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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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 Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:34 pm Post subject: I am surprised that the Korea Herald even allowed this...... |
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www.koreaherald.co.kr
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Korea remains a tough place for foreigners
Despite the increasing number of foreigners living in Korea, the country still hasn't opened up to them that much, according to a report released by a state-run consumer rights agency.
The number of foreigners who stayed in Korea for 90 days or longer stood at 536,000 last year, increasing 3.6 times from the year 2000. Foreigners now account for more than 1 percent of the population.
The Korea Consumer Protection Board said its survey showed that some 42 percent of the expatriates found that they were not satisfied with sales and service practices in Korea.
"Many foreigners new to Korea said they have been overcharged (for products or services)," said Kim Hyun-joo, a CPB researcher who authored the report. "Some were forced to buy things that turned out to be different from what they heard and such cases happen mainly because of a disregard for foreigners."
Foreigners were often forced to buy food because they tasted it at a sampling booth, Kim said. "Many had to pay one or two years' housing rents in advance because they were foreigners."
Three different groups of foreigners - those who came here to work, students/trainees and immigrants - rated their consumer satisfaction 2.76, 2.55 and 2.47, respectively, out of 4 full points.
Japanese people were the least satisfied with 2.42 points while North and South Americans gave the highest 2.86 points.
The language barrier (35.9 percent) was the No. 1 reason for dissatisfaction, followed by the lack of consideration for foreigners (28.3 percent), lack of finances (22 percent), and cultural differences (16.6 percent).
Many foreigners seem to have felt a "lack of consideration" because Koreans often express adverse feelings towards them and the country lacks social systems that support them, according to the CPB.
Some 41 percent of the 554 foreigners surveyed said they have had unsatisfactory purchasing experiences. Mobile phone service (48.7 percent) was the biggest troublemaker, followed by clothing and shoes (26.3 percent), medical service (15 percent), electronics (14.5 percent), public transportation (12.7 percent), food (12.7 percent), credit card service (12.3 percent), internet service (11.8 percent) and real estate service (9.5 percent).
Lack of information on products and services (42.1 percent) including insufficient guidelines in English or other foreign languages was the major cause of unsatisfactory purchasing experiences. Product quality, reliability problems (37 percent) and higher prices (33 percent) came next.
Expatriates often have to borrow friends' names or deposit money when purchasing mobile phones. Some complained that they are required to deposit money to get a credit card here and cards issued abroad can't be used to make online reservations for movie tickets.
As for medical services, foreigners pointed out that language problems can lead to accidents and they are often not informed about fees before receiving medical treatment.
Alien registration numbers don't always work in online shopping malls, they said.
Only 15.3 percent of the respondents said they were fluent in Korean. Some 37.5 percent said they can handle simple conversations while the rest said they can't. The expats wished public officers, taxi drivers, and bank and medical staff spoke better English.
When problems or damages occurred, more than half of the foreigners didn't take any action. Some 33.3 percent requested resolution from the company or salesperson while only 11.3 percent filed a complaint to consumer protection organizations or administrative agencies that support foreigners. More than 40 percent of those who did nothing didn't know where to file a complaint. 26 percent weren't sure if the problem could be solved while 22.8 percent picked the language barrier as the reason for the difficulty.
Over the last decade following the Asian financial crisis, major changes have swept the nation. The common belief that large businesses cannot collapse is no longer valid. In the market, M&As are taking place one after another. Right after the financial crisis, a multitude of people started their venture businesses with the dream of becoming millionaires. Many of them, who lacked competitive business plans, simply disappeared from the scene. Many businesses are stressing the importance of shareholder-centered management, as business hunters set their sight on those with weak governance structure. The market's appraisal of businesses' management results is being reflected in stock prices. In such a process, the capital market has emerged as the primary source of funds supplying businesses, pushing aside bank loans. Money market funds have realized enormous power so much so that the term "fund-influenced capitalism" has been coined.
Businesses are stressing the importance of risk management in contrast to the past when they were willing to run risks with the belief that the government and their group would come to their rescue. The lack of willingness for adventurous investment has considerably weakened the drive for growth. The ever-fiercer "winner-takes-all" competition has led to bipolarization in each sector. The number of the rich and the poor, including the homeless, has increased, whereas the number of those who regard themselves as middle class has decreased. The number of unemployed youths has increased. The gap between home prices in Seoul and those in provinces has widened to an uncontrollable extent.
This series of articles intends to look at how local businesses have fared over the past decade following the nation's financial crisis with the hope that it will set a milestone for a new jump forward. - Ed.
