[EAI Online Seminar] COVID-19 and the New World Order Series 8. Countering Anti-Asian Sentiment: ROK-US Cooperation for the Advancement of Democracy and Human Rights

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVswfwXHwbk

The East Asia Institute (EAI) hosted the eighth session of its online seminar series, "COVID-19 and the New World Order," titled "Countering Anti-Asian Sentiment: ROK-US Cooperation for the Advancement of Democracy and Human Rights." The post-COVID era has seen exacerbated political, social, cultural, and racial polarization, posing a threat to democracy. The joint statement following the ROK-US summit in May expressed the commitment of both nations to advancing democratic values and human rights domestically and internationally, with President Biden pledging cooperation with South Korea to ensure the dignity and human rights of all Americans, including those of Korean descent. This seminar featured in-depth discussions on the characteristics of anti-Asian discrimination, the impact of hate on the political participation of Asian Americans, and avenues for ROK-US international democratic cooperation.

• Date: Thursday, July 22, 2021, 11:00–12:00 (KST)
• Presenters: Taeku Lee (Professor, University of California, Berkeley), Minhee Go (Professor, Ewha Womans University), Sang-woong Ha (Professor, Sogang University)
• Moderator: Byung-kwon Son (Professor, Chung-Ang University)
• Opening Remarks: Yeol Son(President, EAI; Professor, Yonsei University)

Abstract: The Republic of Korea Should Join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): Benefits and Challenges of Accession

I. The Spread of Anti-Asian Sentiment

American Democracy in Crisis

• The political, social, cultural, and racial polarization within the United States has posed a threat to democracy. These diverse polarizing issues within the U.S. are not new phenomena, having emerged prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While such trends were observed before the Trump administration, the rise of "white nationalism" during that period exacerbated racial discrimination and partisan polarization. Amidst escalating racial discrimination and partisan polarization, former U.S. President Trump's designation of China as the origin of the COVID-19 outbreak led to a surge in negative sentiment towards Asian Americans.

Characteristics of Anti-Asian Discrimination

• Despite an overall decrease in hate crimes in the United States, hate crimes targeting Asian Americans have increased, a trend that is cause for concern. Professor Taeku Lee reported that hate crimes against Asians increased by 149% between 2019 and 2020, while overall hate crimes decreased by 7%.
• Professor Sang-woong Ha stated that there are two main reasons why discrimination against the Asian American community differs from discrimination against other groups. First, it is based on the belief that Asians cannot be "insiders" in American society. Second, unlike discrimination against other groups, it is characterized by individual acts of discrimination rather than systemic discrimination by institutions such as the police.
• These differences make it difficult for other minority groups to understand discrimination against Asian Americans, and conversely, for Asian Americans to understand discrimination against other minority groups, he emphasized. Therefore, building a pan-ethnic coalition to combat discrimination may be challenging.
• Professor Minhee Go also expressed skepticism about the possibility of a relatively smaller pan-Asian solidarity, let alone a pan-ethnic coalition. That is, the vast ethnic diversity within the Asian continent and inherent diplomatic conflicts among Asian nations make pan-Asian solidarity unlikely.

II. Political Participation of Asian Americans

Voting Rights of Asian Americans

• Discrimination against Asian Americans manifests not only in verbal and physical violence but also in the restriction of political participation. According to Professor Taeku Lee, approximately 28 new laws were enacted in 21 states in the first half of 2021, further limiting the voting rights of minority groups.
• One of the bills restricting the voting rights of Asian Americans involves more stringent identification requirements. In 2020, 64% of Asian Americans voted by mail. However, for absentee ballots cast by minority Asian Americans, there was a high probability of invalidation due to discrepancies in the spelling of voters' names or addresses across different identification documents (a common issue experienced by minority groups).
• Meanwhile, this increase in discrimination has led to a rise in the political participation of Asian Americans. For instance, the voter turnout rate among Asian Americans increased by 20% between 2016 and 2020.

