"Beyond Discrimination Against Koreans, It's a Matter of Response Level"
A controversy is expected as a Korean traveler claimed to have been discriminated against at a hotel near Tokyo Disneyland in Japan.
On the 28th, an online community 'DC Inside' posted a message titled "I was discriminated against at a famous hotel in Japan. Can I file a complaint tomorrow?"
The netizen A, who posted the message, expressed frustration after experiencing unpleasant treatment from staff while staying at a hotel near Tokyo Disneyland recently. He said, "A young male staff member attended to me, but even after I said I was Korean, he kept showing me a Chinese translation app," adding, "I thought he didn’t understand the pronunciation 'Kankokujin' (Korean), so I said 'Korean,' but he still showed me the Chinese translation app. That’s when it started to feel off."
Afterwards, the hotel reportedly left A in the lobby. More than an hour passed without any service, and even people who arrived later than A’s group were checked in first.
A had planned to enjoy his Tokyo trip first and check into the hotel late at night. He asked a male staff member to hold his luggage around 9 p.m. and also reserved a bus to Disneyland. The hotel where A’s group was staying is a well-known 3-star hotel near Tokyo Disneyland, which also handles bus reservations to the Disney Resort.
An online community user complained about being discriminated against by hotel staff during a trip to Japan. [Image source=Captured from online community]
However, when A returned to the hotel at 9 p.m., the check-in was still not completed, and the bus to Disneyland was not reserved. To make matters worse, the zipper on the bag he had left with the staff was broken. Furious, A confronted the staff, asking, "Why is it broken?" The male staff member replied in Japanese, "I thought you wouldn’t understand, but it can’t be helped," and then went back inside the lobby desk area.
A lamented, "Whether it’s discrimination against Koreans or not, is this how the hotel should respond?" He added, "I have to leave early for Disneyland in the morning, so I’m thinking of filing a complaint with the manager after I return. It’s my first overseas trip in 10 years, and what is this from the very first day?"
This is not the first time a claim of discrimination against Koreans visiting Japan has been raised. In February, a YouTuber with over 60,000 subscribers posted a video showing that he was refused accommodation by staff at a capsule hotel in Fukuoka, Japan. At that time, the YouTuber protested in English, saying "I have a reservation," but the staff refused, saying, "If you don’t speak Japanese, you cannot stay."
As the number of Koreans visiting Japan increases due to the record low yen, complaints both big and small seem to be on the rise. According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of foreign visitors to Japan last year was 22.33 million, surpassing 20 million for the first time in four years since 2019. Among them, 28% (6.18 million) were Koreans, making them the overwhelming number one group.
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