Korean Job Discussion Forums

cruisemonkey · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:51 pm Post subject: What's the deal with knives?

At last Monday morning staff meeting (boy's public middle school), the school disciplinarian got up and much to the horror and gasps of amazement from the K-teachers, produced a small/medium-sized Swiss Army knife that had been confiscated from one of the students. I don't think the student had threatened anyone with it... it was just found in his possession (my reaction was a yawn).

I don't understand the Ks reaction of shock to a pocket knife when even elementary school students all carry an exacto knife/box cutter in their pencil case.

Does anyone know why the K-teachers were so shocked?

nebraska1 · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject:

Have no idea since most Korean students down to the elementary school age carry around box cutters and exacto knives. Mostly used to destroy desks.

N1

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

Did you ask them what the big deal was? I'd be interested in what their reasons are too and can't even begin to imagine what they are, considering the knives they already carry around.

aalais · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Location: Bundang

I was really surprised to see a bunch of fourth graders whip out matte knives the other day. Maybe not having gone to schools with metal detectors, the potential for violence doesn't occur to Korean teachers. But because a Swiss army knife seems vaguely switchblade-y if you've never handled one, they decided to crack down? I don't know, it still seems kind of weird.

saw6436 · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon, ROK

According to Korean law it is illegal to carry a knife. The exacto knives the kids carry do not qualify as a "knife".

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

That ain't no knife ! :

Now THAT's a Knife:

Chris_Dixon · Joined: 09 Jan 2008

i confiscated a 40 cm home made baton the other day, the kid was walking around smacking it against his open palm in a threatening manner. i couldn't believe it.

nicholas_chiasson · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Location: Samcheok

40cm! Is he sticking that thing places it don't belong?

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

I asked my wife about this one. She said about what you might expect... Koreans don't consider the box cutters to be a knife, and any kid who carried around a pocketknife in school should know better. She considered it a very serious thing too. I explained that I didn't understand the difference, and she said it has to do with usage. The paper (box) cutter has a school use. The knife doesn't. The kid brought the knife to school for no good reason, and he knew it.

Different culture, I guess.

I'm Seoul Lost · Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Location: In the mountains of Gyeonggi

Since, of course, a pocket knife could *never* be used to cut paper (a stupid thing to do, but some of these kids are none too bright), and a box cutter could *never* be used to kill somebody.

panthermodern · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Location: Taxronto

cruisemonkey · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:37 pm Post subject:

I guess it just boils down to K-logic... after all, one could never use a sharp, extendable blade for other than it's intended (sharpening a pencil) purpose. One would need a 'real' knife to slash teacha's throat. Rolling Eyes

EzeWong · Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Location: Seoul

It kind of makes sense,

Someone could of course use a boxcutter to stab someone... but it has an intended use, where as the pocket knife, why the hell would you bring that? Unless you wanted to hurt someone with it.

So an extreme example would be like... Guns in the USA. Guns have their use in gun ranges and hunting fields but to bring it to school has no purpose other than to hurt other people.... thats pretty much what I gather from that kind of logic.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:55 pm Post subject: