A 31-year-old South Korean man was fined for shouting racial slurs at an Indian in a landmark ruling, court authorities said today.
The man, only identified by his surname Park, was ordered to pay one million won (USD865) for hurling abuse at an Indian researcher on a bus in July, the Incheon District Court said.
The Indian, surnamed Hussain, filed complaints against Park, who admitted calling him "dirty and smelly".
"It is acknowledged that the accused hurled racial abuses, causing the complainant to feel insulted," the court said in a statement.
The case, which has drawn strong media attention, marked the first time that a South Korean has been convicted of using racial slurs, Yonhap news agency said.
South Korea has no laws outlawing specifically racial slurs, and prosecutors decided to press a "personal insult" charge against Park.
Following the incident, human rights activists have been pushing for a bill to ban racial abuse of foreigners, Yonhap said.
Many migrant workers in South Korea are abused, trafficked for sexual exploitation or denied wages, despite the introduction of rules for their protection, Amnesty International said last month.
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