Dutch Airline's 'Crew-Only Restroom' Sign in Korean Only Sparks 'Racism' Controversy

KLM "Apologizes for Perceived Discriminatory Acts"... Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Issues Stern Warning and Requests Preventive Measures from KLM

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Dutch airline KLM has been embroiled in controversy over allegedly discriminating against Koreans in relation to COVID-19 (COVIS-19).

On the 10th, passenger Mr. Kim, who boarded flight KL855 departing from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Incheon, discovered a paper notice on the restroom door written in Korean stating "Crew Only Restroom."

When Mr. Kim took a photo of the notice and complained to the flight attendant, asking, "Why is the phrase written only in Korean without English?" the purser reportedly asked Mr. Kim to delete the photo instead.

In response to Mr. Kim's complaint, KLM reportedly stated, "This decision was made to protect against potential COVID carriers," and later added English text to the notice.

Mr. Kim posted on social media, "It is understandable as a preventive measure to create a dedicated restroom for crew members who are at high risk of secondary infection," but he pointed out, "The important point is why the crew-only restroom, established to prevent coronavirus spread, was notified only in Korean."

Considering that foreign passengers were also on board the flight besides Koreans, this has led to criticism that it was clear racial discrimination.

Mr. Kim posted this fact on social media and requested an official apology from KLM.

In response, KLM explained, "According to the decisions of the captain and purser, the crew-only restroom is sometimes operated," adding, "It was necessary to provide accurate guidance to passengers about the crew-only restroom, but the notice was written only in Korean, and English guidance was added belatedly after the passenger's notification."

KLM stated, "Although the crew member did not intend it, we sincerely apologize for passengers feeling this as discriminatory behavior," and "We are conducting an internal investigation on this issue and plan to prepare measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents."

As the controversy spread, the government also took action. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport issued a stern warning to KLM for discriminatory measures and officially requested the preparation of recurrence prevention plans.

A Ministry official said, "We plan to closely monitor air transport situations and respond firmly to prevent similar cases where our nationals face discriminatory measures on foreign airlines' aircraft in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.