Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ryzn]

I love to jog, hate to wear a shirt while I do it. Is it okay to do this in Korean cities? All of them? How about the countryside?

[Nicco61]

I don't think it is.
That's one of the things I remember from my drivers test it was illegal to drive with no shirt.

[ajgeddes]

[tomato]

I lived in 인천 for a while, across the street from a park.
I went over there to read a book.
I noticed some volleyball players going shirtless, so I dared to do the same.
Nobody giggled and nobody whistled.

[tomato]

This morning at 2:30, I walked to the corner Family Mart,
went in and made a purchase, and walked back,
wearing only shorts and tennis shoes.
I wanted to prove I had the guts.

[cmr]

I saw a Korean guy jogging shirtless in the Han Riverside Park a few days ago and nobody threw stones or anything at him. So, my guess is you'd be safe.

Most Koreans won't do it. They even wear a T-shirt when they go swimming at the beach, but it doesn't mean that you can't do it if you want to.

[cwemory]

Way down in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, my roommate used to try to jog shirtless, but always had a problem of disgusted ajummas hitting him as he jogged by them. He would come back to our apartment with red marks on his torso. This was Jeollanam-do though, so things might be different in some of the more progressive parts of Korea.

[VanIslander]

Public decency/indecency laws are cultural specific. I wouldnt be surprised if it's illegal though unenforced because rarely and only marginally done.

[sojourner1]

I wouldn't show my hairy chest in public. Wear a shirt in public here! Serious. I am already embarrassed with the looks I get every day being fully clothed. It can be embarrassing if you're different and everyone around you are pointing you out such as through staring and talking about you. If you insist, just show em' how hairy a foreign English teacher really is. LOL

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[merkurix]

There is a book I read two years ago called "Ugly American, Ugly Korean" which is about being aware about and correcting behavior that is considered strange or offensive in the other's country. One page talks about some Americans who like to run with their shirt off. From the tone of the book, it doesn't seem to be illegal, but many Koreans will be sure to have a great chuckle at your expense.

That said, I used to always see some bald white guy jogging often in Jogno wihout a shirt.

[RACETRAITOR]

I can't say I was a big fan of dudes taking their shirts off back home either. While feminists were rallying for the right to go topless, I was proposing it should be illegal for everyone.

You might think you look cool with your shirt off but to everyone else you're a douchebag.

[Alan Partidge]

Why stop at shirtless? I recommend that you wear a jockstrap and a headband. Have you got a mullet? Or even better, a ponytail!?

[YoshaMazov]

[Alyallen]