Korean Job Discussion Forums

mateomiguel · Joined: 16 May 2005

So I here I was, in my elementary school, trying to teach my students the correct location of the comma (or something like that) when from the other side of the classroom I hear, in Anton's particular accent, "... f**king USA..."

So I immediately look over and stare at him. I'm 6' tall, bald, goateed, and not skinny. He notices the strange quiet in the room, looks up, and sees me staring at him. He says, "oh, sorry teacher" in a somewhat truly apologetic tone. I simply say, "Do you want me to say f**king Korea?" And he and his 3 cronies gasp and say "no!" I say, "Alright, then, don't say that." And I go back to answering the question of the girls on the other side of the class.

Have you ever heard this in class before? And how did you deal with it?

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Its a song that was quite popular last year in Korea...I believe it came out of North Korea.

Its an offensive song....thats pretty much all I can say about it.

livinginkorea · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Location: Korea, South of the border

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

Short Track kyon-gi-rul pwa nya?
Ya-bee-han nara
F*cking USA.

Quite catchy really.

Came out (that version I guess) after the Ono affair and perceived cheating on the ice track.

Gideon · Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Location: Seoul

In time the North Korean regime will be overtaken. And it will be a safer place for South Korea and other neighboring countries. This missile testing is just another way for NK to gain international attention.

Albiet the US will invade them, if not Japan. Its a worthless country with a worthless government. I feel bad for the people because the are brainwashed.

At my company where i work, there are people who support NK and think Kim Jung Il is some kind of a philosopher whose only intentions are to help his people .. These few co-workers use to take part in demonstrations supporting NK. They detest america with a passion. For some reason they think america is an evil country.

I'm Canadian and personally when anyone has something negative to say about the US, I step in to defend. Even tho i am not american I feel offended when people who have never been to the country has something negative to say about it with regards to NK. It p$sses me off.

Today the company I am working for has some major financial problems. This company is a global corporation that operates in about 5 or 6 countries if not more, including US and Canada. So one of my coworkers, whose a NK supporter and hater of US, approaches and starts going on about how sad things are with the company. He goes on to explain that our CEO is making a deal with an american company, that may save his corporation. I look at the guy and this was our last conversation

ME: "wow how ironic, that your company CEO is looking to make a deal with an american company".

Coworker (NK Supporter): "Why you say that?"

ME: "I remember you saying to me how you support NK and dislike the USA, and that Kim Jung Il is a good man"

Coworker (NK supporter) : " Yes I said those words to you and I believe what i say"

ME: " Well, its funny how you go on about NK and your hate for USA when your company needs america to help it survive. I think you just put your foot in your mouth. Here is an opportunity for your company who employes about 600 ppl to save their jobs by making a deal with an american company. Just think about all the people who work here that have families. Don't you think you ought to change your views on USA when its an american company thats going to save your job and help your families in the long run??? I don't see your NK leader helping out South Korea in the slightest way, except for firing off test missiles in the sea."

Coworker (NK supporter, getting confused) : "Yes, an american company will help us from going bankrupt and will save many families from hardship. But I still don't like america and ......

AT that point I just shook my head and walked away..

Today the company just filed for Bankruptcy. I guess the american company found a lot of discrepencies regarding the new deal and turned them down.. The american company said there were a lot of things this company could not account for.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Fucking USA
*beep*'n USA, often called Fucking USA, is a protest song written by South Korean singer and activist Yoon Min-suk. Strongly anti-American, the song was written in 2002 at a time when, following the Apolo Ohno Olympic controversy and an incident in which two Korean middle school students were killed by a U.S. Army vehicle, anti-American sentiment in South Korea reached peak levels.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking_USA

Music
http://www.namusori.pe.kr/album/b_usa.php

Music Sheet
http://www.songnlife.com/song/data/fuckingUSA.GIF

Video
http://www.robpongi.com/pages/comboFUCKINGUSAHI.html
http://www.memestreams.net/users/bblines/blogid3328937

Heroes Walk Among Us
The doyen of anti-American Korean pop stars is Yoon Min-sok, author of "*beep* U.S.A.," a song whose title often appears on buttons and placards at demonstrations across Korea. So entrenched is the song in the Korean psyche that even middle school students have been known to sing the lyrics in front of their American English teachers.

