Korean Job Discussion Forums

[captain kirk]

I love Korea. And, like working at the hagwon, it's like a relationship. You have to work it out, so have patience. And, in the end, there will be an understanding so things can carry on smoothly, and because of that clarity.

Well one of my classes has six members, 13 I'd say, three boys, three girls. The three boys all wear their taekwondo outfits to class and sit with their legs splayed out and their black belts. One boy, the tallest, is a real craphead. Disrespectful, and handsome in the way that I can see him, down the road, being what he is now. Except he'll be driving his SUV. He will still disrespect foreigners. I'm at odds with him blatantly since he walks in one day late but instead of being respectful, modest, and aplologetic he bursts in with a lilting 'hi!'. The kind of 'hi hello' that's more of a joke attack than anything sensical.

Well last class we're talking about the material and one of the boys says something about 'monkey tree'. So I stop and split them all up, the three boys, so they're isolated about the room and can't get the three to one thing going, cut ups vs teacher. I suppose 'monkey tree' was about me being a white monkey and living in a tree, or something equally ridiculous. Class went on but in a sort of dry, grinding way since I can't care anymore about these idiots. The girls in the class are all right. And I felt bad that they had to tune in to the hostility.

So I got to thinking about those guys. Their fathers, chances are, probably cast racial aspersions about white monkeys and that's just the way it is here in Korea. So why should it be jarring to encounter such juvenile self-centeredness (but on a national, patriotic scale) from the mouths of youths? They have so much potential for one thing. And I'm a huge fan of the creative potential of children. They can do anything. They will save the world. They have the potential to do that.

So I'm thinking about these misguided louts and also about the Korean War, which I'm reading about while at the same time living where there was a huge battle from July 1 to the end of August, 1950. 17,000 North Koreans and 10,000 Allied forces died. The Allies had set up the Naktong river perimeter and decided to hold it or be pushed into the sea. So there was fierce, hold down, fighting. Lots of young Americans died doing this.

They died. Think about that. They were doing their job in a country they didn't have much allegiance to. But they did their jobs and died. Fighting alongside ROK units. They could have completed their lives doing other things but their lives were cut short. You could look at the hills and, probably, 'white people' died in battle there fighting for South Korea.

Now getting back to the 'white monkey' thing. Koreans not entirely trusting foreigners. I can't see how that disrespect and tension can be justified considering the sacrifices made by Commonwealth/Allied forces fighting until their death here. And I'm going to use this as ammo to try to 'turn' the minds of those smug youths I mentioned. I wonder if they've ever thought about it?

[The Lemon]

Slow down. I've been in more than enough classes with Korean prepubescent boys to last 20 lifetimes, so I feel your pain.

It's not unlikely that they're picking up anti-waeguk vibes at home, as well as from their friends, the Korean media, their teachers... but then again, how come the girls, who are the same age, are "ok"?

I think boys in Korea are "special".

It may be universal that 10-14 year old boys are immature, offensive little brats, in any country. My own experience points to this. But mix together the semi-latent xenophobia of Korea, the way Korean boys are doted on from birth, the extreme tendency among Korean kids to ostracise and ridicule anyone "different", and aren't you likely to get extremely offensive boys like your students?

Teaching them about foreign contributions to the country might make sense on paper, but I'm not sure how it'd go over in practice. Possibly over their heads: "what's this monkey lecturing us about?" If you do it, I'd like to hear the outcome.

[captain kirk]

Well, the notion that other white people like myself died fighting for South Korea is grounding to me. And it causes me to 'slow down' as you advise. There is a vibe that can be picked up here in K that foreigners don't belong. Did those Americans (and soldiers of other countries) who died not belong, whose bones and flesh are blown apart and scattered among the dirt and stones of the fields, ridges, and mountains? The Korean War raged up and down the country for three years so, chances are, the remains of the bodies of foreign soldiers are built into the landscape everywhere you look.

On the other hand this is kind of heavy ammunition that, as you say, might fly over there heads. But I don't see how. It's a pretty simple concept; foreigners like me died so that South Korea can be free, and the prosperous country it is today. People, like these obnoxious teenage boys, have a fantastic quality of life these days here in Korea. And foreigners should be respected. They didn't always just invade. They died in their foxholes blown to pieces protecting the nation.

I feel at home thinking about this stuff. It gives some substance to my presence here which is at times contested by the quasi latent xenophobia you're talking about. And, yes, teenage boys in Korea are special and are loaded with praise and importance because they carry the breadwinning torch in the future family, I understand that. They can be little buggers in class, though.

[Junior]

The lack of gratitude Koreans have to the west and the U.S in particular is appalling.

