Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

My friend, a former member of this site, was attacked by a guy on a subway in Seoul yesterday and I want to relay his experience to you all so you know to be careful and understand that there are some crazy guys out there.

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three and a half years in korea, and until yesterday, had not experienced any severe racism since my first couple of months. that one time was with **** on the train and some guy was yelling at us for no reason.

yesterday, i went to see *** and ****** (that is a different story). **** and i departed company at about 10pm. i was lucky and got a seat on the subway right away. i started to doze off (but not too deep of a sleep). in my half awake, half asleep state, i heard english, but i ignored it because i didn't know anyone on the train, and if i did, they would come up to me and say 'hi ****!!' i heard something about 'girls sit'. it was a korean man about 3 metres away from me speaking the words. i poked my head up from my slumber and noticed that he was talking to me. he was standing, not sitting. groggy from just coming out of my doze, i said 'whe?' of course, since he was older than me, i should have said 'whe yo', but i didn't. honestly, i wasnt' even sure what he was talking about and i wasnt' even 100% sure he was in fact talking to me. then he repeated in english 'girls sit' while looking right at me. So, yes he was talking to me. there were two girls standing in front of me and possibly he was telling me to let one of them sit instead of me. I didn't ask him to clarify and the two girls seemed quite happy standing. they were in their early twenties. i ignored him and tried to doze again. the train then came to a subway stop and some people got off and a seat opened up across from me and the 'girls sit' guy got a seat and he sat. the two girls in front of me stayed standing and even though they could have moved and gotten a seat eslewhere, they stayed put. as the 'girls sit' man sat down, he repeated 'girls sit'. then he said a bunch of stuff in korean to me. he even said in english 'where are you from?' His tone of voice was rude and condensending and he was drunk, so i ignored him and tried to doze again. he didn't like the fact that i was ignoring him and he didn't seem to care that i wanted to sleep.

i was a little tipsy. i was a little sleepy. i was a little annoyed. i scowled at him and said 'nugusae yo??' (who are you, but polite). he ranted on even more. it was obvious he was drunk. the two girls in front of me moved closer together and stood right in front of me blocking the 'girls sit' guy from seeing me. the guy was very drunk.

i continued to ignor him.

that made him really mad.

he kept asking where i was from. and he kept rambling on in korean. then he did something i had not seen since the last time i watched an ape movie. he started beating his chest as a show of man power and strength. i out and out laughed. i couldn't help it. he looked like a fucking monkey. even the girls were laughing. in fact, everyone was laughing at him. he started yelling at me. he then took off a shoe and pointed his foot at me. WHAT THE *beep*?? WHO POINTS A FOOT AT SOMEONE? a fist maybe. but a fucking foot? i laughed. he was going berserk. i muttered under my breath 'michinnom'. he didn't hear me. i know he didn't. one of the two girls in front of me did, though. she started laughing and nodded her head in agreement. the girl who didn't hear me asked her friend what i said. her friend tried to whisper, but whispered a little too loud and the crazy guy heard.

he lost it. he said in english 'you call me bad words?? you call me crazy??' i just smiled and said 'if the shoe fits...' his english was good, but i don't think he understood that. he then said in english 'you are crazy!! you are insane!!!' i laughed a good laugh and said 'you are fucking right. i am crazy and i am insane.' i then said, 'i dont' know who you are and i dont know why you are talking to me. leave me alone, i want to sleep.'

he tried to get up to attack me, but another passenger stopped him and pushed him back down. he was yelling and yelling and people on the train were telling him to shut up and sit down. the two girls who were in front of me, stayed in front of me and weren't going to move even if this guy came after me. he was calling me every bad name in the book..both korean and english. he was even saying 'yankee go home'. he ranted for a little bit longer and then calmed down. the train started to get a little fuller and he had trouble seeing me, but he was still talking away. he then said in english 'get off at the next stop.' i looked him square in the eye and said in korean 'you are drunk.' i then said in english (and i am pretty sure he understood me as his english was pretty good) 'you are the drunk one, maybe you should get off the train.' again, he started yelling and ranting again and again. sometimes in english, but mostly in korean. he was calling me a stupid american (i didn't bother to correct him) and a bunch of other things. he was also pointing at my crotch and saying a bunch of stuff in korean that i didn't understand. i tried ignoring him again. and that seemed to work as people were telling him to shut up and a protective circle had formed around me. things got quieter and i let my guard down and so did the protect circle.

