entry requirements’ with a straight face. To get people here, test them and then selectively deport them is like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.
And honestly, as much as I love Korea, if I tested positive for HIV, it’s in the list of my top 10 places not to be because of the general ignorance and stigma surrounding the disease. I understand that wouldn’t apply to people who have made a life here but if we’re talking migrant/short-term workers, I don’t think my attitude would be uncommon.
23/06/2009 at 7:08 pm Permalink
Dancing Bear — where did I say I believed teachers should be tested for AIDS/HIV? I was addressing the applies-to-some-but-not-to-others issue. Personally, I would like to see all of the HIV tests disappear, but as long as the government is going to use the tired “it’s for the children” argument, I am going to use the “E2s are not the only teachers of children” argument.
23/06/2009 at 7:56 pm Permalink
FDA, I thought that when you posed a question about limiting tests to E2s you meant that anyone who teaches children should be checked. My mistake & apologies.
I agree with you – I think all the HIV checks should go away. They do nothing to ‘protect children’ and they certainly don’t do anything to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.
23/06/2009 at 10:52 pm Permalink
I am all for AIDS testing….Personally my favorite lesson plan involves open wounds and blood rituals, so the best way I can keep my students safe is though testing!!!
23/06/2009 at 11:28 pm Permalink
To be clear, anyone coming from abroad who will teach kids should have a proper medical and I do not see HIV testing being part of it as a problem.
People already in Korea (F-visas, E-visas) should go throug a medical (including HIV) if they will teach kids.
Thats simple and it is not discriminatory nor a Human Rights violation.
Either that or remove the HIV Test. But thats not our call, it is up to Korea to decide what they require of teachers who will teach Korean children. Korea has the right to decide who it lets into its country and what the requirements are. Hence, move the testing abroad.
Jaim made a very relevant point: once you geta visa, Korea and your employer is responsible for you. That includes health care and public health in general. This means Korea has every right to request foreign educators be tested for contagious diseases.
24/06/2009 at 2:48 am Permalink
Chris, I think you are missing how mandatory HIV tests for foreigners can actually increase the risk of AIDS spreading in Korea amongst Koreans. When you hype up AIDS as a disease that can be controlled at the border because its a foreigner thing you end up creating a disincentive for Koreans to be tested. The foreigner AIDS scare also adds more stigma to the disease where Koreans are already terrified to be tested because people will think they are dirty. You know that there are 13,000 Koreans estimated to have AIDS, and most don’t know it? You want to protect Korea’s health?? Get them in for testing. How do you do that? Protect privacy, encourage voluntary testing.
Also, following your logic of testing for contagious diseases, then we better test for the really contagious ones. AIDS isn’t that contagious. Lets test foreigns for diseases that can really be passed through casual contact, such as skin to skin, or even skin to surfaces. MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) staph infections killed more people in the US last year than AIDS and its spread by causal contact like touching people or even things, surfaces, etc.
Its a real concern in the school setting. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSainSchools/
I’m sorry, and I mean no offense, but the kind of conclusory statements you make are really part of the problem. People just say stuff, react. They don’t think, research or study enough. If you don’t know the area hold back your judgments til you do.
For example, you say:
“People already in Korea (F-visas, E-visas) should go throug a medical (including HIV) if they will teach kids. Thats simple and it is not discriminatory nor a Human Rights violation.”
But why is it so simple? You give us nothing with this statement. Why is not a human rights violation? You make no arguments, present no reasoning.. I mean, you are welcome to your gut feelings and homespun opinions, but don’t plan on persuading people with this kind of approach.
Also, you say:
“But thats not our call, it is up to Korea to decide what they require of teachers who will teach Korean children. Korea has the right to decide who it lets into its country and what the requirements are.”
Again, from what authority are you speaking from? Or simply put: why? You tell us very little here.
Are you saying that no matter what Korea decides to require for teaching kids, it’s ok? Really? How about if they decide to violate their own constitution, is that ok? What if they require people to have “type A” blood to teach kids because “type O” blood people are too selfish and unreliable? Is that their call? If so you are suggesting an approach far more radical than what the Korean government says it has a right to do.
I realize you think you are just making things simple and clear for people. But, sadly, it is often people like yourself who find everything so clear and so simple who end up being some of the most dangerous people out there. And you don’t even realize you are doing it.
