Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OCOKA Dude]

...b/c they can't understand simple announcements made in English and expect everyone to cater (kow-tow) to them Korean style.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200507/200507120033.html

btw, what's with the "points of contention #1 crap at the bottom? This ain't file a petition with your SGA.

Cathay Leaves Stubborn Koreans Stranded

Hong Kong��s Cathay Pacific Airways invited Korean ire on Sunday when it ordered a plane to take off from Chek Lap Kok International Airport on Sunday without 44 Korean passengers on board. The Korean passengers blame the incident on the carrier��s ��insincerity�� and are demanding damages, but Cathay Pacific says the Koreans were making unreasonable demands.
Cathay Pacific CX 416 was scheduled to leave Hong Kong for Incheon International Airport at 4:20 p.m. on Sunday. The airline delayed the flight twice, first to 5:30 p.m. and then again to 6:00 p.m.

The airline said it made four announcements of the delays, both in the terminal and at boarding gates. But with the airport bustling and the broadcasts made in English and Chinese, some of the Koreans were unable to understand them.

Dozens of Korean passengers protested to Cathay Pacific staff at the boarding gate that the airline had delayed the flight twice but offered no explanation. They also demanded free transport once they arrived in Incheon and compensation for the delay.

The airline promised to provide meal coupons (HK$45), phone cards and transport according to its flight delay regulations. It says it also went beyond regulations in offering US$25 coupons toward in-flight duty-free goods and discount airline tickets during their next trip.

However, one Korean passenger who called Cathay Pacific��s Seoul office was told the airline would provide transport only up to the point of arrival while other compensation was not the airline��s problem. The Korean passengers then demanded a written undertaking but airline staff refused.

The furious Koreans then started protesting vociferously, screaming and waving their arms. Alone among the 308 passengers, the 44 Koreans refused to board the aircraft. Attempts by the pilot to convince them fell on deaf ears.

The airline then decided to let the flight take off at 7:14 p.m. without the Koreans, explaining it could not delay any longer. At this stage some of the Koreans relented saying the most important thing was to get back to Korea first, and suggested the airline must have had its reasons. When the flight arrived at Incheon at 11:34 p.m., five buses were waiting to take passengers to their regional destinations.

The stranded passengers in Hong Kong demanded transport and lodging from the airline through a Korean consular official who came to airport. Cathay Pacific said they could use the next Seoul-bound flight on Monday afternoon but declined to provide accommodation.

Seven of the passengers returned to Korea early Monday morning aboard Asiana. The remaining 37 stayed up or slept in downtown hotels, returning aboard Cathay Pacific��s 2:20 p.m. flight, having paid for transport between the airport and downtown as well as lodging out of their own pockets. They plan to write to the airline demanding an official apology from a high-ranking Cathay Pacific official and compensation for losses they suffered because they were unable to board the Sunday flight.

�� Point of contention 1 = According to Cathay Pacific regulations, in case of delays of an hour or two, the airline must inform passengers over the airport tannoy, write letters of apology, and provide transport to passengers�� homes at the destination, meal coupons and phone cards. Depending on the judgment of the airline branch manager, alternative transport can be arranged. The accommodation demanded by the passengers is provided only when flights are delayed five hours or more. These regulations are more or less the same for many airlines.

�� Point of contention 2 = Can an aircraft take off without its passengers? There is no regulation that delineates this. The flight captain, who is the highest authority on such matters, judges depending on the situation. Cathay Pacific Korea representative Lee Yong-mi said the airline apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the delays but the flight needed to take off for the other passengers.


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[hellofaniceguy]

Ignorance is no excuse for stupidity.
Everyone would like something for nothing...but koreans seem to take it to the next level. Even in korea they do the same thing. It's not bad...it's just part of being a korean.
I seriously doubt that other people from other countries would have displayed the same behavior given the same circumstances.
I am sure now that many passangers in Hong Kong who witnessed this korean behavior are saying to themselves...(can't post it here!)

[livinginkorea]

This is why Koreans NEED to learn English!! Our jobs are safe!!

[chiaa]

[JacktheCat]

This reminds me of my trip back to New York City last November.

As I was at the airport gate waiting to board my flight back to Korea, I noticed all this extra security just around our gate.

