Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pauline]

I'm peeved. Wrong word. Fill in the blank for me, someone.

I approach my building and what do I see. A man beating a woman up. She was in the dirt and he was hitting her, throwing her about by her hair and her collar, kicking her, yelling, slapping her face really hard. They had an audience.


I was so mad I went right up to the jerk and yelled "What are you doing?" The woman gave me this haunted look of sheer humiliation. He waved his hand, said "anindae" and continued to slap her around, right in front of me. I wanted to hit him but knew that wouldn't do any good. I thought, "This is ridiculous", and went to my building's security guard to call the cops.

The security guard thought it was funny, so did the girl who was closing her floral shop, that I should be so concerned with a woman getting beaten on the street. Yeah, maybe it wasn't my business, but I couldn't do nothing. Please excuse me, can someone please explain why the whole thing was so AMUSING?


In the meantime the man continued to slap the woman's face. She had spirit, but it took about five or ten minutes for him to humiliate and beat it out of her.

The cops came after the jerk had stalked off. The woman fertively snatched some things from her shopping bag which was the cause of the "fight", but left the rest of her shopping behind and I told the cops, who went after her to return them to her. They asked her about the incident but she denied it, denied that the food was hers, sobbing all the while, the poor thing. The cops said they couldn't do anything about it 'cos she didn't want their help.

After, I retrieved the woman's torn doctor's recipt from the dirt and handed it to the cops. I think that the woman had had the "impertinance" to dare to go to the doctor without the jerk's express permission, because he had just spent ten minutes slapping her around so she would give it to him.

Who knows.

I don't know what upset me more, the squirt beating up the woman, the indifferent spectators, or the security guard and floral girl who thought it was funny.

[rapier]

Believe it or not, a lot of Korean women think the gentlemanly behavior western guys come out with is wimpish.
korean women expect to be pushed and forced to behave well...its normal here. Of course its wrong by our standards..but not by theirs: might is right to them.

[thorin]

Welcome to Korea.

[fidel]

I posted about this a few years ago. I will summarise as I'm busy.
I saw a man beating his wife outside my second floor window on the street below late at night. He was dragging her by the hair and kicking and punching her. A whole bunch of his soju head mates were standing around watching. My wife wouldn't let me go outside as she was afraid things could escalate what with all the soju heads in attendance and the man in full soju fury. We called the cops and I climbed out the window and starting hurling expletives at the man. He took his attention away from the woman and said he was going to return and stab me with a knife. He then preceeded to drag the woman who was screaming and kicking to his car, threw her in and drove off. The cops arrived 1 hour later.

I wish I could have done more but it was a dodgy situation in a dark alley with a bunch of soju heads ( the blue jacketed, laborer types) not the drunken businessman.

[thorin]

Don't they have the decency to beat their wives in the privacy of their own homes like we do it back west?

[taobenli]

I wonder if the spectators you mentioned (floral shop girl, etc.) were really amused, or if they were embarrassed and unsure what to do. Asians (well, East Asians anyway, don't know about the rest) have a tendency to laugh or smile when something awkward occurs- but not out of amusement.

Not condoning the man or the spectators, just find it hard to believe the amusement.

[agraham]

This is very true. I couldn't understand why when I was first negotiating my job, when I said how much I wanted the boss lady laughed in my face, but then gave me what I asked for.
Another teacher told me she was embarrased by discussing money which is why she started laughing.
Likewise, if someone almost runs you over with thier car they are likely to start laughing. Not because killing you is funny, but because they are embarrased, so don't take it personally.

[Barking Mad Lord Snapcase]

[buddy bradley]

I too had the pleasure of watching a man pound a woman outside of my apartment building. Judging by the low quality of her shoes, I sympathized with the guy. I mean, I'd never roll with a woman who wears imitation Birkenstocks, that's just an insult to the company.

[hellofaniceguy]

I am not rightous by any stretch...but I have jumped in a few times in korea when I stumbled across a korean man smacking a woman.... and I started smacking them around. Guess I was lucky because I have never had a mob/group turn on me for doing so. Cops arrived...I told them what happen and told the cops..."what if it was your mother/sister/wife who was being smacked around...would you like it?" I also was a smart ass and told the cops...you probably smack around your wife/GF also!
Just something I can't accept....don't know why. But smacking around a woman...even if she needs it...is not my thing.

[shakuhachi]

First things first. You dont know what is happening, and if you were to 'help' the girl by hitting the guy, you might be in for a lot of trouble. One guy on this board tried to help and ended up being attacked by the girl.

You wont get anywhere by saying 'stop hitting that girl!'. Instead you have to shame the man by pointing out he is making a public nuisance, in front of the other people watching. Say in a loud voice.

"���� ��Ҹ� �����ض�!"
Think of the time and the place!

[Daechidong Waygookin]

[pauline]

torin, I've here for five years.

taobenli, methinks you're right about the Asian tendacy to laugh when they're embarrased, but it also indicates insensitivity. He was beating her up, for pete's sake.

[thorin]

[pauline]

I hate the stuff.