Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ladyandthetramp]

A very long time ago, I know...

Actually, I just read another post which at one point referred back to anti-Americanism after the army soldiers ran over two Korean girls a couple years ago. So I'm hoping that some of you who were here during that period could explain how the atmosphere was around that period and what you experienced.

[The Lemon]

[Universalis]

The Lemon does a good job of summing things up.

It was a pretty dark time for me personally as a result of all the hate. I think I must have walked around Seoul with a pereptual scowl for the better part of a year. I also think I pissed off a good number of students with my heated defense of Ohno and the U.S. military.

Interesting to see that the "era" has beocme something of a legend among recent arrivals to Korea:)

Brian

[just because]

I was here for the high and low of 2002.

What got me was that during the World Cup you couldn't have met a happier and more friendlier race of people but just 5 months later there was so much hatred for the same group.

The worst night for me is coming face - to - face with a huge mob protesting with a McDonalds bag in one hand and my Korean girlfriend in the other. It didn't look good to them but as Lemon said, it was mostly just university students pandering and a lot of hoo ha.

The line that saved me those few months was:

���� �̱� ����� �ƴԴϴ�, ���� ȣ�� ����Դϴ�.
(I'm not American, I'm Australian).

Usually brought those big smiles back.

[Gord]

The protests were generally peaceful and non-threatening if you actually walked into them. I'm pretty much as tactless and unafaid in person as I am on this forum. Not once, despite walking into every protest I ran across, did anyone ever threaten me.

The only times I was threatened was when I was on the subway and generally minding my own business. But standing up and letting everyone know that I will bring down a world of hurt onto anyone who decides to get physical tended to resolve the problem.

Overwhelmingly, people in Korea I've passed in my travels tend to be friendly.

[Cthulhu]

I never experienced any problems. As with Gord, I've only run into idiots on the subway and they were drunks who were unrelated to the famous incident with the APC. Once a few uni students passed out vigil-related leaflets on the subway but (wisely) just skipped over me and ignored me. I had no problems at my uni and wasn't interested enough in the vigils to go near one to gauge the reaction.

[The Lemon]

Whether or not you ran into trouble had as much to do with where in the country you were, as well as what particular flavour of demonstrator you were encountering.

The average university student demonstrators would be, more or less, harmless, and you'd experience what Gord did. But as those protests swelled, more regular folk joined. After one evening demonstration in November, "Weatherman" and I had an unpleasant experience with a few middle-aged adjoshis who had attended the protests, and then come back to the bar all fired up with anti-foreigner rhetoric ("all foreigners should be burned with these candles!!", one announced to our table).

Note that this is in Kwangju, which has a tradition of radicalism and occasional hostility towards Westerners. In the case of those guys, the event was just an excuse to give voice to a sentiment they'd likely harboured for a long time.

[Donghae]

I'm not disputing anyone's story above and I know some people did get into uncomfortable situations through no fault of their own.

But it's also true that quite a few westerners in Korea at that time made a big, big deal out of situations which weren't really that threatening at all and which they would not have made such an issue of in their own country.

Although admittedly not living in the country, I did spend the majority of late Nov 2002 until the beginning of January 2003 in Kwangju. A couple of times I ended up wandering into a demo. Even though experience in England of following a team with one of the worst hooligan reputations (Birmingham City) means that I'm ultra-cautious of going anywhere near remotely dodgy looking situations and always turn around if there's any hint of trouble, in Kwangju I felt not the merest threat at all. On New Year's Eve I even ended up in a place (in front of the main post office) where some students on a make-shift stage had an effigy of Bush they were giving some abuse, to applause from those watching and chants of "US troops out of Korea". Plenty of people noticed me, but nobody was bothered at all, me included.
This typified my experience during those 6 weeks or so - yes, there was clear anti-western and particularly anti-American sentiment but it seemed to me equally clearly directed at states and institutions, not individuals.

Again, I appreciate that some had the bad luck to run into some real aasholes. But, in my home country (and surely the same elsewhere) I've known people for whom bad luck running into some real aasholes saw them end up in hospital, seriously injured. Did that happen to anyone here?

[The Lemon]

The general anti-foreigner feeling many reported in late 2002 reminded me of a similarly tense time in early 1998, when many Koreans blamed the economic crisis on foreigners. There were plenty of reports of teachers being spat at and harrassed in the streets and on the subways at that time, though there were also just as many people, like me, who experienced nothing of the sort. I guess when it does happen to you - especially if it happens more than once - it makes an impression.

