Korean Job Discussion Forums

The Bobster · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

How is it different in your country?

1) It's louder here. Even in my little insignificant pocket culd-de-sac of a neighborhood, the candidates came by in their big trucks and spoke on megaphones, mightily. Neighborhood folks shouted back, too.

2) It's not a day off of work back in America. Koreans ask me why, I tell them it's a civic duty and if you take a whole day off for what should take no more than 45 minutes, you're really asking your employer to bear the cost of you doing what any good citizen needs to do.

3) People wear ribbons and pass things out on the street.

4) Some of the posters look spooky. Like this guy (last December's election) :

hagwonnewbie · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Asia

Voting took me 5 hours in 2004. The U.S. should have one day off each year to celebrate this important event that defines our nation. Unfortunately, the people who currently make laws are terrified of voters. If every American voted, the leadership would likely change to a multiple party system.

lucas_p · Joined: 17 Sep 2007

agentX · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Location: Jeolla province

Oh man, that family guy avatar is nasty!

Anyway, Koreans are getting annoyed by the style of campaigning here.
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/04/117_22152.html

whatever · Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Location: Korea: More fun than jail.

Ummm...not to be sarcastic, but isn't being loud/making a spectacle the usual way most Koreans express themselves in many different areas of life, both public and private?

Although I personally don't like it at all, the practice doesn't surprise me or seem culturally inappropriate in the least.

Now, if we could just get the rain to stop, so as to better enjoy the day off...

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

The ajummas representing candidates who stand and bow together in the street is pretty tacky.

"Please vote for us because we are saying hello and bowing" Rolling Eyes

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

Aren't they hilarious? I was on Main Street and to the left were a pair of ajumma election smurfs (^^) wearing blue uniforms with banners across their chests with their candidate's number. They marched in unison like a duo platoon. Up ahead, on the right, were two more blues, again side by side in a duo. Except squared off to traffic and bowing. Further down the road, 20 meters, were the reds. The red ajumma election smurfs had similar, complete uniforms and chest banners, matching baseball caps. The reds had similiar strength in numbers on their 'turf' down the road a bit where they bowed and marched in twos as well. Represent! Darth Vader ajumma visors to boot. Wooden pastry rolling pins or (as in the East) doc pounders held for emphasis, yeah! Who wouldn't want an army of smurfs? Now that's power!^^

idonojacs · Joined: 07 Jun 2007

Well, I would assume a foreigner would find the way Americans campaign on election day a bit odd, too, like all sorts of people, young and old, standing on a freezing street corner waving signs with the candidate's name on it.

Besides reinforcing simple name recognition, it shows potential voters that there is real support for the candidates, it puts real faces on that support, and perhaps some people going by will recognize those supporters.

Whether this actually changes anyone's vote is another question. But it does give campaign workers something to do.

I would imagine that there is some rationale to the Korean system. Democracy is a bit younger here. Their traditions are a bit different. But at least it is democracy in action. As someone said, democracy may not be perfect, but it sure beats the alternatives.