Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Globutron]

But I don't *hate* Korea.

What I am curious about though is the... Dullness of the culture.

*skip this bit if you want, I go a bit off topic*

I really genuinely love this country. I've never been happier than I have in my 8 months so far. Not for such a consistently extended amount of time, anyway.

There are tough times, but they still count as happiness, as far as I'm concerned.

*on topic again*

Ok so when I went to thailand for a mere 4 days, since I only get three work days off twice a year, I suddenly realised that Korea is very... Grey. Not just the buildings and cars, of course.
They hold the asian stereotype that they're all the same very well, I think.
Very few I have met that are much different from the rest. They all seem to be one of the same with slight variables.

I realised this because in Thailand, everyone was vibrant, amazing. I hated a lot of them for it, but I respected it. It reminded me of the true personalities I used to know in other countries; England, the Caribbean, Malta, Oman, Spain, France. All very different but all very individual.

Here, I could probably meet a 50 year old 17 times before I could distinguish them from someone I saw on a subway one time.

I asked my Korean friend about this. he got a little offended but overall he agreed. Koreans are indeed lacking a spark that everywhere else, even the Chinese seem to hold strong.
His explanation of course was the war, and the victimisation. But I'm not convinced by that at all. It may be a factor, but I don't feel it's the primary one at all.

I wonder what Korea needs to pull itself out of the fog...

(Obviously I've met some fantastic personalities, that is inevitable. But very few and very far between).

[bobbybigfoot]

Conformity does this to a culture. Koreans think the same, speak the same, do the same, act the same.

No room for variety.

[Globutron]

[redaxe]

It's changing though, with the large numbers of foreign NETs in Korea and the increasing percentage of Koreans who are marrying foreigners (yeah, mostly imported SE Asian brides). Korea just needs some cultural diversity, that's all.

[shinramyun]

[mc_jc]

[Louis VI]

Koreans are socialized to experience a sense of Han

[wiganer]

[cj1976]

To truly understand Korea and Korean culture, you need to be Korean - and I'm very glad that I'm not. For them, life is one long prescribed series of obligations, formalities, rules and insane pressure to conform to a certain ideal. It's impossible for us to adapt fully because we haven't lived liked that for most of our lives.

[sirius black]

As someone said parts of the US it seems everyone is the same. Look at the cookie cutter suburban spirals and the cars seem the same and the kids all dress in the same fashion.
Before the large influx due to the EU, there were a few countries that were homogeneous and everyone seemed the same. Finland, Sweden and a few other countries seemed cookie cutter. Everyone acted the same and looked the same. No diversity it seemed.

[Quack Addict]

Korea is Sparkling!

[tottenhamtaipeinick]

OP conforming to society is making Korea very wealthy and this push will continue (I am guessing your refering to everyone striving for the best education and job?). But everywhere society can be dull just depends where you have lived in the past. Having recently moved back to Australia all I have been doing is complaining about how boring the Australian lifestyle and lack of culture is, lack of places to go, ppl only come out on the wkend, variety of food, distance to travel, density, drinking culture is way to full on, and having to dress like an Aussie. For example I bought really nice clothes and continue to buy nice clothes but dressing nice in Australia can often lead to people thinking your are a pretentious git or gay. I think you notice the dull lifestyle as you are not intune with the pressures of daily life Koreans endure and want to have fun every bit of time you have off from work. You have been there a short time and feel you are on a holiday.

my thought anyway. I am only moving to Korea and havnt been as yet. My gfs korean friends here on working holidays think Aussie culture is dull, but they are on a working holiday and constantly want to have fun....

do you get my drift?

[Koreadays]

No country in the world doesn't have its problem, no such thing as a paradise. most countries you visit are amazing at first. then you begin to dig under the surface and you reveal the bad.
but for me Korea is home and it will be, it works for me not because i love it, or the people, culture etc just because I have been here 15 years now and if i left it would be to much of a shock. so I live here as a local and accept the good and put up with the bad. just like back home.
I remember growing up as a kid listening to my parents and their friends at the dinner table talk negative about our government, our politics ...
just because someone talks negative about a country doesn't mean they don't love it. The apologists on this board to remember that.

[Rutherford]

Yes, it's too bad Koreans don't all collect stupid tattoos and post about pseudo-Buddhist spiritual things on their facebook walls. The country would be so much more "vibrant" that way.

[chellovek]