Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

The dark side of IT: privacy erosion
The overall crime rate in Seoul has decreased by 0.01 percent from last year, the study said, but for Gangnam, the rate increased by 16.7 percent.
"The cameras only helped to reduce the rate of public urination and graffiti," Park Jun-woo, an activist, wrote in the privacy advocacy magazine NetWorker. For this reason, the Gangnam district office was also a strong candidate for the Big Brother Award Korea. However, the "Most Appalling Project" award was "won" by Korea's resident registry system, which assigns a national ID number to every citizen. "It's the remains of the dictatorial government," read the final judges statement. "The system was responsible for creating various leaks of personal information." The award for "Worst Public Servant" went to the Ministry of Information and Communication for enforcing a real-name policy on all Internet activities. "It was hypocritical for the ministry to seek ways to force people to disclose their real names on Web pages, when its slogans advocate freedom on the Internet," said the judges.
"Most Invasive company" award,... "the third person responsible for the Samsung SDI case," in which Samsung was suspected of using company cell phones to eavesdrop on conversations and track the location of employees affiliated with labor unions. However, the case was eventually dismissed by prosecutors due to a lack of evidence.
by Lee Min-a, JoongAng Daily (December 15, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200512/14/200512142250212909900091009101.html

[RACETRAITOR]

[Swiss James]

you know a countries crime rate is pretty low when a hot-button issue is whether to allow people to use pseudonyms on the internet.

[billybrobby]

I think the fact that the government forces you to use your real name is atrocious. And it contributed to the whole English Spectrum ordeal. In most countries, the internet is a place for you to be anonymous, adopt a silly name like Billy B. Robby, and post stuff you might not say in real life. But for Koreans, it's an extension of their real lives. Everything is linked back to them, so they treat it with the seriousness that they accord real life. So when they read stuff of the internet where people are mouthing off anonymously, they take it much more seriously. Now of course, the writer of the English Spectrum column wasn't anonymous, but many of the questions and comments were.

also, i publicly urinated in kangnam last night, and i think i got away with it. hold on, there's a knock at the door...

[RACETRAITOR]

[billybrobby]

Ha! You got nothin! My name Billy B. Robby aka William Bobby Robertson.

I feel sorry for this William Brobb fellow, though.

[Swiss James]

if I have to start using my real name (Ernest Leibschnitz) it's going to make that whole '13 year old girl looking for sleepover buddies' routine a nightmare

[JongnoGuru]

There is sometimes a certain disconnect, a naivety, a "we are family"-ishness about the Koreans and the way they'll view personal data. For all sorts of jobs and particular extended duties connected to jobs, Koreans will be asked to provide quite extensive information not only about themselves, but about family members as well.

"Tell us your sister's, father's, mother's, spouse's, etc.'s academic attainments, personal assets, religious affiliations and home/work addresses -- or you don't get the middle school teacher's job"... sort of thing.

And I've noticed they have no qualms about asking and providing full info in a media context. Of course in print media, it's typically "a certain Kim" or a "Mr. L", but on television and particularly the radio, they seem to forget, or don't care, or for some reason feel that since it's "live", it doesn't count and no harm done.

For instance, imagine a caller to a "talk radio" programme in the West.

Larry King: And our next caller is from Peoria, Illinois. Caller, are you there?
Caller: Hello? Yes, I'm George Orwell.
Larry King: NO! Ah geez, George! Please!! First names only!
Caller: Oh, sorry. I'm sorry about that.... Anyway, I was calling to blah, blah, blah...

In Korea...

MBC & KBS radio both have programmes where listeners will call in and sing on the radio. Now, it generally takes the strength of five Korean men, the encouragement of a few scantily clad hostesses, and the courage of half a bottle of Ballantine's to get the Guru to stand & delivery at a room salon in full Sinatra fashion. But Koreans, they were born with a microphone stuck up their... hands. So you'll get old geezers, housewives and scads of little high school & middle school girls calling the radio and warbling some number for millions of listeners. And here's how that usually goes:

DJ: And now we have a caller on the line. Hello?

Caller: Hi!

DJ: Hello, thank you for calling. Who are you, how old are you, and where are you calling from?

Caller: I'm Kim Mi-gyung! I'm 16, I go to XYZ high school, and I live in Mok-dong 13-danji, Jugong Apt., Bdg. 108, No. 221.

DJ: Kim Mi-yun, is it?

Caller: No, Mi-GYUNG. Kim Mi-gyung.

DJ: Ah, Kim Mi-GYUNG... in Mok-dong 14-danji.

Caller: No, no. I said 13-danji. And once again, that's Jugong Apt., Bdg. 108, No. 221.

[seoulkitchen]

...and then we know where to murder all those bad singers!

Throw 'em off the roof!