Korean Job Discussion Forums

[helly]

Quoteth Coffeecup

"It therefore seems to be that getting one's teeth kicked in is almost certainty"


How many of us have really been physically assaulted? I'm not talking about the ajuma shove or the dirty looks of the old man on the street. I mean attacked by a mob, random taekwondo kicks to the head, stabbed with a concealed knife, ..... you know the good stuff.

For the record, in 7 years, I've had one random Taekwondo kick to the head. However, I was so bombed at the time that I can't be truly sure it was random.

[Gladiator]

Not kicked in exactly but I was beaten up two years ago by a violent young man who didn't take kindly to my snubbing his attempts to engage me in English practice on a bus. Punched full on in the face and kicked in the ribs several times. All I can say is fortunately I'm a short, sturdy little British bulldog who's difficult to damage and all I came away with was soreness in the said areas.

Because of where I worked at the time I reported the attack to the British Embassy (which monitors/logs attacks on British citizens here)who in turn called one of Seoul Police's foreign "liason" officers to "investigate" (the parenthesis is necessary as you'll see) the assault. This individual showed no interest in investigating the attack and looking for the perpetrator but showed a lot of interest in harassing me for English practice (God, it's a grotesque irony isn't it?) and harassing me to meet him for lunch and do English-related favours. Confirmed everything I'd suspected about equal 'justice' in this country. If you want it I think you have to pay for it somewhere.

[Bulsajo]

No. [Well, not in Korea at any rate]

[helly]

Well, Gladiator, that sounds like a "YES" to me. Don't need to take the teeth-kicked-in example too literally.

[BTM]

I've never started a fight, but I've finished a few.

[Sarah-in-Korea]

I (accidentally!) knocked a girl's front teeth out playing high school netball. Does that make me tough? a bully? uncoordinated? Lara Croft?

[Son Deureo!]

No, not once, but I have been in some tense situations that would have come to blows if someone hadn't intervened. I'm glad it's never come down to that, but since I'm never looking for a fight I'd be lying if I said I felt 100% safe here.

Among my circle of friends, only two have ever been attacked by anyone. One was actually attacked by an Englishman (they guy didn't care for Americans), and the other was an incident that involved so much booze on both sides that it's hard to tell who's to blame.

On the whole, however, I still feel safer in Korea than I did living in the U.S.

[Cthulhu]

I was sucker punched walking on a quiet street very early on Christmas morning in Busan a couple years ago, but in retrospect I think there was more to the story than a random act of violence. Left me with a nice shiner to tell the students about, though...

[Zyzyfer]

I had a few pissed-off guys glare at me, but I'm the right hand man of Satan, so it's all good.

[posco's trumpet]

I worked with a guy who was attacked 3 times -- once he was jumped in a nightclub (3 on 1 -- he talked with a woman one of the guys was sweet on, but not dating); twice on the street (once he was attacked because of the IMF, the other time on general principle, apparently)....

[peppermint]

Hmm, never had my teeth kicked in.(well, not since I was two and walked in front of a swing anyway ) I did have some run ins with Koreans that were racially motivated tho.

see here

and here.

Just to give Coffecup some balance tho, good things do happen here too. See here for examples.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I've only been attacked twice as an adult, once in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Canada, when I was stumbling out of a nightclub late at night and someone ran past me, punching me and my friend. The doctor had to pull bits of broken eyeglass out of my face--no anaesthetic was necessary! The second time was on Mexico City's metro, when I was knocked down and pickpocketed. Avoid the subway!

The stares and potshot comments on the bus if I am speaking to a friend in English are rattling at times, but so far I haven't had any real trouble in Korea. I don't think of this place as a safety risk, although if America got aggressive with NK that could change.

Ken:>

[just because]

I think the likelihood of being attacked is greater back in Australia than in Korea?? I do feel a bit safer here but that doesn't mean to say i don't know people who haven't had a bit of trouble here, with Koreans and other foreigners.
For the record I've had 3 fights in oz, 0 in all other countries.

[ratslash]

yes.

playing soccer i was in goal. i dived heroically at a strikers feet and won the ball fair and square. his response was to kick me twice in the mouth. one of his studs caught two of my front teeth and they were smashed.

[gang ah jee]

i've had someone try to put the beat down on me here.

he was a white american. go figure.