The Korea Tourism Organization announced it will cooperate with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to provide consultations and legal assistance to tourists who experience racism here, starting from Thursday.

Data put forth by Statistics Korea on Wednesday showed that 1 out of every 5 foreigners in South Korea suffer discrimination. Of those who said they had experienced discrimination, 60.9 percent said it was based on their nationality.

Catering to the needs to protect the human rights of foreign visitors, the Tourist Complaint Center hotline (1330) will be expanded as of Thursday to deal with discriminatory experiences. The hotline originally only assisted with travel inconveniences,

Tourists will be able to call the Tourist Complaint Center to receive consultations when experiencing direct or indirect discrimination. The NHRCK (1331) will assist travelers in reporting cases of discrimination by providing legal guidance and settling appropriate mediation procedures.

Ahn Young-bae, president of KTO, said, “Discriminatory experiences against tourists affect not only on the level of satisfaction of their trip, but also their perception of Korea. We hope our cooperation with the NHRCK ensures the happiness of travelers and enhances their human rights.”

The Tourist Complaint Center’s hotline, open 24 hours a day, is provided in eight languages: Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai and Malay. The NHRCK call center operates in English, with various interpretation services provided on site.

By Lee Tae-hee (taeheelee@heraldcorp.com)