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Cave Dweller
Joined: 17 Aug 2014
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:03 pm Post subject: Re: Why I left Korea |
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No less embarrassed by Harper's recent actions in Canada. The saddest part is that Harper is the best among the other party laders, and that is saying a lot.
Park is a friggin' communist.
| Sister Ray wrote: |
| big_fella1 wrote: |
| I left Korea this year for only 1 reason. In Korea I was always a foreigner even though I had permanent residency. In Australia my Korean wife has permanent residency and for all day to day dealings she is Australian. |
That's interesting. I like the "foreigner" experience -being separated from the majority population allows me to feel more comfortable.
For example, if I were an Australian living in Australia now I would be terribly ashamed and upset with the recent developments under Tony Abbott's government.
However, in Japan, despite Abe also being a moron (perhaps not as obnoxious as Abbott, however,) it doesn't bother me. I'm in Japan but my lack of investment and involvement in civic life insulates me from getting too annoyed with it. Similarly when I was in Korea, Park probably is as obnoxious as Abbott, but I didn't really care.
It's hard to explain, but, for me, it takes a lot of mental stress out of my life not having to feel in some way connected to the majority. I can observe the appalling state of society but not feel in some way responsible like I would at home.
Vive le étranger. |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: Why I left Korea |
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| Cave Dweller wrote: |
No less embarrassed by Harper's recent actions in
Park is a friggin' communist.
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Well, indeed. My own home Government is also an abomination recently reelected with a large majority. I only chose Australia as an example as the OP had moved there and Abbott has been particularly objectionable for the past few weeks.
If Park was actually a communist she'd probably be less objectionable than she is currently. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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Why do you care that much about the leader of the country you live in, they don't affect your daily life much.
I lived in Korea under Noh, Lee, and Park - I don't think my life changed because of them. |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
Why do you care that much about the leader of the country you live in, they don't affect your daily life much.
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I don't care if it's not my home country. That's pretty much my point. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Your vote for local school board and stuff like millage increases for parks has for more impact on your daily life relative to your vote for President in terms of influence from your vote. When races have vote totals of roughly 1000 votes cast, those elected officials are going to be far more responsive and 1 million times more accessible. |
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Cave Dweller
Joined: 17 Aug 2014
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 1:04 am Post subject: |
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It certainly has affected our lives for the better or worse.
Under Noh, he made the F-2 visa a freelancer visa, improving a lot of things. Also under Lee, the new criminal checks came in, the proctology that is immigration now. Also, tensions with the north were bad and the exchange rate went to shit.
Under Park, the free market is no longer free.
| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
Why do you care that much about the leader of the country you live in, they don't affect your daily life much.
I lived in Korea under Noh, Lee, and Park - I don't think my life changed because of them. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 1:14 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Your vote for local school board and stuff like millage increases for parks has for more impact on your daily life relative to your vote for President in terms of influence from your vote. |
Well, yes, but that's because your vote for President has an approximate influence of zero. Choosing Presidents by popular vote only really makes sense when the Presidency is relatively weak; the consequences of such a superficial voting process -- and a mass vote on that scale can't help but be superficial -- should in turn be superficial. |
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LPKSA
Joined: 24 Feb 2014
Location: Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 2:18 am Post subject: |
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| I went from Korea to KTown LA and found... I was still a foreigner. |
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big_fella1
Joined: 08 Dec 2005
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:56 am Post subject: |
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I never claimed that Australia was perfect nor that Korea was bad. I just expressed my preference for my family being treated the same.
Regarding racism by Australians it does exist but attacks based on race if reported will lead to criminal convictions. We have anti-discrimination laws here. |
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Squire
Joined: 26 Sep 2010
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:06 am Post subject: |
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| I read a good comment on here by someone who said in the early stages of his relationship with his (now) wife he asked her to stop thinking of him as a foreigner and think of him as a person. It made me realise that apart from a small number of people who I've spent a lot of time with the vast majority of Koreans I'm around daily seem to still view me as primarily a foreigner before anything else. And not even a Brit, but just a general western foreigner. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:06 am Post subject: |
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| Cave Dweller wrote: |
It certainly has affected our lives for the better or worse.