Yoon's song calls America a "nasty nation" and a "vulgar country" that "tries to rob everything by force." According to Yoon, America is the true enemy of the Korean people and the cause of all their woes:

Is the U.S.A. still a beautiful country?
Is the North still an "enemy" to be killed?
How much more do you want to endure?
It's time to shout: "Yankee, go home!"
You dirty Yankees, wait and see
We will reunify the country with the independent force
of the Korean nation
We will build a dignified country, a reunified country
Don't forget the blood-stained history of Korea!
You, author of Korea's division, *beep* USA!
Don't forget the Nogun-ri massacre of civilians!
You, murderer, *beep* USA!

Perhaps the greatest affront to the Americans that fought and died during the Korean War has been young South Koreans' treatment of the American flag. After staging an anti-American demonstration around
noon, a group of youths belonging to the pro-North Korean student
organization Hanchongnyun broke into a U.S. military compound in
Seoul, setting fire to an American flag and calling for the withdrawal
of U.S. forces from Korea.
(article excerpt from http://www.americandaily.com/item/1844)

Original Song
http://myhome.naver.com/graykiny/*beep*.htm
(ENGLISH)
http://www.worldpaper.com/2003/may02/swing4.html

Author: koreangirl
"that song is cool.... does anyone know the exact english translation?"
http://bbs2.chosun.com/cwb-bin/CrazyWWWBoard.exe?mode=read&num=796&db=EPal&backdepth=1

Discussion on the song and media
http://cast.jinbo.net/film/show.php?no=330

One version was not enough. Another version was made.

http://www.songnlife.com/board.php?boardid=thissong&no=868&action=view&page=2
http://www.songnlife.com/song.php?boardid=song&no=86&action=view&page=0

School kids singing bin Laden's praises
by Kim Sang-jin, JoongAng Daily (December 26, 2001)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200112/26/200112260143155789900090409041.html

alabamaman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

i've been dealt with more personal things than that. i'm sure you will too, eventually. time to gorw a thicker skin .

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

I wouldn't tolerate any kind of talk like that in the classroom. Kids need to learn what's right and wrong. Hate comments are never acceptable. I think the OP handled it well. I was teaching at a hagwon during 9/11, and I didn't handle it so well when I saw kids playing "here's my hand, which is an airplane. Here's my other hand, which is a building..." Sure, sure, they're just kids, but I remember when I was in 4th grade watching the challenger explode all over the tv screen. My class didn't laugh or make jokes. You could've heard a pin drop in my classroom, filled with a bunch of 9 & 10 year olds. Granted, we were American kids watching an American shuttle blow up with Americans on board, but my point is that kids need to be taught empathy and what behavior is appropriate or inapproriate.

It's DEFINITELY not about the teacher developing a thicker skin. If you ignore it as a teacher, you are just lazy.

alabamaman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006

butter808fly · Joined: 09 May 2004 Location: Northern California, USA

Some kid in my 5th grade class drew a picture of America being bombed. I asked 'who's is this?' Everyone pointed and some giggled. I wanted to rip it up and burn it. The boy, whos English level is WAY to low... I just asked him 'why?' and Im sure looked hurt. I didnt know what to say... if I say DONT DO THAT.. well what validity is there? He has the right, in his country, to voice his opinion. I dont think that its my place to tell him to not voice his opinion, more that it is my place to continue being the good role model of an American. I just showed that I didnt appreciate it. I think I said 'i love America' and went on teaching.

Its kinda tough... but hopefully we are being good ambassadors anyways.

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004