The conflict surrounding the construction of a mosque in Daegu's Buk-gu district is now stretching into its fifth year. Since the Buk-gu District Office abruptly halted construction in 2021, construction has not resumed despite the Supreme Court's confirmation of the project’s legality. This spring, a political party put up banners in downtown Daegu that incited hatred against Muslims. In the Daehyeon-dong neighborhood, a banner denouncing a Muslim international student as unscrupulous was hung. This situation goes beyond a simple local construction dispute; its outcome will signal whether South Korea will regress to a society where hatred and discrimination against ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities are commonplace, or whether it will advance toward a mature democracy that respects diversity and human dignity. In May, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) released an official report on this conflict that urged the Korean government to take responsible action, and this has increased international interest and pressure regarding the issue. ▲ The "A Peaceful Resolution to the Daegu Muslim Mosque Construction Conflict: Implementation of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's Concluding Observations" forum held in the National Assembly Members' Hall on September 24th. (Photo credit: Ilda) On September 24th, a forum was held at the National Assembly Members' Hall to explore "A Peaceful Resolution to the Daegu Muslim Mosque Construction Conflict: Implementation of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's Concluding Observations." The forum was hosted jointly by National Assembly members Yong Hye-in, Shin Jang-sik, and Son Sol, along with the Committee for a Peaceful Resolution of the Daegu Buk-gu Mosque Issue and the South Korean Coalition for Anti-discrimination Legislation. State’s passivity is “an act of racism” Kim Ji-rim, a lawyer with the GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation, said, "The conflict surrounding the construction of the Daegu mosque, [a project] which began in 2020 and is not yet completed in 2025, is a case of complex discrimination based on religion and race." She pointed out that this is an example where "governmental illegalities and inaction have played a decisive role in prolonging the conflict." She argued, "Despite a region suffering great pain for over five years due to serious conflict, the relevant government agencies seem unable to even figure out how to define this phenomenon." Construction of the mosque began in September 2020 after the proper building permit was obtained. However, in February 2021, when some residents filed a petition citing concerns about "slumification," the Buk-gu District Office immediately issued an order to halt construction. Ms. Kim pointed out that the Supreme Court then ruled that the Buk-gu District Office's order was "an action without any legal basis" and "invalid due to its obvious and serious defects." Her analysis is that the reason an administrative action was taken without legal review or an opportunity to hear the opinions of the parties involved was because the people affected were “immigrants and Muslim students." The problem doesn't end there. When racist banners were hung near the construction site, the Buk-gu District Office claimed that it "could not crack down on them because they were posted after legal notice of a gathering was filed" [and were considered as part of the gathering]. This despite the Outdoor Advertising Act containing a clause? that prohibits racially discriminatory postings. Ms. Kim criticized this as "evidence that they don’t view this as a racially discrimination issue at all.'" Even when actions involving pork, which is taboo for Muslims, took place near the construction site, such as pig heads being left out or roasting parties for pig’s feet and pork belly taking place, Buk-gu officials responded that "this is not a matter for the Daegu Buk-gu District Office to get involved in." They also said, "The pig heads are being used for the purpose of opposing the construction of the mosque, so they are necessary items for the residents involved, and therefore do not fall under the category of waste (that must be removed)." Attorney Kim determined that the administrative agency's responses went beyond simple neglect and "actively assisted the oppositional residents," and thus "the state committed an act of racial discrimination." CERD calls conflict “most notorious example of Muslims being targeted by hate speech” As the state continued its irresponsible stance towards the issue, civil society activists attempted to resolve it through international human rights organizations. Article 2, paragraph 1, of the UN Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stipulates, "States Parties condemn racial discrimination and undertake to pursue, by appropriate means and without delay, a policy of eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and promoting understanding among all races." South Korea became a party to the convention in 1978. In August 2023, three UN Special Rapporteurs on the freedom of religion or belief sent a letter of inquiry to the government, expressing "serious concerns." The government responded, "We have made efforts to resolve the conflict, including holding four mediation meetings and three conflict management consultations." However, attorney Kim Ji-rim criticized these meetings, saying they were mere formalities that didn’t even include proper interpretation services. On April 1st of this year, ahead of the review of the Republic of Korea's 20th, 21st, and 22nd periodic reports on its implementation of the convention, an independent report on the Daegu mosque was submitted by members of civil society. The chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) then asked the government, "What measures are you planning to take to peacefully resolve this dispute related to the construction of the Daegu mosque?" The government responded, essentially, "There are currently no banners or other things violating the human rights of Muslims, and we are working to resolve the issue." This was untrue. Photos of banners violating human rights were even taken in Daegu and delivered to CERD. When the chairperson questioned the government again, the Korean government failed to answer. ▲ On Jan. 18, 2023, a protest was held in front of Daegu’s Buk-gu District Office to condemn its failure to take action on the conflict and hateful discrimination surrounding the mosque. (Photo credit: South Korean Coalition for Anti-discrimination Legislation) According to Ms. Kim, the attorney, CERD ultimately singled out the Daegu mosque conflict in its 2025 review as “‘the most notorious example of Muslims being targeted by hate speech’ and dedicated a separate section in its final observations to urging the government to effectively mediate [the conflict] and promptly remove banners inciting hatred.” Ms. Kim explained, "CERD is taking this matter very seriously, to the point of creating a separate section like this… What's particularly noteworthy is the follow-up measure of requesting the submission of information on whether government-led mediation procedures have been implemented within one year (before May 7, 2026)." She emphasized, "This is the joint responsibility of the