Under Noh, he made the F-2 visa a freelancer visa, improving a lot of things. Also under Lee, the new criminal checks came in, the proctology that is immigration now. Also, tensions with the north were bad and the exchange rate went to shit.
Under Park, the free market is no longer free.
| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
Why do you care that much about the leader of the country you live in, they don't affect your daily life much.
I lived in Korea under Noh, Lee, and Park - I don't think my life changed because of them. |
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Those things happened while the Presidents were in office, but was it because they were in office? I think it would have happened whoever was in office.
Most of the changes affecting F2s happened due to regulatory changes at the Ministry of Education (drug tests, Apostiled degrees), I don't even think the congress voted on them? That's what bothered me about them - that someone could have a brainfart and affect your life so much. That even with permanent residency, you were still treated like a E2 or any other foreigner in everyday life (banking, etc.).
I think the criminal checks came in under Noh? From 2003 (when I arrived) the checks just kept getting worse. In 2004 they started by asking for transcripts, and a phone verification of the degree. I don't think they're to do with the President, but rather "bright ideas" by immigration officers - and now the Ministry of Education. |
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Chaparrastique
Joined: 01 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Cave Dweller wrote: |
| under Lee, the new criminal checks came in, the proctology that is immigration now. |
Roh encouraged the whole anti-americanism. Which made life difficult for foreigners.
2MB was the pits in terms of general policy and as a leader but also because he amped up the whole visa process.
Ms Park has been OK so far. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
| Cave Dweller wrote: |
It certainly has affected our lives for the better or worse.
Under Noh, he made the F-2 visa a freelancer visa, improving a lot of things. Also under Lee, the new criminal checks came in, the proctology that is immigration now. Also, tensions with the north were bad and the exchange rate went to shit.
Under Park, the free market is no longer free.
| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
Why do you care that much about the leader of the country you live in, they don't affect your daily life much.
I lived in Korea under Noh, Lee, and Park - I don't think my life changed because of them. |
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Those things happened while the Presidents were in office, but was it because they were in office? I think it would have happened whoever was in office.
Most of the changes affecting F2s happened due to regulatory changes at the Ministry of Education (drug tests, Apostiled degrees), I don't even think the congress voted on them? That's what bothered me about them - that someone could have a brainfart and affect your life so much. That even with permanent residency, you were still treated like a E2 or any other foreigner in everyday life (banking, etc.).
I think the criminal checks came in under Noh? From 2003 (when I arrived) the checks just kept getting worse. In 2004 they started by asking for transcripts, and a phone verification of the degree. I don't think they're to do with the President, but rather "bright ideas" by immigration officers - and now the Ministry of Education. |
Korea works from the top down. The president might not have been personally responsible for these policies, but the very conservative tone Lee and Park set certainly had some influence on such policies coming about.
And, as stated above, the weak won economic policy was Lee's idea and one Park has continued. |
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Roman Holiday
Joined: 22 Sep 2014
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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Well, after reading the posts here on Dave's over the last month or so, I'm now seriously reconsidering my plans to come back to Korea ['even' with MA, 5 years Korean uni experience, in mid-40s, can speak Korean]. When I left, I thought I'd left for good. Then after a few years I missed it and thought about returning. But if the working conditions, competition, cost of living etc have deteriorated to the extent described here, I may just have to give up on the country once and for all.
Am in two minds at the moment, so I guess I'll have to sit down and brainstorm all the positives and negatives.
Just for starters:
Positive: Get 50% cash back on airfare.....
Negative: Lose 50% of airfare.....
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, yes, but that's because your vote for President has an approximate influence of zero. Choosing Presidents by popular vote only really makes sense when the Presidency is relatively weak; the consequences of such a superficial voting process -- and a mass vote on that scale can't help but be superficial -- should in turn be superficial. |
That's a good point.
| Quote: |
| Most of the changes affecting F2s happened due to regulatory changes at the Ministry of Education (drug tests, Apostiled degrees) |
Those regulations were inevitable. A virtual mathematical certainty. Sooner or later in a field in which there was ZERO regulation some sort of bad case would slip through that would inevitably bring about some kind of regulation. And how exactly a criminal background check and a drug test is some sort of terrible burden on people TEACHING CHILDREN is beyond me. |
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