Where is a foreigner from? It sounds like a simple question, but the result may surprise you. Actually a foreigner could be from anywhere. For instance, someone from Canada could say that an American or a Korean is a“foreigner”in their country.  Likewise, Koreans could say that Americans and Canadians are “foreigners” in their own country.  In English though, the word “foreigner” can be offensive.  It is not the same as the Korean word “외국인”.  This word “foreigner” emphasizes that someone is “not like us”, so it isolates and separates people.  Sometimes this word also stops people from sharing culture and ideas together.
  There are about 200 countries in the world. In all of them except for one, I could be called a“foreigner”because I was not born there.  Put your finger on a globe and give it a spin. The chances are that your finger will land on a country where you would be a“foreigner”. Instead of using “foreigner” or even “외국인”, try to describe people based on where they are from.  It is more respectful because it recognizes that the person has an identity all their own, independent of you and your country.
  It is easy to make false assumptions about people if we divide them as“foreigner”and“non-foreigner”in our minds. For example, I know many“Korean”people who hate kimchi and don’t speak Korean because they were born in America. At the same time, there are many“foreigners”who speak Korean wonderfully and love kimchi. They blend in very well in Korean society. This is because the idea of“Korean culture”is different from“Korean ethnicity”. As we all know, anyone can enjoy Korean culture and become a part of it - no matter where they are from.  In fact, right now a lot of the world is going crazy for Korean pop music and Korean food!  In today’s global world it can be hard to decide who is a “foreigner” and who is not. The meaning of the word is confusing.
  The modern world exists as it does today because of globalization. Even the news media relies on an open exchange between the many distinct cultures in the world. The more open we are to understanding other cultures, the more we will understand the real nature of humanity in the world. The starting point of this exchange is recognizing that we are all the same, regardless of where we are from. So the next time you meet someone from a different country, try to challenge yourself to connect and share with them, rather than divide and separate yourself culturally from them with words like“foreigner”.