without warning, he was up like a flash and was reaching with a fist for my mommy and daddy parts, my johnson, my tally wacker, my family jewels, my pride and joy, my trouser snake, my main vein, my beep, my one-eyed-monster, my weiner, my COCK. he had pushed aside the circle of girls and went straight for my privates. I swatted his fist away and yelled 'WHAT THE *beep* ARE YOU DOING?? SIT THE *beep* DOWN!! ANJA (SIT)!!! YOU REALLY ARE CRAZY!!!' A guy grabbed him from behind and pulled him away. then the crazy man stuck his foot out at me again (it wasn't a kicking motion...it was more of a pointing motion) all the while yelling shit at me. i batted his foot away and the girls started yelling at him in korea. he ignored them. then, with one shoe off, he stood in the middle of the train, about 2 metres away from me, held his head high, stuck out his chest and rythimically started beating it with one hand while chanting something in korea. his other hand was straight down at his side. i didn't recognize any bad words..it sounded more like a speech than a threat. the first time he beat his chest, it was like a fucking gorilla (both hands). this time, it was not. this time it was almost ritualistic. he was actually beating his chest in a slow, rythimic and continuous pattern. i just looked at him and shook my head in disbelief. he truly was nuts. It totally reminded me of the army the way he beat his chest with one hand and the way he stood up perfectly straight. it was kinda creepy.

he calmed down a bit and a passenger on the train helped him back to his seat across from me. i ignored him from that point on. he didn't ignore me, though. he kept saying over and over 'go home yankee, get off at the next stop and go home yankee.'

he got off the train a short while later and as he was getting off the train he said some shit in korean and then said in english 'you will die.' i just smiled and said nothing. I had the support of the passengers because i was calm. i wanted to keep the support of the passengers on the train. if i had become just as ignorant as him, they all would have sided with him. it is like in baseball..the tie always goes to the runner...in this case, the tie would to go the korean man.

so, the way i see it, it is all his fault. if he wanted to talk to me, he could have come up to me and said 'hello' or 'hi' or 'nice to meet you' or anything like that. instead, while i was dozing off, he started talking to me from 3 metres away in a crowded subyway car. it was obvious i was dozing off too. i ignored him because i was half sleeping and didn't know him from Adam.

could you imagine that situation reversed in canada? what if i was doing that to some korean on the sky train in vancouver? the ignorance here in korea is unbelievable sometimes.

so, that was the second time in three and a half years. ****, as you may recall, some guy was yelling at us to 'learn korean' while we are in korea. he didn't threaten with violence, though. he was just mouthy.

and then today....exactly 23 hours after the 'girls sit' guy on the train i had another, but less dramatic experience.

i spent today with my gf, *****. i said goodbye to her and took the subway home. i read most of the way home on the subway as i had just bought a new book at COEX mall. i arrived at my station, Sosa station, and headed towards the bus stop. i was fishing change for the bus out of my pocket when some guy grabbed my wrist and said 'where you from?'

this guy was drunk. and i mean fucking drunk. he stunk of old, sour soju and God knows what else. he had a cigarette in one hand and looked (and smelled) like he hadn't had a shower in days... possibly weeks..maybe even months. he wasn't a street bum. a drunk, yes. a street bum, no. there are three street bums that live at my subway station, and he isnt one of them. yes, he was a mess, but not enough of a mess to be a street bum. his clothes were dirty, but not torn. he didn't have the skin problems most of the bums get here in korea and he had meat on his bones. no, he wasn't fat, nor was he even chubby. but he does eat enough that he doesn't look sick.

his grip on my arm was firm. i turned to him and gave him a look of disgust. he repeated, where are you from? i said don't touch me (i know how to say in korean 'don't touch me', but i said it in english anyway) and i yanked my arm back. he muttered a bunch of shit in korean and then i walked over to the bus stop ignoring him. i saw that the bus was coming and i didn't want to deal with this shit... not two days in a row. He never stopped yelling at me in korean the entire 3 mintues i stood inline waiting for the bus. he never stopped yelling, but he never came closer to me. he stayed where he was (about 30 metres away). he was sitting on that huge fountain in front of my subway station, which is also where the homeless bums usually sit.

so, after i got off the bus, while walking home, i phoned my girlfriend. i asked her, 'do you listen to the korean news?' she said, someitmes. i said, have they been talking about foreigners lately? she said, yes. there were some canadian teachers that got in trouble with the law. they stole some things and didn't pay for a taxi ride. she also said that korean men are currently complaining badly about white guys stealing their girls.

