Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

Apparently, one out of five Korean men pay for prostitution more than four times a month: http://www.onlineschools.org/blog/stats-on-prostitution/. The sex trade in Korea is a $13 bn a year industry, so it's certainly not the occasional business owner.

[crossmr]

That says pay for "sex". These stats are often deliberately vague.

The stat comes from here:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/01/160_59362.html

"paying for sex" would include prostitutes, but include a wide variety of things. Including websites, magazines, phone lines (do people still do that?), etc.

But regardless what is more notable that 1/5 do, or that 4/5 don't?

[jvalmer]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

The statistic says "buy sex," which to me seems to specifically mean paying a woman for sexual services, whether the statistic is grounded in fact or not. But certainly the $13 bn on "the sex industry" is a pretty nebulous concept which could include anything from call girls to buying Maxim. I won't say anymore because I'm talking through my hat on this and simply wanted to make the point that it's more than the occasional drunk ajoshi.

To return to the thread, though, it is unfortunate that there are not more holidays in this culture and a more pro-fun mindset. The west, somewhat, has the attitude that holidays make people more productive in the long run as they're better rested and happier. Here it's seen as a moral failure, and what few holidays there are are not occasions for relaxation for wives. Often it means cooking, bowing, and catering to relatives.

[goreality]

2008 was a great year for public holidays in Korea. Some women employees get blood time days here. 2MB said something about changing the system. Don't remember where I read that, but the premise wasn't that Koreans work too much, it was that the tourism industry suffers because people stay in the cities.

I believe Korean students have less school than the Americans. No public Kindergarten. Shorter Wednesdays nullify the Saturdays. About the same holiday time, and 1st and 2nd grade does half days.

[bucheon bum]

[goreality]

^^
I think just looking at the amount of school days is missing the point. In the first two years of elementary school, the students in Korea go for half days. Also the school year includes about 20 or so Saturdays (which are half days and nullified buy the half Wednesdays). Many Americans have at least one, if not two, years of public kindergarten as well (half days). International Stats and simply adding school days doesn't take these into effect. Stats such as school life expectancy also take university into account, but not other forms of education such as apprenticeships and the like.

[bucheon bum]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[BoholDiver]

I had Grade 1 students attending my after school program class starting at 1 pm.

As far as I know about USA inner-city schools, their education level sounds 3rd world-ish. Canadian schools kick the crap out of Korean schools in just about every respect.

[goreality]

OK the Half Wednesdays may not be as universal as I thought, could be only some specific Wednesdays or the private elementary schools. But I still believe that prior to university the average American would have more school days than the average Korean, Canadians certainly have more. Schools do vary more state by state and the quality of the schools is often based on the neighborhood. But one cannot ignore the fact that Koreans line up to attend schools in North America.

[cj1976]

You know you work too hard when a German is telling you to take it easy.