Suspicious Waygooks to be Fingerprinted

The Korea Times filed a report titled, "Suspicious visitors to be fingerprinted from Wed." last week.

Starting Wednesday, foreign nationals suspected of using fake identities to enter the country or whose purpose of visiting Korea is suspicious will have their fingerprints scanned and face photographed at all 22 international airports and harbors in the country.

The move is intended to tighten security ahead of the G20 summit to be held in Seoul in November. 

This is the first in a three-phased initiative to screen for “suspicious” foreign visitors by matching their biometric information with that of “blacklisted” people, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. 

With the third step to be completed by later next year, providing fingerprints and photographs to the ministry will become mandatory for all foreigners at immigration checkpoints, the ministry said. 

Every foreigner entering Korea for whatever reason or for any length of time will eventually have their fingerprints and a picture of their face taken.  Great, I feel safer already.

The legal grounds were reinstated early this month ― the law was scrapped in 2003 over fears of human rights infringement. 

...

Under the reinstated law, starting June next year, foreigners who stay here for more than 90 days will have their fingerprints and photographs registered with the government...

Well, either the definition and understanding of "human rights infringement" has dramatically changed since 2003 or else the South Korean government just said, "fuck it, these people aren't Koreans, let's just do it."  

If you have ever seen Koreans protesting in the streets or their own elected representatives break out in a massive brawl, I would say Koreans are the ones who should be having their biometrics systematically harvested and coalesced into a massive database.  I think there is a bigger threat from them making a scene during the G20 than native English teachers and migrant workers from China looking to find jobs.