[LETTERS to the editor]Discrimination against foreigners

As a reader of your paper I was interested in your article today [Nov. 22] which reported the important current issue raised by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea in regard to Korean Web sites that do not allow foreigners access to their online services.

This is not a new problem and is one experienced by many of us in Korea.

I am writing to express my concern and disappointment.

My husband and I have lived in Korea for more than 40 years. We are citizens of another country, so are required to each have a Certificate of Alien Registration, a card which bears a “foreign” ID number.

However, as your article indicates, we are prevented from accessing the various Web sites which only accept Korean citizen ID numbers.

This is both discriminatory to foreigners and disadvantageous to the various businesses which discriminate against us in this manner.

Your article is incorrect in referring only to foreigners “who stay in Korea less than 90 days and are not entitled to a foreign ID number.”

The practice discriminates against ALL foreigners - even if they have been here 40 years, contributing to Korean society, and possessing foreign ID numbers.

I wonder: when will Korea really be open to treating all its residents equally?

Without that, the word globalization has very little meaning.

Thank you for bringing this matter to the attention of your readers.

We hope it will also bring about prompt changes both in the matter of Web site discrimination and in the overall consciousness of the ways in which discrimination continues in this country. Sonia Reid Strawn, Sodaemun, Seoul