By Kim So-hyun
2007.01.30
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| I would've taken it more seriously if they'd spoken to a signe Russian, Pakistani, or Indonesian. |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| I would've taken it more seriously if they'd spoken to a signe Russian, Pakistani, or Indonesian |
Interesting point............ |
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cdninkorea
Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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I can understand why taxi drivers and other service people may not speak English, but it's total bs that you casn't use your foreign credit card or ARC on Korean websites.
But here's the important question: is this article printed in Korean as well as English? |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:24 pm Post subject: |
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| But here's the important question: is this article printed in Korean as well as English? |
good question.......................................
Cheers
dmbfan |
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Gwangjuboy
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Last week I needed to withdraw cash with my visa card (British) and to my utter dismay all cash services for foreign visa/mastercards were suspended. I tried everything single cash machine. (ones that usually work). |
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Boodleheimer
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Location: working undercover for the Man
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Gwangjuboy wrote: |
| Last week I needed to withdraw cash with my visa card (British) and to my utter dismay all cash services for foreign visa/mastercards were suspended. I tried everything single cash machine. (ones that usually work). |
ditto |
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DaeguKid
Joined: 09 Dec 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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OP, why are you, or anyone else for that matter, surprised that the Herald would print this?
DK |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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OP, why are you, or anyone else for that matter, surprised that the Herald would print this?
DK |
Good question. Unlike Dave's, the KH open forum tends to be "selective" about what people say, their opinions, how they feel about Korea, etc. Yes, I realize the open forum is different then the actual articles. However, I don't view Koreans as the most open minded people. I find it surprising that the editor would allow something of that nature to be written because it makes Korea look bad in some way. Considering that Kroeans are constantly in a state of denial about things, their attidudes, how they see the world, and more importanbtly..........how other people view them, I AM surprised that it was postd.
Cheers
dmbfan |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Gwangjuboy wrote: |
| Last week I needed to withdraw cash with my visa card (British) and to my utter dismay all cash services for foreign visa/mastercards were suspended. I tried everything single cash machine. (ones that usually work). |
Actually, I always have better luck with my foreign card than my domestic cards. Korean bank services shut down after midnight. |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Korea remains a tough place for foreigners
Despite the increasing number of foreigners living in Korea, the country still hasn't opened up to them that much, according to a report released by a state-run consumer rights agency.
The number of foreigners who stayed in Korea for 90 days or longer stood at 536,000 last year, increasing 3.6 times from the year 2000. Foreigners now account for more than 1 percent of the population.
The Korea Consumer Protection Board said its survey showed that some 42 percent of the expatriates found that they were not satisfied with sales and service practices in Korea.
"Many foreigners new to Korea said they have been overcharged (for products or services)," said Kim Hyun-joo, a CPB researcher who authored the report. "Some were forced to buy things that turned out to be different from what they heard and such cases happen mainly because of a disregard for foreigners."
Foreigners were often forced to buy food because they tasted it at a sampling booth, Kim said. "Many had to pay one or two years' housing rents in advance because they were foreigners."
Three different groups of foreigners - those who came here to work, students/trainees and immigrants - rated their consumer satisfaction 2.76, 2.55 and 2.47, respectively, out of 4 full points.
Japanese people were the least satisfied with 2.42 points while North and South Americans gave the highest 2.86 points.
The language barrier (35.9 percent) was the No. 1 reason for dissatisfaction, followed by the lack of consideration for foreigners (28.3 percent), lack of finances (22 percent), and cultural differences (16.6 percent).
Many foreigners seem to have felt a "lack of consideration" because Koreans often express adverse feelings towards them and the country lacks social systems that support them, according to the CPB.
Some 41 percent of the 554 foreigners surveyed said they have had unsatisfactory purchasing experiences. Mobile phone service (48.7 percent) was the biggest troublemaker, followed by clothing and shoes (26.3 percent), medical service (15 percent), electronics (14.5 percent), public transportation (12.7 percent), food (12.7 percent), credit card service (12.3 percent), internet service (11.8 percent) and real estate service (9.5 percent).
Lack of information on products and services (42.1 percent) including insufficient guidelines in English or other foreign languages was the major cause of unsatisfactory purchasing experiences. Product quality, reliability problems (37 percent) and higher prices (33 percent) came next.
Expatriates often have to borrow friends' names or deposit money when purchasing mobile phones. Some complained that they are required to deposit money to get a credit card here and cards issued abroad can't be used to make online reservations for movie tickets.
As for medical services, foreigners pointed out that language problems can lead to accidents and they are often not informed about fees before receiving medical treatment.
Alien registration numbers don't always work in online shopping malls, they said.
Only 15.3 percent of the respondents said they were fluent in Korean. Some 37.5 percent said they can handle simple conversations while the rest said they can't. The expats wished public officers, taxi drivers, and bank and medical staff spoke better English.
