Korean Job Discussion Forums

humanuspneumos · Joined: 08 Jun 2003

Over the years I've heard teachers again and again say something like, "When I walk into a restaurant, step onto a subway, stand in an airport, or almost everywhere- the place around me lights up- "Waegook-Saram or Migook-Saram" and then they talk and talk repeating the terms. Do Koreans like to gossip about us that much?

desultude · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 6:49 pm Post subject:

I must be completely oblivious- I seldom if ever feel this way. And when they are talking about me, I know it is only good stuff! Very Happy

peppermint · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2004 7:12 pm Post subject:

Well, it seems that way at first, and kids especially do get excited about foreigners, but I don't generally think it's hostile.

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

What I can glean from conversations like that that I overhear is that they are usually talking about some other experience that they had with a foreigner, or studying English. They're not talking about me per se, but I reminded them of some waygook related anecdote they wanted to share with whoever they were with.

humanuspneumos · Joined: 08 Jun 2003

Yeah- I saw some sensational terms used in the original post like "hostile" and I scrubbed them off of the questionaire. Anyway- one has to admit that the Koreans aren't exactly quiet which is often times mistaken as aggression.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

It isn't the Koreans talking about me that I mind so much, it's you guys here at Dave's talking about me that gets on my nerves. I'm on to the trick with the little yellow faces. But keep it up. You will get what's coming to you when the Venusians land. You've been warned. Exclamation

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

almost never happens. Especially in really big places.

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

It only happens much in the countryside. Cities are all saturated with hagwons, and then therefore saturated with foreigners.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

I would have more or less agreed to that in 1996.. but 2004 its totally and completely different. Very little visual or obvious acknowledgement or awareness of your prescense in public. So now I'd say it almost never happens. Eight years ago, it seemed to be a common and annoying occurrence.

Another thing is quite a few foreigners have picked up basic Korean.. and tend to talk back.. particularly when they hear or see pointing coupled with the words 'waygook saram' or 'migook saram'. Somewhere along the lines, the Korean people seemed to have been educated not to do that to foreigners. Maybe too much famiarity and/or perhaps tired of foreigners responding probably negatively to it.

In short however, that was common a long time ago, and almost never ever happens anymore.

humanuspneumos · Joined: 08 Jun 2003

I imagine the news (TV)- what bad/good/amazing thing a waegook/migook saram did on that particular week- affects to what degree we impact their conversations.

eg. when people got ran over by waegook military it seemed for a while there that foreigners were experiencing hostility on the subway in Seoul and talking about it here at Dave's