Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cocojojo]

I've been a ghost reader of this forum for about a year since I've been here. I'd like to thank you all for the valuable practical information as well as entertainment I have received through reading these forums.

I am not an ESL teacher- I was recruited directly out of college by a major Korean company and have been rotating to different offices worldwide (Seoul-New York-[XXX]-Seoul). About 1 year ago I choose to come to my company�s head office in Seoul, not because I was particularly fond of Korea (I had been here for 1 month for training), but because the specific department I was interested in is located here.

Working for a very traditional Korean company has presented some unique challenges that may not exist in the ESL industry. They typical salaryman life is to arrive early at work (maybe 7:30) and leave late (maybe 7:30) as well. I was given some allowances being a foreigner and usually worked significantly less than my coworkers.

My workplace is one large room with short cubicle-like dividers and aprox. 100 people, all sitting at computers. It is mostly quiet throughout the day except the clicking of keyboards or the occasional quiet conversation. Since most of you probably haven�t had �real� jobs (just kidding) this was quite an adjustment coming from our [XXX] workplace, where cursing, music, and the occasional guy walking around with a gag ball in his mouth were common sights.

I�m really having difficulty putting my workplace dynamics into words. While overall I am quite impressed by the dedication and pride my coworkers put into their work compared to their American counterparts, I find it tragic how the average Korean salaryman leads their life. This may be of use to some of you teachers to better understand the environment that your students/mothers are dealing with.

Although I do not speak Korean (which was a huge asset), it is quite clear that there is a horrendous amount of bureaucracy at my company. I believe that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on my coworkers to give the appearance that they are working hard and to produce a large amount of documentation to attest to that fact.

In addition there is fierce inter- and intradepartmental competition for a small number of top-management spots. My team was scheduled to have a meeting with the finance department and I was essentially told not to cooperate with them. I learned quickly that keeping your head low and avoiding blame was the key to success at this company.

Again, since I am a foreigner I luckily didn�t fit into this system too well. I can only imagine the stress it would cause if this was your life- all day every day carrying out only semi-meaningful tasks while constantly watching your back, hoping you can make it to the top in your 40 years of employment before you are forced to retire. The hours are simply too long (remember many have a 1hr+ commute each way) to have a meaningful relationship with your wife/kids. Women work at my company as well, but the glass ceiling is very low. Since they are expected to quit when they have kids, they aren�t promoted; since they aren�t promoted, they quit when they have kids (and so the cycle goes�).


That all being said, I�d like to share some of the more Korean office moments I�ve enjoyed:


1. I brought in a metal tin of Chupa Chips from Costco for my team. One of my team members asked me if he could have it when we finish the lollipops, he want it to potty train his daughter (?). Sure, no problem�.until we were reaching the end of the lollipops and my other coworker got wind that I was giving away the tin. Apparently my other coworker was very jealous and wanted to potty train HIS daughter with the piss tin. An argument ensued and the conclusion was that I would have to buy another tin of lollipops. FML.

2. Open discussion at team dinner to the best place for me to find hookers in Malaysia on my upcoming trip to Singapore

3. For the company anniversary, we all gathered in a large room upstairs. After playing the Korean national anthem, there was a good 2 minute head bow while creepy music played.

4. No breakfast served on the anniversary of the Chairman�s death.

5. Team lunch with the Chairwoman (ex-Chairman�s wife, now company head�they�re like royalty) where she forced everyone to text message their wives �사랑해요� and read the responses�ex: are you drunk, are you fired? Then she proceeded to make a group of freshman employees sing and dance "Nobody" by the Wonder Girls in front of the group

6. Mandatory Saturday hike for 160 person business unit

7. After a soju dinner my manager was taking us around searching for the requisite noraebang. We went to one with college girls but due to recent cost-cutting measures it was too expensive so we had to go to the ajummah noraebang.



Thanks again!

[blurgalurgalurga]

Good post. Thanks for the insight into Korporate Korea. I always figured it'd be very weird...they should make a sit-com of it.

[Forward Observer]

Don't know which company you worked for, but it sounds like it wasn't a global/chebol. I worked for LG for two years, found some of what you said to be true, but not even close.

Except for the long hours, company life was pretty good. Koreans take a lot of breaks. Lots of meetings, lots of boring presentations. What I found most disturbing about their company culture was the fact that the younger guys tended to keep their mouths shut and their heads low. The project and group leaders were the only ones allowed to have a "win" so to speak.


Sic semper tyrannis

[Ultimo Hombre]

My girlfriend just got out of a job place like this. I've heard so many stories like yours. It's wild.

[michaelambling]

The Chairwoman's antics made this post--thanks for the insight.

[phoneboothface]

Wow I want to work long hours in a place that's XXX, I can go all night.

Good post. I don't know what to think when some of the guys I teach were lamenting over spending W5,000,000 in the room salon the night before. Company tab.

What is FML? (edit: *beep* my life)

[Ruraljuror]

[victorology]

I recently joined a company in Korea and think I found a good fit.

[SamJ85]

Sounds bloody awful. I'm actually glad I work in a (pretty well run) hagwon for pretty much the first time since I arrived.

[JongnoGuru]

Much chewy goodness in your post, Coco. Some of it I've experienced, but what I consider most poignantly Korean:

[jdog2050]

AHAHAH!!! Epic Post Cocojojo.

I just got laid off from my Korean company, and it's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

The one thing I learned from a Korean company is that I will never work for a Korean company again.

Some things:

1. The CEO (who if you remember from that one thread, was incredibly incompetent) was banging the president, and everyone knew.

2. Absolutely no one cared about their job.

3. Showing your actual personality was a no-no.

4. pertaining to #3, I didn't even "get-to-know" the girl who sat right across from me for 10 hours a day until we got fired together and finally had an honest-to-god drink together.

5. the extent to which people will not acknowledge that their boss is wrong is just...you start to wonder how ANYTHING gets fucking done in this country.

6. you learn how the microcosm affects the macrocosm. Korea is like a friggin' fractal painting, and you really start to see how the way that Koreans act in everyday life is an extension of how they act at the office and vice-versa. I have sympathy for salarymen now--sleeping with hookers, beating their wives, being distant to their children...all of it. If I had to live this life, I would not be jdog2050...I don't know how much of it would be roboticized out of me. I essentially now know why there are almost as many Korean emigrants as there are natural born Koreans. Who would want to stay here? This country can be pretty disfunctional.

[Jane]

I'm also at a big company, and about once a week I send an email to a friend with the latest incredulous stories detailing what transpired. He claims I should write a book when I quit, as its unbelievable some of the stuff that happens in Korean companies.


I also had to do the 180 person hike last Friday.

First we climbed this really low mountain, that would normally have taken 15 minutes to 'hike' but it took 2 hours because we stopped every two minutes for reasons I'm still unaware of.

Over lunch, the managers got drunk on beer, soju and makeolli. Meanwhile, the other 160 non-executives had to wait 1 1/2 hours for the drunk managers to join us, to start the festivities.

During the 'mandatory participation' dodge ball game, the drunk managers thought it was funny to do these cricket type throws at 50 clicks an hour, while aiming for the interns' heads. Luckily, I'm a 'waegukin' and hung out on the side lines and chatted, while gasping every few minutes or so when the flying soccer ball would graze the side of an intern's head.

I finally 'asked permission' to leave just as the rain turned into a downpour and they were getting the rope ready to do a three-legged race.

[Jane]

[PigeonFart]

A very interesting post. What a crap existance it must be, no wonder they have a high suicide rate.

[jdog2050]