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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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 Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:10 pm Post subject: Have you ever been in trouble being 'political' in Korea? |
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Have you, or any other foreigners you know of, ever been in trouble due to getting involved in political issues here in Korea?
TTomPatz and other posters here have rightly pointed out that, according to our E2 Visa regulations (I assume 95% of the expats reading this site are teachers), getting involved in any kind of political campaigning or participating in demonstrations is technically illegal.
Several foreigners will be joining the anti-canal march this Sunday in Seoul and I'm curious about the potential repurcussions from our involvement. I did hear that some foreigners were deported after they started protesting against drug-testing for foreigners, but I haven't heard anything else. What kind of risk are we facing?
(And for anyone else interested in joining in, the anti-canal march starts at 3pm in front of Seoul Station. Don't forget to brush your teeth  )
For more information about the grand canal check out this facebook group.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7935272621
Last edited by kiwiduncan on Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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I haven't ever been in trouble, but my in-laws have, and with Lee Myungbag in power it might go back to those days again.
How can you get in trouble for this anyway? Just don't get caught. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
I haven't ever been in trouble, but my in-laws have, and with Lee Myungbag in power it might go back to those days again.
How can you get in trouble for this anyway? Just don't get caught. |
Run fast and don't look at any cameras. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:37 am Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
I haven't ever been in trouble, but my in-laws have, and with Lee Myungbag in power it might go back to those days again.
How can you get in trouble for this anyway? Just don't get caught. |
Run fast and don't look at any cameras. |
That's going to be a bit tricky. Any time a foreigner turns up at any event in Korea the cameras tend to turn in our direction.
Maybe I'll wear a hat. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| I'm going to be behind the camera. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:15 am Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| I'm going to be behind the camera. |
In that case I'll make it a silly hat.
RT, a few of us are meeting for lunch before the march too. PM me if you are keen to join in. |
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bobbyhanlon
Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Location: 서울
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| i almost got into a fight with some americans for jokingly calling george bush a gae-sekki.. other than that absolutely not. you'll be fine... people will protest about absolutely anything in korea so the only real problem is that nobody will pay attention.. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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A few of us went to the march. It was a good day and we had no problems of any sort.
The only problem was when I saw a white guy with a video camera filming the protest. I thought it was Racetraitor so I went up and said "Race traitor?", not realising that this might be taken the wrong way. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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| kiwiduncan wrote: |
A few of us went to the march. It was a good day and we had no problems of any sort.
The only problem was when I saw a white guy with a video camera filming the protest. I thought it was Racetraitor so I went up and said "Race traitor?", not realising that this might be taken the wrong way. |
I'm sorry I didn't call. I ended up not being able to make it out, same as last time. It turned out I had a sister-in-law's birthday party I couldn't escape.
Laughing at the thought of you calling a random white guy a race traitor. |
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SuperFly
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Location: In the doghouse
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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| A poster on this site is currently being investigated for having ties to terrorist organizations outside of Korea, so yes, I think that it's definitely not a good idea to get heavily involved with organizations that are subversive if you want to stay in Korea. |
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Suwoner10
Joined: 10 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
How can you get in trouble for this anyway? Just don't get caught. |
It is illegal for foreigners to participate in
1) any political protests
2) anything outside your Visa duties
Remember the guy deported for helping with the oil spill clean-up? I do. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Suwoner10 wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
How can you get in trouble for this anyway? Just don't get caught. |
It is illegal for foreigners to participate in
1) any political protests
2) anything outside your Visa duties
Remember the guy deported for helping with the oil spill clean-up? I do. |
They don't exactly have a good record for catching teachers doing private lessons. As I said, don't get caught. Unless the cops actually physically catch you, how will you ever be caught? |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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| SuperFly wrote: |
| A poster on this site is currently being investigated for having ties to terrorist organizations outside of Korea, so yes, I think that it's definitely not a good idea to get heavily involved with organizations that are subversive if you want to stay in Korea. |
Yes, some people are concerned about the LMB administration taking some backwards steps in terms of free speech and dissent. A lot of the Korean university professors who signed a petition against the grand canal have been hassled by the police in the last couple of weeks, but the investigations have caused a backlash from the general public and opposition to the canal plan is higher than it's ever been.
