Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kalbitang]

"Of course, the male domination inherent in the culture makes it difficult for our gyopo men as well. Difficult? Yes � difficult to resist. There is a dark side to too much money, too much power, too much of too much, and its name is wangjabyeong.

Literally translated to �Prince Disease,� wangjabyeong refers to a highly contagious, difficult-to-cure malady that afflicts a good number of male gyopos in Korea. Also known in Latin as �Thinkus Oneis Godus,� the term originally appeared in the Korean lexicon to describe a condition of egotism that usually arises in the following context: an ordinary Korean American man, most likely with some academic or professional success, moves to Korea to work for, say, a law firm or multinational company. He is given plush accommodations in a land-scarce city with a population of over 11 million, wined and dined by employers and clients on a daily basis, and paid handsomely, allowing for no shortage of disposable income. Add to that a local business culture where after-hours consists mainly of post-work �office meetings� (read: drinking), client dinners (read: drinking and song rooms), and business development (read: drinking and room salons). Toss all that into a society obsessed with marriage, money and beautiful women (and not necessarily in that order), and these gyopo men instantly rise to the top of the country�s most eligible bachelors list.

But perhaps more importantly, short-term gyopos witness the toll that Korean culture takes on their intimate relationships. �After a while, the assembly line of girls becomes meaningless,� said John. �The gyopo men want to find someone they can relate to � a gyopo woman � but the pool is limited. And they can�t leave Korea because they�re so professionally invested now.�

[bassexpander]

Writing movie script ideas?

[redaxe]

Source?

Because I want to send this to a gyopo coworker of mine who definitely has this "wangjabyeong."

[bobbyhanlon]

sounds like that 'chung is king in korea' email..
but yeah, i bet many foreigners in seoul know a few gyopo guys like that, i know i do. its annoying, but in their shoes i'm pretty sure i'd do the same.

[kalbitang]

I know a Korean-American guy who had ZERO social life in the U.S. In fact, I don't think he ever went out with a girl once in his entire life. That's until he moved to Seoul as a 29 year old single male, working for an investment bank.

Within a few months, he was sleeping with literally 4-5 new, gorgeous girls a month (mostly from Ewha or Yonsei) and had become a party monster. He did eventually settle down and get married though.

Another Korean-American guy who was slaving away as an associate for a U.S. law firm got a job as a lawyer in Seoul for the largest firm in S. Korea. Admittedly, this guy had a social life in the U.S., but putting him in Seoul was like lighting up his love life with rocket fuel. He even had an Excel Spreadsheed he used to keep tracking of his "conquests" and the number ran well over 100+ in 3 years. He got jaded/cynical over Gangnam/Apgujeong Korean women though, and is now dating a French girl he met through work.


As for Peter "King" Chung, the guy who sent the infamous e-mail while working for Carlyle Group -- he actually ended up making tens of millions of dollars in the private capital industry at Highland Capital and later for a hedge fund. Keeps a low profile though for obvious reasons.

[Old Gil]

Making an Excel file detailing sexual conquests is one of the lamest things I've ever heard of in my life.

[Xuanzang]

[Gwangjuboy]

The implication in the OP is that these success stories are the preserve of gyopos. Those working in investment banking will almost always get laid with regularity irrespective of their racial background. I am sure blue-blooded all American boys would also have these Apgujeong chicks all over them like a rash if they had a presence here. But really, what is the point of the OP's post? It just seems like an odd topic to raise, especially when one considers the sloppy and incoherent way it was presented.

[djsmnc]

[Julius]

[andrewchon]

Asia knew about that around 2500 BC.

You have to know karma before dharma.
i.e. if you don't know happiness, how would you know unhappiness?
All young people go through that cycle, not just the Asians youngsters.
If they survive long enough, they go on search for moksha.

[redaxe]

[Adventurer]