24/06/2009 at 3:24 am Permalink
I just read my post and realized it might not be clear I wan’t actually suggesting testing for MRSA, just making a point – by using an example of a truly contagious disease that kills more than AIDS, to show how the AIDS testing thing isn’t really about “protecting health” but plain old discrimination – dressed up as if its about “protecting health”.
25/06/2009 at 11:21 pm Permalink
Jon Van Bilke,
I think that the medical tests should cover numerous contagious and dangerous diseases for all people who will teach kids. So what you said about other diseases that are dangerous as well makes sense. I also beleive that with recent near-pandemics and with the current pandemic that many countries will enact far stricted entry screening measures and far more stringent immigration and foreign labor rules. Why? Cost and who these governments work for. They work for the people that elected them and for the citizens of their countries. In Korea’s case that is neither you nor me unless you are a citizen or a permanment resident with voting rights.
The test should be taken before entry into Korea for those coming from abroad and in Korea for those who reside there and will teach kids.
You can believe the HIV screening is discrimination. I do not see it as discrimination as long as it is made a visa issuance requirement. Furthermore, the HIV testing does not need to be known publicly, and the results are confidential. A person found to infected should be notified and the employer can then make his decision. Honestly, if I ran a school for children I would not hire someone with HIV or another serious contagious disease. The risks are too great (even if they can be considered small).
As for the authority I was speaking about it is the right of a sovereign nation to decide who it lets into its country and under what conditions. This extends to the foreign labor it hires and brings in-country. It is not up to you or me to dictate to any sovereign country what is needed to obtain a work visa. If the restrictions are too much for some people, I suggest they “vote with their feet” and choose another “ESL Destination”. I am not saying this to be harsh. I think people these days tend to see everything as their right and everything that requires something of them as discrimination.
Korean government officials and the government could save itself a headache here and more the health requirements abroad and part of visa issuance requirements.
You can go on a tirade (wrong word perhaps and no offense intended) and bring up unrealistic examples like you did with the blood type screening. All that does is confuse the issue with sensationalism. Really, requiring a screen for an incurable and potentially deadly disease that is contagious is discrimination? It is a Human Rights violation? So the right to spread disease supersedes the right to protect people (as long as we will engage in dramatics I figured I would jump in)?
Your right to travel with contagious disease is higher than the right of others not to be exposed to the disease if they can?
One is a Human Rights issue and discrimination but the other is ok?
I will end this by saying I did not appreciate you calling me an idiot or implying it when you said:
“sadly, it is often people like yourself who find everything so clear and so simple who end up being some of the most dangerous people out there. And you don’t even realize you are doing it.”
A) I am quite aware of what I am saying and doing.
B) I kept it simple because a large part of this discussion is really quite simple once you brush away some of the fluff.
Calling me dangerous I assume meant you consider me being some sort of “Yes man” to what you perceive as discrimination. I do not recall insulting anyone in my previous two comments. I merely provided my input on this question. I honestly find the epidermic reaction people have to every thing that contradicts their values or views is in a way polluting the debate and cluttering judgement. Thats just my two cents.
25/06/2009 at 11:27 pm Permalink
Forgot one thing…
“But why is it so simple? You give us nothing with this statement. Why is not a human rights violation? You make no arguments, present no reasoning.. I mean, you are welcome to your gut feelings and homespun opinions, but don’t plan on persuading people with this kind of approach.”
It is painfully simple. People already in Korea can get their medical locally and as a result do not have to travel back to their respective home countries….That seemed obvious. The statement you mock as so simple included ALL teachers working with kids. Look up the word ALL and you might find it means an entire group. This particular group includes Foreign Teachers who have resided in Korea for a few years and not lived abroad for extended periods and Korean Teachers who already get a medical on a yearly basis.
The screen is for all teachers and should include a reasonable list of dangerous and contagious diseases. But perhaps thats too simple….and makes my dangerous.
Yikes….
26/06/2009 at 2:30 am Permalink
Yikes… is right. All that and you still haven’t answered how HIV is transmitted to kids by teaching.
You also haven’t addressed the fact that what you are suggesting will increase the spread of AIDS.
These are the kind of facts you call “the fluff”.
“I kept it simple because a large part of this discussion is really quite simple once you brush away some of the fluff.”
Again, it’s really this type of thinking that’s the most dangerous.