On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by a white police officer, which has been a huge global issue today. He was killed by Derek Chauvin, who pressed Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds until he lost consciousness. Since racism has been a problem in America, this case triggered many people to protest. While Koreans in general also support the effort to eradicate racism, there have been different perspectives regarding an organized movement, “Black Lives Matter.”

▲ image by Edaily News

As reported in “Edaily,” a Korean online Newspaper, there has been a great number of Koreans who protested against racism, hoping for the protests to be a good opportunity to improve society and make positive changes. “Black Lives Matter” movement drew public attention especially in Korean communities in the U.S. Since there are a lot of Korean students studying abroad, the Korean community expects the movement to make generational changes. On June 6th, there was a march held in MyungDong, Seoul, for George Floyd. People remained silent the whole time, wearing black shirts and holding “Black Lives Matter” signed pickets. The protest ended peacefully, and still, a lot of Koreans both in Korea and the U.S. are commemorating George Floyd’s death and supporting the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

However, while some people believe that this will be the first step to eliminate excessive authority police can exercise on innocent people, others oppose the idea of supporting the black community, claiming that Asians have been discriminated against by black people. They also insist that the Asian population accounts for the smallest percentage, at 7 percent, therefore, is a bigger target of ethnic minority discrimination. According to “Edaily News,” on June 6th, there was a protest in LA Korean town, led by Korean Americans. On the same day, however, there was a case of black people looting and damaging properties from about 150 Korean stores in the U.S. The stores were significantly damaged financially, and some Koreans were even injured due to the violent protests. This incident turned away many Koreans and even some other Asian countries in general.

Since a lot of countries have paid attention to George Floyd’s death and the “Black Lives Matter” movement, it is inevitable that there are conflicts among different ethnic groups. However, it is clear that communities and societies are aware of this problem. They are paying attention and raising their voices in various ways. The efforts for changes are still in progress.