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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:11 am Post subject: U.S. State Dept. Travel Guide Warns of 'Dangerous' Seoul |
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U.S. State Dept. Travel Guide Warns of 'Dangerous' Seoul
Chosun Ilbo (December 4, 2008)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200812/200812040004.html
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The U.S. State Department has categorized Seoul's Hongdae and Sinchon districts as dangerous zones in its online foreign travel guidebook travel.state.gov.
It warns U.S. citizens and their families, especially young adults, to exercise prudence when visiting the Hongdae and Sinchon. "These areas, where many night clubs are located, have occasionally been the sites of bar or street fights and harassment involving Westerners," it says. |
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Smee
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:22 am Post subject: |
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| The thing is in the country profile the word dangerous is never used, so the Chosun Ilbo's headline is pretty misleading. The country profile for the ROK is pretty consistent with what you'll find for all other countries there. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:38 am Post subject: Re: U.S. State Dept. Travel Guide Warns of 'Dangerous' Seoul |
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| Real Reality wrote: |
U.S. State Dept. Travel Guide Warns of 'Dangerous' Seoul
Chosun Ilbo (December 4, 2008)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200812/200812040004.html
| Quote: |
The U.S. State Department has categorized Seoul's Hongdae and Sinchon districts as dangerous zones in its online foreign travel guidebook travel.state.gov.
It warns U.S. citizens and their families, especially young adults, to exercise prudence when visiting the Hongdae and Sinchon. "These areas, where many night clubs are located, have occasionally been the sites of bar or street fights and harassment involving Westerners," it says. |
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Hmmm....well, that's just weird.
But then again, it's the U.S. 'Fear' Department...
I'd love to see if they had to do reports domestically. 'The U.S. Department advises you with extreme caution if you have to enter into any U.S. city for any reason, blah blah blah.' |
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Smee
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:41 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, pretty much. You'll get harassed more in a shopping mall in Anytown USA by some punk-ass kids than you will in Hongdae. Multiply exponentially when you get closer to downtown, to poorer neighborhoods, or college campuses.
Surprising the profile didn't list anything about the sex trade, considering how many GIs seem to fall victim to juicy bars. Or, mention that if you happen to get in trouble for anything, you're basically f**ked because you have no rights and no support network. |
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xingyiman
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Yawn........So in other words my fellow Americans - Stay home, work, and pay your inflated taxes |
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NoExplode
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Nowhere in Korea are you likelier to get blindsided by a beer bottle than being with a hot Korean girlfriend in Hongdae. |
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IncognitoHFX
Joined: 06 May 2007
Location: Yeongtong, Suwon
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject: |
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| I wonder what that book has to say about the US. At least you *can* go out at night, here. |
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Ultimo Hombre
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Location: BEER STORE
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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| NoExplode wrote: |
| Nowhere in Korea are you likelier to get blindsided by a beer bottle than being with a hot Korean girlfriend in Hongdae. |
Some Korean guy tried to pick a fight with me one night outside of that tent restaurant in Hongdae because I was talking with my lady...I guess? Dude had his hands all up on my back rubbing me and shit. When I told him to get his hands off me he got instantly offended and told me to go back to America and started pushing me. It was laughable, but still quite surprising. Five minutes later I saw a 10 man brawl erupt from a bar across the street and flow down the street. Koreans and foreigners. It was easily the worst night I've ever had in Hongdae. But, by no means do I feel unsafe when I'm there. The most dangerous neighborhoods in Korea are like the most humdrum suburbs in America. |
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ajuma
Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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| IncognitoHFX wrote: |
| I wonder what that book has to say about the US. At least you *can* go out at night, here. |
Um...I beg to differ. I live in a small town (30,000 people) and in a middle-class neighborhood. My mom won't let me walk 2 blocks to the store at night, as it's too dangerous.
I feel safer walking any Korean street at night than I do in the neighborhood where I grew up! |
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Snowkr
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Unless you're referring to some of the food they eat here, "Korea" and "dangerous" don't even belong in the same sentence. Those who look for that kind of trouble will usually find it, but I think you'd have to look pretty hard to find it here. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe the State Dept's post will get the Koreans to crackdown on the BS in those parts of Seoul.  |
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I'm no Picasso
Joined: 28 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Snowkr wrote: |
| Unless you're referring to some of the food they eat here, "Korea" and "dangerous" don't even belong in the same sentence. Those who look for that kind of trouble will usually find it, but I think you'd have to look pretty hard to find it here. |
That's not entirely true.
Last week some younger guys picked a huge fight with me and two of my Korean friends in a restaurant because they decided they were being too friendly with me and were tired of hearing us speaking English. Kicked their table over into ours, smashed a shot glass and one of them hurled his cell phone at one of my friends, before the restaurant staff got involved and escorted them out.
It was just past midnight and everyone was drunk. The thing is, I don't think trouble of the bar fight variety is anymore likely here than anywhere else. It's just that when the drunk college manly men start looking around for a place to wave their cocks around, the Westerner and any Koreans who may be with them (especially if of the opposite sex) are an easy target. |
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jkelly80
Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Location: you boys like mexico?
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm no Picasso wrote: |
| Snowkr wrote: |
| Unless you're referring to some of the food they eat here, "Korea" and "dangerous" don't even belong in the same sentence. Those who look for that kind of trouble will usually find it, but I think you'd have to look pretty hard to find it here. |
That's not entirely true.
Last week some younger guys picked a huge fight with me and two of my Korean friends in a restaurant because they decided they were being too friendly with me and were tired of hearing us speaking English. Kicked their table over into ours, smashed a shot glass and one of them hurled his cell phone at one of my friends, before the restaurant staff got involved and escorted them out.
It was just past midnight and everyone was drunk. The thing is, I don't think trouble of the bar fight variety is anymore likely here than anywhere else. It's just that when the drunk college manly men start looking around for a place to wave their cocks around, the Westerner and any Koreans who may be with them (especially if of the opposite sex) are an easy target. |
Massive massive inferiority complexes. |
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