Korean Job Discussion Forums

[myenglishisno]

This is sort of funny and has happened to me a few times over the years.

I'm white. I have black hair which I guess could be confusing to some Koreans but lots of Westerners do have dark hair. It's really the only thing I can think of.

The first instance of this I can recall was a few years ago in Suwon. I asked for a calling card in the convenience store and the guy handed me a Chinese calling card that only called China. When I asked him why, he said he thought I was Chinese. I don't look Chinese at all.

Then there have been numerous times where people have approached me asking me if I was Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino etc... Again, I'm white. I don't know why this happens.

The really funny thing is that the past few weeks, the parking lot attendant at E-mart has been saying "konnichiwa" or "ohayo-gozaimasu" to me every time I've walked past the place. Not just the one guy either, all the guys that work there (they must've agreed that I look Japanese). I would call them out on it if I cared more. I want to say to them that if I looked Japanese or Chinese, then you'd speak Korean to me because you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Anyway, does this happen to anyone else or am I going crazy? Yes, I'm sure they were talking to me...

[sadguy]

i'm chinese/viet. some people mistake me for being different kinds of asian. i have been mistaken on rare occasion for being a white guy. this isn't even from old koreans either, this is from my gf's friends. strange.

[northway]

I have brown hair and blue eyes and I've been asked if I'm Chinese or mixed pretty regularly.

[Skippy]

My Australian girlfriend kept getting asked if she was Russian. Why is this?

[ChopChaeJoe]

People used to compliment my gfs Korean. She is Korean. She spent many years in Japan. Maybe she speaks with an accent or something.

[Ramen]

i'm a negro, but koreans think i'm white.

[isisaredead]

i got asked if i was from turkey once.

i'm as white as sin, not particularly hairy, blue eyes, etc.

i laughed politely.

[furtakk]

yea, but so do people from the west. my family is originally from south europe, so i have pretty olivey skin. i get confused with everything from spanish, italian, indian, egyptian, arab, and even occasionally black (you look like obama!).

[danwom]

Post some pics so we can see where the confusion is coming from. Perhaps you look ambiguous or perhaps some people are not very globally aware.

[northway]

I have almond shaped eyes, so I've always gotten the mixed thing (from Asian Americans more often than not), but this is the first place where I've had people ask me if I was full-blooded Chinese.

Again: very fair skin, blue eyes, reddish brown hair, red face, freckles.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

Yeah, it's funny. I'm a white Australian guy with brown hair (which is light brown during summer, dark during winter), blue eyes, and an light olive complexion though I tan fairly easily (not that dissimilar to many Koreans).

During my time in Korea I was variously asked if I was from Germany, Russia, other places of Europe, North America , New Zealand, but also a couple of times asked if I was from the Philippines, Vietnam or China. A couple of times, I'd look in the mirror after I got home to check if my physical was markedly changing or whether it was just a case of the other party have no clue. I went to China one time and they handed me Japanese language info, when there was English info there too. Funny stuff.

[DorkothyParker]

It came in a conversation where I mentioned to a coworker that my mother is Mexican. Her response, "Oh, that's why you look so unusual. Your hair is so different."

I don't really see how I look different from any other foreigner. I don't know why that idea of "blond hair, blue eyes" is so prevalent when most foreigners I meet don't fit that stereotype.

[atwood]

The women all think I'm from Krypton.

[mellow-d]

I get Russian even from the Russian speaking folks in Busan. I have blue eyes, brown hair and freckles. Weird.

[isisaredead]

wait, shouldn't the title be changed from "race" to "nationality", or perhaps "ethnicity"?

i only just noticed that.