Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mexican-american-in-korea]

Hey Everyone,

My name is Angelo, I'm an English teacher in a small town called Hamyang (near Jinju). I've only been here for less than a month so I haven't experienced much discrimination in Korea. I've spent time in Seoul, Busan, Jinju and Daegu. But last night, an Australian friend and I were in Daegu last night and we stumbled upon a Karaoke bar that looked like it would be worth checking out.

As we waited by the entrance to be seated, immediately one of the employees ran up to us. More people who were sitting and enjoying there drinks stared in our direction. The young Korean employee handed me a sign. I grabbed it from him curiously. In big black letters the sign stated "KOREAN PEOPLE ONLY!" and "ONLY KOREAN SONGS HERE." (The irony was that the song being sang by the Korean guy on stage was an American song, in English).

What?? My initial reaction was confusion, I didn't know what to say. My friend stood nearby and asked what the sign said. I told him. No more than a few seconds passed before the owner motioned to the door. Not only was I overcome with embarrassment as everyone stared at us. So I did the only thing I could think of�.I blatantly flipped of the bar owner as we involuntarily left the bar. I could see the fury in his face. But I didn't care. As we walked up the two flights of stairs a Korean guy followed several feet behind us I was expecting him to confront us but he just stood at the door as we walked away. As we walked down the street, the only words that came to mind were "F*** KOREA!" As we walked I was in disbelief about what had just happened. My head spun for a minute because of all the emotions that flooded my head. It's not easy coming to terms with the fact that I was just asked to leave a bar because we weren't Korean. I don't know if I was more embarrassed, infuriated, or shocked.

Yes, I know the "F" Korea comment was irrational and uncalled for...but we resort to profanity when we don't have the language to express how we really feel. To some people reading this, you may think that I overreacted. But as minority in the United States I had to deal with racism, xenophobia, and discrimination my entire life. I never got use to being called a wetback, being taunted, or having my ability to speak English questioned because of my appearance. But even worse I have never been denied the right to occupy a space because of my race or appearance!

Furthermore, for the first couple of weeks here I would have people refuse to sit in the empty seat next to me on the bus, or the time when I sat in the seat two spaces away from an old Korean lady on the subway and she got up and walked to the opposite end of the subway car. These things didn't bother me. I understand that Koreans can be conservative and xenophobic. So these little things didn't bother me before. But last night was more than I expected. I am still angry about what happened but it is not directed at a country or Korean people as a whole. Maybe I needed to experience like that to let me know my place in Korea and not too get too comfortable here.

But as we walked I thought more about the fact that my positive experiences in Korea far outweigh my negative ones. There are many Korean people who have treated me with such great generosity and kindness. I can understand not being able to speak Korean, because I'm a foreigner. Or not being able to vote in Korea's presidential elections this year, because I'm a foreigner. BUT, not being able to enjoy myself and sing at a karaoke bar with some Koreans, because I'm a foreigner. Now that's just outrageous...haha.

Basically, what I want to know is if anything like this has happened to you? How did you react? And any advice in general about being an outsider.

Thanks,

Angelo

[Qinella]

Yeah that's never happened to me, but I can't imagine I'd feel too happy about it either. It would be embarrassing, sure, but the feeling of injustice would probably be worse.

I don't think you over-reacted at all. That's what the middle-finger gesture is for, right?

Sounds like you've been doing a lot of traveling. One month in and already seen most of the major areas? Nice.

[J.B. Clamence]

[rednblack]

Never happened, but I belive it does to some. Mind you, I'm not young, so maybe my age has helped. Get a thick skin, worse things will/may happen if you plan to spend any time here. Keep smiling, things are not so bad over here.

[Harpeau]

Sorry to hear about such stupidity. They don't deserve your patronage.

I once went to the "International Bar" in Pohang and they wouldn't let me in because I was a foreigner. I looked at the guy confused and asked why they would name the bar with such a global title and then restrict it? He looked at me confused. I just left the place laughing.

People make their choices and live with them. It's no reflection on you or me. It's their utter ignorance and stupidity. Racism and bigotry have been around for millenias. They probably won't dissapear for a while. All I can do is be kind to my fellow neighbor and let the chips fall where they may.

[mexican-american-in-korea]

Suprisingly, it wasn't in my small town where this happened it was in Central Daegu.

