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Trinitarian
Joined: 15 May 2008
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 Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:05 pm Post subject: Many Koreans think I am a United States soldier |
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What are the pros and cons of the people in Korea assuming I am an American soldier (I have a very athletic build) when in fact I am simply a hagwon slave  |
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bogey666
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Location: Korea, the ass free zone
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject: Re: Many Koreans think I am a United States soldier |
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| Trinitarian wrote: |
| What are the pros and cons of the people in Korea assuming I am an American soldier (I have a very athletic build) when in fact I am simply a hagwon slave |
once they learn you are not an American soldier (among some there may be some anti Americanism/politics which would be spilled unto the soldier)
you should be set. Once people see you out and about, it'll be obvious you're a civilian. I'll bet the local women won't be complaining about your build either.
given what I have seen from the average waygookin in Korea thus far, your athletic build should set you apart and serve you well , apart say from your average Brit whose shoulders are the same width as his waist, even when slim not to mention the overweight or nonathletic sloth.
so to summarize
cons - political disagreements may spill unto you...
pros - more attention, more women.
the pros will vastly outweigh the cons. Take it to the bank.
or get back to me in a month or so.
Last edited by bogey666 on Sun May 25, 2008 9:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ReeseDog
Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Location: Classified
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Do you wear a high-n-tight, there, you athletically built stud you? Or did you just want everyone here to know that you do a thousand crunches a day? |
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Temporary
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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I get the same thing.
Never heard of a soldier sporting colored hair and facial hair tho.
Not even an American. |
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ReeseDog
Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Location: Classified
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: Many Koreans think I am a United States soldier |
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| bogey666 wrote: |
| Trinitarian wrote: |
| What are the pros and cons of the people in Korea assuming I am an American soldier (I have a very athletic build) when in fact I am simply a hagwon slave |
once they learn you are not an American soldier (among some there may be some anti Americanism/politics which would be spilled unto the soldier)
you should be set. Once people see you out and about, it'll be obvious you're a civilian. I'll bet the local women won't be complaining about your build either.
given what I have seen from the average waygookin in Korea thus far, your athletic build should set you apart and serve you well , apart say from your average Brit whose shoulders are the same width as his waist, even when slim not to mention the overweight or nonathletic sloth.
so to summarize
cons - political disagreements may spill unto you...
pros - more attention, more women.
the pros will vastly outweigh the cons. Take it to the bank.
or get back to me in a month or so. |
Bogey - you said "nonathletic sloth." I thought you said "neolithic Scot." 
My PROFOUND apologies to Scots everywhere for that remark. You are culturally superior to those lowlife English, though. Know that. |
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PeterDragon
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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The main con will come from actual U.S> army guys, not Koreans. Although the majority of Koreans probably want the U.S. Army out of this country, most of them don't seem to judge soldier son an individual basis. Moreover, the signs that read "no soldiers" in Hongdae are place there by military policy, not Korean policy, as soldiers may be sanctioned and punished by the army for for being in Hongdae in the evening hours (Kangnam, too!). The Koreans in Hongdae themselves don't really enforce it.
No, the real problem comes from the military police, who may stop you and demand ID, harass you for "being out after curfew" other random military violations that don't apply to you.
I cock off to them as much as possible before yielding my ID, they can't touch me once they see I'm a civie. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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| PeterDragon wrote: |
| Although the majority of Koreans probably want the U.S. Army out of this country, |
Interesting. I seem to recall seeing an article in the news a few months ago which mentioned a survey result showing that most Koreans want the US military here.
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| Moreover, the signs that read "no soldiers" in Hongdae are place there by military policy, not Korean policy, as soldiers may be sanctioned and punished by the army for for being in Hongdae in the evening hours (Kangnam, too!). The Koreans in Hongdae themselves don't really enforce it. |
The Korean police, of course, do not enforce US military law. The establishments which have "Off Limits" signs posted are those who wish to lose that status and thus are complying with the request of the local US military commander to identify themselves as "Off Limits" and to refuse entry to US military personnel while the establishment is still in an "Off Limits" status. The US military personnel may be punished for violating lawful orders and regulations if they insist on being in "Off Limits" areas.
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| No, the real problem comes from the military police, who may stop you and demand ID, harass you for "being out after curfew" other random military violations that don't apply to you. |
They can demand all they want; however, you are under no obligation to provide anything at all to them while you are not on the military installations. You can ignore them. On the other hand, members of the US military, their command-sponsored family members, and others who do fall under the local US military commander's authority are required to present ID to the MPs upon request.
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| I cock off to them as much as possible before yielding my ID, they can't touch me once they see I'm a civie. |
Actually, they have to first establish that you are under their jurisdiction before they bug you. |
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SeoulFinn
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Location: 1h from Seoul
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome to the club! I get that "American soldier" stuff as well. Hey, is it my fault that I'm not an pencil neck with a hippy hair and facial piercings/tattoos?  No offense to hippies and pencil necks!
The biggest problem I get is form my gf. She really hates when I cut my hair �ber short. She says... you got it, "I don't want you to look like a GI!" It doesn't help when I tell her that I don't give a rat's hiney what others think. She obviously does, and I've failed to train her out of it.
