Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jajdude]

Strange. Met a couple of Koreans the past couple of days who had not much good to say about their country. One said, when you leave, you would be better off not coming back, in a matter of fact way, not unkindly. Have you met many who echo this opinion?

[Real Reality]

More Koreans give up citizenship
by Lee Sun-young, The Korea Herald (January 17, 2005)
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2005/01/17/200501170007.asp

Koreans Look Outward to Seek Better Life: Increasing Number of Technicians, Other Professionals Join Emigration Tide
By Chung Ah-young, The Korea Times (October 27, 2004)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200410/kt2004102718575545250.htm

Koreans Who Earned Doctorate Degrees in the U.S. Do Not Want to Return
Donga.com (December 19, 2006)
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2006121920558

96.5% of Young Employees Wish To Work Abroad
Chosun Ilbo (September 6, 2004)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200409/200409060026.html

Korea Becomes Less Business-Friendly
Chosun Ilbo (September 6, 2006)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200609/200609060025.html

Survey: Koreans unhappy at work
by Kwon Hyuk-joo and Lim Mi-jin, JoongAng Ilbo (August 28, 2006)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200608/27/200608272308261879900090509051.html

Koreans Flock to Emigration Fair
By Mike Weisbart, Korea Times (March 27, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200503/kt2005032719145611990.htm

Rotten to the Core?
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200310/200310080034.html

A Country of Liars
by Kim Dae-joong, Chosun Ilbo (July 3, 2005)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200507/200507030027.html

[Young FRANKenstein]

[VanIslander]

jajdude, man, we were talking about this back in 2003!

About a third of English-speaking Korean adults I meet think very highly of my home country, Canada, and nearby America, in fact, the very same people who praise them endlessly are the same who think little of the future of theirs in their own country.

Economic factors play a huge part.

Talk with your adult students, make a few English-speaking Korean friends, it's not hard to find Koreans who are critical about their country and would love to leave. They are not critical of their country's values, not transcending their upbringing, instead more like the logical endpoint of a very Korean trait to get ahead and not fall behind, keep up with the Kims, and improve one's economic lot. And given what Western countries symbolize to them: wealth, their reactions are very much KOrean, as much as the defensively hostile, secretly jealous nationalism which manifests perpetually.

[Sine qua non]

[Muffin]

Yes one or two of my Korean friends express surprise that anyone returns to work in Korea and one of them definitely wants to live in the US.

I had this bizarre Korean colleague who although he had spent 3 years in Canada and 27 in Korea, would deny any knowledge of Korean food or culture. At dinner time my Canadian colleague and myself would ask him 'what's this sauce for?' and he would shrug and say 'I dunno I only eat junk food' steadfastly munching his jam sandwiches.

If I related any act of kindness on the part of my Korean neighbours he would be incredulous 'I didn't know Korean people were that kind!'

He was always going to Itaewon trying to pick up western girls in the hope of marrying and escaping.

[VirginIslander]

How many waygooki couples have you met that expressed similiar feelings? Its not a feeling specific to one nation, except maybe Haiti.

[hairy sue]

[leebumlik69]

[charlieDD]

There was an editorial in that Joong Ang Ilbo English pullout stuffed into the International Herald Tribune a couple of weeks ago that I read on my flight to the states from Seoul. It was written by a guy in his 50's , a Korean baby boomer.

Titled "If they don't want us, let's just leave" - - or something like that - -it lightheartedly called on the baby boomers who have been forced to retire in their 50's to just sell their expensive apartments and move overseas, where they could buy a nice home with land and still have a lot left over, could live on their pensions and could start new businesses.

His editorial was prompted by the frustration of the hard reality in Korea where male workers in the early fifties are being pushed out to make room and jobs for the younger generation coming out Korea's university education factories.

[cdninkorea]