White Woman Who Cursed Korean Couple with "Go Back to China" Revealed

White Woman "It's Not Racism"
Korean Couple "Deeply Hurt"

On the 14th, a middle-aged white woman in Manhattan, New York, hurled insults and racist remarks at a Korean American couple. Photo by Marina Hassi, Instagram capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Recently, a controversy arose when a middle-aged white woman, who was a stranger, verbally abused and made racist remarks toward a Korean-American couple. It has now been revealed that this white woman’s father was a former U.S. federal senator who has since passed away.

Local media reported on the 18th (local time) that the white woman who made racist remarks to a Korean woman in Manhattan, New York, was Maura Moynihan.

Earlier, at around 1:25 p.m. on the 14th, Maria Ha (25), a Korean-American woman who was on a street in Kip’s Bay, Manhattan, New York, felt someone staring at her. Ha said, "When I turned around, a white woman was looking at me," adding, "She looked into my eyes and gradually approached me."

The white woman came close to Ha’s face and said, "You’re not from here. You’re from China, right? Go back to China," while hurling insults. Startled, Ha ran to a nearby house to get her husband, Daniel Lee (31), who is also Korean-American. When Ha’s husband arrived at the scene, the white woman was already getting into a taxi. When Ha’s husband approached the taxi to ask what had happened, the white woman began shouting, "(They) are attacking me."

Eventually, as the Ha couple tried to leave the scene, the woman shouted insults again through the taxi window, saying, "Go back to the Chinese Communist Party." The couple reported the incident to the police, who are investigating it as a hate crime.

Later, Ha posted a video on her social media showing the woman shouting and appealed, "If anyone has seen this woman, please inform and report her." The video spread on social media, and it was soon revealed that the white woman’s father was the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a former federal senator who was a Harvard University professor and had served as an ambassador to India and the United Nations.

Moynihan denied the allegations of racism in an interview with local media. He explained, "It was a dispute related to the taxi and had nothing to do with racism against Asians," adding, "I have spent most of my life cooperating with Asian people, especially dedicating much of my life to the ongoing struggle against the Chinese Communist Party and securing basic human rights for Tibetans." Moynihan expressed, "I hope to meet the couple and explain the situation at that time."

In response, Ha’s husband Lee stated, "I do not want to meet unless there is an apology. The words ‘go back to China’ caused great hurt." Ha also said, "I feel overwhelmed by emotions. It’s so difficult that I am taking a break from work for a while."

Meanwhile, amid the spread of COVID-19, hate crimes against Asians have significantly increased in the United States. According to the New York Police Department, more than 10 anti-Asian hate crimes have already occurred in New York this year alone, a very high number compared to the 29 cases reported throughout last year.

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