I'm all for the U.S cancelling the alliance. Korea must be made to face reality at some point.

Interesting convo with a Korean last week-

Me: What if NK attacks?

Her: he won't. He just talks a lot.Besides, we have good relations with the North.

Me: maybe thats what people thought before the war of 1950? Remember..NK has a far larger army than South korea.

Her: Yes but that is irrelevant. Most South koreans have done military training and could fight off the north. The entire population could become soldiers again within a week.

me: what about a nuclear blast?

her: well if we die we die. No point worrying about it. Koreans aren't afraid of death.

[The Lemon]

[Junior]

[cdninkorea]

[crazylemongirl]

I teach 1,000 teenage boys and while some of them are like that, there are also the ones out in the rain volunteering at the local foreign culture festival. I think that Korea is changing and attuides to foreigners are slowly changing and becoming close-minded Koreans isn't exactly going to help that process.

[laogaiguk]

It sounds like you are going to give a lecture. I am guessing you don't know kids very well if you are going to give a lecture

[RACETRAITOR]

The Korean War was complicated. You can't really judge an entire country based on assumptions about events from 50 years ago.

[ChuckECheese]

[captain kirk]

My impression is Koreans think the U.S. was meddling when it was fighting here. It wasn't fighting for Korea, they think. The U.S. botched up by dividing the penninsula into North and South at the end of WW2. This created a potential battleground for the powers of Communism and Democracy to play out their aggression. What would you call it, a way to show off? Something like that. Like Vietnam was.

EXCEPT (and a big except here) the soldiers who fought and died weren't the ones moving the pawns, they were the pawns. Normal, limited, mortal people whose lives were interrupted when they could have carried on to do other things back home in their home countries.

So for Koreans to come back with the argument (against the worth of American and Commonwealth assistance during the Korean War) foreigners shouldn't have been there in the first place, fighting, is taking the high, strategic view. Not the suffering, dying, what actually happened
perspective. Koreans are earthy people whatever propaganda is fed into their ears by the media's efforts to keep it real (really uni-racial and uber Korean) and I think they can understand the basics of a brothers in arms scenerio. All you need to do is look at photos from the time of Allied soldiers; grubby, tired, and for what? Not some strategic, economic, play out of superpower deal. Ordinary people doing their best in an ordeal.

[billybrobby]

I see nothing here but a huge persecution complex. The guy says "hi" and you see it as a "joke attack". They say "monkey tree" and you figure they must be talking about you.

You're so paranoid that they are making assumptions about you because you're a foreigner, that you have starting making ridiculous assumptions about them, down what type of car they will drive when they are older.

As I reread this post, I can't help but think you joking. Are you? You're gonna turn these guys minds around with lectures about the Korean War? Oh man, that'll be rich. These guys are looking at 2 years of mandatory service and you're gonna tell them about the nature of military sacrifice. I'd like to come over to where you work so I can personally snicker throughout your speech. haha.

[Junior]

[captain kirk]

My respect for you, Billybrobby, is significantly diminished to the point of now being almost non-existant. Except when you're joking, then you're amusing. Seriously, this is a serious topic which has merit as a subject for discussion and if you're throwing things around like, 'you're so paranoid', and 'I snicker at you' well, it's juvenile, man. This outlook I propose has a lot of ground to stand on. My point is this, and I'll repeat it. Foreigners died fighting for South Korea. That, in itself, is enough reason to stop prejudice against foreigners based on their race, skin colour, nationality (anyone not Korean) finally and totally.

But if you want to play around and be childish, well, I can't stop you young feller. I always enjoy your joking and think it's your strong suit. So you must be joking. Anyway, tell me, do you feel you get the respect you deserve as a foreign man in uniracial Korea? Or why is this, apparently, such a loaded issue for you that you attack me about it? Life is just a cruisin' along in your headphones for you, is it? Ignoring the undercurrents and possible undertows? Like I said this is a serious thread about culture and history. What happened and how the perception, in the end, is skewed. Your comments only skew it up further.

Why make it personal and me an object of mockery but for the short term gain of looking cool in your headphones? There's an issue of discussion here which is being neglected. In other words, you're attempting to derail the intent of the thread (which is discussion) to look cool like some kind of superficial glamour boy who has the ultimate word based on what? By undermining the speaker with attempts at mockery? What do you have to say that's on topic on this interesting topic? Do you have any depth of response in you, or is it flippant remarks rule with you?

And, Junior, you're not doing much better. Unfortunately anybody who has a serious interest in this topic has to scroll down through squabbling, thanks to the antics of you two guys. You both must stay after class.