Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Circus Monkey]

[gajackson1]

I guess we are keeping this geared towards petty theft, right?

Hmmm . . . I have a GREAT Chang-won story to tell some of you over a beer. It is the story of The Time the Foreign Teacher Came Home and the Thief was Still in the Apartment. (yep, that one IS true)

From other koreans, my understanding is that there is not a lot of theft in general in Korea - in that sense, the ethics are pretty good.

I lost a bicycle, to - a cheapie. Koreans tell me that this is actually pretty common! The equivalent of 'chop-shop' business in the states; bikes are stolen, then sold to shop owners, who break em down and repaint them or part them out.

A few months ago, I left my whole freakin wallet on the airport limo bus. 3 days later, it made it back to me intact - money, pictures & all.

I leave my keys in my car all the time (so someone can move it if they need to), and doors unlocked(although having a dog DOES increase my confidence on that end). To be honest, I worry about that kind of stuff more around Itaewon & Texas Street than Korea in general . . .

G.

[some waygug-in]

The only things I've had stolen are things that I kept in my classroom. My Korean English/ English Korean dictionary, my phrase book, my Korean language course book. Some other small items.
I guess I've been lucky so far.

[satnitespecial]

I've lost two wallets over the two years I've been in Korea. Both had photo ID. I never saw them again and both were lost in taxis.
Had my apartment broken into (by kids) who overlooked the foreign currency but probably rifled my change bin for computer game change I guess.
I think the honesty thing is played up to the max by Korean people to wow and bewilder the impressionable waygook sarams. I'm really annoyed and less trustful these days especially concerning my teaching materials which cost a lot and represent my bread and butter. A friend of mine has lost irreplaceable books to he isn't sure whether students or teachers. Really sad. I make a point of checking my well-stocked personal library regularly these days.

[candu]

There is plenty of petty crime in Korea. And as many posters have pointed out, a lot of it goes unreported. Ask your students if they've had a bag, walkman, or something else lifted on the subway or the bus. My guess is that more than a few have been victims of theft. I lost almost 2 million won from my apartment one night as I slept. (I did report it, but there was no follow up at all, nor anything done at the scene by police, like taking fingerprints, asking for a description of the stolen bag, etc...)

Not theft related, but both South Korea and Canada now have a near-identical homicide rate of about 1.8 or 1.9 per 100 000. South Korea's homicide rate is on the rise. I would suspect that a lot of "accidental" deaths in Korea that might be homicides are not investigated too closely, let alone autopsies being performed in suspicious cases. (Then again, the much demonized electric fan would likely be fingered as the culprit in many cases!)

[Tiger Beer]

I never had anything stolen in Korea before. It seems like one of the safest places in the world to me.

Here is a list of my robberies:

Venezeula. Beated, strangled, and robbed. Lost passport and $100. Basically walked out a bar with another foreigner, and they beat the hell out of us and took everything they could get that we had.

Brazil: I put $10 in each pocket. A pack of prostitutes came up, said 'sex sex sex' as I said to them 'no no no' and raised in protest. They brushed their hands down my body. They left 2 minutes later and I checked my pockets. Each $10 in each pocket was gone. ($40 total).

Bolivia: Guy gets on the bus, throws his keys on the window seat. I stand up and let him brush by. He picks up his keys, brushes by me again, my money is gone and so is he. ($180 total).

Brazil: Brazilian girlfriend goes into the water for swim. I don't realize she had a camera in her purse, she didn't even tell me she brought a little purse-bag. She goes into water, her purse is stolen immediately. She bitches me out for 30 minutes for not watching something I didn't know she brought. ($50 value).

Peru: Some musician guy starts practicing his English with me. He tells me 'lets talk over beer' I say 'no' he says 'cmon', i say 'okay', he asks for a few dollars and he'll buy the beer, we can drink it right here, and he'll be right back. I give him $5, I stand their waiting for that beer for 10 minutes. I realize he isn't coming back.

Philippines: Is this 'robbery'? Asia is a joke for safety-concerns. But I had one 'guide' lead me to a bus and pretty much demand that I give him 500 pesos ($10) for being my guide. I swore he looked like he was going to kill me if I didn't give it to him. Not really that big of an issue though.. so I just gave him a $5..

Ecuador: Some lady-boy guy was trying to get me to take him home. He kept grabbing my arm pulling me as I kept grabbing my arm back to pull him away. I didn't realize it but he was stealing my $3 plastic chinese watch.

Asia: In general, 1000s of little guides in Southeast Asia all demanding a little something.. almost like robbery.. but they are poor.. anyhow.. they think you are a walking ATM machine.. just push the right buttons and out comes some money.. no real interest in you though.. its kind of like robber, right? ($1 everytime).

Thailand: Being overcharged for just about everything. Feel like I've been robbed. The more you travel, the more status-quo this is so, so who really cares. (more $1's)


My experiences in Korea.

I paid a 1000 won for some item and walked out not getting the change. Two days later the same woman chases me down to give me my change.

I've left countless items from cameras to jackets to books to everything else you can imgine in bars or PC-Bangs, they all seem to be there when I go back.

Oh, sometimes I've bought pitchers of beer for the group of foreigners hanging out while we're drinking.. there seems to always be some foreigner who doesn't pay for any beer but going around drinking everyone else's while he pretends to be 'socializing'.. i think my fellow foreigners rob me more from me than the Koreans.. generally the Koreans are giving me free stuff and especially beer and snacks.. constantly..

hmm.. thats about it.. sorry i can't confirm that Korea is this den of thieves kind of place.. hmm.. generally they are some of the most honest people I've ever met..

[richinkorea]

My story.

