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Koreans Abroad; Mongolia and the Philippines
by Richardson

http://www.dprkstudies.org/2005/09/23/koreans-abroad-mongolia-and-the-philippines/

Digg this postA few weeks ago business took me to Asia, including about a week in both Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Manila in the Philippines. Being unfamiliar with those cities, I naturally gravitated towards something I know when looking for someplace to eat; Korean food.

Similar to Seoul, metro Manila has a population of just over 10 million, but the population density is the highest in the world 43,258 people/km� � compare to Shanghai (16,364 people/km�), Tokyo (10,087 people/km�), and Mexico City (11,700 people/km�). I stayed relatively close to my work site and hotel, so am not sure about the extent of Koreans there, though I have heard about a sizeable Kyopo (overseas Koreans) community there, including English students.

From the hotel room in Mania I could see a couple of restaurants (below on the right), and had to take a picture of the Tokdo Restaurant, although I didn�t try it. The food was about as good as Korea (the kimchi was as good), for about half the price for the same meal in Korea. The ju-in (owner) directed her Filipino workers � with very basic Korean language skills � from behind the counter:

Korean eats in Manila, Philippines

Unlike Manila, the influence of Koreans is very evident in Mongolia�s capital city, Ulaanbaatar. At least 90 percent of the busses are old Hyundai busses from Seoul, with �cha-dong-moon� (automatic door) on the doors, often with the old schedules still posted on the side (Hangul) next to the Ulaanbaatar (Cyrillic) schedule. A few Daewoo buses and an odd Soviet model still on the road as well. It also seems to be a dumping ground for old Hyundai Accents and various other Korean cars.

Cass beer signs practically litter the downtown area, and other Korean beers are readily available in restaurants and many stores. Many smaller stores and hotels, and one of the most popular department stores, are owned by Koreans. Needless to say, kimchi is not in short supply. Many other bits of Korean influence were also evident, including the colored concrete pavers for sidewalks so common in Korea.

The Korean food wasn�t quite up to par with Korea, but good enough. One of the places I tried specialized in mal-go-gi (horse meat), which I realized after my bul-go-gi arrived � mal bul-go-ki. If I hadn�t read the sign on the wall, I wouldn�t have known the difference.

I talked to a business man for a bit about his adventures in casinos for Japanese tourists, and it seems most of the Korean business are related to hotels, restaurants, gambling, and a few retail stores. Although I didn�t learn much about it, evidently Koreans are involved in education in the city as well (pic below).

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

At the airport on the way out I got an earful from a Mongolian who is, to put it politely, less than enchanted with the Korean influence on his home city. He worked for Koreans for a few years, and related that along with the business came the gang-pae (Korean mafia), which has been an inflationary factor. He added that Korean businesses generally don�t create jobs for Mongolians, and when they do, the local workers are treated and paid very poorly. South Koreans do not have a very good reputation among Mongolians.

Of course I did some investigating to see if I could meet any North Koreans, but none were evident when I inquired among locals or other Koreans, and I didn�t push it � if they�re not out in the open and easy to find, they�ve probably have good reason.