When I asked the nice airline lady why all the extra fuzz, she said "well, this is a Korean flight ...we've had some ... uh ... problems with Korean passangers in the past, and the security guards are just a precaution".

Nice to know America doesn't only discriminate against Arab passengers.

[stumptown]

That's hilarious. Almost as funny as that Korean golfer being shot to death in the Philipines a year or two ago. No, seriously. That's funny. Anyone ever been to a departure gate at an airport back to Incheon? You know what I mean.

[eamo]

They knew the gate of departure. Why didn't they wait it out there until boarding? I know I can't change what an airline must do in the way of delays. That's the nature of flying. Take it on the chin.

Actually, I don't see this as typical of Koreans. In my experience, Koreans tend to take travelling hassles well. Anyone who has tried travelling in Korea in a peak period will suffer terrible inconvenience.

It seems strange that this bunch of Koreans who were delayed for a paltry two hours acted up so much.

[stumptown]

They expect the world to cater to them...after all they gave the worlld Hangumal..the most word reknowned scientific language.

EDIT: I tried to make it say world, but it kept saying "word"

NO!!!! W-O-R-L-D

[rapier]

God knows how the hagwon generation will behave when they get old enough to take international flights.

Any encounter with a group of Koreans abroad (and in-country) usually involves a full assault on western sensibilities and basic common sense.

There should be a standard "How to behave on flights" instruction manual read and signed by every Korean before embarkation. perhaps even a "security surcharge tax" levied on all Korean passwengers to pay for in-flight guards and bouncers.

[ed4444]

I was with a large group of Koreans when their flight got delayed in Frankfurt for 2 hours. They were very civilised. I was surprised

I would say that given the propensity of Koreans towards sheep mentality someone overreacted in Hong Kong and all the others just joined in. Would have been interesting to see it.

[Hwajangsil Ajumma]

Huh huh huh...you said "Chek Lap Kok"...huh huh...



I hated the fat, sorry, "dimensionally enhanced" ajosshi who sat next to me and immediately claimed full ownership of the arm-rest and the airspace about three inches either side of it with his stubby hairless arms. Still, he did offer me some gum later on, which was nice of him.

[OiGirl]

[Butterfly]

[cubanlord]

Here are my two sense:

Those of you that have had their education in Canada, The United States, or any reputable location should know that different cultures react differently to different situations. I am sure many of you can tell by my screenname that I am a Cuban American. I am fluent in both languages. I am fortunate to have the ability to look through two different sets of eyes. At my university (UF), I was trained to understand, respect, and learn how to deal with the different reactions one would get from people of different ethnic backgrounds given a specific situation.

Many of us on this board have traveled abroad. We understand that it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY to adapt to the the culture/language of the country we are visiting (well...at least most of us). We understand that if we F something up it is OUR fault.

Unfortunately, due to the isolation that the Korean culture practices, they tend to run into these problems when traveling. In my opinion, I wouldn't necessarily say that ALL Koreans are like this. I (as many of you are) am lucky to be teaching the upper-echeleon; people educated that know and deal with these problems.

Back home in Florida, I have experienced many...MANY occassions when I had to serve as a translator for someone that didn't speak English. Did I mind? no. Why? Because I understand what they are going through. Most of you (from what I read) are pretty good in Korean. Well, let's say you go to China to teach. You will most likely begin to pick up the language as you did here. It will take some time though. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone HELP you?!?!?!

Anyways, sorry for trailing off the topic. I tend to have extremely little tolerance for people that can do nothing but berate a culture just because he or she is either:

-ignorant to the culture's ways of dealing with things
-just plain narrow minded that they think, "hey, my language and culture is the best. Everyone should conform to what I like".

Ladies and gentleman, we are in THEIR country because we choose to be. We like the money; we like to travel. We did not have to come here if we didn't want to. Koreans did not hold a gun to our heads and say, "come teach or else". Let's just remember this when we get a little "apprehensive" about their culture. It's very simple: "Don't like it? GO HOME OR TO ANOTHER COUNTRY"

Thanks for allowing me to express my opinion.

[cubanlord]

I agree with butterfly. There had to be a ring leader.