Korean Job Discussion Forums

Weigookin74 · Joined: 26 Oct 2009

I remember hearing a lot about foriegner bashing through much of 2009. But nowadays, I'm hearing a lot less. Is the media still beating up on us and it's being kept from us or has it reduced itself from before? I used to read a lot of blogs on here about it. Nowadays, I'm not seeing as much. Even this site hasn't been updated lately. Or are we being censored?

http://www.koreanmediawatch.com/

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

"Korean Media Watch" was a half-assed, day-late blog by Michael Hurt, known more since 2006 for starting and stopping projects than being a readable blogger.

Gusts of Popular Feeling has done the best job over the years of looking at the bias against native speaker English teachers, especially in the Korean-language media and in legislation:

http://populargusts.blogspot.com

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

It's still happening, OP, except it's not any one single case. Instead we're all being accused of being lowlife dope smokers as if it's a fact. Naturally, the parents all believe it, the public school organizations, (SMOE, EPIK, and GEPIK), never defend us, and Immigration is still "cracking down" on waygookin teachers who all must have HIV and use drugs. No matter what an individual foriegn teacher does for their school and local community, the parents and schools still treat the foreign teacher like a pariah. GEPIK, EPIK, and SMOE still send out memos to schools warning them about what the 'evil foreign teachers" are doing now. It's a no-win situation.

happiness · Joined: 04 Sep 2010

in the us media, iran and china and bin laden are usually the targets. Here in Korea, which is very small and not the focus of much at all, they have to make their enemies, but they cant really say much about NK unless the world news reports it, dont want to upset the pro-nk party or make em lose face! so, et's are an easy target, no? although with all the foreign brides and new et's coming in, ill bet they will have to tone it down a bit, because more and more foreigners will rise up....

jdsolo · Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Location: Hell

McGenghis · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Location: Gangneung

As Smee mentions, Gusts of Popular Feeling is probably the best. However, there are quite a few sites out there, Smee�s own Brian in Jeolla Do being one of the better ones. Check out Koreabeat as well.

Actually, make koreannewsfeeds your homepage and you are golden.

Summer Wine · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Location: Next to a River

Yeah, I do agree that it has toned down over the last few years.

Though I do wonder what does get said by Koreans about us at times. My schools admin officer told me that NETS are only in Korea because they are unemployable back home.

She does seem to actually believe that and so it made me wonder what rumors about us do go around.

I actually came back to Korea so I could improve my korean while teaching. It turned out to be a mistake as apart from hello in the morning, my co teachers refuse to talk to me at all.

Though the absolute belief that she held in her idea was quite strange to me, as I have met a few people in Korea and most I wouldn't term unemployable.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:42 am Post subject:

Steelrails · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Location: Earth, Solar System

Weigookin74 · Joined: 26 Oct 2009

I wasn't sure if the sentiment was really still bad or if it was just being hidden better. Seems 2008 and 2009 were explosive years. But there more blogs reporting on it. Lots of new foriegners in Korea now. Just wondered if some senior teachers got fed up and left. I know Brian left.

sojusucks · Joined: 31 May 2008

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:19 am Post subject:

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

There are more blogs and more NSETs passing through Korea, but not really any more reporting on the perceptions of teachers. Through the work of Gusts of Popular Feelings, Benjamin Wagner, and Korea Beat---getting talk of Anti-English Spectrum in local and foreign media, and translating sensational anti-teacher articles---more teachers have certainly been made aware of these views.

Sort of related, there's a talk at the Canadian Embassy with the author of GoPFeeling, Benjamin Wagner, and Roboseyo.

http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2011/02/canadian-embassy-panel-discussion-on.html

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:12 am Post subject:

I saw that on the Embassy site Smee.

Hopefully this is a good occasion for people to exchange ideas in a rational and constructive manner!

I just have slight reservations on the name given to the talk, it seems loaded to me. The talk is focused on perceptions of foreign English teachers in Korea. Thats a pretty subjective topic. I have a lot of respect for roboseyo and the author of GoP but in all they are are bloggers who teach in Korea (well rob is part of ATEK) so this talk will really be an informal discussion. Mr Wagner will be there as well, this can be good or bad, depending on what you think of body of work thus far.

The talk also wishes to cover legislations that affect teachers in Korea. This in my view is the one item that should have been front and center. The talk should have been about that.

As it stands, they have an hour and half to cover a vast range of topics.

Still, just having the talk is a good idea.