KAC Applauds Airbnb Guest and Airbnb for Standing Against Discrimination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
​Contact: Joon Bang
(213) 365-5999
joon@kacla.org

On Monday, April 10, 2017, KAC held a press conference with Airbnb user Dyne Suh to acknowledge and applaud her courage in standing against the discrimination she experienced by an Airbnb host. The exchange between the host and guest occurred in February near Big Bear, California. The screenshots of their conversation has since gone viral. In one thread, the host commented, “I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners. It’s why we have trump.” Following the incident, Airbnb has permanently banned the host from its platform.

KAC has reached out to both parties regarding the situation. The host has expressed also that this was unfortunate and will provide a public statement in the near future.

“We don’t want to use this opportunity to vilify someone for his/her actions, rather we want to highlight the courage of Ms. Suh for sharing her story and encouraging others to speak up against discrimination,” said Joon Bang, executive director of KAC.

KAC informed the press regarding its Alternative Dispute Resolution Center (4.29 Center) as a resource for anyone in need of mediation and dispute resolution. The 4.29 Center was founded in 1997 in response to the ethnic upheaval that devastated parts of Los Angeles during the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. The 4.29 Center places special focus on working with diverse ethnic populations of Los Angeles County to resolve disputes outside of the courtroom.

“At the end of the day, we’re all messy people with different views and there is always an opportunity to dialogue and learn from one another,” said Bang. 

Media coverage: Korea Daily, Korea Times, Koreatown Daily, Radio Korea, LA18 News, MBC America, KBS America, RKTV, SBS Evening News

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Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles (KAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community. KAC endeavors to achieve these goals through education, community organization, leadership development, and coalition-building with diverse communities. ​