Korea To Fingerprint & Photograph Foreign Visitors

[Mulboyne]

Korea Herald: Foreigners to have photos, fingerprints taken on entry
Foreigners will have to have their fingerprints and photographs taken when entering the country, according to a law passed in a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Under the revision bill of the immigration control law, foreigners aged 17 or older are to have their photographs taken and fingerprints registered at the airport entrance desk from 2012. Those who refuse to do so may be denied access to the country. Diplomats and government officials will be excluded from the obligations. An automatic identification machine will replace the present face-to-face screening interview at the airport, according to the bill. "The law aims at providing investigators with basic information so as to prevent the entrance of criminals or illegal immigrants," said a Justice Ministry official...more...

I see Korea didn't bother with the Japan's "terrorism countermeasure" justification.

[xenomorph42]

Here we go again...

[alicia454]

Nice to know that the South Koreans can be as xenophobic, racist, and stupid to innocent foreign visitors as are the Japanese, Americans, and British.

Best to vote with your wallet, and whenever possible, boycott all of these fingerprinting countries that treat law abiding visitors as criminals. There are still lots of other countries that still genuinely welcome visitors, international business, and tourist dollars.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Originally Posted by alicia454

Nice to know that the South Koreans can be as xenophobic, racist, and stupid to innocent foreign visitors as are the Japanese, Americans, and British.

Best to vote with your wallet, and whenever possible, boycott all of these fingerprinting countries that treat law abiding visitors as criminals. There are still lots of other countries that still genuinely welcome visitors, international business, and tourist dollars.

You still live in Japan, right?

[Greji]

Originally Posted by alicia454

Nice to know that the South Koreans can be as xenophobic, racist, and stupid to innocent foreign visitors as are the Japanese, Americans, and British.

Best to vote with your wallet, and whenever possible, boycott all of these fingerprinting countries that treat law abiding visitors as criminals. There are still lots of other countries that still genuinely welcome visitors, international business, and tourist dollars.

What is it that you have done that you are so deathly afraid of having your fingerprint taken?

The fingerprint procedure in Japan for your information, was originally taken as a signature because foreigners did not have a legally registered hanko to officially sign the original of a legal document i.e. the left index finger. It is still done for legal documents for fgs or Japanese, if they don't have a hanko, or have forgotten to bring it. It was never intended to be a record for identification although it did eventually evolve into that.

[alicia454]

Originally Posted by Samurai_Jerk

You still live in Japan, right?

I am still a resident of Taito-ku in Tokyo.

Originally Posted by Greji

What is it that you have done that you are so deathly afraid of having your fingerprint taken?

I have never been arrested, stolen goods, taken illegal drugs, or commit a violent act. But that is not the point. It is already too late for me, my rights have already been taken away. I have already been fingerprinted several times at Narita and Kansai airports. But I am still against the continued erosion of human rights in general for myself and for everyone else.

Once your fingerprint is recorded by untrustworthy parties, such as the criminals at Accenture that forged the books for Enron and are now managing Japan's fingerprint database, it can be easily forged using simple gelatine and an ink-jet printer. Even without forgery, fingerprints can still be used to convict an innocent bystander that accidently stumbles across a crime scene.

But what brothers me most is the double standard in this fingerprinting business. None of these countries would even dare to engage in wholesale fingerprinting of their own citizens, but consider it acceptable to fingerprint visitors. By your logic, what do the citizens of these countries have to hide?

I have visited Narita and Kansai airports many times, and I have yet to see any Japanese national volunteer to have their fingerprint taken, so they must all be guilty of something.

[sublight]

Originally Posted by Greji

What is it that you have done that you are so deathly afraid of having your fingerprint taken?

Absolutely nothing. But what have they done to show they can be trusted to handle personal information safely and responsibly?

It's not, "If I've done nothing wrong, I have nothing to worry about," it's "If you've done nothing wrong, I have nothing to worry about." And so far, I've yet to see a government institution of any country that meets that criteria.

[sublight]

Originally Posted by Mulboyne

Diplomats and government officials will be excluded from the obligations.

Odd that they exclude the two groups most likely to be doing something illegal.

[Greji]

Originally Posted by alicia454

But what brothers me most is the double standard in this fingerprinting business. None of these countries would even dare to engage in wholesale fingerprinting of their own citizens, but consider it acceptable to fingerprint visitors. By your logic, what do the citizens of these countries have to hide?

It is not by my logic love, it is called by the law. The citizens of those countries may have noting to hide, but if they enter a country that legally requires fingerprinting, they will comply with the law, or will return home. It is that simple. If you consider fingerprinting such an erosion of your rights, there is a exit line at the airport as well.

The US has the visa waiver program for 90 days with Japan, but if you have ever had an overstay on a visa, you are not eligible and must obtain a visa. 99.99 percent of all Japanese college students have had an overstay. These normally occurred because of blips caused by going home during summer and end of year vacation times and were never more than one or two days. Under the old system these minor miscues were glossed over. Now, since 9-11, they are formally held as a visa overstay and all of theses former students are ineligible for the visa waiver program and require a regular visa to go into the US. Is that fair? Probably not, but it is not their fault, or yours, or mine, that security was enhanced to that level? No, it is now the law and BTW they are all fingerprinted. So it goes back to square one. It you don't like it, you have an out. Hit the road Jack. But, your belief in whether it is fair or not, does not eliminate the requirement under the law and until the law is changed you and all of us will comply. Shoganai.

[nottu]

Originally Posted by alicia454

Nice to know that the South Koreans can be as xenophobic, racist, and stupid to innocent foreign visitors as are the Japanese, Americans, and British.

Best to vote with your wallet, and whenever possible, boycott all of these fingerprinting countries that treat law abiding visitors as criminals. There are still lots of other countries that still genuinely welcome visitors, international business, and tourist dollars.

Did you have these feelings when you got your passport? It would seem that anyone concerned with "xenophobia" and "racism" would have some problems with the standard passport photo. Fingerprints don't indicate race, but photos give some immmediate insights. Wouldn't it be preferable, with your concerns, to have passports with fingerprints rather than photos?