Korean Job Discussion Forums

livinginkorea · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Location: Korea, South of the border

I went out for a drink with my girlfriend lastnight and we like to sit at the bar sometimes so we ordered a drink and she went to the bathroom. So I was sitting there looking at the t.v. and the barmaid comes up saying, "hi hi hi, are you Russian?" Shocked

It's happened a few times recently. Is there that many Russians in Korea? Has anybody experienced this? Any comments?

Wrench · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

You obviously don't live in Busan. There are tonne of them here. I get the Russian thing all the time, I am Polish but in no way do I look like a Rusky.

livinginkorea · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Location: Korea, South of the border

Wrench · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

Its because Vladivostok and Busan have direct trade route. Lots of Russian sailors come through here, there is even a Russian Street (its very creepy).

If your a port town you will have lots of Russians.

peppermint · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:02 am Post subject:

White girls get asked if they're Russian all the damned time. Matter of fact, yesterday, I had a guy try to give me some kind of religious tract written in Russian.

I asked a friend that grew up here about it one time, and he guestimated that Russians outnumber English teachers by a ratio of around 3-1 in Korea in general.

Wrench · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

PolyChronic Time Girl · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Location: Korea Exited

All us white girls have gotten the Russian thing. Doesn't matter if you wear granny clothes and carry a Bible...there will be some who will ask if your Russian(and probably some who equate this with prostitute). I have been asked just a handful of times, which is very small compared to my other foreign friends who have blonde hair and have to deal with this on a daily basis. I actually feel sympathy for you blondies....it must be difficult to stick out like a sore thumb.

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

it happened to me today.

there's a lot of russian models in my neighborhood. my girlfriend is tall and skinny. a drunk ajossi who clearly had a leering problem and an even worse "i'm about to get punched out" problem kept asking if we were russian.

"aniyo. ilbon saram".

jinglejangle · Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Location: Far far far away.

Wrench · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

pollyplummer · Joined: 07 Mar 2005 Location: McMinnvillve, Oregon

I never get asked if I'm Russian. Maybe I look too focused and not the least bit inviting. Also, I'm short. 5'2" and not the least bit voluptuous. Nothing tantalizing here! Wink

I have been asked if I'm a high school student before. Yeah, not cool. I'm a freakin high school teacher, not a student.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

tall, blonde haired, blue eyed. Everyone asks me if i'm russuian. Even my boys on my first day of school Evil or Very Mad

I've met a couple of russian students in my korean class. There is some sort of scholarship set up from samsung where people from india/russia come and study engineering and samsung pays there way through and they are bonded to the company for a few years of service.

mullethunter · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:57 pm Post subject:

i went to a night club in yeosu once (never again), where there were russian women dancing on podiums in bikinis. my friend, who is blonde, blue eyed, was on the dance floor when an ajossi handed her a big wad of cash and said; "just call me mr. lee" guess he thought she was working there. thing is though, she wasn't in a bikini, she was wearing her clothes from work, pretty sedate dress, nothing flashy at all. my opinion, she should have just taken the money and walked away.
i ended up talking with some of the dancers in the bathroom, they seemed really nice.

PolyChronic Time Girl · Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Location: Korea Exited

There is a misconception that needs to be cleared up. If you are asked if you are Russian, it doesn't mean that you are dressing or acting in a manner that suggests you are. I know plenty of professional, head-to-toe conservative dressed female teachers that get asked all the time. I think it is because they are blonde and pretty...that's all it takes to be asked if they are Russian constantly. Actually, all white girls will get asked if they are Russian at some point. Hell, I've been asked a few times, and I have the blackest hair. I in no way look Russian. It is important that women here don't feel like they are dressing or acting all wrong if some suggest if they are Russian. It's just that some Koreans may not know and throw out the first nationality they know at you when they play the guessing game. And it's not always an insult or synanomous with prostition if they ask you if you are Russian. One time this taxi driver asked if I was Chinese just because he was hearing news about China on the radio!! I know this one girl who wears the grungiest clothes and sweatshirts and never talks to strangers and she gets asked all the time. It could also depend on the area. I never got asked if I'm Russian in Seoul, probably because it's a big city and they are more aware of the variety of foreigners. But I have been asked half a dozen times in Cheongju, which is a much smaller city.
It's really sad for Russian women too for the stereotype. I met a really smart, intelligent Russian woman who is here for studying and the way some men throw cash at her and degrade her when they find out she's Russian is disgusting.
To the OP...don't worry about it. There really is nothing you can do or wear that is going to change whether people think you are Russian or not. Just got to deal with the idiosyncracies of the culture, I guess.