| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Kaiser
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:35 am Post subject: Drug and alcohol use/abuse . . . |
 |
|
| more or less than US? Korean penalties . . . what are they and what is frequency or likelihood of getting caught? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
captain planet
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
drugs'll probably get you deported. alcoholism is the national sport, though.
likelihood of getting caught depends on you. i don't have any statistics. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mole
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
Location: Act III
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
No stats here, but they are quite strict on drugs. Likely jail time, then deportation if you are even suspected of having illegal drugs.
Alcoholism seems to be encouraged. Unless you pass out in the classroom, no one says anything.
EDIT: Maybe I exaggerated. I've had a supervisor or two say I had alcohol breath, slap on the hand warning,
but never any big consequences. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:11 am Post subject: Re: Drug and alcohol use/abuse . . . |
|
|
| Kaiser wrote: |
| more or less than US? Korean penalties . . . what are they and what is frequency or likelihood of getting caught? |
Drugs can/will get you serious jail time, then deportation with a persona non grata placed in your file.
You can be drug tested and convicted after the fact. You can be tested against your will. Possession is not required for conviction. Jail times are severe compared to back home.
Best advice is leave it at home (the drugs and the habit). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SuperFly
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Location: In the doghouse
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
Not always. Paul from medicine hat had a hell of a time during the torture phase (electric cattle prod) untill he confessed to being a smoker of hashish. They put him in the foreigner prison (we could visit) but they also let him out after only 3 months and gave him a one way ticket back to Canada. The plane didn't leave for a couple of days, so he hopped back on his scooter and went to where he buried his hash, smoked out for two days till his plane left.
Of course he prolly wouldn't want to go through that again, but it wasn't that harsh. For him anyway. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kaiser
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
Okay, I think I've got it. Plenty of opportunity, even encouragement, to drink alcohol. Nasty consequences getting caught with drugs.
So if alcohol is already a problem for someone, it's probably not going to get any better in Korea. What if you don't drink? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| What if you don't drink? |
Koreans are slowly coming around to accepting that these strange people do exist. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
philthy
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Location: Incheon
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 4:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| What if you don't drink? |
|
Stay home. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| philthy wrote: |
| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| What if you don't drink? |
|
Stay home. |
Actually, from my own experience, there is a group of Koreans that don't drink.
They are Christian and follow a stricter diet then the Church of Rome implies.
The problem is not that you don't drink, but that no drinking means no buisiness. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Kaiser wrote: |
Okay, I think I've got it. Plenty of opportunity, even encouragement, to drink alcohol. Nasty consequences getting caught with drugs.
So if alcohol is already a problem for someone, it's probably not going to get any better in Korea. What if you don't drink? |
Its a very socializing-oriented country.. and everything social involves drinking here. Bars and stores on nearly every corner everywhere in addition to 24-hour drinking (places don't close) and the ability to carry around open containers of alcohol in public.. its quite easy to get in the habit of just getting something to drink regularly.
If you have a drinking problem.. this place will be a constant challenge not to drink.
If you like to drink, you'll be drinking A LOT more here.
If you don't drink, you can always try hiking/skiing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Juregen wrote: |
Actually, from my own experience, there is a group of Koreans that don't drink.
They are Christian and follow a stricter diet then the Church of Rome implies.
The problem is not that you don't drink, but that no drinking means no buisiness. |
Yeah, that would be great if you want to hang out with boring Koreans all day and sing praises to God. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
Yeah, that would be great if you want to hang out with boring Koreans all day and sing praises to God. |
that was not my point, i was trying to say that not drinking is not necessarily a problem. Only when doing business it becomnes a challenge. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Juregen wrote: |
that was not my point, i was trying to say that not drinking is not necessarily a problem. Only when doing business it becomnes a challenge. |
So not drinking isn't a problem if you're comfortable sitting in a basement waiting for the Rapture. If you want to make something of your life, it gets much harder. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SPINOZA
Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Location: $eoul
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:34 pm Post subject: Re: Drug and alcohol use/abuse . . . |
|
|
| Kaiser wrote: |
| more or less than US? Korean penalties . . . what are they and what is frequency or likelihood of getting caught? |
(see bold)
drugs: considerably less. Cannibis is rare and if there's a single crumb of crack, heroin and coke in Korea I'd be surprised.
booze: don't know. It's a very boozey culture (particularly amongst men) and public displays of drunkenness aren't taboo. You can get trashed for 3 bucks here. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
periwinkle
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 10:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I've heard (from reliable sources in the entertainment industry) that there is a whole lotta snorting of white powder going on in the entertainment business here. Know of a DJ at an extremely popular Hongdae club, and he says it goes on in the clubs, too.
Worked with a guy that had some mary jane sent to him through the mail from overseas.  Customs delivered the package to him (plainclothes), had a detail on him, and busted him the next day (drug test, too). He was in jail for a month, then deported after a court appearance (he showed sincere remorse and shame, so he got off easy. Had a rep from his consulate and the consulate rep brought a translator, so that helped). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
