The South Korean Embassy in the United Kingdom has issued a warning to Korean tourists and residents over the possibility of being the target of a hate crime after a Korean student was attacked in Brighton last weekend.

The 20-year-old victim was hit in his face in an unprovoked attack in downtown Brighton on Oct .15. Two British teenage boys, aged 16 and 17, were arrested Friday by the local police on suspicion of committing the crime. They allegedly threw a glass bottle at the victim, and when the victim asked why, one of the attackers reportedly said “because you are an Asian.“


In the precautionary statement issued on Friday, the South Korean embassy stated that “a case concerning our citizen was reported.”

In the statement the embassy also quoted official data showing the recent rise of hate crimes in England and Wales, issued from the UK’s Home Office on Tuesday. The data showed that hate crimes in England and Wales had risen by 29 percent last year fueled by the Brexit vote and a recent surge in terror attacks.

Posting about the Brighton attack on Facebook, the victim’s friend Jo Min-su expressed gratitude to the Korean embassy for their help following the incident. Jo said in the Facebook post on Friday that the consuls visited the local police and the victim’s school to help facilitate the investigation. In the same post, Jo also thanked local citizens in Brighton for helping the investigation process and showing support for the victim.

A Just Giving page has been set up by a Brighton man to help the victim with dental costs for his broken teeth. The victim reportedly had a tooth broken and 10 others dislodged after being hit with a glass bottle in the attack. As of Sunday, the crowdfunding page has already raised more than £2,800. Anything raised after the original target of £1,000 will go towards an anti-racism charity, according to the description on the page.

(mjk625@heraldcorp.com)