Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mindmetoo]

I've found with the large number of cyclists, motorcyclists, and car drivers on the sidewalk you have to practice defensive walking.

My main trick is sticking to the "tree line". If the sidewalk has trees, slalom in and out of them. Most cyclists give trees a wide berth mostly because they're surrounded by bumpy uneven metal grates.

Also use the unnatural geography to plot safer paths. For example walk towards a newspaper stand or food cart. This way no vehicles will be coming at you and those coming up behind you will probably already be over to the right to zip around.

Also, you never become so aware and thankful of your peripheral vision when you walk the sidewalks of Seoul. Use it at all times. Use it especially if you're about to make any sudden moves to the right or left. Always turn your head to take a small look back too.

When you approach driveways, streets, and alleys, always slow down, poke your head forward a bit, and take a glance to make sure some car driver isn't coming barreling out. Always look to your right and left and keep scanning to your right and left when you cross a street, even with the green and a walk sign.

Avoid waiting for subways near the ends of the cars. At those entry points you're most likely to have some bullet-like old lady barrel into you as she tries to make for the last available seat.

A sense of personal dignity prevents me from waiting at the subway car doors with my crotch rubbing into the doors. Leaving any space between you and the doors indicates to most Koreans you're not actually waiting to get off. You're simply milling about there. They'll try to slip around you and wedge themselves between you and the door. So use a strategically placed hand on one door handle to block off one avenue for an old lady end around. Use a strategically placed newspaper or book pointed towards the door to create a visual barrier on the other side.

Accept that Korean men will stand in line behind you so close you swear the guy's John Thomas is, errr, in you. So a backpack is great to keep some distance between your bum and the Korean guy's thrusting bulbous crotch. However, many stores such as Carrefour make you put your backpack in a locker, robbing you of buffer space. If this is the case, and you feel some guy rubbing his crotch into you, turn around and say to the guy "�ƹ��� �۾Ƶ� ���� Ű�����ֽð� �����̶�� �θ����� �ֺ��� ������ ���ּ���". (This I believe works out to saying, roughly, "at least do me the dignity of either kissing me on the mouth and calling me Susan or giving me a reach around").

[The Evil Clown]

[casey's moon]

mindmetoo, I'm not sure what percentage of your post you actually practice, but that is some good seriously good advice, and it was a great read. Good work.

[mindmetoo]

[PEIGUY]

i do a bit of that but i've found that the best way is just to walk straight i'm 6'1 240 if they want to walk into me they can not going to make a bit of difference to me. As for the cyclists i did the sudden move to my left one evening on the sidewalk to avoid construciont on a new building and almost knocked a cyclists off his bike he said something to me in Korean but i just kept walking.. i really want to sitck my arm out for scooter drivers though.. just once would be enough i think to satisfy my urge..

[Wangja]

Bloody pedestrians on the pavement! I ring my bell but sometimes, they just ask to be run into .....

(EDIT ... hmmm, my 100th ... if I had known, I would have invited a few select people to a Guinness party in 3 alleys where they have safe bike parking - and why are the brakes the wrong way round in Korea?)

[PEIGUY]

[coolsage]

[Ilsanman]

I stick my umbrella out in front of me if I think someone will collide with me. Walking right into an umbrella kinda hurts.

Also, if I think someone is trying to cut in line, the umbrella works.

Umbrellas kick ass!!!

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

Sometimes I'll notice someone walking directly towards me with thier head down, I just lean forward a bit, put a shoulder forward, and spead up. Funny how thier vision improves, they always get out of the way.

[Ody]

[pet lover]

This post serves no purpose.

[JongnoGuru]

[Ilsanman]

What's a brolly? Why don't you use English?


How I use it: ok....

Well, as Kiwiboy stated before, Koreans who try to crowd the sidewalk on you, more often than not, see you. They just don't care. The umbrella makes them care.

I don't stick it out in front of me at arm's length. I brace it under my arm, so basically, if the blind bat walks into me, expecting me to move, they will get an umbrella jab in the stomach. Not surprisingly, I have yet to jab anyone. They move.

Stopping people from cutting the line on me:

I also brace it under my arm or some other way, basically making me a little wider. If they try to cut to my left or right (usual ajumma tactic), I can feel them pushing the umbrella. Then I can cut in front of them in turn.

I will not hunt you down and fight you. That's childish. I just won't read any of your future posts, as you clearly aren't of the level of intelligence that I like to associate myself with.

[Thunndarr]

I follow one simple guideline. Never be the first person to cross the street.