By the way, this article from the HanGyeoRe newspaper is very good.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/279481.html
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The members of the environmental organization Pilgrims for Living Rivers arrived at Eulsuk Island at the mouth of the Nakdong River on April 1. The Grand Korean Waterway is expected to end here, where the 400-km-long Nakdong River meets the South Sea. Fifty days ago, they left Aegibong Peak in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, the place where the Han River, Imjin River and West Sea meet. The Pilgrims have walked the long distance in unison, with the thought, �Let the mountains be as they are and let the rivers flow as they are.� They started their journey on a cold winter�s day but spring has come, rivers are flowing and flowers are blooming.
During this period, the Pilgrims have had to face snow storms, heavy rains, and piercing winds, but felt with each step regret for the arrogance, greed and fetishism of our time. They prayed for the peace of the rivers, in which dwell a great many lives. The earnestness of these people has most likely inspired a group of professors to form an nationwide organization to protest the cross-country canal project. The nation�s religious community has also started a campaign against it. In this way, the sleeping conscience of our society has begun to awaken. People have started to look back at themselves as people blinded by love of money and success.
Warnings that the idea to construct the canal came from greed and arrogance, or that the project will invite a huge disaster, are not merely religious predictions or decrees. The nation has achieved material growth and a per capita income of US$20,000 at an incredibly rapid pace. Still, far from being satisfied, the nation has pressed for cutthroat competition and development for faster growth and more income. The �grand canal� is the monster created in such a climate. Politicians, including President Lee Myung-bak, continue to use such greed for political gain. In reality, however, the catastrophic results of all this are slowly beginning to appear. Anticipation of a hike in land prices has paralyzed reasonable judgment in many parts of the nation and has driven communities to clashes that have led to division. Both the central and regional governments are telling lies and being hypocritical while simultaneously suppressing the public. The canal project is plaguing communities with a fatal disease, even before it has had a chance to cause any natural disasters.
The Pilgrims plan next to head for the Yeongsan River on the southwest coast of the South Han River where the Honam section of the waterway will be constructed. They will then make an additional 50-day pilgrimage from the mouth of the river via the Geum River and Han River before returning to Seoul. They are united in their purpose, which is to make amends for the arrogance and greed within us. The pilgrimage is aimed at reaching enlightenment through self-reflection, not at winning a fight. Hopefully, the entire nation will join in this pilgrimage, if only in spirit. Then will we know that the mountains have made the rivers but have not run over them, and, too, that the rivers have not flooded the mountains. |
For more information about the grand canal check out this facebook group.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7935272621 |
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ryouga013
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:55 am Post subject: |
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I told someone that "American's call it the 'Sea of Japan' not the 'Sea of Korea' or 'the East Sea' for the most part" to which they responded "you're wrong." They asked me what I called the sea, to get me to answer the "incorrect" answer. I didn't tell them "you're wrong sitforbrains!" I simply stated that it is called other things by other people...
Then, they griped to their mothers and their mothers griped to the manager, and then I got griped at for telling them the truth. Other people call it other things... WOW!!! amazing thought there!
Since then I have made a point to call it the Sea of Japan. |
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Bryan
Joined: 29 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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I'm sure you can be "political." I'm sure that you could even hold a speech advocating certain political ideas to a large audience. After all, there are non-Korean political science and philosophy professors in Korea who are publishing articles and delivering lectures daily.
I think the rule is only against political protest in the streets. Those are largely a waste of time anyway (even though this is a huge violation of one's individual rights to disallow him from attending. It's peaceful assembley). |
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