***** stupid koreans. they invite us here and then treat us like ***. if they don't want us, don't bring us over!!!
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Just thought I'd share this, as I am seriously having second thoughts of returning to Korea as a result of this.

[Radioactive]

That was my friend. It's a tough time.

[PolyChronic Time Girl]

I agree that there is a surplus of human waste in this country. I wish they'd gather all the drunk, obnoxious ajeoshis into one big bag and toss them into the east sea.
On the other hand, it's good to hear that there were some decent Koreans on the subway who recognized this Korean man as human garbage and were trying to protect your friend.
I understand your friends' dilemma. I was sexually groped a by an old ajeoshi, but thank God my husband caught him and smashed his face into a bloody pulp. My husband seriously injured him and we feel no pity (and we weren't caught) I have a fevered hatred of obnoxious ajeoshis.

[chronicpride]

[chiaa]

I have noticed a lot more crazy people around in the oast month. Seriously, I have had more people "approach" me in the past month than I have had in the past two years.

I can only chalk it up to the weather.

[Gopher]

[deleted]

[rapier]

That is hilarious...and yeah, laughing in his face was the best response.
I think the lunatic fringe rampant nationist raving element is increasing a touch too though.
And the media is performing a full scale hatchet job on us. Fortunately most Koreans and especially those who interract with foreigners don't believe all the ���.

[Manner of Speaking]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you. Personally, at this point:

[turtlepi1]

I was waiting for the part of the story where he "scored" the two Korean girls that were "protecting" him from the ajoshi.

[JongnoGuru]

The OP's friend's story is A-1 certified Korean Freak Thread material. Or worse. Maddening.

It's been quite a while since I've had to deal with an absolute in-your-face psycho like that (and obviously I'm not complaining) but it has happened. And I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I get another one. But without even planning it this way, I think the odds and simple logistics are in my favour now. I don't take city buses or the subway much -- places where a significant percentage of these nutbars seem to coagulate. I'm on the motorcycle almost daily, taxis once or twice a week, gf's car very infrequently, airport express buses a couple times a year.

Also, I'm not out & about during the freak hours much anymore, either. On those rarish occasions when I am, it's usually with a group of (probably drunk, probably Korean, probably male) friends or clients, in which case I almost pity the fool who tries anything. I suppose if some mental degenerate wanted to, he (though it's not always a he) could ambush me from behind the stationery aisle at Costco, or leap panther-like from behind a potted palm in a hotel lobby, or maybe chase me around my own neighbourhood (so unlikely), but...

In the 1990s when I'd commute by bus & subway, about the only problems I had were with screaming school kids, but just for several stops along the morning commute. The one major grown-up nutcase I encountered on the subway (several times, in fact) was a silver-haired godbotherer who used to carry a cross around the old UNESCO Bldg./Chinese Embassy area of Myeong-dong during the daytime. If he ever saw you (i.e., any white person) in his subway carriage, he'd stand in front of you for a moment without saying anything. Then he'd make this dramatic, sweeping, "pointing-at-the-waygookin" movement -- grand, flowing... almost balletic (hard to describe), and at the end of it he'd say in English in this REALLY DEEP BOOMING VOICE:
White Monkey!!
(more like "HHHHOYT MONG KEY", and friggin' loud )

He claimed many a "victim" in his heyday, and quite a few expats who had nothing else in common with each other could still swap a good "white monkey" anecdote or two. For some reason, he wouldn't go into his evangelist shtick on the subway, nor (to my knowledge) did he bellow "White Monkey!" at white people passing by his "stations of the cross" in that alley in Myeong-dong.

As annoying as he was, I'd much rather have him pester me daily than have to endure the schizoid mo-fo in the OP's story.

[Cthulhu]

I can't blame the fellow for reacting the way he did to the obnoxious drunk--I had my own nutbar experience on the subway once. I would think though that the reaction of the rest of the subway, as chronicpride pointed out, should serve to show that the majority of Koreans in the subway car--as opposed to the lone drunk--did the right thing.

[animalbirdfish]

[skinhead]

[AJRimmer]

I would have kneed him in the nuts,
Not once, not twice, but thrice!

Same for the second guy,

Great story by the way, except for not getting phone numbers from the chicks that helped - is your friend gay??

[just because]

Yeah.....well handled and I am sure it would have shook you up a bit but all the other Koreans on that train backed you up...that should show you that most Koreans here are quite nice people...


As foreigners we are freak magnets because we are different. It is unfortunant but if a really drunk or crazy guy wants to pick he will more than likely pick on you because you stand out of the crowd.