Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Olivencia]

Is there anything that you do in Korea that Korean society culturally (not legally) disapproves of?

[conbon78]

Yes...I find most people are offended culturally, although I'm never sure when. Like if I blow my nose - they think it is disgusting because they think you should suck it up through your nose and then spit it out. Or if I start eating before the oldest person at the table, which I'm never sure who is the oldest since no one shares their birthday with me. Lots of things...the list could go on. I just play the foreigner card.

[BoholDiver]

Just my general attitude. People think they have the right to touch my daughter, tell me how to parent, etc. I let them know not to do that. The look of shock on their face says it all.

I was scolded by one of my wife's friends once. She came over and was talking 100% to my wife and none to me. I started using the computer. She told me that was rude because we had guests. It's 'Korean culture'. I countered and said 'The master of this house is not Korean,' and continued.

[sarahsiobhan]

Ko-workers- "Sarah Teacher, you have boyfriend?"

Me- "No."

Ko-workers- "Sarah Teacher, why no boyfriend? "

Me- "Just because. It's complicated."

Ko-workers- "But what about married?"

Me- "I never want to get married."

Ko-workers all fall over from the shock, then try to tell me I *have* to get married, for various reasons...too many to list. They think I am insane.

[andrewchon]

+1 on blowing the nose.

[redaxe]

[CentralCali]

I have the audacity to be a single foreign male in this country and--horror of horrors!--actually speak in Korean with single female Koreans in public!

[ashland]

this thread is going nowhere...
TRASH.
these fools have no future.

[ytuque]

[conbon78]

The cultural crap about things I "have to" do drives me batty. For example...I'm marrying a Korean and we work at a Korean corporation.

1) When is your wedding? Where will it be? You have to have a Korean wedding.
Answer: We haven't decided yet (even though we are getting married in Greece) b/c if we tell them its going to be hours of questioning and looks of disappointment about how we are disappointing their culture.

Question - Why do we have to have a Korean wedding? Is that the law? Will I be shot, taken to jail, or what will happen to me if I don't? NOTHING. Funny thing is that my fiance just constantly challenges people on it by saying WHY? And they don't know how to respond.

Also...we are going to Chicago over Lunar New Year.
Korean's response: No, you should go see your fiance's family in Busan.
My response: No, I think we are going to go see my family.
Korean's response: Well you are marrying a Korean so you need to spend the holidays with his family.

Really? Where is that rule written? I would like to see documentation. They can get in the wind for all I care.

Funny side note: my fiance called the embassy of Korea in Greece to coordinate the paperwork, but the lady didn't know what to tell him. She said "we've never had any Koreans get married in Greece. We'll I will talk to the Japan embassy because they have." hahaha Not ONE single Korean has ever gotten married in Greece. Hilarious! I don't think they know where Greece is.

[jmuns]

[Steelrails]

Pour my own booze.
Not take off my shirt and pants while in the Noraebang.
Having a concept of personal space.
Have a problem-solving approach rather than an honorific approach.
Eating Alone.
Drinking Alone.
Treat my female co-workers equally regardless of physical appearance. (Though age is still shown its proper dignity)

[storysinger81]

conbon--Congrats on your wedding! And I hear you on most of your post (and your fiance's response of "Why?" is great... my fiance just laughs a little and smiles and then we do whatever we wanted to in the first place), but as a fellow about-to-be-wife of a Korean man, one of the exciting things is that the major holidays DON'T overlap at all... so there is no fighting about where to spend Christmas, Thanksgiving, Seollal, or Chuseok. We'll go where we want and whatever we can afford, but at least there's no fighting about it!

For example, our honeymoon will start the day after Seollal. We could have started from the day before (since it's a Saturday), but out of respect for his mom, we're staying two more days in Korea before heading out to Cambodia.

But yeah... the wedding/marriage have-tos are crazy. You have to buy all new furniture for your house (Um... we're moving to the US next year). You have to have the wedding in a wedding hall (Um... ew. They're tacky and expensive). You have to buy all his family members presents (What am I purchasing him from them?).

His family is great, but my co-workers.... those ladies are nuts.

[Forward Observer]

[0ju]