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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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 Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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I had a Korean female friend come out from Suwon to visit me back in March and I was grilled about it for weeks.
Who was she? Is she your girlfriend? Are you marrying her? What does she do?
I just told them "none of your damn business"  and smiled. After about a month they stopped asking |
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Paddycakes
Joined: 05 May 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 9:04 am Post subject: |
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You overdosed on nasty pills today Paddy Cakes? My post had nothing to do with liking or disliking Koreans. My point was to warn potential Gepik teachers that their information will not be treated confidentially.
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CT,
My point was not directed at you personally, but rather aimed at everyone who comes here and complains that Koreans do not conform to western conceptions of things... like privacy.
Korea has a group orientated culture; notions of the "individual" don't really exist here the same way they do in the west. (In fact, you can also extend that to notions of "common sense" and "reason" as well. Koreans at times operate on a logic that is totally foreign to the Western mind).
But you raised a good point for people not in Korea who might be sensitive about privacy issues... such individuals should stay far, far away from Korea.
That's why I'm staying far, far away from Korea. Just thinking about the place and all those looney hours of broken Konglishee I had to endure gives me a headache. |
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babtangee
Joined: 18 Dec 2004
Location: OMG! Charlie has me surrounded!
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| Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Paddycakes wrote: |
| notions of the "individual" don't really exist here the same way they do in the west. |
This is sorta true and sorta not.
Bosses have a very real conception of their individuality, and they think that their employees should bow down to it. A lot of people are still stuck in the mindset of a slave culture. Thus, while employees do get paid (hopefully), they're expected to do whatever their boss tells them... cause their boss is treating them as though they were slaves - and employees are viewing themselves in the same way... they are therefore NOT very important people, and no one is going to be too concerned about their privacy.
It's pretty disturbing really, especially if you get one of the many wonjungs who expect you to join his list of yes men cow-tow-ers.
My wonjung sort of understands that FT aren't usually going to accept this crap, though he still gets a bit annoyed - particularly when he wants us to do more work without overtime  - and, in frustration, blurts stupid stuff out like, "but I'm the Wonjung!", "The boss knows best!", and, "You should do what I say!"
I just tell him I'll teach all the classes you want, just pay me as we agreed according to the contract... that's why we have a contract, so if there are any differences of opinion/belief/culture in what we want from each other, refer to the contract.
He still doesn't like to look at it though.
But at least he doesn't expect us to do any cleaning - that is left to the Korean teachers...  |
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