Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[Summer Wine]

[Mills]

[Mills]

[Qinella]

[philipjames]

Okay, let's clear something up. The person whom I lent the money to at Seoul Station was not a person who was down on his luck. He was a person who had lost his wallet, and who simply needed money to get back to Pusan - where he could access all his money. He had money. (In fact, he wouldn't shut up telling me how much he had.)

Now, someone above said that I shouldn't have been 'hounding' or 'harassing' this guy once a week 'like a collections officer.' If the guy was down and out, having fallen on hard times, then of course it would be immoral to harass him over 30,000 won. But that was not the case. It was the case of a complete stranger helping out a guy who HAD money, but simply couldn'y access it at that exact point in time.

I wasn't harassing anybody. I lent the money to him on a Friday (probably after a dozen other people had turned him down) with the assurance that he would send it to me the following Monday. A week later he hasn't even contacted me about repaying it. He obviously felt no social obligation to repay it as promised.

I made threephone calls to him over a three week period, then gave up. By what logic is that 'harassing' him. He was either a scam artist, or a character who feels he has no obligation to repay loans from friends or strangers. Asking him to return my money was well within the bounds of reasonable behavior.

My act of kindness to him was to lend him money. I don't 'give' money to people who have money. That's just silly. I 'give' money to people who need it . I 'lend' money to people who temporarily can't access their money, or need 50,000 until payday. I do, however, expect it back. Again, its not about the money. It's the principle.

If the man was genuinely in need I would have given him many times that amount and been happy if I never saw it again.

This man was NOT in need. He should have returned my money, or at the very least, sent me an email. He masde ZERO attempt to repay the money. Yet I'm harassing HIM? I don't think so.


ps. I'm not a Christian. I simply remembered the quote about criminals even helping their buddies. It just so happened that Jesus supposedly, allegedly, perhaps said that. Next time I promise to quote Gandi, Buddha or my Aunt Gertrude.

[laogaiguk]

[Qinella]

[funkywinkerbeans]

Have to agree with Philip James on this one. If the guy says he's going to pay you back and gives you his phone #, then by all means hound the guy to pay the money back. Start phoning him at all times.

There's a difference between lending a person money and giving money to someone.

Those who say otherwise, probably have tight fists and never land or give money as they don't understand the concept.

P.S. I also just figured out who Philipjames is as he told me this story in person.

If you want to meet PhilipJames, he'll be the guy singing all the Irish rebel songs at the Chosin this weekend.

[Dan The Chainsawman]

[Yaya]

Loaning money is bad, bad, bad, even to relatives. I remember loaning 300,000 won to this Korean adoptee guy who had been a preacher back in the United States. He took off with it soon afterwards.

The thing is, many expats in Korea are cheapskates and are used to getting treated by Koreans. I remember one loser I unfortunately had the displeasure of meeting and how he was surprised when I said, "Ok, your share of the bill is 5,000 won."

[JongnoGuru]

[Harpeau]

[Cheonmunka]

Sometimes people need help on the way up. But these people who take money / cash from a guy with no intention and thought to paying it back should be had up for it. That's disgusting. If they don't have the funds they should deal honesty.
In merchant of Venice there's the thing about not lending and borrowing but at times we have to borrow, have to lend.

[red headed stranger]