Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dodge7]

Why am I asked this every time I tell a Korean I'm married and before that when I said I had a girlfriend.
99-100% of the time.

Do you guys get this question a lot, too?



Does it really matter?

[definitely maybe]

It's becoming more and more common, and tends to be a good talking point if you don't take it personally. I find that it tends to be viewed as a positive by most of the people who ask. This is especially true if your wife is attractive!

[Dodge7]

[everything-is-everything]

I get this question a lot too when asked if I have a girlfriend.

I find it really annoying.

I usually repond sarcastically that she's from planet Earth.



I think for most of us growing up in North America this a question that would not really be asked. For instance if a met a foreigner in Canada and he/she was married, I don't think I would ask then if he/she was Canadian?

Of course we grow up in a multicultural society.



South Korea is not. So perhaps we should give Koreans some slack when asking this question.

[Yaya]

I'd say it's MUCH better than it was back in the 1990s or earlier. The thing is, now Korean GUYS are getting into the marrying foreigner act.

[northway]

I've found that the responses I get have improved along with my Korean language ability. When I had FOB, useless, poorly accented Korean, I'd get more of a brush off. Now that my Korean is somewhat passable and I can participate in a conversation to some degree, I generally get fairly warm responses. I think a fair amount of chilliness (not going to say most, by any means) is due to the fact that a lot of guys roll through for one year, date a girl (or a bunch of girls), and fail to pick up even basic language skills. I can see where it might be tough for some to take such a relationship seriously.

[everything-is-everything]

[Dodge7]

[everything-is-everything]

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

[tiger fancini]

I think a lot of it depends on how Koreans perceive you. There are so many one-year types who are on a mission to bag as many girls as they possibly can. That's not going to down well with the majority of the population. But if you learn the language, show that you appreciate the culture and act responsibly, then I can't imagine there being too much of a problem.

When I tell my students that I am still, sadly, single, they encourage me to find a Korean wife. I've had quite a few 'meetings' with Korean girls that were arranged by Korean guys too.

[YTMND]

They ask "Is she Korean?" for girlfriends too. I don't see how this is odd.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Julius]

[PeteJB]

My girlfriend looks Korean but isn't. You can imagine the hilarity and confusion (we are both proficient in Korean). And ofcourse there are the 'deathstares' from those selective xenophobes (you know who you are) for daring to date a Korean girl. Even though she isn't...