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In the middle of downtown Duisburg, on the banks of the Rhine River, Germany, the world's largest inland port, a Korean student in his 20s was assaulted and assaulted by two unidentified men in broad daylight for being Asian.
On Christmas Eve, on the 24th (local time), at around 1:00 pm, two men approached a 29-year-old international student named Ha, in a residential area in downtown Duisburg, Germany, and expressed their hatred of Asians, saying, "I hate Chinese people" and "I will kill all Chinese people." He threw racial slurs and assaulted his face and back.
When Mr. Ha asked for help from citizens passing by, the police who received the report were dispatched, and the two men fled.
In a press call on the 27th local time, Mr. Ha said, "I took my dog for a walk in front of my house, and suddenly two men approached me, made hateful remarks about Asians, and assaulted my face." I received a wound on my left eye and head. I feel so unfair and resentful."
He said, "The problem is that this kind of thing happens to international students as if they were eating rice."
He complained that the German police were lukewarm and did not pursue the men who had fled despite his request.
Duisburg police said in a media call, "A case related to Korean nationals has been received and the security unit is conducting an investigation."
The German embassy said it sent a letter to Duisburg and the North Rhine-Westphalia State Police to sternly protest the lukewarm behavior and ask for an expedited investigation to catch the culprit.
In Germany, racism against Asians has increased since the Corona 19 pandemic (global pandemic).
According to a survey conducted in May of last year on 4,500 people, including 700 Asians in Germany, as part of a research project by the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University, and the Center for Integrated Migration Studies in Germany, 49% of Asians were directly affected by the pandemic. Respondents experienced discrimination.
Of the racial discrimination cases, 62% were verbal attacks, 11% were physical violence such as spitting, shoving or spraying disinfectant, and the remaining 27% were institutional exclusions such as not taking appointments at the hospital.
Respondents reported that most racism occurred while walking on the street or using public transportation.
Duisburg, which claimed to be 'China's gateway to Europe', was evaluated as a key base for China's Belt and Road (一帶一路: land and sea silk road connecting China-Central Asia-Europe) project.
However, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there was a fierce controversy over China's expansion of influence on its infrastructure and industry, and it was distancing itself, such as suspending business with China's largest telecommunications equipment maker Huawei.
(Photo = Provided by Mr. Ha, Yonhap News)