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World's friendliest countries -Where's Korea?
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expat2001



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:07 pm    Post subject: World's friendliest countries -Where's Korea? Reply with quote

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25363634;_ylt=Ava.HKpW7fTyDaY9vALMK68azJV4
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princess



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: soul of Asia

PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I noticed Korea also isn't listed in the world's healthiest countries list either. Hmmm..I wonder why?
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man_of_words



Joined: 18 Oct 2008
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:39 pm    Post subject: maybe... Reply with quote

might be the high rate of stomach cancer and lots of smokers? not sure.
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Css



Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Location: South of the river

PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

korea is an unfriendly place until you learn the language..then it really opens up.
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rkc76sf



Joined: 02 Nov 2008

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Css wrote:
korea is an unfriendly place until you learn the language..then it really opens up.


Laughing Opens up to how unfriendly it really is!
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Css



Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Location: South of the river

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rkc76sf wrote:
Css wrote:
korea is an unfriendly place until you learn the language..then it really opens up.


Laughing Opens up to how unfriendly it really is!


Not really, no.
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crossmr



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.offshore.hsbc.com/1/PA_1_4_S5/content/international/section_content/expat_explorer/ExpatExplorer.pdf

Here is the actual study.
Korea isn't on the list because they didn't get more than 30 responses from the country. Its only ranking 14 different countries (even though the article claims 48 )
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Sadebugo1



Joined: 11 May 2003

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It would never have made the top 10 whether it got enough responses or not. It probably didn't get enough because there aren't many 'true' tourists (from the West) in Korea. Most people who go there are military or teachers on work visas.

Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/
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PigeonFart



Joined: 27 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are practically no "true tourists" in Korea...only relations visiting their loved ones. They wouldn't come here if their sons/daughters weren't working here.

If you go to famous tourist sites in Paris you'll hear every language and see every skin color you can imagine. That's because the city is full of tourists.

If you stand around famous tourist sites in Seoul, you'll only see a bunch of hangooks. And the odd pasty-faced english teacher too...that's it. There's a reason why tourists overlook Korea. There are better tourist destinations out there...like Japan. Nobody wants to come here and be stared and pointed at like they're a f***ing animal in a zoo.
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Ukon



Joined: 29 Jan 2008

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

PigeonFart wrote:
Nobody wants to come here and be stared and pointed at like they're a f***ing animal in a zoo.


Funny, I hear travelers say that about many countries.

Talk about a biased Survey( I don't recall people gushing about European niceness versus other continents)...not to mention it depends on the RACE of the individual....some places are super friendly to white people, but spit on Indians and south east asians. I've heard some real horror stories about the UAE which makes the list, ironically.

EDIT: this survey is pretty silly.....and it really based on Expat integration for Americans, not friendliness... Rolling Eyes
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Capo



Joined: 09 Sep 2007

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I actaully think london is a very friendly place to foreigners, friendlier than any other euopean capital i've been too, although i've only been to dortmund in germany which is an industrial city. but i've travelled most of eastern and western europe and i think london is the friendliest place.
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Capo



Joined: 09 Sep 2007

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i also think on the whole koreans do try to make foreigners welcome. they usually go the extra mile for foreigners where they wouldn't for a korean, but then on the other hand they sometimes feel intimidated and end up ignoring foreingers because they don't know how to communicate but the latter happens far less.
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crossmr



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Capo wrote:
i also think on the whole koreans do try to make foreigners welcome. they usually go the extra mile for foreigners where they wouldn't for a korean, but then on the other hand they sometimes feel intimidated and end up ignoring foreingers because they don't know how to communicate but the latter happens far less.


Anywhere I go to eat, if I go there more than a couple times and eat the same thing, the manager's will memorize my order. Some restaurants have even gone so far as to memorize which side dishes I order and how much of each one, for example they know I love sesame leaf and don't really care for the other lettuce so they skip that and bring me a massive stack of the sesame leaf when I show up. I might get that at a mom & pops in north america if I spend a lot of time chatting up the waitress. not all of them have been perfect, and I've run across the odd one or two rude, but they don't get any repeat business and I tend to only meet them when I'm eating with Korean friends. So I think some service staff definitely gives different treatment.
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kimchi_pizza



Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Location: "Get back on the bus! Here it comes!"

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Excuse me! Yea, I'd like two tickets to Tehran, Iran please!"

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=923854&page=2

I'd go in a heart beat!
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bobbybigfoot



Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It does seem to be an incomplete survey. Disregard and move on. (coming from a Canadian to boot)
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