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fiveeagles
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: Vancouver
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 Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2005 2:35 am Post subject: Poverty in Korea |
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What kind of poverty is there in Korea? In Japan, one of our churches feed the poor everyday. They also have a work option for them. Are these needed in Korea? Are there people who go hungry here.
I have had a few opinions, but would like to hear what others have to say.
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ddeubel
Joined: 20 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 3:51 am Post subject: |
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The poor?
Let them eat rice cake!
DD |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| The poor used to go up to the mountains to cut down trees to make into charcoal to sell, which is why most of the mountains were bare when Japan first came in and started running the place. |
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fiveeagles
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: Vancouver
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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What about now?
There is no welfare here in Korea? Where do the homeless live? Are there homeless? |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| have you ever been to Seoul Station 5Eagles? |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| The poor used to go up to the mountains to cut down trees to make into charcoal |
When I first came in '94 I met a senior at Chungnam U whose 'job' as a kid after school was to go up in the mountains to get firewood for the family. The family was a little better off when he grew up. It could send him to college. It couldn't afford to send his sister. In despair, she hanged herself from the bridge.
I have a student who lives alone. Technically, he lives with his older brother, but in fact he lives in some other town where he is going to college. I have other students who have been abandoned by their parents and live with grandparents. There is one kid who sleeps all day because he has to work all night at the PC bang to buy food.
Yes, there is poverty in Korea today. There is some welfare, but it isn't much. |
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fiveeagles
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: Vancouver
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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I thiink once. is it where all the trains meet with the subs? Only briefly.
I'm asking because my church is planning on offering free english lessons and I want to know how purposeful this would be. I am wondering if people are going hungry here, but can't see it. I have only been here a few months, so I would like to understand the culture better.
A |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Sounds to me like they ought to offer free sandwiches and a warm jacket as well with winter coming up. |
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ChimpumCallao
Joined: 17 May 2005
Location: your mom
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:28 am Post subject: |
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| the homeless, like the mentally and physically handicapped are relegated to the dustbins of society here...and if they're actually being taken care of, there's a huge number of them, as ive never seen more handicapped or homeless people in my life just roaming around. |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:30 am Post subject: |
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| I have seen more, but it was in Alabama. |
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dbee
Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Location: korea
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:22 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I'm asking because my church is planning on offering free english lessons and I want to know how purposeful this would be.
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... well that depends on which kinda religious scam that ye want to pull.
...around these parts there are a couple of guys from some church or other going around offering 'English lessons' to every Korean passer-by. First lesson - everybody turn to 'the book of genisis' pls. 'Now let's all listen to what our weirdo homegrown messiah that was born in utah in 1932 has to say about this'.
Wow, that's just great !
... if you're running that kinda scam then you need to be in a prosperous suburb, cause that's where you'll get the big donations and the most respectable people so you can open more 'schools', build more 'churches' and drive bigger cars.
... the 'let's help the poor when the cameras are looking scam' has to be run in the poorer neighbourhoods though. It always helps to get the sympathetic media behind you. Make sure to run this one now though, because soon it'll get cold .. and you don't want to be handing out blankets in the freezing cold now do you ?
... maybe I'm being too harsh here OP, maybe you and your church are guided by pure christian values, but honestly - I've seen the worst form of religious profiteering that I've seen anywhere, while I've been in Korea.
I do wonder what kind of church honestly tries to give out 'free english lessons' though ??
I think that it's a real shame that the Koreans are so quick to abandon their own faith and replace it with a 'church today - burgerking tomorrow' kinda spiritual practise. Where the ministers are the richest people in the congregation, most of the ministers I've seen in Korea have that kinda lawyer/stockbroker shyster feel about them though. That they'd be doing something else if the money was a little better.
... and yes, I consider myself to be a christian. Although probably not of your ilk. But like I said, maybe I have it all wrong in your case and I don't mean this post as a personal attack on you, rather just a general rant at what I see as the 'spiritual economy' which thrives in this country. |
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Links
Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Location: It's censorship and it's downright blasphemous
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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| ChimpumCallao wrote: |
| ive never seen more handicapped or homeless people in my life just roaming around. |
I'm from Buffalo, NY and I saw more homeless people there than I do in Seoul. I see massive overemployment in Korea but not as much poverty as I expected. |
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Alias
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Seoul has very few panhandlers in comparison to other cities back in the west. |
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Wrench
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 3:01 am Post subject: |
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| Links wrote: |
| ChimpumCallao wrote: |
| ive never seen more handicapped or homeless people in my life just roaming around. |
I'm from Buffalo, NY and I saw more homeless people there than I do in Seoul. I see massive overemployment in Korea but not as much poverty as I expected. |
Yes so many useless jobs. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 3:26 am Post subject: |
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Are we simply talking impoverished ex-pats here or the Korean public at large?  |
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