By Lee Kyung-min



The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is under fire for publishing a guidebook containing content that is highly offensive about foreign crew members.



Titled "A guidebook for Korean fishermen to better understand their foreign counterparts," released Tuesday by the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal under the ministry, the booklet described nationals from Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and the Philippines in degrading terms.



In a chapter dealing with traits and customs of people from the four countries, it said Chinese require extra scrutiny, because they usually fail to maintain a high level of personal hygiene.



"In general, their bedrooms tend to be unorganized and dirty, so constant monitoring of and education on hygiene is highly recommended," it read.



Furthermore, it said they are not proactive in doing work voluntarily.



"They, like most people from communist countries, lack the ability to decide which work requires more immediate attention, and care only about the assignments given to them," it states. "They like alcohol and gambling in general."



The book said that workers from the Philippines lack patience and tend to procrastinate.



"They lose interest in their work fast, and do not do what they were not told to do," it said. "They are proud, and reluctant to admit their mistakes. They rarely show empathy toward others, and have a lower standard of morals."



While Indonesians are naive in general, the book added, caution is still required because they are irascible and short-tempered.



Regarding Vietnamese, the guidebook said they often make excuses and refuse to admit their faults.



It said that in general, foreign laborers tend to have an inferiority complex, and the level of their work-related satisfaction and sense of responsibility fall short of Korean peers.



According to the ministry, the number of foreign sailors is rising steadily: from 10,005 in 2010 to 13,141 in 2014.



Such content in the guidebook is beyond biased, an official at the Korea Human Rights Policy Institute said.



"The descriptions are not only negative but also lack grounds to make such sweeping generalizations," he said. "They would definitely cause discriminatory views against foreign crewmen."



The booklet was initially available online for local employers, but the ministry took it down Wednesday shortly after the criticism emerged.



An official said the ministry is currently revising the passages in question, adding that the revised version will be distributed in three to four weeks.



"We recognize that the materials could cause diplomatic problems with the involved countries," the official said. "The new version will be available soon."



