Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

One of my students just let this little gem slip to me on my commute home. I swear to God I will never talk to another student outside of class again.

The free English lesson began typically enough. Where are you from? How long have you been in Korea? Are you alone here? Yada, yada, yada... you get the idea.

She is on her way to the train station because she has to go to church. So I ask her what her religion is. She says Christian. I tell her that outside of Korea there are many denominations and yes, she has heard of this before. I tell her I was raised Pentecostal, her eyes glaze. I Konglicize it for her. Still no response but she will ask what "Pentechristian" is when she sees her pastor.

The next subject is travel. She has been to the US one time. To LA(big surprise) to see her mother's friend on her 19th birthday. I asked if she has any plans to go back to the US. No, she says, to Canada. I say that if I were a young Korean I would go to Australia because of the working holiday visa agreement and proximity to Korea.

(note: I did not use the word "proximity". I was speaking very slowly and using uncomplicated words. I've been here long enough to know this usually works, especially with university students and she seems quite bright.)

She tells me that Australia is very bad for Korean women. She says that if a Korean woman goes to Australia on a working holiday visa it will be a black mark against her if she ever tries to use a marriage agency. Some may not even help her to find a spouse. I remember reading somewhere that these agencies are quite common here.

So, I'm thinking about this. Why on earth would this be the case I ask her. She spells out "s-e-x" on the back of the bus seat in front of us. OK, I think, wow. How sad.

I tried to reason with her and explain how hypocritical, racist and sexist this was. It fell on totally deaf ears. She acknowledged that yes, Korean men do go on sex holidays to Thailand and the Philippines, she even gave the Korean word for Korean-Filipino crossbreed. She also admitted that yes, Korean men do have extramarital affairs and that it is in fact quite common. And, finally she admitted that there is (shock) prostitution in Korea.

Yet she couldn't see any problems with Korean men deciding that a Korean woman on a working holiday in Australia most likely worked as a prostitute.

I almost blew a mental gasket at this point. I tried to be polite but I told her I felt sorry for her to have to live in this culture and that what she described to me was childish to say the least. She told me that if I didn't like it I should go back to my country.

Wow. Maybe she didn't understand me when I was explaining the bit about Korean men and what they are allowed to do with impunity. She seemed to be with me though, as I said she was able to provide the term for a Korean-Filipino offspring. And, as we all know most Koreans consider Filipinos to be dirty, so there's very little chance these are legitimate children.

OK. This is all pretty crazy to me and very sad. She is defending an institution that dehumanizes her gender.

So, I have to make a joke about it.

Apparently Koreans love the Australian beef so long as it isn't in or around their women.

But seriously, though, isn't there semi-legitimized prostitution in Canada? Why would these marriage agencies be so anti-Australian?

[byrddogs]

that is interesting op. i hadn't heard about that stigma attached to k-girls going to australia.

although i haven't been here as long as some; (longer than many on this site); i do know that things like this surprise me each and everytime i hear something of this nature. what a bizarre place this is sometimes.

[reactionary]

some, but not all

[djsmnc]

I have had plenty of university students tell me they plan to go to australia to study or that they have been there. I have had australian friends tell me they met/dated K women at universities in australia.

And all this time the ladies have been under the red light? Seems like a lot of Korean uni girls go there. Must be a fun place!

[Konglishman]

[Nemo]

The same stigma applies to K-girls under 30 going to the US.

That's why the US Embassy used to screen K-girls in a certain age bracket so thoroughly.

K-girls (including those who were prostitutes before the trip) pay brokers huge sums and often go to the US to make money and do the big city circuit.

I'm sure the brokers are out a lot of money now that Koreans can go visa-free.

[chaz47]

Note: The student I spoke with said this only applied to those on working holiday visas.

[Xuanzang]

Like students "studying" dont have the ability or desire to do red light work.

[chaz47]

[Xuanzang]

[chaz47]

[Xuanzang]

[Arthur Dent]

Australia may be known for this to the person you met, but it happens in Canada too. A couple of years ago, some Korean women were arrested. They had been found working in a brothel in an otherwise nice neighborhood. The story was that they had answered an ad in the newspaper. These women were from good families, University educated, and married!
But they had no freedom, and the husbands doubtless frowned on the idea of their having real jobs. For them, this lifestyle was preferable to their lives in Korea. Freedom, and a wage, away from Korea.

A married woman in Korea is 'Pure and chaste.'

There was also the story of the teacher who lived in Vancouver making money doing porn. I think there is a thread on here about her. A student of hers discovered her work online and blew the whistle. I believe she was arrested for it.

But you are right. Different rules for men and women.

[crossmr]

[redaxe]

"She told me that if I didn't like it I should go back to my country."

Good idea. Why don't we all just leave Korea and let Koreans be Korean in peace?