Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gwangjuboy]

Yesterday, while taking the subway I was on the phone to a Korean friend. Sat next to me was an ajoshi and his wife. About four minutes into the phone call the following conversation ensued, (the gist of it)

Ajoshi - �� ��������!
(Hey, shut up!)

Me - (finishing the phone call) �ָ𸣴� ������� �ݸ��ؿ�?
(Why do you speak with banmal to someone you don't know?)

A - ���߳�! �ʹ��ò�����!
(*beep* off, you are too noisy)

Me - ���� �Ҹ��� ��ȭ �ϰ��־��µ���. �ֿ��ؿ�?
(I was speaking quitely though)

A - Bursts into tirade, and repeatedly swears at me. He used every Korean swear word I have ever learnt, and then some. Very very loud.

Me- ���� ���� �� �ò�����? �ѱ����� ��⵿�� ��Ҵµ� �̷��� ���ϰ� ��޹޴°��� ó���̾�! �β������� �˾ƾߵ�.
(Who is being louder now? I have lived in Korea for several years but this is the first time I have been treated like this. You should be ashamed)

A - Go back home (in English) �̱���! (assumes I am an American - I am not)

Me - �̱������Դٰ� ������? �������� �Դµ�.
(You think I am from the US? I am from the UK.

A - I then turn to his wife, �����̼���? ì��������������?
(Is he your husband? Are you not ashamed?

A's Wife - ì�Ǿ���!
(I am not ashamed)

A- He interupts and repeatedly swears. I don't understand half of what he is saying. He is going wild.

-------------

At this point a woman in here forties swaps places with me and surprisingly defends me. She tells him he is a bigot, and that he is too noisy. He then rounds on her asking why she would defend a foreigner, and repeatedly swears at her too. At this point, several middle aged men sat opposite shout at him, and tell him to shut up. At this point he realises he doesn't have any support so offers a weak apology to them. By chance, me, the woman who helped me, and the ajoshi alight at the same station. On the platform he attempts to grab the woman who defended me, but is restrained by his wife. Everyone seperates, and I exit the station. I can honestly say, that was the worst experience I have encountered during my time in Korea. The guy didn't even seem drunk. In England, I would have found it difficult to resist hitting him. (I am not big, but he was about 5'6.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I think you handled that situation superbly. And it's assuring to hear of the majority of Koreans being reasonable in a situation like that.

[spliff]

fUNNY! Wish I could have witnessed it. I would have covertly spit a huge hawker on me fingers and flung it on his back as he was walking away.

[keithinkorea]

Yeahn well done. I'm pleased with how the Koreans reacted to him and you behaved with dignity and reason, he got mad because he lost face, he made himself look like a fool and he blamed you for it.

Fortunately the Ajoshi Dinosaur is a dying out breed.

I find the old Korean guys to be often very friendly and pleasant, it is the middle aged ones who can be a pain in the arse.

[ilovebdt]

[Gwangjuboy]

[Zyzyfer]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Last Friday night some of my friends got into a huge screaming argument and the whole bar came to a stop and was starring at us. I can only imagine how that sounded to them.

[khyber]

several times i've been laughing my head off at a story my friend has told on the subway, and we have always got at least sideways dirty glances. I have twice been told to shut up and cursed out by the halmonis who seem intent on ruining the fun.
Unfortunately, we didn't have the knowledge the OP had in Korean (well done by the way!) so we just sorta looked sheepish for a few minutes...then busted right back into the laughter...
Itwas great.
sorry lady, it was a funny story and i couldn't help but laugh...

[Paddycakes]

This phrase can come in handy in situations like this:

"No-noon Il-Bon Yon"...

Translated, it means "You are a Japanese b*tch"...

[riley]

I had something similar happen at a gym to me. Some middle aged ajosshi decided to yell at me across the gym to be quiet. I go over to him to talk and tell him that he's being rude and he tells me the typical bigot statement "You are in (name of country) Speak (country's language)" So after talking to him and him yelling at me, I go and find the owner and talk to him. I tell what happened, and he comes back a little later showing me a picture on the computer of the guy. I say yeah that's him, and the owner tells me that he will talk to the guy. Haven' seen the bigot since.

Sidenote, at least bigots here are smart enough to generally say it in a foriegn language, back home they'd just yell in English at a couple of foriegners.

[red headed stranger]

I had a similar experince on the KTX. There was an ajumma two rows up who was on her phone and speaking loudly for about 20 minutes. No one said anything. Later on on the trip, my wife answered a call, did the typical "yeh yeh" thing a few times and hung up. Someone got up to complain to one of the KTX workers and they actually told my wife to not use her phone anymore!

[laogaiguk]

Luckily I have never had this problem. These people in these stories suck (the ajossis I mean).

[manlyboy]

I've been in one or two of these, and had Korean bystanders admonish the culprit. However, I tend to get the feeling they do it not so much because they want to help the foreigner, but because they feel it's embarrassing to their country, and consequently to themselves personally.

Actually, at the motor vehicle registry on the weekend, I saw this Canadian guy being very loud and rude (I knew he was Canadian, because he kept yelling out things like "In Canada, we don't have to do these stupid things"!). Everyone, myself included, was watching him in disgust. As I was the only other whitey in there, I thought I might cop a bit of flak by association, but it turned out that everyone who I dealt with was exceedingly nice and polite. It seemed that they actually felt sorry for me because of the way the other guy was acting. As if his actions somehow translated into a loss of face for me over which they were quite sympathetic.

[itaewonguy]

that same thing happend to me back in the days when I was a subway hobbit! I was on the subway and talking on my phone as do most other people! and I talking softly not like koreans'YOBOSAYO!! YOBOSAYO!!!
YOBOSAYA!! you are in a tunnel numbnuts!!
anyway so there I am minding my own business when someone yells at me from half way down the carriage and says in English- HEY SHUT UP!
so I just stare at him and keep talking!
he repeats the process I keep ignoring him making him more angry!

another time I told a guy to *beep* OFF! and look around the carriage there are atleast 5 other people on the phone go bother them!

another time had a AJOSI ran towards me! I mean he was Blining me!
he then grabs me! and SAYS! ARE YOU AMERICAN!!
I say NO!!
he says Oh where are you from!!?
I say New zealand.. he then says! GOOD I HATE USA!!!
Im like ohhh k..

I have seen heaps of crap on the subway..glad my days of riding public transport are WAY behind me!!