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Do Koreans have a sense of personal space?
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jazzmaster

Joined: 30 Sep 2013

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 3:47 am Post subject:

I don't mind the personal space difference that much. I prefer being close to a pretty young female than a stinky old adjussi though. The thing that angers me is not covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. It drives me f@cking mental. Loads of Koreans have coughed right in my face. From kids to grandparents and all ages between. Right in my f@cking face! I used to think they were doing it deliberately, but after looking around I can see they do it to each other all the f@cking time. Today in one of my classes a girl was coughing all through class. I told her to cover her mouth and she did it once. The next time I saw her she was coughing right in her friends face. Her friend didn't give a f@ck. She just let her cough right in her coupon. It defies logic. Cover your f@cking mouth, you f@cking morons! Anyway, thanks for letting me rant.

candy bar

Joined: 03 Dec 2012

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 3:49 am Post subject:

schwa wrote:

Do you consider yourself polite to Koreans?

No. I'm always walking into people , riding into people on my bike, coughing on people, throwing my brown-stained toilet tissue on the floor beside the toilet instead of the trashcan, etc.

I was only testing the waters to get an idea on other's thoughts. I am A OK with the above. I assume that Koreans consider my mannerisms to be of high etiquette.

Chaparrastique

Joined: 01 Jan 2014

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:02 am Post subject:

420bro wrote:

In densly populated palces Korean and Chinese personal space is not defined by bodily space but is preserved by not making eye contact.

interesting concept.

So then those long hostile stares directed at the foreigner must be deliberate agressions. You simply don't see Koreans eyeballing eachother all the time.

Schwa wrote:

Rude is in the eye of the beholder.

Is that why you left Korea?

atwood

Joined: 26 Dec 2009

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:17 am Post subject:

jazzmaster wrote:

I don't mind the personal space difference that much. I prefer being close to a pretty young female than a stinky old adjussi though. Wink

The thing that angers me is not covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. It drives me f@cking mental. Loads of Koreans have coughed right in my face. From kids to grandparents and all ages between. Right in my f@cking face! I used to think they were doing it deliberately, but after looking around I can see they do it to each other all the f@cking time. Today in one of my classes a girl was coughing all through class. I told her to cover her mouth and she did it once. The next time I saw her she was coughing right in her friends face. Her friend didn't give a f@ck. She just let her cough right in her coupon. It defies logic. Cover your f@cking mouth, you f@cking morons!

Anyway, thanks for letting me rant.

I always just say thank you for sharing your germs. They usually get that.

Steelrails

Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 3:33 pm Post subject:

Chaparrastique wrote:

So then those long hostile stares directed at the foreigner must be deliberate agressions. You simply don't see Koreans eyeballing eachother all the time.

In my time in Seoul on the subway, and seeing foreigners get on or walk the street, very very rarely do I see "long hostile stares", curious ones sometimes, but hostile rarely. Slightly longer glances before they return to mashing their smartphone yes, death stares no. The overwhelming majority of passengers are too self-absorbed in their own banal crap to do this.

Not speaking for you personally, but a lot of times the foreigners I've observed who get stared at are obese or rather good looking, dressed strangely or revealingly, have weird or beautiful hair, are talking loudly, or some other characteristic that makes them stand out a bit.

Also, Koreans do stare at other Koreans. Usually its when someone looks weird or its guys staring at pretty girls.

Chaparrastique

Joined: 01 Jan 2014

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 5:24 pm Post subject:

Steelrails wrote:

You're not foreign. you can't pretend to know the unknowable. ie someone elses experience.
You will never know what its like to be foreign in this country day-to-day.

Quote:

a lot of times the foreigners I've observed who get stared at are obese or rather good looking, dressed strangely or revealingly, have weird or beautiful hair, are talking loudly

There are also obese Koreans, good looking ones, ones with weird hair, ones that talk loudly (ie a lot of them).
But I guess its only the foreigners who deserve death stares 24/7.

Steelrails

Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:36 pm Post subject:

Quote:

You're not foreign. you can't pretend to know the unknowable. ie someone elses experience.

Excuse me, but I am foreign. Nice to see that in your world, your nationality and language you speak and culture mean nothing, only your ethnicity. Guess I'm not a "real" American. Also, you are not Korean, but you seem perfectly fine with assuming what is going on in their heads and what they are experiencing.

Quote:

You will never know what its like to be foreign in this country day-to-day.