central government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, etc.) and local government bodies. What is needed is mediation with all stakeholders gathered at the table along with experts on racial discrimination and interpreters." On claims that mosque opposition isn’t discrimination In her presentation at the forum, Sohoon Yi, assistant professor in the Division of Global Korean Studies at Korea University, analyzed the types of claims used to argue that opposition to the Daegu mosque’s construction isn’t really racial discrimination. The first is the claim that these are simply resident complaints related to the construction of a multi-use facility. Professor Yi countered, "You can't separate discriminatory thinking from the complaints… Discriminatory perceptions triggered the complaints and delayed efforts to resolve them." She also emphasized that "the area boasts relatively low rents and a high student population, offering numerous public facilities, commercial facilities, convenience facilities, and so on. Furthermore, it is a neighborhood that has an unusually high concentration of religious facilities, with 14 religious facilities (Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, and fortune-telling based on Oriental philosophy) within a 500-meter radius." She continued, "The arguments presented as grounds for opposition?such as 'terrifying collective rituals' [apparently a fear-mongering way to describe Islamic worship practices], 'Muslim tyranny,' and 'slumification'?are by common sense difficult to apply to the international student community, which includes many graduate students… Such complaints are triggered because of the presence of racist and xenophobic logic like 'they're scary because their skin is dark.'" ▲ At the forum, Professor Sohoon Yi gave a presentation entitled, “On the Opinion that Mosque Opposition Isn’t Discrimination: From a Racial and Immigration Studies Perspective.” This slide is titled “The Opposition’s Agentivity” and shows various oppositional pieces of media. (Photo credit: Ilda) Professor Yi then addressed the claim that ‘Islam is not a race and therefore [opposition to the mosque is] not racist.’ She first clarified that “race is a modern construct and a historical and social one, a result of collective imagination, and (in reality) has no biological or genetic basis” and “race and the process of racialization are based on the belief that distinction and difference are biological and also inherently imply superiority and inferiority." CERD has already made it clear that Islamophobia is a form of racism, explaining that religious identity can lead to racialization. Professor Yi pointed out, "In particular, the claim that Europe’s ‘no-go zones’ (crime-prone areas) are due to Islam, a common form of Islamophobia, is influenced by American conservative media, and despite corrections and apologies, such reporting continues to be spread as fake news." She added, "This is information spread by the global far-right." The third claim Professor Yi addressed, that the mosque controversy constitutes ‘reverse discrimination’ against our own citizens, was personally made by Bae Gwang-sik, the head of Buk-gu District. Professor Yi pointed out that “such remarks not only undermine the neutrality of the local government agency that’s supposed to mediate the conflict between the mosque and opposing residents, but also deserve severe criticism given that the illegality of the Buk-gu District Office's decision to suspend construction has been exposed by a court ruling." Professor Yi also addressed the ‘violation of property rights’ complained of by residents opposing the plan. She said she had conducted "research into whether the construction of a mosque would lower land values" and concluded that there was "no evidence" to support that. She pointed out that “(the value of) land surrounding the mosque in Yongsan [in central Seoul], Korea's oldest and largest, has increased enormously.” She further pointed out that "in fact, the [Daegu] mosque’s side are the ones whose property rights are effectively being violated, through the suspension of construction despite their having a building permit." A country that puts off anti-discrimination legislation fosters racism Jeong Hye-shil, co-head of the South Korean Coalition for Anti-discrimination Legislation, began her talk by saying, "Despite the long history of racism in Korean society, we have yet to enact an anti-discrimination law." According to Ms. Jeong, "The government's failure to even stop using the [stigmatizing] term 'illegal alien' and its continued delay in recommending the enactment of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law are creating the perception among citizens that ‘we can get away with continuing to racially discriminate.’" Lee Wan, an activist with the Asian Human Rights and Culture Alliance, also criticized the government's view that the problem arises from a lack of public awareness, arguing that the environment that creates the public’s perceptions must be improved. He added, "[National] health insurance premiums for foreigners are generating a huge surplus (8 consecutive years of surplus, and last year recorded the largest surplus ever at 943.9 billion won [642 million USD]), but the government is not properly publicizing this, leading the public to believe fake news that 'foreigners are a financial drain on the country.'" Mr. Lee emphasized "the principle that hate speech should be called hate speech, and racism should be called racism." Kim Tae-eun, an investigator at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea's Discrimination Remedy Bureau who participated in the forum as a panelist, confessed, "I feel guilty and frustrated that the commission hasn't been able to take a step forward over the past five years." Ms. Kim suggested that the Ministry of Justice and local government organizations needed to make more of an effort: "Beyond legal regulations, the Buk-gu District Office and Daegu City need to study how communities can understand each other and live together through self-regulation, operate programs to encourage this, and create opportunities for gathering together." Jeon Hyeon-shin, deputy director of the Department of Justice’s Human Rights Policy Division, said, "We feel tremendous pressure regarding CERD's final opinion," and added, "Because of the demand to report on the Daegu Muslim mosque issue within a year, I think it’s possible that a comprehensive review will be conducted at the central government level to ensure the implementation of a final resolution." He continued, "We will conduct research into improving anti-racist legislation and seek to allocate specific roles to central and local government bodies in order to improve communication and the implementation [of CERD’s demands]." The immigrant and foreigner population in our society is growing and will continue to do so in the future. Serious steps to promote coexistence are needed. Panelists at this National Assembly forum emphasized that the Daegu mosque conflict is not simply a civil complaint dispute but a racial discrimination issue, and urged the government to take proactive steps to resolve the issue. [Translated by Marilyn Hook] *Original article: https://www.ildaro.com/10293 Published Oct. 9, 2025 | 일다https://ild 알라딘예시 aro.com n) Acco