Beloved friends,

This letter has been revised! Thank you, all!

It is not for anyone to copy, but it is posted here to give you some ideas, and to be a reminder of our power - that even as individuals we can do a lot. Of course so much power, coming together, will make a hell of an International Teachers Union to descend upon those who care to think of abusing a foreign teacher!

My messages are never perfect. My perceptual reaction to extreme frequencies (from the monitors) cause my having grammatical, and even mistakes in names; but that shall not stop me from fighting for our human rights!

We are on the road to greater freedom, and it just gets better, everyday as we keep together!
Love you all!
Alan

Here is my letter to President of Korea. I am sending similar letters to my country's ambassador here, and to our minister of foreign affairs - asking them to make a stand, for us!

Dear President of Korea!

With great love and respect toward you and the people of the Koreas!
I am a foreign teacher living in Korea, and I do see this world as home to great many nations who can live as siblings together, with great kindness, and in the spirit of equality, love, and happiness for all.

I have lived in Korea, for quite a few years, and grown quite fond of the kind and lively people of this part of the planet which I do consider as my home away from home.

Mr. President, I and many other friends who came from all over the world, became very happy and hopeful about the future, when in 1998 we read the presidential decree for fair treatment of the foreign employees in Korea.

It did make a difference in our spirit and in our understanding of the fast development of democratic culture in Korea. In that year we saw a fine image of the Koreans' love and their welcoming and respecting people of other nations.
Many foreign investors and a greater more foreigners started to look at Koreans with appreciation for their being a free, democratic, and loving people.

Unfortunately, the points of that decree, and the Korean labor law were never enforced in the workplaces, any better than before. Not even that; two years later, a few persons who did not agree with the American policy in the region, started to stir up emotions against Western employees in Korea, saying they sent home to much money.
Not seeing that most foreigners were not the American politicians, these persons introduced "legal" harassments on top of the illegal ones - on foreign workers, and justified it by using the law against many foreign teachers. Following the emotions of those days, the immigration officers started following foreign teachers, for days, to find out where they met their private students, so to arrest them on the spot!! Can we see the same enthusiasm when they enforce the Labor Law, please?!

It, takes a simple calculation to see that the amount of money wired out of Korea by the few foreign workers who live here, is many times smaller than what millions of Korean workers bring home to Korea, each year. And unlike in Korea, most these countries do not have a limitation on how much money is wired in to Korea, nor do they follow the foreign workers to see what they do in their free time. Isnt it nice to see the same respect in Korea, too?!

Just as a brief reminder, when we look carefully we see that the native teachers in Korea are actually the supporters of the top income-producing people of Korea, when you see where their students end up.
Most of the best Korean Statesmen, International Bankers, Businessmen and Business women, Investors, Borrowers, Stock Brokers, Business Owners, Pilots, Doctors, and about all VIPs of Korea have at some point needed and hired a private native language teacher, to teach them how to correspond with the rest of the world, in a foreign language! This also may be true in your and in your family's -case!

Thinking of the great students - it becomes clear that teachers' pays are infinitely less than what they help bring to Korea, in form of Industrial and Economic Agreements, International Sales of Korean products, Science, Development, Foreign Investment, and on top of all that, A Greater Image for Korea! Don't you agree?

As you are the representative of this kind nation, I ask you to kindly assign the authorities to bring an end to the arrests, to stop the abuse and discrimination against foreigners - Western or not; and to actually enforce the points of the 'Korean Labor Law' in the work places, by officers of the law paying unannounced visits to the workplaces, and checking if the employees do in fact have Contracts that follow the Korean Law ; checking if the employees are really being treated fairly, and with respect for their Human Rights; and checking if there is any sexual harassment, abuse, battery, missed payments, or any other unfair treatments in the workplace.

I believe the Korean labor law offers great rules for treatment of foreign employees, as long as the law officers are there to enforce these rules, and to punish those who abuse others!

Dear Mr. President, as you are a kind and fair human with great care for Human Rights of All People - Korean and foreigners, alike - I ask for your brotherly care, to bring a greater fairness and love between Koreans and foreigners, and to bring an end to: the arrests of the teachers, the illegal contracts, the employee abuse, battery, sexual abuse, and to any other attempt that would make foreign nations see Korea as anything less than a Place of Kind and Loving people!

With great hope, and with respect for you and this kind nation, I trust that your love and attention will bring Koreans and foreign nations closer, and promote more cooperation, and better international relations between Korea and our nations!

Your truly,
Alan S.