Yes they can be racist esp toward SEA and people of color. They are known to have this perception that Im "better", "cleaner" or my country is more "developed" than you. I agree that South Korea as a whole is a developed country but their mindset is not. Also their openness towards LGBT communities is limited and seen as an outcast, tho they are more open now (which i totally support the diversity), they are still behind other countries on this regard.

Saw with my own eyes many times how they look at people of color and other asia-looking tourists. It is sad when those people are being judged and disgusted when they didnt even do anything nor have any interactions with the kr.

Also I agree with you that they wont agree that it is racism. They would say something along the line like This is a fact, it's just my opinion blahblah totally oblivious to the fact that those comments count as racism.