Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yaya]

On a cold night in the Gobi, a tourist van, limping on three tires and a steel rim, bounced up to a ger, the circular tent of the desert nomads.

After peering into the tent, the three young tourists asked the herdsmen inside for help. The men grouchily gave them a choice: watch the last half of a Korean soap opera on television, or wait it out under the stars.

''They were just too busy to notice us,'' Khorolsuren Byambasuren, the tour guide, said here, still miffed at the memory of her mid-September mishap. ''They waited until midnight, when Min Sung Yong happily met Kim In Ha, at the last part of 'Intrigues of the Life.' Then the guys enthusiastically helped us, and we were on our way to the tourist camp at 3 a.m.''

Mongolia's ancient hospitality takes a holiday during the time slot for dubbed South Korean soap operas. With Mongolia's two main television channels showing South Korean movies daily, a giant Do Not Disturb sign goes up every evening across this sparsely populated land.

Mongolians and Koreans are ethnically related peoples cut off by centuries of history. In the 13th century, Mongolians swept across China and down the Korean peninsula, and were on the brink of invading Japan until several naval disasters changed their minds.

Mongolia's occupation of Korea left linguistic affinities, shared genes and wild horse herds, known to this day as Mongolians, on the South Korean island of Cheju, the staging base for the frustrated invasion of Japan.

Today's bonds reflect, to some degree, the solidarity of two small nations living on the edges of a rising China. Commercially, Mongolia is an outpost for Korean business. On an ethnic level, Koreans and Mongolians are like fraternal twins.

Advertising banners here implore ''UB'' girls to try a cosmetics line from Seoul, Ulan Bator's new style maker. For advertising campaigns in Mongolia, South Korean companies do not bother to reshoot with local models.

''It works -- our features are that similar,'' Miss Byambasuren said over lunch at a sidewalk cafe, almost in the shadow of a billboard for Skytel, a South Korean-owned cellphone company.

Kim Sung Chul, a South Korean pastor who has been here three years, said, ''We look the same; our skin is the same; our grammar structure is the same.''

Since 1999, the year Kim Dae Jung, then South Korea's president, flew here, the Ulan Bator-Seoul route has been one of the busiest for Korean Air and Mongolian Airlines.

Remittances from Mongolians working in South Korea have become an important source of income to this nation of 2.5 million. With 20,000 Mongolians in South Korea, largely on tourist visas, South Korea now has more Mongolians than Japan, Europe and the United States combined.

In a chic new section of Ulan Bator, the Sky Shopping Center (100 percent Korean-owned) faces the nation's largest development, a complex of apartments, offices and shops in a series of 13-story towers that will include the Seoul Restaurant, Seoul Bakery, Seoul Sports and the Seoul Trade and Development Center.

While some Mongolians say they are put off by a Korean arrogance, many Koreans say the advantages are there for both sides.

''After two years, Koreans can speak Mongolian,'' said Kim Wan Jin, a translator who is one of the roughly 1,000 Koreans who have moved here in the last five years. ''But it is even easier for Mongolian people to learn Korean.''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E7DE133FF931A25753C1A9659C8B63

[jdog2050]

Sadly Koreans really do tend to look down on Mongolians. Actually, let me rephrase that, I think they look down on the "idea" of what Mongolia has to offer. After my trip about 1.5 years ago, my coteachers would be like "why are you going there? What's there to do?" I don't think Koreans will really *get it* until they see the "progress" of Seoul as more of a spiritual gutter. Then they'll see the vast empty plains as a haven, not just dirt and sky

[talika]

That's an interesting article, and something I've known for a long time as well. Mongolia is one place that I'd love to visit soon.

[monkinwonderland]

I remember when they visited Mongolia in Long Way Around, everyone was drinking Hite.

[Yaya]

I lived in Los Angeles for two years. I lived in a house that I thought was mostly Korean students, but I got to meet Mongolians who looked EXACTLY like Koreans. It was scary how much they look like Koreans, more than Chinese or Japanese.

[nautilus]

That vast, open, deserted, quiet steppe looks like the perfect antidote to a year of Korea. beautiful.
must get over there sometime. Before Koreans go there and build a billion appartment blocks all over it.

[bluelake]

At the university where I teach, we have many Mongolian students. I really like them and they really try hard. I've never been to Mongolia, but I'd like to, especially during the Naadam festival.

[Tiger Beer]

I was in Mongolia, and they looked significantly more like Koreans than any other Asian nationality by far. Very bizarre.

I've been wondering recently if Kazakhs also look similar, as I heard most Kazakhs are ethnic Mongolians from back in the day.

[bangbayed]

Many Koreans who are ethnically Mongolian are quite proud of their heritage. I've heard ajussis get in fights over it.

[i4NI]

Mongolian males also tend to wear girly clothes, i.e. male capris and pink too much.

[VanIslander]

[bassexpander]

Mongolian sounds like Klingon.

It's fun to listen to.