Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BoholDiver]

This area, and most areas of the country seem to be going through a local election. Now this city is ugly anyways, but now it's really ugly, littered with posters of faceless 아저씨 and 아줌마 who want to lead this city in this way or that.

You can't come out of the station without being bombarded by people sticking up 1,2, or 3 fingers, seemingly to tell you to vote for candidate number 1, 2, or 3 respectively. They try to hand you business cards (not to foreigners, thankfully) and they have about 5 music trucks in front of the station simultaneously, making a cacophony of awful music that makes Super Junior seem like Mozart.

I find the whole election thing kind of ridiculous. The big sticking point seems to be these free meals in schools. As it is, parents pay around 1000 won a day for meals. Is it that big of a deal? I know every bit counts, and free stuff rocks, but it's just more tax burden for the country. Either that, or the quality will go down.

Other candidates have things on their posters, like 'free childcare', 'better education', and the like. Korea seems to be leaning more and more towards Socialism, but no one would accept the tax burden that Socialism would bring to Korea.

I will be glad when this election is over.

[ttompatz]

[BoholDiver]

I am actually Canadian. My ideal government lies somewhere between Socialism and Capitalism. The happy medium. I like free education and free universal health care.

I find Korea's lean towards Socialism laughable because of how many Koreans are blatant tax cheats.

[yeti08]

The true election woe is the ridiculous noise pollution blared constantly. 8am it started in my neighborhood. 2 trucks parked on the adjacent corner and have been taking turns playing their inane songs OVER and OVER again. It's now 8:30 and it's STILL happening. The SAME 2 songs.......
I closed my windows and can still hear it......

I am in hell.

[Mr. BlackCat]

Koreans aren't ones for nuance. They don't realize that when you have 4 trucks blaring music people end up hearing nothing but noise. 4 groups of ajummas screaming the same slogans, 4 men in business suits throwing business cards at them. It's just like the stores and buildings here, not only do none of them stand out, it seems like they strive to look identical. When you walk through Jongno, Gangnam, Sinchon, etc., nothing stands out because everything is blaring incomprehensibly loud music and blinding lights.

Where I get off the subway for work it's under a tunnel and the sidewalk is busy and narrow. The noise from these trucks in the tunnel is so great people run through covering their ears, there's a school on one side and the children cry and scream, vendors actually wear multiple earmuffs. Normally there's little room for everyone, but with all these shouting people and men harrassing commuters it's unbearable. The thing is, no one likes it, everyone is in a panic running and crying, you can't hear a single word from anyone. Yet it happens every election.

The good thing is we get a day off next week. Though the volume is doubled that day so don't expect to sleep in.

[DeMayonnaise]

[yeti08]

The whole election thing is stupid, utterly stupid. Thursday a truck parked right out front of our school for 2 periods and blasted the same song for an hour and a half. Nothing could be accomplished, nothing. I just played games and even that was a joke.
I hate, hate, hate the amount of noise pollution in this country.

[AsiaESLbound]

It's just candidates standing on trucks with music playing. Music like, "If you are happy and you know...clap your hands." That is campaigning? LOL

[Oreovictim]

Where I'm at, the different parties had dance offs on the corners. On one side of the street, there was a group in their little blue outfits and white caps, dancing to some stupid tune. On another corner, it was a group in green dancing to some other song. Very strange-e.

But I do like the fact that we don't get the fliers/cards/etc, because we can't vote. But it's not just a voting issue. It's funny; a new restaurant or gym will open it up, and someone will be handing out fliers like a madman. When you walk by, they usually avoid you or put their arm back down. Hm . . . maybe it's not so funny.

[yeti08]

I am just really bothered by the noise pollution, I know this is the 3rd time I've mini ranted about it, but really?! I was complaining about the noise bothering a class and the Koreans looked at me like I was a monster. How dare I complain about their songs. They also refuse to believe that this doesn't happen in America.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Senior]

[BoholDiver]

Canada would be more of a case of peopel cooking the books a bit, or claiming less income than they really made.

Here, massive numbers of people just don't claim. They don't file taxes and the gov't lets them get away with it.

Also, businesses offer discounts if you pay in cash for that very reason. Not only do they not pay the profit of that sale on their income tax, but they pocket the 10% of the purchase that is VAT.

Socialism, or Mini-Socialism here will fail. No one will accept the tax burden.

[Tud Ferguson]

Free Free Free, hey idiots it ain't free if you pay for it with your tax dollars. Remember that Socializim is great untill you run out of other people's money to spend. And to the moron who said some jiberish about a democatic decision on how to spend the money of a society??? When have you EVER had a say in how something was spent? Look at the health care bill a majority don't want it, but they got it. Look at the Bank bailout, most didn't want that but you got it. All you lazy slobs who want free this and free that, and want to take from others to get it, you're gonna get it all right, when the whole house of cards comes crashing down and the ponzi schemes end.

[wylies99]