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Do you get stared at?
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Do you get stared at?
Yes
70%
 70%  [ 39 ]
No
29%
 29%  [ 16 ]
Total Votes : 55

Author Message
Privateer



Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:09 pm    Post subject: Do you get stared at? Reply with quote
I'd like to settle the debate over whether staring is still actually a problem in Korea or not (I think it's not), and thought I'd keep the poll options real simple.

At one time, I thought maybe it was a problem out in the sticks but not in Seoul, but I still never get stared at even on trips out to the country. It could also be that I've lost my youthful bloom and am no longer stareworthy - but I don't see anyone else getting stared at either. Hopefully, this poll will confirm that staring has died a death, leaving the conclusion that those who complain about it are either paranoid, or freaky-looking - or both. (Or really good looking).
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travel zen



Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Location: Good old Toronto, Canada
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If your different (not Korean) they will stare at you, specimen from another planet.

But..
It's nothing compared to China.
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Senior



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Of course. But I'm ridiculously handsome. So, people stare at me anyway.
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curiousaboutkorea



Joined: 21 Jan 2009
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
travel zen wrote:
If your different (not Korean) they will stare at you, specimen from another planet.

But..
It's nothing compared to China.


Yes, it can be a lot more in other places. I went to some lesser-visited places in Vietnam (still on the map, but not the big spots) and got tons of stares (including a few of the jaws-on-the-floor).

I'm still with the belief held by some on these boards that it is largely due to one's awareness of surroundings.

Just something a little anecdotal. I had a co-worker who was pretty oblivious. She claimed she never got stared at. However, when I would be out with her, we got stared at a lot. I would mention this, and she would have no idea it was happening. I think she got stared at particularly often because of her low-cut tank tops and how loudly she talked on the phone in restaurants. I would need to tell her to quiet down and that everyone was looking at us. Once again she had no idea.
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Bucky



Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Location: Vancouver (formerly Yongsan-gu, Seoul)
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm of non-Korean Asian descent, so I don't get stared at. But once I open my mouth and say something, the stares will continue until I leave the vicinity.

It's somewhat amusing.
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VanIslander



Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Over six feet tall with brown hair and blue eyes - the stares find me in a crowd, especially in smaller towns where the average height is way less and the number of waygook walkers is much less.

There are parts of Seoul, Geoje and Jeju where I've never experienced stares, but there are other parts of those places where it happens often.

If one is oblivious to one's surroundings, one may not notice. Usually it's so dang obvious. In Masan, Mokpo and farmer towns it's the most obvious.
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Mr. Pink



Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
travel zen wrote:
If your different (not Korean) they will stare at you, specimen from another planet.

But..
It's nothing compared to China.


In China it depends where you are. Also the stare is a different sort. In Beijing or Shanghai I never felt stares. In the smallish town I am in now, they stare but more in curiosity. Whenever I go out to eat though, they watch me like I am a TV show. That is particularly weird.
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AsiaESLbound



Joined: 07 Jan 2010
Location: Truck Stop Missouri
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, I've gotten stared at every where I went except Itaewon. Gawking can't hurt, but if it went further than that in any way, then Houston we have a problem.

"Look at that man, he's a V."
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RobertGR



Joined: 03 Jun 2009
Location: Daegu
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 6:53 pm    Post subject: Some Reply with quote
But then again I'm really handsome (several Koreans have told me this).

Seriously, First: I don't usually pay much attention and second: I think some Koreans find me a little scary (age, demeanor) so if I look back at them they tend to look away.
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young_clinton



Joined: 09 Sep 2009
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
yeah by the babes that want my body
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