When problems or damages occurred, more than half of the foreigners didn't take any action. Some 33.3 percent requested resolution from the company or salesperson while only 11.3 percent filed a complaint to consumer protection organizations or administrative agencies that support foreigners. More than 40 percent of those who did nothing didn't know where to file a complaint. 26 percent weren't sure if the problem could be solved while 22.8 percent picked the language barrier as the reason for the difficulty.
Over the last decade following the Asian financial crisis, major changes have swept the nation. The common belief that large businesses cannot collapse is no longer valid. In the market, M&As are taking place one after another. Right after the financial crisis, a multitude of people started their venture businesses with the dream of becoming millionaires. Many of them, who lacked competitive business plans, simply disappeared from the scene. Many businesses are stressing the importance of shareholder-centered management, as business hunters set their sight on those with weak governance structure. The market's appraisal of businesses' management results is being reflected in stock prices. In such a process, the capital market has emerged as the primary source of funds supplying businesses, pushing aside bank loans. Money market funds have realized enormous power so much so that the term "fund-influenced capitalism" has been coined.
Businesses are stressing the importance of risk management in contrast to the past when they were willing to run risks with the belief that the government and their group would come to their rescue. The lack of willingness for adventurous investment has considerably weakened the drive for growth. The ever-fiercer "winner-takes-all" competition has led to bipolarization in each sector. The number of the rich and the poor, including the homeless, has increased, whereas the number of those who regard themselves as middle class has decreased. The number of unemployed youths has increased. The gap between home prices in Seoul and those in provinces has widened to an uncontrollable extent.
This series of articles intends to look at how local businesses have fared over the past decade following the nation's financial crisis with the hope that it will set a milestone for a new jump forward. - Ed.
By Kim So-hyun
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Is it just me, or are the last paragraphs way off topic with the rest of the article? |
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DaeguKid
Joined: 09 Dec 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| dmbfan wrote: |
| Quote: |
OP, why are you, or anyone else for that matter, surprised that the Herald would print this?
DK |
Good question. Unlike Dave's, the KH open forum tends to be "selective" about what people say, their opinions, how they feel about Korea, etc. Yes, I realize the open forum is different then the actual articles. However, I don't view Koreans as the most open minded people. I find it surprising that the editor would allow something of that nature to be written because it makes Korea look bad in some way. Considering that Kroeans are constantly in a state of denial about things, their attidudes, how they see the world, and more importanbtly..........how other people view them, I AM surprised that it was postd.
Cheers
dmbfan |
Yeah it is far and few that they cut up Korea in the Herald. It happens about once every 6 weeks to 2 months I would say. I once read this real good one about the Korean who lived in New York for 6 years. When he moved back here he trashed Korea. Talking about scooters on sidewalks, and how fish at a market is exposed, and the spitting. Quite interesting to see one of their own take a look around and say WTF! Anyone know any locals who have come back from abroad and said Korea is messed up?
Be interesting to hear what they had to say.
DK |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Is it just me, or are the last paragraphs way off topic with the rest of the article |
?
Nope, its not you. I found that rather interesting myself.
cheers
dmbfan |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone know any locals who have come back from abroad and said Korea is messed up?
Be interesting to hear what they had to say.
DK |
In fact I do. One gal (who was my first recruiter in 2003) lived abroad for a long time. But, she moved back to run the recruiting business. She basically called Korea "oppresive" and "backward". Heck, even her parents did not accpet her anymore because they said she was not Korean anymore. The other person was my supervisor (for a short time) in Gwangmyong. He was awsome! He had schedules, communication was at the top level, he knew how to do the job, he listened to ideas and gave excellent feed back...................he lived in Australia for 5 years, and when he came back, he just felt really out of place. But, unfortunately for us, he quite and went back to Australia _REALLY interesting story as to why........if anyone wants to know)
cheers
dmbfan |
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doggyji
Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Location: Toronto - Hamilton - Vineland - St. Catherines
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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| DaeguKid wrote: |
Yeah it is far and few that they cut up Korea in the Herald. It happens about once every 6 weeks to 2 months I would say. I once read this real good one about the Korean who lived in New York for 6 years. When he moved back here he trashed Korea. Talking about scooters on sidewalks, and how fish at a market is exposed, and the spitting. Quite interesting to see one of their own take a look around and say WTF! Anyone know any locals who have come back from abroad and said Korea is messed up?
Be interesting to hear what they had to say.
DK |
That's so common on the Korean internet discussion boards. I myself tend to be pretty harsh in Korean because there's no point in telling ourselves what's so good about Korea among fellow Koreans. |
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