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The head of South Korea’s Red Cross has resigned after being caught on tape making remarks about “dark-skinned” foreign diplomats – a scandal that has sparked public outrage, drawn a rebuke from the president and renewed scrutiny of racial prejudice in an increasingly diverse society. In the leaked audio, Kim Chul-soo was heard complaining that a recent Red Cross gala had been attended “only [by] the non-significant foreign ambassadors … just the dark-skinned people”, and instructed staff not to invite “dark-faced people” to future events. Critics say the remarks reflect not just one man’s bias but a broader discomfort with multiculturalism in South Korean society. The country is socially and institutionally steeped in racial hierarchies yet relies heavily on migrant labour. Observers said Kim’s remarks struck at the core of the Korean Red Cross’ mission. Non-discrimination and upholding human dignity regardless of race, nationality or religion are cornerstones of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Kim has since apologised, writing in the organisation’s internal bulletin on Friday: “There is no justification for my remarks under any circumstances. I bow my head in apology.” Shortly afterwards, he tendered his resignation following what lawmaker Park Joo-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who chairs the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, described as a “stern reprimand” from President Lee Jae-myung. This Week in Asia has reached out to the Korean Red Cross for comment. These horrible gaffes remind us of the challenges South Korea faces as it transitions into a multicultural society Jhee Byong-kuen, political scientist Kim Min-woong, a former political science and theology professor at South Korea’s Kyung Hee University, said the comments “betrayed racial prejudice” and “seriously undermined the principles of equality and universality” that underpinned the global Red Cross movement. “This is a frontal assault on the movement’s spirit,” he told This Week in Asia. He said the remarks carried a thinly veiled contempt towards Southeast Asian and African nations, exposing persistent racial hierarchies in South Korean society. “There remains a subtle but enduring racism in South Korea against the Global South – even though this country itself was part of it not so long ago.” Professor Jhee Byong-kuen, a political scientist at Chosun University, said the scandal reflected a broader global trend in which “extremism and anti-immigration sentiments” were spreading even in societies once considered ethnically homogeneous. “The Korean Red Cross president’s remarks are blatantly racist,” Jhee said. “Some people, especially those in high society, buy into a culture of white supremacy, imagining themselves among the white elite.” Jhee said this aspiration was often mixed with “a vague yearning for Western lifestyles” among some Koreans – despite the country’s increasing reliance on immigrant labour from Southeast Asia for sectors such as construction, agriculture and care work. “These horrible gaffes remind us of the challenges South Korea faces as it transitions into a multicultural society,” he said. “Public education against racism must be strengthened.” ‘Strongly rebuked’ Presidential spokesman Kim Nam-jun told reporters on Friday that Lee had “strongly rebuked” the Red Cross chief over reports that he made racist comments referring to foreign ambassadors from Angola, India, the Czech Republic, Sri Lanka and other countries. “President Lee ordered the Ministry of Health and Welfare to carry out an inspection,” the spokesman said. “He emphasised that all forms of discrimination and hate – whether based on race, ethnicity, nationality or region – are serious antisocial acts that undermine the national community. The president has instructed each government ministry to take firm steps to eradicate them.” The scandal erupted after broadcaster JTBC-TV aired an audio recording of Kim Chul-soo’s remarks, made before subordinates a few days after returning from a Red Cross gala hosted at a Seoul hotel in November 2023. According to the report, Kim criticised the event’s guest list and instructed staff to exclude certain diplomats from future invitations. He reportedly urged organisers to prioritise ambassadors from the so-called Big Five – believed to be the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Japan – while discouraging the inclusion of envoys from countries he deemed “less significant”. The gala had been attended by ambassadors and their spouses from seven countries, including Angola, India, the Czech Republic and Sri Lanka, according to JTBC-TV. “From now on, when you organise galas or whatever, don’t invite dark-faced people. Bring in some white ones instead,” Kim was quoted as saying. Following those remarks, invitations for future events were reportedly narrowed to 23 countries, including the “Big Five”, whereas previously all 113 embassies in South Korea had been invited, according to lawmaker Park. Park condemned Kim’s words as “a blatant breach of the Red Cross and Red Crescent’s key principle of respecting human dignity regardless of race or nationality”. “Such remarks are all the more serious coming from the president of the Red Cross, who represents the organisation,” he wrote on social media. “We hope the Korean Red Cross will be reborn as a proud organisation that eradicates hatred and discrimination and truly embodies humanitarian ideals.” Kim, a career medical doctor who also operates a hospital, is known to be a close ally of South Korea’s impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol. He co-chaired Yoon’s campaign fundraising committee during the last presidential election.
