Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ulsanchris]

Other defectors complain of bias and discrimination - feeling that many South Koreans regard them as second class citizens.

"If people heard my North Korean accent, I'd be overcharged at markets, and taxi drivers would treat me very badly," said one former defector, who now works in an insurance company.


How nice of the S. Koreans. I got this from an article from BBC.com

an other article on there mentioned that S. Korean only took them when the South east asain country holding them threatened to send them to China. Where of course they would have been sent back to N. Korea.

[Saxiif]

[inkoreaforgood]

I can imagine what would happen if reunification really took place. The N.K's would be second class citizens, almost slave labour really. The S.K's would walk all over them for a few decades, treat them really bad. I hope reunification doesn't happen, simply to protect the innocent Northerners

[Zed]

Accepting too many refugees really might disturb the "sunshine policy", wouldn't it?

[rapier]

I read the "aquariums of Pyongyang" (first hand account of a defector).
In his memoirs he states that Northerners and southerners had a strong dislike for eachother and history of bad blood, long before the partition of korea.
Southerners were seen as devious, underhand, snooby people interested only in making money. Also soft, as southerners formed the officer class in the army while tough northerners made the excellent fighting soldiers.
Northerners were seen as tougher and more friendly and genuine. He even said that Northerners were taller and stronger on average.

Its almost like England: tough northerners of historically viking blood form the working class, while snobby well educated southerners of anglo-saxon blood, form the white collar business/middle class.

[Gollum]

Except now they're all shorter in the North from lack of good nutritious foods, like McDonalds.

[waggo]

[Butterfly]

Same thing happened after the reunification of Germany. After the initial euphoria, West Germans bore (and still do) an awful resentment towards their Eastern brothers and sisters for being such a drain on the economy. I experienced it teaching in UK only about 4-5 years ago, an East German girl I taught (about 19) was absolutely mercilessly mocked (her accent, her economic status, her supposed lack of personal hygiene). I knew this as I was teaching older Germans who told me about the kind of language they were using. It doesn't take long I think before the things which divided the peoples' in the first place begin to show.

I don't imagine things are any different with Koreans, the peninsula has been divided since long before the cold war.

[Zed]

Was eastern Germany economically underprivileged before WWII?

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your post?

[Butterfly]

[ohahakehte]

[Swiss James]

The typo in the title of this thread is really bugging me.

Sorry, I know that's pedantic, but it drives me crazy. That's all I have to say on the matter. Thankyou for your time.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Actually, the South Koreans do want unification, but just not now. They want to wait until after the US and Japan and other countries pay to build up the North.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[rok_the-boat]