Yes, non-Korean Asians are all getting high fives and prancing around in some mystic sea of Asian brotherhood. But hey, I guess only white and black and brown people are "foreign", not other Asians.

Funny, my Korean 3rd grade students were able to understand this idea, but some college-educated adults lack the critical thinking to be able to grasp such a notion.

Quote:

There are also obese Koreans, good looking ones, ones with weird hair, ones that talk loudly (ie a lot of them).
But I guess its only the foreigners who deserve death stares 24/7.

You're not Korean, how would you know whether they get stared at? You can't know the unknowable. See how that works? Very Happy

Anyways they do get stared at. Often stares of curiosity or evaluation. Only rarely "death stares". But some loud obnoxious old person might get a death stare. Also, not all stares wish death.

As I said, I see plenty of foreigners on the subway and in the street. Very rarely do I see anyone giving a "death stare". What I do see is a bunch of people glancing and then going back to their smartphone or chatting with their girlfriend or something else where you aren't the center of attention.

Also, lots of times it is other foreigners who stare a lot at foreigners. I was once on the subway when a group of Francophone people boarded. The Koreans all went back to staring into space or at their smartphone. However two, I presume English Teachers, stared at them for the next 5 minutes and seemed bewildered at the notion of people who didn't speak English and being in Korea for some reason. "What are they doing here?" "Are they exchange students?" "Tour group?"

Anyways, I think next time you get on the subway, look at how many people don't give you a death stare, might give you a better sense of perspective.

TheUrbanMyth

Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 5:02 am Post subject: Re: Do Koreans have a sense of personal space?

Chaparrastique wrote:

[

Try that in any other country on earth and watch the reaction as the person will feel threatened.

.

As I am in China now I can tell you that you don't have a clue what you are talking about. People will literally stand right on your feet (until you shove them off.) If someone had died on some of the buses I've been on here...they would have likely as not been held upright by the pressure of the bodies around them. Idea

World Traveler

Joined: 29 May 2009

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:44 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a sucky place to live. Why'd you move there?

Sector7G

Joined: 24 May 2008

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 4:52 am Post subject:

jazzmaster wrote:

And yet, Koreans consider blowing one's nose in public vulgar - something I actually agree with.

Chaparrastique

Joined: 01 Jan 2014

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 4:53 am Post subject:

Sector7G wrote:

And yet, Koreans consider blowing one's nose in public vulgar - something I actually agree with.

I prefer blowing ones nose to sniffing endlessly or hoking the phlegm.

Sector7G

Joined: 24 May 2008

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:01 am Post subject:

Chaparrastique wrote:

Sector7G wrote:

And yet, Koreans consider blowing one's nose in public vulgar - something I actually agree with.

I prefer blowing ones nose to sniffing endlessly or hoking the phlegm.

Yeah, but one can be discrete about it. Some westerners have no problem doing it right at the dinner table.

I think it probably also blows their minds that westerners would enter a private home - theirs or anyone else's, without taking off their shoes, another thing I agree with. Traipsing around your home with the world's filth on your shoes is kind of disgusting if you think about it.

atwood

Joined: 26 Dec 2009

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:10 am Post subject:

Sector7G wrote:

Chaparrastique wrote:

Sector7G wrote:

And yet, Koreans consider blowing one's nose in public vulgar - something I actually agree with.

I prefer blowing ones nose to sniffing endlessly or hoking the phlegm.

Cheese it--the shoe police are back.

God forbid anyone could actually make the effort to wipe off their shoes before they enter someone's home.

BTW, ever heard of a handkerchief?

As for the Korean dinner table, dig the discrete slurping!

Sector7G

Joined: 24 May 2008

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:30 am Post subject:

atwood wrote:

Hey, sorry, I think the shoe policy makes sense, not sure how that makes me the shoe police. Anyway, I was merely pointing out that each culture finds some things acceptable that the other does not. Also, I think each side has some valid criticisms, but two wrongs don't make a right.

Actually, I meant honking one's nose loudly in close proximity to others - even with a handkerchief it's not the most pleasant thing to be around. But yeah, some don't even use a handkerchief which is even more disgusting. Is a little discretion too much to ask?

Chaparrastique

Joined: 01 Jan 2014

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 7:12 am Post subject:

Sector7G wrote:

I think the shoe policy makes sense

Its highly impractical to continually have to take your shoes on and off again and again. Drives me nuts.

Wherever I am, I need to know that I can kick ass and leave in a hurry if need be.

You just can't do that when you're wearing bunny bathroom slippers.

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