Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Mark7]

I had a tough incident last Friday night, an unfortunate run-in with a Korean ajoshi. I was on my way to Seoul on the Metro, and I was standing in the corner of the train where normally would be seats for grandma and granpda on one side, but it was an empty corner. I was drinking a can of corn juice with a bottle cap, at the same time I was hanging on to the overhead handle.

As of course these trains are shaky, we run into "turbulence," the train shakes, and all of a sudden my bottle spills forth corn juice onto the ground, but I recover it. Yet the damage was done: I spilled some of my drink onto an ajoshi's pants, mosty on his calf. Of course, he wasn't a happy camper, heck, I wouldn't be either if someone spilled anything on me.

He turns, stomps his feet at me, and yells at me in Korean, so I apologize back in Korean (bowed to him too). Yet what shocked me the most was he yelled for me to go to the next car, so that's when I started speaking English. I'm Asian-American, so he assumed I was Korean and I would comply because I'm lower on the totem-pole. So, I thought speaking English would kind of diffuse the situation, you know, "waygoogin not knowing what he was doing kinda thing," but he wasn't having it. So, with no way around, I just left for the other train car so I wouldn't make the situation more nastier than it was.

I left the train saying "sorry" in Korean one more time, but he didn't hardly look at me, and said "understood, go" in Korean, and that was that.

It left me confused and hurt, because I never meant for it to happen, and the way he went bonkers. But I got over it quickly because I have dealt with mean people like him before, and it wasn't worth try to diffuse a man who was that mad.

I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with a similar situation in Korea, or what is your comment on what happened.

[Harpeau]

You could have offered him 5,000 won to cover a dry cleaning bill for the trousers. I'm not really blaming the old man for yelling at you. I would have been pretty perturbed as well. All in all, I guess I would have had to have been there to see the "actual damage", right?

[spliff]

If it would have been me I would have emptied the remaining contents of the can on his head and then get off and back on at the next stop!

[Ilsanman]

Well if someone wrongs me on the train, if that person would go to the next train or move away from me, I'd be appeased.

I did the same thing to some asshole who sneezed on me. I pointed to the left and shouted 'get away from me'.

[Mix1]

That's a "tough incident"?

You know, this is what usually happens when people buy "corn juice" ...I'd say that was the start of your problems.

Can you blame someone for getting a little irked when that awful "corn juice" gets spilled on them? Try it in NYC or LA and compare the response...

Yes, ajoshis often yell when they are angry, but at least he said he understood your apology. If he was pissed for no reason that would be a different story. Also, if you were not drinking "corn juice" you may have gotten a little more respect.

[eamo]

Who drinks corn juice???? Yuck!

[SuperFly]

I would've invited him to the 'CRAZY HAPPY' INTERNATIONAL SINGLES PARTY IN SEOUL!!!