Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

I do thinks Korean culture contains a disturbing amount of ignorance and racism. But if there's any country that's worse in my experience it's Japan. I have much more of a problem with the anti-western vibe here which seems to come from nothing much more than shame at feeling less powerful. However, Japan invaded and brutally occupied Korea for much the same reason as the nazi's waged thier infamous campaign, they simply believe completely that they are the greatest nation on earth and just "deserve" to be the boss. So I simply avoid Japan completely in all conversation classes. And making good cars and computers does not on it's own qualify a nation to greatness, in fact what does? Who cares who has the strongest economy, or the toughest army? What about how travellers from your country are percieved by host nations, are they well liked, thought of as friendly and sincere? And, even more imortantly, do they produce the best beef and play the best rugby in the world !

[raytownloc]

I thought Japan did produce the best beef? Kobe beef? Or Argentina maybe. I know that our beef here sucks (in the States), we put in all kinds of hormones and crap. I love the meat in South America though...

[GirlFromMars]

Erm, Aussie Beef. Ok, the beef in Japan, was nice.

[Ghostinthemachine]

The Koreans will get over it but it will take a few generations. Britain occupied Ireland for over 800 years. The Rep. of Ireland only became independant in 1922. I remember my grandfather telling me about the slogan "Burn everything British except their coal".

Nowadays younger Irish people couldn't care less. We've moved on.

Let the Koreans take their time to heal. Before they can forgive they've got to be able to express their anger. If they just try to repress it they'll never really forgive.

*I think it should be called The Irish Sea.*

[Seoultrader]

Speaking of comfort women (gotta love that term), I've been thinking about opening a "Comfort Women Bar" in Shinchon, you know...right next to the Third Reich bar glorifying the jew exterminators.

[the_beaver]

[noelinkorea]

Yes - this is one argument that tires me. Someone further back asked what it is in Russian - it's Yaponskoye Morye, which translates effectively as the same (or Japanese Sea, take your pick). I don't know of any political issues there with the name, a fisherman I talked to (who trawled in Korea) used it without any prejudice or ill intention...a name, I guess. The 'East Sea' name is pointless I reckon - only really east of the Koreas (you could count Russia too, but wow). About this name specifically, I heard also that in many countries people call seas in their vicinity the 'East Sea' anyway, and part of the point is that it's so it can be geographically identified for cartographers, sailors, etc. 'Blue Sea' (as another 'original' name someone suggested) is okay, but a lot of seas are blue. What do the Japanese call it?

[ulsanchris]

This is a little off topic, but its relation to what Pets wonderland said about being treated poorly in Japan because he was Korean. Last chusok I was in china with a korean guided tour. Whenever the chinese realised that the koreans were korean they started to treat them really badly. The hawkers would become even more annoying, some chinese would laugh at the koreans. One old crazy idiot started chanting china is great; declared the japanese to be cruel, and laughed at the koreans. I think koreans, chinese and the japanese all like to think that they are better than each other.

[ulsanchris]

During the world cup last year I asked some students who will they cheer for china or the country china was playing against. my students said china. why? i asked. because they are asian they said. then i asked who will you cheer for japan or what ever team japan was playing against. the other team said my students. why? because we hate japan. but they are an asian team playing against a non-asian team i pointed out. yeah but we hate japan.
on another note shortly after 9/11 my vice director said that if that happened in Japan he would have been happy. The plus side to this is the most of the other koreans in the room seemed to be horrified by this comment.
About the only koreans you will find that don't hate the japanese are the ones who studied oversees and made friends with their japanese class mates.

[sickboy]

From people I have talked to all over Asia, Koreans seem to be the most disliked as a whole.

Most Viet Namese, in my experience despised them out of the war and the colonization of their cities into priveleged Korea towns.