Korean Job Discussion Forums

[legalquestions]

According to an article in today's Korea Herald, only foreign profs at HUFS have been required to undergo a mandatory sexual harassment sensitivity training workshop (though student sexual harassment seems to be largely a Korean prof phenomena here in Korea).

Not necessarily a bad idea (though no evidence was presented that students had been sexually harassed by foreign profs - only by Korean profs.) - shouldn't the sensitivity training have first been required of the Korean profs?

Let's be positive - maybe the administration will next require sensitivity training in the areas of discrimination against foreign profs and Korean racism/bigotry in general.

Have any of you been required to attend sexual harassment sensitivity classes at your places of employment?[/i]

[Smee]

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/04/29/200904290042.asp

The article said it would be the first English-language version of materials the government has heretofore distributed in Korean. I was bothered, though, that the article made it seem like these programs were ONLY for foreign professors (that is, Korean professors were not attending one of their own). I'm not sure if that's the case.

Of course Korean professors should attend these courses. They're a million times more likely to sexually harass a student than a foreign professor. However, I'll bet you it would be much easier for a Korean professor to get out of attending these than a foreign one.

[CentralCali]

The article also threw in that canard about "cultural differences." In other words, "We've translated this material into English so we can make sure those foreign predators--who, because of their culture's acceptance of sexual predation--won't continue that behavior in the Land of the Pure Han."

Why not just admit that the cases of foreigners sexually abusing people here is a drop in the bucket compared to what native Koreans are doing?

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Troll_Bait]

[Smee]

No, my point was to question whether there was also a workshop for Korean teachers (in Korean). Anybody know?

[Troll_Bait]

It's possible that there is an information booklet for the Korean professors, but no workshop. I hope that's not the case.

[legalquestions]

So why doesn't someone have a Korean speaking friend pretend to be a HUFS professor and phone the admin affairs office and ask them when the Korean professor sex harassment prevention workshop was/will be held?

[Smee]

You may remember that two years ago a Korean professor at HUFS was fired for sexually harassing a student who ended up on "Chatting with Beauties."

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200706/200706270015.html

[Zolt]

I think the anti-harrassment campaign actually started 4 years ago under the roh administration. I remember in my company everybody had to watch a 30-minute video in korean. They all looked pretty clueless about it by the way... funny episode.

I reckon they now translated that material to English and are showing it to the foreign profs. Of course the korean media being... the korean media, tells the koreans what they want to hear and make it sound like a different story entirey.

[Straphanger]

[I'm no Picasso]

Seems like HUFS is making positive strides forward in dealing with all the sexual harassment you fellas are always going on about being rampant in Korean society. They're taking it seriously, obviously, since they've even gone to the lengths of translating all the materials into a foreign language, so that the institute's stance on these issues can be made clear to each and every professor. Good for them.

The media here, as in most places, is sensationalist and, frankly, pure shit. Anyone who can't practice a little critical thinking should probably just steer clear of newspapers entirely (coughOPcough).

[PRagic]

Korean profs at all universities I've ever worked at have had to go through mandatory s.h. seminars. I've had them, too, although they were not in English.

[Straphanger]

Tell them harass is two words (say it out loud).

[DCJames]