But yeah, I have managed to travel every weekend to different cities and this was a first. So I guess I was just shocked. Besides this incident things have been all good.

[billybrobby]

That happened to me once at a cheesy booking club. I was willing to just leave because it didn't seem like a cool place, but my friend got indignant and eventually they backed down and let us in. Which resulted in 30 minutes of us sitting there and being bored and drinking 5 dollar Cass to prove a point. But oh well.

I don't think the middle finger was unjustified. f*ck 'em. Maybe the "f*ck Korea" thing was unjustified because, after all, there are areas of Korea outside that karaoke bar.

Of course, the slick to do would have been to kill them with kindness and make them feel bad about it. But that's not always possible and it's not a lot of fun trying to charm somebody who wants you gone because of the color of your skin. But anyways, I don't think you were way out of line.

[thebum]

i have yet to be refused service anywhere because of being a foreigner. i'm white, but i have a lot of foreigner friends in korea. most of them are asian (indian, bangladeshi, chinese, japanese, etc.). my non-white friends who don't look "korean enough" (i.e. the bangladeshis and indians) are often refused services in korea.

[Adventurer]

I haven't ever been refused service anywhere or given smaller food portions. The overwhelming majority have no problem sitting next to me on a train, but there were a few people out of all the people I sat next to who didn't want to sit near me. It is quite rare for me to experience that. I have had mostly good experiences, but I am well aware that there are places where people do not want foreigners from the West.

[ella]

I had a restaurant door closed in my face about a week ago, in Seoul. I was dressed nicely, I just wanted some bibimbap. No foreigners allowed, apparently. It happens. You just shrug and move on, not much else can be done about it.

[kangnam mafioso]

it was probably a tu-lam-ju-jam (singing room with sexual services) and they were just saving you the embaressment of coming in and being asked to fork over several hundred dollars for a room and whiskey set.

regardless, it's their country and they reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. korea is quite behind in the gender/ racial equality program.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[charlieDD]

Well written account of your experience, how it made you feel and your reflections on it, OP. I think it would be a good one to submit to a local English daily, such as the Korea Times or Korea Herald, to share with a wider audience.

I think you're unlikely to find this kind of behavior in a small town. In larger cities the bars have more experience with foreign customers. Some don't like the experience, for whatever reasons. I think more often than not they adopt the policy because they have had what is to Koreans a bad experience / experiences with foreign customers, such as being noisy (just a group of foreigners speaking another language like English could be to Koreans "noisy"), getting drunk and rowdy ( while Koreans do it, foreigners doing it gets noticed ), not being willing to order the side dishes that are standard practice in kaoroke bars, or "hogging" the michrophone; perhaps even getting in fights.

I would like to believe these are the reasons the bars that have a no-foreigner policy have decided it is in the best interest of their businesses to do so. I suspect though that some may adopt the policy simply because their customers have expressed discomfort with foreigners being in the place and have indicated they would not continue to patronize it if the place became a foreigner's hangout. This would certainly be a xenophobic policy.

Let me make clear here, despite my expressed understanding of what may cause a club or bar to exclude foreigners, I think it is flat out wrong to do so. And I think we can be proud that this cannot happen so blatantly in our home countries. (It happens, of course, but in subtle ways.) In our home societies people are forced by law, and more so by moral expectation, to deal with their feelings of xenophobia. And to deal with each customer without prejudice, dealing with problem customers with a policy that applies to all, not some. It is a level of personal (and social) psychological and intellectual development not shared in many countries.

BTW, had an old lady move to the other side of the subway car just the other day when a seat across the way became available. I looked right at her and chuckled and winked. Later, as I got two stations away from my station, and feeling too warm on those darned heated seats, I intentionally stood next to her (she was at the end seat next to a door). As she had nowhere to move to, she could only squirm in discomfort. A little satisfaction earned.

[andrew]

.....

[RACETRAITOR]

It's never happened to me, but I was attacked by two Korean acquaintances a few years ago, one who was having a psychotic episode and another who believes in "brotherhood" which means attacking people who respect you when your friend does. They didn't hurt me badly, but while I was walking away I was having the same thoughts, and I nearly beat up another Korean friend who was trying to calm me down (by standing in my path and blocking me from leaving). The only thing stopping me from doing that was another Korean friend who ran after me and knew how to calm me down better.

What you did sounds totally logical, aside from picking a lousy bar to go into in the first place.