On a bus close to Apkujong. Reposition my wallet because it's uncomfortable. Get off bus... no wallet.

Get G/F to start making calls about 30 minutes later. Another 30 minutes pass and bus company calls and says the driver has it, will take to the terminal. By the time I retrieve the wallet it's been over 4 hours.

Credit cards, D/L, $1,200 (payday), and wahtever else I can't live without is still in the wallet. I tipped the bus company $100, money well spent.

Nothing else pinched, but I trust Koreans more than most foreigners. Koreans have chased me down the street to give me change. You won't see this most other places.

[Dan]

pooytang, you wrote that a few posts ago :/

[Chonbuk]

I have been robbed twice-

Both times in Jeon ju. My apt was broken into just before Chusok. It was a 1st floor apt, with a boys middle school nearby. The patio doors were open, and they came in and took all the bill paying money- about 200 000 won worth of cash. The police came over, did nothing but wrote up a report. Oh yeah this was a rainy afternoon. No liquor was taken, but they went through all the cupboards and left my passport and some American cash...

The second time was at an elementary school, my packsac was in the teacher's room, and someone- took all the cash from my wallet under 100 000 Didn't notice till I was at the bus terminal. It was probably a teacher actually as the students were not in the room at that time.

Crime is up here, I don't feel as safe as I used to.
Everybody knows it too, Koreans are alot more careful than they used to be.

Cheers

Chonbuk

[weened]

I had my entire paywad stolen from out of my locked desk drawer in my apt. I tend to be a little forgetful so the next month I was damn sure that I put it in there and locked the drawer. All was good. Next month it was stolen out of the same drawer again. All in all I lost about 3.5 million and of course never saw it again.

I still feel far safer in Korea than in the States.

On a side note when I went to the police station with my boss, the question, " What do you want us to do if we catch the person?" carries a lot of weight. My immediate American response was, "Throw him in jail." I found out later that this is considered overly harsh due to effect this can have on the criminal's family. I was told that repayment and a sincere abject apology robs them of so much face that no jail time is needed. I was pissed. I still wanted him sent to a pound-me-in-the-ass prison.

[VanIslander]

Under 20,000 won disappeared from my desk in the hagwon office.

Other than that, I've been surprised at the lack of theft whenever I've forgotten things in public. Like the time I left my money clip with a wad of 10,000 won bills on the table and I was chased down two blocks away to have it returned to me.

The Lonely Planet says if something is stolen while you're in a public sauna it's more likely to be the foreigner on your left rather than the Korean on your right. I feel it's safer too.

But Koreans are always telling me I should lock up my mountain bike and are horrified to hear I don't lock my apartment (But now that I hear your guys' stories, maybe I'll change).

The best indication that theft is indeed common in Korea is the bars on the windows of so many buildings. Would Koreans pay for that if they didn't perceive a risk?

I think what separates Korea from many other countries is that the phrase "Opportunity makes the thief" doesn't apply here. Thieves here are driven by character rather than need.

That's just a general impression I have. I don't really have any set beliefs on the matter.

[dogbert]

[Gord]

I wrote this up ages ago for my friends to read, and now I choose to repost it here because I care. Befold the dark inner-workings of my world few here know!



So there was this guy named Gord who looks a lot like me, probably because I'm talking about myself. Anyway, so there he/I was. In Asia. And in Asia, he/I not only owned a PCS phone, but he/I had mastered the use of this phone.

As the ever wise Uncle Ben once said, "with great power comes great responsibility". So rather than use the phone for evil, he/I used it one day to order lunch. The finest lunch in the entire universe no less.

Sadly, shortly after the lunch was ordered for delivery, the call came in. "Help, help!" were the cries of the unfortunate. "Our native English teacher is sick/hungover/dead, and we need you! You are our only hope!" Into action jumped the Gord of which I speak. Their cries were to be answered!

"But wait", thought the hero of our story. "What would become of the lunch?" While our hero's mastery of Korean and the phone were without flaw in regards to ordering the delivery of lunch, cancelling of such an action or explaining why had simply not come up before.

Luckily, he/I was ever resourceful. As he/I exited the apartment, around he/I spun and suavely inserted the cost of the lunch into the door frame. "Surely when the people arrive with my food they will notice the money in the door and figure that this is in direct relation to no one answering the door."

After a couple hours, he/I did return home. As expected, the lunch had been delivered and the money was gone. But hark! Only the lunch plates were found.

Someone had taken my lunch, ate it, and returned the plates!

One-one-nine motherEDITers! Call in the heat and we're shutting down this lunch-stealing operation, and not now but right now.

But calmer heads prevailed. Had my lunch not been stolen, I would have had to thrown it out so I wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway. Though now I must live with the knowledge that someone is working against me and secretly plots to steal everything in here. Fear not, Para-Para-Paradise setup, no one shall ever take you to another home.

Though in all seriousness, it really quite amazes me because the rent in my building is really quite expensive due to it's central location and in a new city. I could have had an apartment out from the core area that was a bit larger and half the price. The theory being that no one here should be that pressed for cash that have to steal a $4 lunch.

[Crois]

My bad looks - i am now better looking.

My mind - i am now fecked in the head.

[oneiros]

Had my apartment robbed on Devil's Night a couple years ago. (I know, they don't have Devil's Night in Korea, but the timing was coincidental.) They broke in through the third floor patio doors, and hit a couple more apartments in the same building. I had two roommates, and they cleared out all our jewelry and cash, in all currencies. I didn't have anything irreplaceable, but one my roommates had some heirloom jewelry stolen.

My hogwan was really nice about it, though, and gave us each 200 000 won because they felt bad.