Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TCK]

Korean gangsters: Who are they and what are they doing here?

See their black attire and know their black cars. Know they have tatoos plus their hairstyles. But what do they really do here?

Just wonder about their power. I've heard some of them have connections in the construction business and things such as prostitution. But what are they really up to in this society and how dangerous are they or will they become?

My neighborhood is crawling with them. Went into a store and a lady brandished here tatoos to show me she was one of 'em. Felt awestruck, kinda like a trip I took to Seattle, where I saw the same thug-like creatures, men and women, roaming the streets so impressively.

[Cthulhu]

[waterbaby]

Don't know much about Korea's organised crime and gangsters but I know they're easy to spot with their "radish head" haircuts, the attire as you described and the way they bow at right angles to their boss. Has anyone else seen that or was that something local to the big ole country town I did my last contract in?

Saw a wicked Jopok (spelling?) beating in the heart of downtown Daegu once... ordered by a swaggering boss who turned his back and left the scene before the guy on my left got a very nasty roundhouse kick in the jaw. Can still hear that wet kind of "thwock" sound it made. It was horrible to watch it unfold in front of me and be completely unable to help the poor guy being attacked in front of dozens of people. In Australia I would've done something. At least yelled... or called the police but I felt as though if I had interfered that I'd only get in trouble myself, that I would be interfering in something I didn't understand, that I would be unable to effectively communicate in my broken Korean and that it wasn't my business to get involved. No one else on the street interfered. Just turned a blind eye. Still feel a bit guilty about not doing anything. Seen a few gangster beatings in my time here. Has anyone else encountered a similar situation?

And I do know that their preferred weapon of choice is a sashimi knife. Nasty. Maybe that's why I decided to keep out of their way.

[TCK]

Yes, of course of course. I want to know what they do here in Korea as gangsters, ie pimping, drug dealing, thefts, or what? How dangerous can they be to us ordinary joes?

Sometimes they seem to give me the evil eye. One thing I hate about gangsters. . .always acting like they own the streets.

Ever see the movie 'Walking Tall'? Not that I'm a vigilante but. . .
Man, in the US I saw gangs crawling all over.

[TCK]

[waterbaby]

OK, just asked my Korean husband for a bit more info about the gangsters, specifically what they're into and from what he describes, doesn't sound much different to what I know of the American Mafia (from all those movies and John Gotti write ups). Prostitution, nightclubs, drugs, illegal firearms, and protection rackets where they take money off all the poor corner shop people and street vendors just because. Generally, illegal stuff. But he doesn't reckon they're into theft, off the back of a truck selling, ripping out car stereos kind of stuff. That's probably more for the "gangpae" which I understand to be gangster or common criminal, but Jopok (spelling ) is the Korean equivalent of the Mafia or the Yakuza.

[panthermodern]

Keaton once said, "I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him." Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze


Korean Gansters are like Bears, they are more afraid of you then you are of them.

The "paint boys" (Yaks, ... Yakusa) are to be avoided.
The Russians are moving in especially in Busan.

I worry about the Triads ... and Keyser Soze

[Len8]

They are also big in the money lending buisness. There was an article in the Korean Herald a year ago about families borowing money from mobster loan racketers at very high interest rates and pretty much becoming enslaved to them when they couldn't paye it back. There was also an article about a nurse who borrowed from them to buy fancy clothes etc, and how she was eventually foced into prostitution when she couldn't make her payements on time.

[gang ah jee]

Well, in my Korean hometown of Seongnam, the mafia RULED. Like, we'd get told when the 'mapia' walked in the bar, and to be careful. Lots of radish haircuts and extremely tight T-shirts.
And the belt buckles. Big as your head! All I really heard about them was that they had rival gangs who controlled the norae-bangs, and that they would beat up members of rival gangs who tried to sing there. I think I missed a lot of subtleties.

Seongnam is a major prostitution area though, and I'm sure they controlled that. Our school told all the teachers that south of Jung-Ang-No was 'bad'. I'd always be out meeting pinheads in suits claiming to be mapia and demanding English lessons. I always thought it was a bit of a joke though.

My best friend did get MUGGED in that city though...

Watch out for dirty, filthy Seongnam.

I'd be extremely interested to hear from anyone who REALLY knows about those guys though.

[TCK]

[TCK]

[ste bass]

I had a run in with what i think was a gangster once.
He had the bakbagee (skin head), thick black rimmed glasses and was wearing a garish tight knitted sweater, trousers wide at the top narrow at the bottom (mustard colored), big shoes, jewelry jewelry -rude boyyyyy.
Anyway it was about 10pm and I'm at home watchin the TV - nice and relaxed like, all of a sudden there's this shoutin and bangin on mi door
"YAH adjushi rah rah rah" bang! bang! bang!
I'm shocked and more than a little annoyed, so I jump up, throw open mi door and give him a bit of verbal-
"What the feck are you doing bangin on mi door!!!!!"
His arse goes he was not expecting a 6'6" semi naked white skinhead (me). The gaggle of girls he's with let out a few shrieks and whimpers "oohh aahh ohpa save us"
He regains his composure sends his hoochies in doors and offers me profuse appologies, we have a chat (in Korean) about how I should put my garbage somewhere else (fair enough) and how he should not bang on my door. Problem solved, so I think I'll ask him his name to help improve relations. He replies to me in English "No comment".
This country is weird.

[Tiger Beer]

Anyone hear about.. I think an Israeli mafia moving in on Japan? I don't know much about it.. but alot of the jewelry dealers in Japan are Israeli.. and somehow.. who knows how.. but there is a pretty tough Isreali mafia that keeps them there and some other things..

Hmm.. don't know much about it though.. does anyone else know? An Israeli guy was telling me briefly when I commented how many tons of Israelis are selling jewelry they picked up in India/Thailand/etc. around the streets of Tokyo..

[weatherman]

I believe there is a very fine line in Korea between gangsters and the average Kim out on the street. The reason I say this is because the hidden market, or what goes off the books in Korea is huge. Estimates suggest about 25% of the economy is off the books. (Factor that into your stats about the Korean economy, and PPP) Finding ways to go around the law to make money is universal, but here in Korea it is endemic, and everybody wants to try it, and thinks they can get away with it. From doctors and lawyers under reporting their incomes to the entertainment owners of any shi-nae district helping out some group of thugs with favors in return for favors when and if needed. Korea has a whole quasi sub legal layer where what we would consider gangsterism and thuggery is accepted. My girlfriend is always telling me how her boss has connections to some gangster, and I wouldn't be surprised if most families in Korea don't know or at least couldn't call on some thug when and if needed. The truly hardened of this bunch I don't know any more than you, but we all know they are into drug selling, extortion, pimping, and human smuggling, under the rubric of some business such as night clubs, Room solons, and other more neutral businesses like construction. Generally I find if you don't go looking for trouble, trouble will not come looking for you.

[JackSarang]

Korean Gangsters, or Kangpae are really really small time compared to the other asians gangs, especially the Yakuza or the Tongs/Triads in China/Hong Kong. Kangpae/Jopok is the same thing.

You have to understand than Koreans love the idealized image of the kangpae. They release just as many stupid kangpae movies here as they do sappy, melodramatic love stories.

The gangsters are most active in the smaller cities where they can excercise control. Why? Because in Seoul, the Gangsters are the politicians and they have enough cash to pay the police to come down hard on any kangpae who tries to flex muscle in the city.

Its all petty small time crap, running protection, nightclubs, prostitution. Chances are if you're in a smaller city all the room salons are run by the gangsters. They're really small and control small areas.


And sashimi knives? What, did you just finish watching Chingu?