Assailants still at large after racist attack on Korean in Australia

The injured face of the Korean man who was attacked by three Caucasians in Sydney last December [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A Korean man was assaulted by three white men in Sydney last December while he was in Australia for a working holiday.

According to a JTBC report, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, on Tuesday, a Korean man in his 20s, surnamed Oh, was mocked and attacked in front of a police station in Sydney during the early morning hours in December last year.

While he was talking on the phone in front of the police station, two men approached Oh and berated him with racist insults, mistaking him for a Thai.

“[The men] said ‘XX Thailand’ and mocked me saying ‘small eyes’ by pulling up their eyes,” Oh said.

After Oh asked them to stop, another man, who was on the other side of the road, jumped on him and kicked him, beginning the attack.

Oh entered Australia after obtaining a working holiday visa and was staying at a hostel.

Oh left his hostel room to answer a call early in the morning, as he didn't want to disturb the other residents.

“I took the call in front of a police station because I thought it would be safe there,” Oh said to JTBC.

After the attack, Oh was sent to the emergency room for his injuries, including cuts around his right eye and bruises on his body.

However, the offenders have yet to be caught, despite three months passing since the attack.

With the police investigation yielding little progress, Oh searched for evidence himself, looking through nearby surveillance footage.

He also claims that he visited the Korean Consulate General in Sydney but received no help.

The Foreign Ministry told JTBC it “guided him to a translation service, and the Consulate General provided support by asking the police to provide surveillance footage.”

BY HA SU-YOUNG [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]