I'm not sure if your physique will attract more attention from local ladies. As far as I know, K-women like these skinny dudes without any muscles. (This is actually another thing my gf doesn't like. If I really started to lift weights again, she would be afraid that I'll become big a la Ronnie Coleman. LOL!) Furthermore, the whiter (pale) your skin color is, the more attractive it seems to be to the local females. |
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PeterDragon
Joined: 15 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
Interesting. I seem to recall seeing an article in the news a few months ago which mentioned a survey result showing that most Koreans want the US military here. |
That could easily be the case. I should have actually said "the majority of Koreans I've discussed this with". Actually ALL of the Koreans I've discussed this with want the U.S. Army out. But I'm pretty much exclusively in contact with public school employees and Koreans under the age of 30, which may skew the sample.
| CentralCali wrote: |
Actually, they have to first establish that you are under their jurisdiction before they bug you
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This doesn't always stop them. It's admittedly a Catch 22--- the best way to establish whether they have the right to demand ID from me is to.... look at my ID. Bear in mind I'm also hanging out in Anjung-Ri (Camp Humphreys), not Itaewon (Yongsan Garrison, etc...). In Anjung Ri, it really is a safe bet that anyone not Korean or Fillipino is a soldier. I'm told I'm the only non-military affiliated Westerner who hangs out there; so far I haven't met any others of "my kind" to disprove this. |
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Fishead soup
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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| SeoulFinn wrote: |
Welcome to the club! I get that "American soldier" stuff as well. Hey, is it my fault that I'm not an pencil neck with a hippy hair and facial piercings/tattoos? No offense to hippies and pencil necks!
The biggest problem I get is form my gf. She really hates when I cut my hair �ber short. She says... you got it, "I don't want you to look like a GI!" It doesn't help when I tell her that I don't give a rat's hiney what others think. She obviously does, and I've failed to train her out of it.
I'm not sure if your physique will attract more attention from local ladies. As far as I know, K-women like these skinny dudes without any muscles. (This is actually another thing my gf doesn't like. If I really started to lift weights again, she would be afraid that I'll become big a la Ronnie Coleman. LOL!) Furthermore, the whiter (pale) your skin color is, the more attractive it seems to be to the local females. |
I also like to wear my hair short. When I first came here I worked for a hogwan, "Ding Ding Dang", cheesy name. One of ladies who worked for them tried to persuade me to grow my hair longer. As not to attact negative attention. I took the advice with a grain of salt. I mean it comes from a ding ding dinger
Now that I work for a public school I always get complimented when I get a haircut. I have been in numerous situations where I could have been easily been mistaken for a soldier. No violence and never a fight. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| I recall reading a month or two ago a report including a survey. 30% of S. Korean soldiers believed their #1 enemy is the USA. Sparkling. |
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Temporary
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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| SeoulFinn wrote: |
Welcome to the club! I get that "American soldier" stuff as well. Hey, is it my fault that I'm not an pencil neck with a hippy hair and facial piercings/tattoos? No offense to hippies and pencil necks!
The biggest problem I get is form my gf. She really hates when I cut my hair �ber short. She says... you got it, "I don't want you to look like a GI!" It doesn't help when I tell her that I don't give a rat's hiney what others think. She obviously does, and I've failed to train her out of it.
I'm not sure if your physique will attract more attention from local ladies. As far as I know, K-women like these skinny dudes without any muscles. (This is actually another thing my gf doesn't like. If I really started to lift weights again, she would be afraid that I'll become big a la Ronnie Coleman. LOL!) Furthermore, the whiter (pale) your skin color is, the more attractive it seems to be to the local females. |
They are not afraid of that you will get big they don't want YOU to look to good and appealing to other females thus of a less of a chance of you cheating on them. In reality they love a men that is sculpted and chiseled manly mass (well not like ronny coleman but like the 300 or Brad Pitt). |
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Css
Joined: 27 Sep 2004
Location: South of the river
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| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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I get it a lot too...im a big guy with broad shoulders and a shaved head...although im carrying some fat these days T.T gotta get back to the gym..
never really had anything openly negative from it... |
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bogey666
Joined: 17 Mar 2008
Location: Korea, the ass free zone
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 12:34 am Post subject: |
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When I first went to my gym, a guy asked me if I was a soldier.. I took that as a compliment.
I like wearing my hair short, but not as short as a GI, and certainly not bald/close cropped.
more of a Dolph Lundgren look though I could never look as good as that guy did in his day.
one thing I'll say is that I won't let Korean ideas on attractiveness determine for me what I deem to be attractive. Besides what works for them, would never work for me. and perhaps vice versa. I could never do the super skinny effeminate look with the pink tie but I saw some young guys in Seoul who can definitely pull it off and look good, if that's your "thing".
ergo for e.g. I will get a tan.. in fact went tanning on Sunday.. Koreans were looking at me like I was crazy when I laid down on the blanket in the park and took the shirt off. ... no matter how much they like someone who's pallid. |
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SOOHWA101
Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Location: Makin moves...trying to find 24pyung
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 12:43 am Post subject: |
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Same here...been here 2 years and have gotten it since the 1st day. Even some of the other Westerners don't know till I tell them.
Cons:
*people will avoid you (be it fear, disgust, or plain disrespect)
*many of the girls just simply dont find it attractive
*people always ask if you are one
*you have to hear them talk about how Koreans don't like the soldiers so much
*being asked why you want to look like that
Pros:
*the older women love the soldier look
*Koreans always try to show off to you at the gym (entertainment)
*you feel a sense of pride when you see out of shape long haired hippies
*if you growl when you get angry, people get scared
*Koreans will generally be intrigued about your shape |
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