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Discriminatory Court Result - Recourse?
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metalhead



Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:32 am    Post subject: Discriminatory Court Result - Recourse? Reply with quote

Six weeks ago I was attacked from behind by a Korean man, at which point random Koreans joined in. I had my shirt torn to pieces, and ended up with a broken hand and subsequent operation. The Korean guy admitted in his statement that he punched me, and he ended up with a broken nose. The detective who took my statement said the Korean guy needs four weeks of treatment, and my medical records showed I needed a longer period of treatment, which he said really works in my favor, that and me being more injured and the Korean guy admitting to hitting me.

As it happens, the case goes to a prosecutor and/or a judge, at which point the result is sent back to the parties involved. For some reason they sent the result to my vice-principal, and it is as follows:

Both parties are found guilty, and have to pay for each other's medical bills and what-not, HOWEVER because I am a teacher, I MUST pay the Korean guy more. My VP also said that the Korean guy seems 'greedy' and wants a lot of money. I also would not be surprised if somewhere along the line he heard about my damages and zoomed back to the hospital for more 'treatment', although I am only speculating at this point.

My issue is that I am convinced that, according to the way these things get resolved in Korea, I am the clear winner in this case, yet I feel that they are grasping at straws to make sure the Korean guy wins, hence the bogus having to pay more because I am a teacher (I mean, come on).

How do I fight this? I honestly have no idea what to do, and my coworkers don't seem to know/care much (they just want it to be resolved). I can't bend my one finger, and really do not want to pay someone that attacked me from behind and caused weeks of problems anything (for the record, he attacked me because he claims the person I was with urinated in public). If anyone has any experience in a case like this, I'd really appreciate your feedback now.
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Dodge7



Joined: 21 Oct 2011

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The joys of living in Korea--getting jumped and having to pay for the other guy's medical expenses when you were defending yourself and then on top of it getting screwed by a crooked legal system. I love this country!!!
Rolling Eyes
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metalhead



Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dodge7 wrote:
The joys of living in Korea--getting jumped and having to pay for the other guy's medical expenses when you were defending yourself and then on top of it getting screwed by a crooked legal system. I love this country!!!
Rolling Eyes


Not only that, it's ruined things at my main school - the Korean guy called the local board of education about it and tried to get me fired, and they in turn contacted my school, which is why my VP is so angry. How did he know where I worked? The police told him.

Anyway, I have two people that I can call tomorrow that deal with cases like this, but it sounds like there is not much I can do about it. In other groundbreaking news, discrimination is acceptable in Korea.
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Landros



Joined: 19 Oct 2007

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:00 am    Post subject: fair is fair Reply with quote

find out where he works
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Seoulman69



Joined: 14 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How much extra do you have to pay him?
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alongway



Joined: 02 Jan 2012

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

have you called a lawyer?
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metalhead



Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seoulman69 wrote:
How much extra do you have to pay him?


Ah, we still have to meet for negotiations as they're calling it, but just that I have to pay more on the grounds of being a teacher is not boding well (and my VP said the Korean guy is being greedy - I didn't ask, was too livid at the time).

I also haven't been able to get hold of the third party, the guy that supposedly urinated in public, I'm meant to get in touch with him to organize a day to meet the Korean guy for the 'negotiations', but surely the court has sent him the result by now, too.
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metalhead



Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

alongway wrote:
have you called a lawyer?


Will do so tomorrow during working hours.
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Seoulman69



Joined: 14 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Get yourself a lawyer to represent you at this meeting. The situation is messed up but it's not completely lost. Perhaps claiming that you will continue to seek medical attention for you injury could be used as a bargaining chip. I wish you all the best. Good luck!
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liveinkorea316



Joined: 20 Aug 2010
Location: South Korea

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You obviously hurt your hand punching him. Which means if you hadn't retaliated you would both be walking around now without any significant injuries from that night. Only a bad memory.

You will not win and you deserve to lose. In this country the person who strikes first is not the only person at fault. Your retaliation is what has landed you in trouble. I would stop wasting my money on lawyers and pay it and move on.

Learn your lesson. Next time walk away or run or be prepared to pay afterwards in blood money if you want to show you have such big kahoonies next time man. This is not the school yard. You break someone's nose you pay.
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metalhead



Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

liveinkorea316 wrote:
You obviously hurt your hand punching him. Which means if you hadn't retaliated you would both be walking around now without any significant injuries from that night. Only a bad memory.

You will not win and you deserve to lose. In this country the person who strikes first is not the only person at fault. Your retaliation is what has landed you in trouble. I would stop wasting my money on lawyers and pay it and move on.

Learn your lesson. Next time walk away or run or be prepared to pay afterwards in blood money if you want to show you have such big kahoonies next time man. This is not the school yard. You break someone's nose you pay.


Nope - I was on the ground at one point getting kicked, using my arms to try and block the kicks. I'm glad that you saw the whole thing, and know who was hurt the most. Unless you think that being a foreign teacher is just cause for having to pay the guy more money?

As for retaliation, does blocking punches count as such? What exactly is a person meant to do when getting punched? In any case, that's not the issue here - the issue is being told I have to pay the guy more because I am a teacher.
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viciousdinosaur



Joined: 30 Apr 2012

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

liveinkorea316 wrote:
You obviously hurt your hand punching him. Which means if you hadn't retaliated you would both be walking around now without any significant injuries from that night. Only a bad memory.

You will not win and you deserve to lose. In this country the person who strikes first is not the only person at fault. Your retaliation is what has landed you in trouble. I would stop wasting my money on lawyers and pay it and move on.

Learn your lesson. Next time walk away or run or be prepared to pay afterwards in blood money if you want to show you have such big kahoonies next time man. This is not the school yard. You break someone's nose you pay.


That's cold hearted, even for me. But I think he's touching on a key point here. You acted under the mind-set of "I'm defending myself so I can do whatever the f*ck I want including killing this person" That's a very American way to see it. He trespassed on my property so I can shoot him dead. He hit me first so I can pummel him into the ground. That's our morality. That's how we think. There's good and bad and whatever good does is good. But that's not how they see it. For them it's "It takes two to tango".

I feel bad for you, but here's the thing. Two years I was in a situation very similar to yours. I got in a very heated argument on the street with a taxi driver after a near-collision. He had me by the shirt, fist raised, roughing me up enough to justify fighting back. If it was back home I wouldn't have thought twice I would have definitely kicked that guy's ass. But as I stood there with his fist in my face I thought very clearly about where I was and how this would end up. I knew I would be automatically guilty if I fought back. My whole life in this country would be jeopardized if I had any kind of police record. So I did nothing. I let him hit me. After one punch he realized he wasn't going to instigate me and gave up. He got back in his cab, I wrote down his license plate number, and got him fired.

That day my realism about this country (some say negativity) saved my ass.

I didn't share this story to make you feel bad or lecture you. Obviously your situation is unjust and I wish you all the best.
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Seoulman69



Joined: 14 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The best thing to do is to get a lawyer and see what you can do. Getting worked up about it isn't going to help. I know it's tough, but you need to stay calm and try to find a solution.

Out of interest, where did this take place?
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metalhead



Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seoulman69 wrote:

Out of interest, where did this take place?


Gyeongnam province, famous for (insert random vegetable here).
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asdfghjkl



Joined: 21 Jun 2011

PostPosted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm on your side, old boy!
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