Korean Job Discussion Forums

Julius · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

5 years ago when i first got here Koreans reverentially gasped when informed I was an English teacher. Now they sneer. The stares and the attitude seems to have become more brazen, too. Or is it just me?

Lets take the past 2 days for example.

a) A c.50 year old ajosshi tries to get me to move out my reserved seat on the KTX just because he wants an aisle seat. I refuse, and hear him mutter "sh*pseki" very audibly as he reluctantly goes to his allotted seat next to me. unused to someone 20 years older than me in a smart suit feels free to use such language, I then shoot back "yeah, Hi, k*sekki". He looks a bit stunned and sits very awkwardly beside me for about 30 seconds before moving a few rows forward.

b) I order a bibimbap in a small restaurant. The miserable serving woman who thinks she owns the place appears to mimmick the way I pronounced the order in a patronising way before staring at me while I finish eating.

c) I sit next to some equally miserable 40-something ajosshi in the PC bang who then glares at me. i return the stare and he looks away in disdain.

What have I done to deserve such attitude? Nothing. I'm not even American or Japanese. But its clear these people have been watching too many slanted anti-foreigner Korean documentaries over the past few years.

Chris Kwon · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Location: North Korea

Most old people are used to having their way, although i'm not sure 50 years old counts.

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:01 am Post subject:

What does "Hi K*sekki" mean?

hcn207 · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: Seoul

out of context · Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Location: Daejeon

They could just be xenophobes who would hate you even if the documentaries were all about how wonderful foreign teachers are. Sometimes you just hit a bad patch. I've never experienced any reverential gasps, I have to admit.

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

I was reading somewhere that people with inner anger attract people like that... Frankly, I have not encountered what you described. No one has taken my seat, people even were willing to move for me when he saw I was about to go for a particular seat on the subway, but I relented in appeciation and gave it to him and went somewhere else. Generally, I've had pretty good treatment by Koreans...I am not saying there are not racists out there and people with bad attitudes. Definitely, there are people like that. I did have one incident where I was told to be quiet because someone didn't want to hear someone talking on the cell phone in English. I am assuming it's because I was talking in English. I wasn't loud. However, it is not like someone can't encounter a bad attitude in other countries.

Chris Kwon · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Location: North Korea

Also try being overly nice to rude ass people.. it seems to piss them off more.

Roch · Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

Roch · Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

OP, my experiences mirror yours.

Some of it from, that I had done time in Taiwan and acquired naivete, and otherwise to all finally getting to me.

Now the overriding sense is that like bob says "things have changed".

However, what rankles the most was the performance or lack thereof of my bosses down the years. I'm discovering that I was hurt a lot, in the sense that I often think (destructively) of them. Coulda handled it better, sure, but that is the prerogative of the experienced.

But if I do squint my eyes, yes, it's not a bird, is not a plane,
it's a............................................... sparkle.

Actually, take a rain check with that one too.