Korean Websites

As most foreigners who have been to Korea know, it is infuriatingly difficult to use a lot of Korean websites or order products online unless you have a Korean citizen’s registration number. The fact that unless you are using Internet Explorer and Windows many useful websites hardly function doesn’t help either, but the registration number is far more disruptive. Even the most simple tasks can been damn near impossible. This is a shame – it is a big fat slap in the face to all foreigners who want to do anything in the Korean online world, even if they master the Korean language.

I am told that even if you have an official Alien registration number, which has the same number of digits as the Korean citizen’s number, you still have problems. Read more at this article over at Korea Focus, written by a professor at Hanyang University and Hanoemo (The Korean-Speaking Foreigners Club). As it says:

Each year, the thousands of foreigners who come to Korea to learn the Korean language receive an ARN. In addition, tens of thousands of other people, including foreign company employees, teachers, and workers, come to Korea each year – all of whom receive an ARN. The number assigned to them remains theirs even after they return home from Korea. Most foreigners who have lived in Korea for an extended period of time will probably continue to maintain an interest in or seek to do some work that is related to Korea. It is my firm belief that these people can play a crucial role in helping to further invigorate the Korean economy and improve Korea’s image abroad. It is like sending out thousands of supporting Korean ambassadors around the world every year.

However, this golden opportunity to promote Korea will be lost to some extent if these individuals are not provided with the chance to participate in Korean media and culture. With hallyu (the Korean wave) sweeping across Asia, Korea should take advantage of every opportunity to assure the continuation of this phenomenon. Attention needs to be focused on the sheer disregard with which Korean corporations and the Korean media treat those motivated to come here to work and to learn about this country. (For those who would like to express their support for a law forcing organizations to accept the ARN, please sign the online petition found at: http://www.petitiononline.com/korea/petition.html.

I signed the petition and I hope you will to. Until this situation changes (and perhaps it has since this article was published or since I was in Korea), foreigners in Korea or interested in Korea will be left in an online ghetto.