[Joe Thanks]

When a nation ues "uri nara" in the most banal of advertizing - as if to preach to the converted - you know there's a serious problem here. Every time the media and locals get into an uproar about "imperial Japan" I simply realize I live in Imperial Korea. Such ugly incidents only confirm that this nation is stuck in a 17th century miasma that deserves to bite itself on its own ass. This nation have no excuse for the xenophobia and outside of the very, very rare murder (Itaewon knifing incident of Naval doctor), they are like a toned-down variation of Al qiada.

I certainly wait for the day Ro Moo-hyun bites it. Like equally evil bigotts ho made their campaign on racist, jingoistic fears (Kim Dae-jung, Ronald Reagan, the Bush's) I will dance a jig and relish the factthey no longer walk the earth.

I was in Taiwan at the time of the anti-American/foreigner rhetoric. The international media did NOT shy away from the b. s. and the behavior of the vocal locals who celibrated in the orgy of depravity did NOT go unnoticed. Many of the adults I were teaching at the time out and out labled Korea as 'barbaric,' (actually, the direct quote was "Korea is barbarism" as the student looked it up in their computer dictionary) "irrational," "silly," and "dumb." A student who had to live and work in Korea carried an entire class (who were alight listening to him) with his horror stories about feeling like a second-cass citizen and the ill manners of his coworkers comapred to how his company treated Korean workers living in Taiwan. I also had one Korean student who was a housewife of a minister who had some kind of assignment in Taiwan. it must have been a good one as they could afford to take weekend trips all over the island and send both of their kids to the international school in Hsinchu. Prior to the disgusting display of arrogance and ignorance adn gangster-supported mayhem leading up to the election, we had a discussion about my experiences living in Korea. She had mentioned she missed Korea but did not want to go back until her children were in university. She said she didn't trust the public school system in the south, as teachers push their politics into lessons and - these are her words - "teach hate."

Going backwards - in a nation where "our country" and "made in Korea" and "Korean version," and "Korea this and Korea that" are used to ADVERTISE a product, or as a sign of superiority- where such lowest-common-denominator logic is used so as to imply eugenic solidarity, fervent jingoistic pride, and as a reminder that "you're different because you're special: you're Korean as opposed to the rest of the world" - I am not surprised at the psychological damage it has done.

It's amazing that Kim Dae-han can intentionally, cruelly slaughter close to 200 locals and NOBODY cares anymore, yet two girls die in a horrible accident involving foreingers - military no less - and it becomes urgent.

I had friends in Korea at the time of the unpleasantnes and they were verbally attacked for being American (one of them was a Maori - so there's some local ignorance for ya), denied service, and on two occasions attacked at the time. The attacks happened in Seoul. A Japanese aquaintance who worked for the YMCA in Daegu was considering leaving the country becasue they were disgusted by it.

Lemon's post was pretty well put and certainly more diplomatic about the issue than I would have been, had I been here at the time.

Korea as an "international hub." Yeah right.

It digs its own grave by fostering the eugenic misbeliefs, historical lies, and xenophoic, jingoistic mind rape in its media, advertising, and education systems.

Joe warns that none of this nonsense has gone away, its simply subsided into the ether for the time being. Such vile behavior still lurk beneath the surface and can rise up at any time, and at the drop of a rather tattered hat. All it take are a few hooligans to stir things up again. This is not a mute issue, as it will come back again. The culture breeds it. The question is when, and how severe?

Hell, Joe experienced some of it at his current office on Friday.

Joe
has spoken

[indytrucks]

[TheUrbanMyth]

I lived in a small town during this time. Not ONCE did I experience any of this anti-American behaviour directed at me. A few students tried to hijack a class or two with this discussion, but that was the extent. Then again, most everybody there (parents, locals, businesses) knew my name.
(cue Cheers song)

[just because]

[djsmnc]

Up until about the middle of January, I was about to head off to Japan or elsewhere and completely swear off Korea...The ultra-nationalism seemed to wane about that time, though.

[Joe Thanks]

Yes, Indytrucks, it's true, and I'd like to target the Canadian maple leaf fiascos, making fun of Americans, etc. too - BUT this is about Korea. There's a reason I didn't go into other nations. I could also point out that it is not a common - nor legally allowable offense for Canadians or Americans to bar customer from shops based on race, perceived nationality, etc. It was a-okay here.

Back to topic.

Joe
has spoken
and schooled