Korean Job Discussion Forums

[curlygirl]

I turned to chat to my friend on the subway escalator in Itaewon when a middle-aged Korean man strode briskly past me on the stairs, reached over, and gave me a bloody hard thump on the back of my neck "ouch"! No one else was around to see this and my friend wisely restrained me before I could retaliate. I should point out that I'm female, a mere 155 cm tall and dwarfed in size by most of my own students ha ha!

2 Questions:
1. What do you suppose the reason was?
2. Is this sort of behaviour common in Itaewon or elsewhere?


I've been teaching in a smallish town for 10 weeks now and this is the first time I've been subjected to any hostility. In my own locality I've met nothing but lovely people so I'm not going to let one incident colour my whole perception of Korean people. I'm just curious to know if this behaviour is common in areas where there are lots of foreigners.

[Wangja]

Been here 9 years and never heard of such a thing.

[curlygirl]

Pleased to hear it. I'd hate to have to keep my guard up anytime I go into an area with a larger foreigner presence. I couldn't be happier with my own wee corner of Korea.

[billybrobby]

Sounds like a nutcase. Maybe there was a spider on you.

[blackjack]

probably just a nutjob. Probably had nothing to do with race.

I was once walking down the street in palmerston north (NZ) late at night got bottled and face kicked in for a while, woke up 2 about hours later and found i could not really open my eyes cause they had swollen shut, never did see the person that did it. There was nothing stolen (i had about $50 in my pocket) my phone was still there, my watch ($200 christmas present) was on my wrist, they didn't even take my shoes. was it done because i am white? probably not, there are crazy people everwhere.

Korea has 50 odd million people in an area 1/4 the size of NZ if the ratio of crazy people to normal people are the same then, well you have a greater chance of running into the crazy people don't you?

[curlygirl]

You have no idea how much better this makes me feel. As you say, there are crazies everywhere and it's possible that this guy would have lashed out at anybody that was smaller than him - nothing to do with being a waygook.

Thanks so much for your reassurances.

[ED209]

Did you have a ticket?

[curlygirl]

Of course! This guy hadn't travelled on the train with me - he spotted me for the first time (presumably) when I was leaving the station. He wasn't a worker, just some random nutter.

[SeoulShakin]

Were you and your friend taking up the entire width of the escalator? Usually one side is for people riding up, and the other is for people who want to walk. Perhaps he was angry he couldn't get by you, so he shoved?

Even still, it wouldn't be justified, and I'd be pretty pissed. I live close to Itaewon (not right in there), and I've never had anything like that happen to me. Followed by a couple of creepy Nigerian guys? Yes. Bothered by Koreans? No.

[ajgeddes]

[curlygirl]

Thanks SeoulShakin, you are right. This guy walked right up beside me on the stairwell so that he could get a good shot in (I was on the escalator). Nasty old man! Just a crazy like you all said.

Thanks for all your replies. I feel a million times better than I did this morning. Incidentally I was in a restaurant in Suwon the day after my bad experience when a group of Korean men around the same age as the crazy guy invited me over to join them. I spent a good 40 mins or so chatting away to these guys, sharing their dinner with them but refusing all offers of soju ha ha! It was so nice to experience some good Korean hospitality, which in fact has been my whole experience right up till Saturday. The good guys (and gals) definitely outnumber the crazies.

[merkurix]

There is a thread which deals specifically on the issue by other posters.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1050725&highlight=

You are not the only one who has suffered as a result of random nutjobs. I hope all is well.

[bobbyhanlon]

a few months ago some drunken old geezer bumped into me, and then slapped my face.. pretty brave since i'm about a foot taller than he was, and his lack of racial epithets just made me think that this was just some stupid drunken fool who would have done that to anyone.

as the other people said, what happened is sad, but don't let it make you think korea is a fundamentally unsafe place. this kind of stuff can happen anywhere, and actually i feel much safer here than i do back home. one of my korean friends (a girl) was studying in london and one night some crazy drunken guy came up to her on the street and punched her in the face. i was so ashamed about what happened to her in my own country.. so whenever people tell you korea is dangerous, just remember that there are plenty of freaks in other places too. anyway.. hope you're doing well.

[twg]

[Julius]

Thankfully korea is fairly safe and xenophobia does not take the form of physical assault but a constant passive aggression, barely disguised resentment and discomfort at your presence.

Only time you may get hit is late at night in Itaewon when drunk.