Voting Rights of Korean Americans

• Professor Minhee Go reported that the voter turnout rate for Korean Americans increased from 45% in 2016 to 60% in 2020. Compared to the overall voter turnout rate for Asian Americans, this represents the highest rate of increase. This trend of expanding political participation can be seen as a phenomenon stemming from the Trump presidency and the rise of "white nationalism" in the United States.
• Furthermore, the increased political engagement of Korean Americans has also strengthened the political representation of the Korean diaspora. This is evident in the number of Korean American politicians. The current Congress includes the largest number of Korean American elected officials in history. In the House of Representatives, there are two Korean American elected officials from each of the Democratic and Republican parties.
• Additionally, Korean Americans are demonstrating greater proactivity by organizing civil society groups to advance their desired political agendas, including human rights and civil liberties. Korean Americans not only hold leadership positions in major Asian American civil society organizations but have also formed their own organizations to combat anti-Asian hate.

III. Measures to Counter Anti-Asian Discrimination

Implications of Anti-Asian Discrimination for ROK-US Relations

• While hate crimes against Asian Americans may not directly impact ROK-US relations, persistent anti-Asian sentiment can complicate U.S. policy towards Asia. For example, the Chinese government issued an official statement condemning violence against Asians in the United States.
• Such instances are not limited to the United States; they can also be found within Asia. Professor Minhee Go cited the case of a video circulating in Vietnam showing a Korean man assaulting his Vietnamese wife. The dissemination of this video incited anti-Korean sentiment in Vietnam, and ongoing racial discrimination has the potential to weaken diplomatic relations.
• The ROK and the U.S. have agreed to strengthen democratic cooperation both domestically and internationally. The ROK-U.S. joint statement reflects the commitment of both nations to include issues such as human rights within the scope of their cooperation.

What Should South Korea Do Moving Forward?

• It is not yet clear what the South Korean government can do to alleviate anti-Asian sentiment. However, Professor Sang-woong Ha suggests that South Korea is in a better position than China to take action against anti-Asian sentiment. For instance, given China's human rights issues, such as the oppression of Uyghurs, it is unlikely that the U.S. would readily accept Chinese objections regarding anti-Asian sentiment within the U.S.
• The Biden administration's goal of preventing the rollback of democracy has been newly reinforced. Following the ROK-U.S. summit, both countries reaffirmed the importance of cooperation not only in national security but also on a broader range of issues, including human rights, climate change, and sustainable development. Therefore, the U.S. expects South Korea to cooperate more closely with the international community for the defense of democracy.
• Professor Minhee Go argues that South Korea, as one of the strong democratic nations in Asia, should fulfill its mission and role by actively promoting democratic norms, rather than merely complying with U.S. requests and implementing policies.■

V. Biographies of Presenters and Moderator

• Taeku Lee_ George Johnson Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. He has served as co-principal investigator for the National Asian American Survey and the Bay Area Poverty Tracker, executive director of Asian American Decisions, and a member of the National Advisory Committee for the U.S. Census Bureau. He has also served on the steering committees for the American National Election Studies and the General Social Survey, treasurer and executive committee member of the American Political Science Association, and chair of the department and associate director of the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley. His primary research areas include racial and ethnic politics, public opinion research, identity and inequality, and deliberative democracy. His books include Oxford Handbook of Racial and Ethnic Politics in the United States (2015) and Asian American Political Participation (2011).
• Minhee Go_ Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Ewha Womans University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Her main research areas include urban politics, identity politics, and minority and women's politics. She previously served as an assistant professor at William Paterson University of New Jersey and the City University of New York. Her recent book is Rethinking Community Resilience: The Politics of Disaster Recovery in New Orleans (2021, NYU Press), and she has published numerous articles in academic journals.
• Sang-woong Ha_ Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Sogang University. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. His main research areas include political psychology, public opinion, voting behavior, and American politics. He previously served as an assistant professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College (CUNY) and as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University (Institution for Social and Policy Studies). His recent research includes "The Crisis of American Democracy: The Rise of Trump and the Politics of Reaction," "The Impact of Advance Notification and Monetary Compensation on the Reliability of Election Polls," and "Personality Traits and Civic Engagement: The Case of South Korea."
• Byung-kwon Son_ Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Chung-Ang University. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. His main research areas include American politics, U.S. foreign policy, and congressional, electoral, and party politics. His recent research includes "Is American Congressional Politics Still a Model of Democracy?: The U.S. Congress Captured by Party Politics" (2018) and "Understanding the Rise of American Nationalism in the Trump Era" (2017).

• Managed and Edited by: Ha-eun Yoon, EAI Research Fellow
  
  Inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 208) | hyoon@eai.or.kr