Korean Job Discussion Forums

coolsage · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 4:18 pm Post subject: There is no real joy in this land

As I was weaving my my home on New Year's Eve via some of the local 'spots', it occured to me that spontaneous laughter, merriment, the sense of being glad to be alive, were conspicuously lacking. The streets were packed mainly with students (this is a college town), and while there was no lack of libation (and Koreans have no equal when it comes to consumption), there was an unreal, empty quality to the festivities. And I realize that the 'real' New Year here is the Lunar one, upcoming, but that is even a more dreary occasion than this one, packed with obligations, long commutes, devoid of ' joy'. And this is not unique to Korea; the Japanese are very similar in this regard. In Southeast Asia, in the Phillipines or in Thailand, such occasions as these are marked by a genuine outpouring of community sharing of food, drink and goodwill. The income there is a fraction of what it is here, but the happiness quotient is immeasurably greater. It seems that the (rat)race to prosperity has sucked all the fun out of these people. There is a grim, grey, quasi-Orwellian quality to life in Korea. And now I'm going to go and put some whiskey in my coffee. Happy New Year to all.

Imbroglio · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 5:10 pm Post subject:

And to you friend. And to you. *Toasts a shot of whiskey to coolsage*

Smile

Clutch Cargo · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Location: Sim City 2005

Younger Koreans are full of spontenaety and fun. Just the other day I was walking to work past a middle-school and this group of about 10 middle-school girls were chasing these huge bubbles that one of them was creating from some big wire loop. They were completely free and jumping, laughing, not giving a toss about looking cool or not.

Went to my local outdoor market recently and got into an animated conversation with a Korean guy who worked at a cosmetics stand. He wore a hollowed out 1/2 pumpkin on his head. It fitted like a helmet. He was laughing and seemed to be really enjoying himself. Just talking freely and jumping from topic to topic. I think he might have been gay (the gaydar was recieving some signals there).

Maybe not really relevant to your experience of last night's NYEve celebrations, but I got from your post an impression that this quasi-Orwellian greyness and lack of fun is normal most of the time here.

Not true.

I went to Seoul for Christmas and met up with a couple of buddies and some of their friends. Most were teachers and had been there for up to, and in most cases over, a year. With the exception of one of them, no-one had been out of Seoul. They had a hard time believing that I'd travelled 5 hours by bus to get there.

I got a similar feeling to yours from Itaewon when I was stuck there between 6 and 10 am on Christmas morning. I foolishly thought I could find a half-decent yogwan in the area as I had to phone my friend mid-morning to meet up for Christmas party etc. Now that place was grim. Very cold , dark and foggy. All these little clusters of pissed foreigners huddled, staggering, puking, groping, staring through me, vacant eyes and averted stares under red Christmas hats. Reminded me of a scene out of Catch 22. Woo Hoo. What a happnin place.

coolsage · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 8:10 am Post subject:

And a toast to you, Imbroglio, as well. I thought this thread would get more play, but that was just me musing on New Year's morning, nine days away from a month in Thailand, where people seem to be genuinely 'happy'. There's a lack of happiness in these parts. I don't have to live here forever, but I don't envy the ones who do. Imagine waking up to this life in Korea every day. Every other day I thank the gods that I wasn't born here, that I'm merely passing through.

Mankind · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Howard Roark · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Canada

I believe there's a definite sadness about Korea and Korean people. They struggle so hard yet they can't seem to get it right. Someone commented recently on this board that "Korea is a joke to the rest of the world"(maybe not an exact quote). This is true to some extent.

They have no natural resources other than a massive labor force and a lot of educated people to build and manufacture products for export. Most of those products are mechanical and electronic and their production results in pollution. Not only is the air and water polluted, but the country's scenery is polluted by ugly buildings, factroies, and too many vehicles. It's almost tragic. The only way they can survive economically is to suffer environmentally and ecologically.

Not only does the environment suffer but the people do as well. The competition to be one of those educated people in one of those factories is fierce. I work at a major company in Korea and I can tell you most of the people who work here are not happy. Imagine struggling and studying your whole adolescent life just to secure a future of unhappiness? Imagine tens of thousands of people competing to be ultimately unhappy?

Imagine having to learn several languages just to scrape a bit of business out of the US, Japan, and China. Because, don't be fooled, it is you who needs them and not the other way around. And they know it.

And after all this, you're still largely seen as a rude, ignorant, racist, xenophobic, unintelligent, unsophisticated, backward, misogynist, alcoholic society.

I have my "I hate Korea" days. No doubt about it. I also have my "I love Korea" days. But recently I've been having a lot of "I feel sorry for these poor saps" days.

Imbroglio · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 8:34 pm Post subject:

Butterfly · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Location: Kuwait

I disagree.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

The print to the picture reads: Seoulites head to their jobs on the first working day of the new year on Friday.

Those are some pretty gloomy faces.

Apple Scruff · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Wow, Happy New Year!

mack the knife · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: standing right behind you...

Duh!? They're all still *beep*-canned, just like you and I were!!

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

I was in Las Vegas last year strolling around the main drag, there were thousands of folks streaming from one venue to another & these were people on vacation in a city dedicated to 'pleasure.' We made a game of trying to spot smiling people & were lucky to see one in 5 minutes. Grim.

I see a lot more spontaneous happiness here.

Mashimaro · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: location, location

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Here is another impressive image. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho off to work we go.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200401/kt2004010215393512810.htm

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20031230vf.htm

IconsFanatic · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

Uh oh, hang on, wait a minute... I think the guy in the middle of the second photo might actually be smiling!

Oh no, sorry... he's just grimacing from some rather hearty kimchi flatulence.