Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kepler]

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/10/02/2011100200173.html

A translation:

"37-year-old office worker Mr. A went to Itaewon last weekend for an office dinner when he was shocked by what he saw in the street.

"A foreigner and a Korean woman were sitting in a corner on the sidewalk, embracing each other so heavily it was as if they were having sex. Mr. A said: 'I had thought I was going to see the Itaewon of the past, and to have to see that shocking scene made my co-workers feel awkward�. I had the thought that Itaewon has changed so much in just a few years.'

"The atmosphere in Itaewon has changed drastically in the past few years. The change is the consequence of the increasing number of foreign tourists, but is also because of the increased number of US soldiers. Local office worker Mr. B said that 'since a year ago when the curfew on US soldiers was lifted, the streets are something you don�t want to look at, and you frequently see foreigners talking loudly or having an argument.'

"On the 2nd National Assembly Representative Kim Tae-won of the Grand National Party released statistics of the National Police Agency showing that in 2008 183 US soldiers were arrested for committing crimes, a number that doubled to 377 in 2011. Rapes doubled, and assaults and thefts tripled.

"This increase in crime is the result of the curfew on US soldiers being lifted. US Forces Korea instituted a regional midnight-to-5 am curfew after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This was lifted on July 2, 2010 as part of an effort to normalize service in Korea, and US soldiers filled the streets of Itaewon.

"According to Rep. Kim, at least half of crimes committed by foreigners in Itaewon are related to US soldiers. In July a woman walking on the sidewalk was forcibly molested by a US soldier, and recently US soldiers have increasingly brought in the synthetic drug �Spice�. In May Private H of the Eighth US Army in Yongsan struck a police officer in the face, breaking his nose.

"Rep. Kim said that 'when US soldiers commit crimes it is frequently in the early morning hours, and for military police it is very difficult to mobilize at 1 am� Unlike ordinary criminals, their crime rate is under the control of US policy� We need to invest greater resources in police patrols in areas with US soldiers, and forcefully insist that the US military severely reduce crime.' "
http://asiancorrespondent.com/66283/us-soldier-accused-of-raping-korean-teen/

[northway]

1) It's really no different than anything you'd see in Hongdae at the same time (with Koreans just as guilty as foreigners). Don't go to a nightlife district if you don't want to see some unsavory behavior.

2) I read "foreigners talking loudly" as "people speaking a language other than Korean in a volume befitting intoxication". Foreigners are often perceived to be speaking loudly when in reality they're speaking at a normal volume, but in a language that garners attention.

3) Based on everything I've heard about the Itaewon of the past, it's cleaned up significantly.

4) Korea wishes that it had enough foreign tourists to make a dent in the way a given area functions.

[matthews_world]

The statistics won't change when the base shuts down and is relocated to Osan.

They'll just be replaced by these young whippersnapper teachers who seem to treat their years here as a year-long party.

[Steelrails]

I thought Itaewon had fewer GIs and more tourists these days?

Last time I was in the 'Won I enjoyed a summertime mojito at some bar behind the Hamilton where the clientele was mostly tourists and corporate types with a few younger hip Koreans out having a late-night summer cocktail. Nice atmosphere. Then it was on to a soju tent and a chili dog from a street cart.

No chaos and whatnot, just a normal whathaveyou.

[kimchijigijig]

Really, go to any middle school or high school and you have some Korean male teachers doing worse to the young Korean girls. And this seems to be more acceptable. Because they never get fired but moved to another school. And then it continues.

If you want to talk about crime statistics, Koreans commit crimes at a higher percentage per ratio of population. But the types of crimes that Koreans commit are not only higher in number but targeted towards those who are most vulnerable.

[CentralCali]

Oh, please. The jerk's complaining simply because he saw a Korean woman with a foreign man. There are over one million foreigners in Korea, very many of them decent human beings who, evidently, manage to be attractive to some Koreans. The jerk needs to get over it.

[brickabrack]

"and you frequently see foreigners talking loudly or having an argument"

Sounds like most adjossis I know after 8pm.

[sadguy]

[northway]

[eamo]

Itaewon is what it is. Most cities around the world have an area like Itaewon.

After about 6pm, adults only. Also, don't go there and complain if you're a prudish or churchy type. We don't all follow the same moral codes.

A couple making out in the street does not offend me in the slightest.

[Steelrails]

The most offensive things about Itaewon are the crappy Indian restaurants and Ho-Lee-Chow's "American-Chinese Food" which manages to taste worse than Wok Express at 4 times the price.

[northway]

[Zyzyfer]

[shifter2009]

[Gorf]

If someone making out in an alley offends someone so much then they should probably just take a rocket into the sun, because that's peanut compared to most places in the world. Itaewon has gotten markedly nicer in the past 2 years and is now a decent area overall.