Man Indicted for Racist Harassment

Prosecutors have indicted a man for calling an Indian "dirty" and "smelly" on a public bus. The Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutor's Office on Sunday said it summarily indicted the 31-year-old man identified only by his surname Park.

"This case shows that a racist remark that could potentially harass a foreigner can be subject to legal punishment," a spokesman said. Unlike some advanced countries, Korea has no separate criminal offense covering racist remarks or behavior, so Park was indicted for contempt.

Park is accused of insulting Banajit Hussain (28), a research professor at SungKongHoe University, on a bus on July 10. Park, who was drunk at the time, started the dispute by disrupting a conversation between Hussain and a Korean woman. Park counter-sued Hussain for contemptuous remarks but dropped the charge during the investigation, apologizing and admitting he was at fault. Hussain accepted Park's apology but did not drop the charge, prosecutors said.

The number of foreigners staying in Korea for 90 days or over or with Korean citizenship stands 1.1 million.