I Spent a Year in South Korea—Here’s My Advice to Other Black Travelers Considering Trips

As a travel + leisure column, we’re talking to travelers about how they like to explore the world through their unique perspective. We chatted with travel blogger Sarah Twain, who identifies as black and British, about her experiences — both positive and negative — while studying in Korea for a year and traveling throughout Asia. Here is his story…

I loved airports when I was young – going into one meant another travel adventure was about to begin. Although I was born in London, my family is Nigerian, so we used to go back and visit often, and we also traveled around Europe.

When I was in secondary school, we moved to Kent, which was not the most diverse area at the time. I was the only black girl in my grade, and that’s when I first experienced racism of any kind. At 16, I went to an international boarding school in Ghana, and then I went back to the UK for college.

Those early years shaped how I view travel today. I got to see different people and lifestyles, so I learned to adapt to new environments. After college, I worked at my university for two years – but I was looking for another kind of experience, one that allowed me to travel internationally and have a steady income. After hearing about studying abroad, I went online and came across EPIC (English Program in Korea) in February of that year, applied in February of that year, was accepted, and started in August.

To be honest, I didn’t know much about life in Korea before I moved there. I had a Korean friend at my school in Ghana who introduced me to K-dramas and other pop culture, but I hadn’t even been to Asia.

So I did my research, including watching YouTube videos. Culturally, South Korea was unlike anything I had experienced before. Life seemed so fast-paced, and there were people trying all kinds of foods I had never seen before. What gave me confidence was seeing some black people talk about their experiences in South Korea, and I thought that if they were there, it would be okay for me. Still, I joined local Korean classes so I could understand basic words and phrases before I got there.

I used to live in Ulsan, one of the biggest cities in South Korea. A lot of foreigners are in town because of the Hyundai shipping dock, but they don’t visit the area where I was living. I don’t think I met any other foreigners during my time there.

One of the first things I noticed was the stares from the older generation and the really young kids. Once a boy my age came up to me and said, “Yo! Yo! Yo!” In a stereotypical American way. I had to tell him I wasn’t American, and he was really confused that I could be both black and British.

Most of my students were amazing. They would come up and hug me. But once, a first or second grader called me “Afrika Sarum,” which means a person from Africa. Then, he told me “Duvaji,” which is the Korean word for pig.

I was disturbed. I had to tell her homeroom teacher. She was also a traveller, having spent some time in Australia, so she sympathized and was disturbed by this treatment. I appreciated that he took the time to explain that what he said was not correct. He was so young that it felt like a teaching moment for him.

I later realized that I was one of the first black people many students were meeting. Some ask questions like, “Why is your palm raised above the rest of your skin?” I would say, “Why not yours?” And use them to show that there are many different types of people and skin tones. Hopefully, they will carry with them in the future.

While traveling around Asia, I would get a lot of questions about my hair. This was a running theme because I had braids. In the Philippines, they would ask if it was my real hair and how I styled it. In South Korea, it wasn’t necessarily questions, but more like, “Oh wow, you have great hair.” Even the most curious people who asked questions touch my hair.

Japan was pretty straight forward, but China was where I took my picture most often. In South Korea, they would ask before snapping a photo, but in China, they didn’t. At first, I just let them take pictures, but after a while, it got to the point where I had to start saying, “No, please.” At one point, I was in Hong Kong in the Causeway Bay Beach area with a friend who is white. Some tourists from mainland China would approach me and say, “Photo?” I said, “Sure.” But finally, I had a queue. I took some pictures. My friend told me to just say “no,” but it was hard. Finally, I had to decline – I was not a tourist attraction.

Once I was on a train in South Korea when an old woman saw me and looked scared. I don’t think I’m scary—I’m 5-foot-1 and short. But she went to the other side of the train. Then, another elderly woman approached me and said, “Epiuda,” which means, “You are very beautiful.” He saw what happened and tried to fix it, which is good for him. We had a pleasant little chat. It stuck with me because it didn’t need to be included.

Truth be told, I also experience racism in Britain and Europe. If staring at me in South Korea, it was more out of curiosity than malice. I had some experiences that felt deliberately unpleasant. Many people may not like being stared at or having someone touch their hair. I don’t want to say that I got used to it, but I understood that it was coming from a place of curiosity. When I was able to answer their questions in Korean, we could have some conversation and that helped.

I am by no means fluent in Korean, but when I was there, I tried to be able to at least have a basic conversation. The Koreans I met were nice about it, so even trying to learn the local language makes a difference.

I don’t think many of the people I’ve spoken to have understood that I’m British and black at the same time. Most people initially thought I was American. There are fewer black Britons than black Americans, and there seemed to be a higher American presence in South Korea. And then, of course, when I tried to explain that I was Nigerian, people didn’t understand. To be honest, it was interesting.

Despite all that, when people ask me if they should go to Asia, I say, “Go!” Nine times out of 10, you’ll have a good experience. You meet one or two people who might not be the nicest, and it’s liable to tell other travelers about these encounters. I suggest you go online and read a lot of stories about traveling in Asia. You will hear about good and bad experiences. As a black traveler, the only time you really don’t want to go somewhere is if you feel like you’ve been harmed. Ultimately, how much negativity you face depends on who you meet. Better to go and form your own opinion.

I loved my time in Asia and would do it again. It was amazing to be able to experience another culture. Of course, there were times when I threw on a hoodie, put on my hat, and just tried to blend in.

I recently went back to South Korea again. This time I was in Seoul, where there are more foreigners, especially in the Eton neighborhood. They are used to tourists, so I didn’t feel like I was stuck as much.

When I returned to the UK after teaching, I was looking for kimchi everywhere. Whenever my friends and I would go out, I’d say, “Let’s go for Korean barbecue.” Let me also tell people that while our underground train is very big and spacious, I knew it could be even better after using Korean transportation.

What I learned from this experience is that the world is wide, and there are many different cultures that you can explore. Everyone lives in a unique way, and it’s amazing to learn about a new culture, from its history to its food. It’s all about seeing different ways of life and learning from new kinds of people.