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Korean attitude toward foreigners?

Blogs > DoctorHelvetica
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DoctorHelvetica
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
United States15034 Posts
July 12 2008 04:49 GMT
#1
As one who has been thinking about moving to Korea, is their attitude toward foreigners as bad as countries like Japan?

I know in Japan its near impossible to get ANY job besides "english teacher", and I fear perhaps Korea is the same way. Any Koreans or Foreigners in Korea care to tell me how the public acts toward foreigners like me?

****
RIP Aaliyah
fusionsdf
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
Canada15390 Posts
July 12 2008 04:52 GMT
#2
I have no personal experience, but I have heard a few times that korea is worse in that respect than japan
SKT_Best: "I actually chose Protoss because it was so hard for me to defeat Protoss as a Terran. When I first started Brood War, my main race was Terran."
CapO
Profile Blog Joined March 2007
United States1615 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-07-12 05:02:44
July 12 2008 05:01 GMT
#3
you should watch the show called, the gossip of ladies or otherwise known as 미녀들의 수다. it's a talk show, in which female foreigners talk about korea and their experiences.

their korean is understandable and very adorable/cute.

they have been living in korea for a long time because they love it there, just like rekrul, grr and every other foreigner we know.

a lot of koreans have what is called "정", which is sorta like "love" for others. like for an instance, even though this korean has just met u for only a short period of time, he or she will miss you.

korea is full of culture and a lot of foreigners like it and koreans are very nice to them as well.

trust me, unless u meet some kinda korean gangster, everyone's gonna be nice to you, but there are always ppl who try to take advantage of foreigners who cant' speak their native language, so watch out. well, this happens in EVERY country, so it's nothing much.
SNSD fan
CapO
Profile Blog Joined March 2007
United States1615 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-07-12 05:13:34
July 12 2008 05:07 GMT
#4
here's the latest episode of the show i was talking about:



the show basically discusses about both positive/negative aspects in Korea.
SNSD fan
MrRammstein
Profile Joined May 2008
Poland339 Posts
July 12 2008 05:25 GMT
#5
Are there any subtitles x)?
account abandoned:P RIP
imthemaster
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
United States115 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-07-12 05:28:13
July 12 2008 05:27 GMT
#6
Only old people are really that way toward foreigners. Most korean people are really nice towards anyone. They joke around ALOT though. Also if you show an interest in the culture, such as trying new things, not looking like a douch, and respecting elders you'll fit right in, and even the adults will find a liking to you. If you're the youngest, act like your the youngest. Offer help to older people, and just be nice to people.

Just smile alot, remember people are mostly joking around. All in being a foreigner should not really give you trouble finding a job. I know people who even give jobs to people who know english, and korean, over people who only know korean. The one great thing about korea is you can have a great relationship with anyone, even the owner of the apartment you might stay in. Good Luck if you plan to go, it's a great place, lots of great/cheap things.

evanthebouncy!
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
United States12796 Posts
July 12 2008 05:33 GMT
#7
Just don't get too defensive/serious like Draco and I think u'll be chill
Life is run, it is dance, it is fast, passionate and BAM!, you dance and sing and booze while you can for now is the time and time is mine. Smile and laugh when still can for now is the time and soon you die!
Quesadilla
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
United States1814 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-07-12 05:40:57
July 12 2008 05:33 GMT
#8
The only dudes that didn't like me while I was there were:

a) laying in a subway
b) old
c) drunk
d) homeless
e) all of the above

The majority of people that I met were like, infatuated with me, as if I was some alien or something. The purity rate there is so extremely high that they flip out when somebody else has a true interest in their country. If you get people that actually have some cultural pride, it's pretty fun. They go out of their way to show you things and understand their culture, they are excited to show it to somebody else because everything around them is so the same. Honestly, Korean people have a ton of passion and reverence for respect and loyalty, so if you consider yourself a person with one of those 3 qualities, you should be fine there and actually make some good acquaintances.

Like imthemaster said, they are an extremely sarcastic people too. Personally, I think that is rad, and I can roll with the punches. It's really refreshing in my mind to be around people that know how to screw around and poke fun at each other without it getting offensive.

GL
Make a lot of friends. Wear good clothes. Drink good beer. Love a nice girl.
Rekrul
Profile Blog Joined November 2002
Korea (South)17174 Posts
July 12 2008 05:36 GMT
#9
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=64142
why so 진지해?
MrRammstein
Profile Joined May 2008
Poland339 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-07-12 06:08:14
July 12 2008 06:07 GMT
#10
On July 12 2008 14:33 evanthebouncy! wrote:
Just don't get too defensive/serious like Draco and I think u'll be chill


He wasn't defensive/serious. He just got tired of being alone there... as I read
account abandoned:P RIP
mel_ee
Profile Blog Joined August 2003
2450 Posts
July 12 2008 07:53 GMT
#11
Oh my god the girls on that show are so fluent in Korean. Im trying to learn the language (using rosetta stone + pimsleur atm) and only wish I could understand it all.
Behold the bold soldier, control the globe slowly proceeds to blow swingin swords like Shinobi
JOYRIDE
Profile Joined August 2005
United States46 Posts
July 12 2008 09:19 GMT
#12
On July 12 2008 16:53 mel_ee wrote:
Oh my god the girls on that show are so fluent in Korean. Im trying to learn the language (using rosetta stone + pimsleur atm) and only wish I could understand it all.


rofl. rosetta stone? that will get you no where. here's my advice:

http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Korean-Tuttle-Language-Library/dp/0804836140/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215854256&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Continuing-Korean-Ross-King/dp/080483430X/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215854256&sr=1-3

no need to thank me.
Wala.Revolution
Profile Blog Joined November 2006
7584 Posts
July 12 2008 10:47 GMT
#13
Do you speak Korean, not fluently, but enough to survive? That would help you immensely.

Also, if you are open-minded and meet people that are likewise, you should have no problem. But like every other country in the world, there are obstinate and dumb people in Korea as well. I rarely encounter them, but if you do, you can just avoid them.

What job are you going (to apply) for? If it's anywhere but in Seoul, especially the rural areas, people will have a hard time accepting you.

Accept the Korean culture. Don't be critisizing it because you don't think it "is right". That is THE way to get rejected in Korea (or any other country).

Best wishes.
Stuck.
Smuft
Profile Blog Joined January 2003
Canada318 Posts
July 12 2008 10:49 GMT
#14
koreans are very manner to foreigners especially on the surface

sometimes they might seem kind of racist but that's more about an overwhelming pride of being korean than you being a foreigner

the general publics ideas of ethnic equality is a couple decades behind multicultural countries of the west but it's nothing bad
ArvickHero
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
10387 Posts
July 12 2008 10:53 GMT
#15
we think of you guys as a bunch of chobos and want you to go away.

jk jk haha I wouldn't know because I only stay at korea for summers and I haven't really seen any foreigner interactions so I can't say but yea we joke around a lot haha.. some of my more stuck up friends get highly annoyed by it cultural differences I suppose
Writerptrk
DoctorHelvetica
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
United States15034 Posts
July 12 2008 15:24 GMT
#16
Well all of that is great to know.

I'm learning Korean, and I hope to get a job, maybe doing Real Estate or something. rekrul's description of English Teachers wasn't so appealing (although I understand the humor in it).

RIP Aaliyah
JeeJee
Profile Blog Joined July 2003
Canada5652 Posts
Last Edited: 2008-07-12 19:18:09
July 12 2008 19:16 GMT
#17
every time i go to this korean place to order yukgaejang (it's a somewhat spicy soup), they give me a strange look
the first time they even asked me "are you sure..?"

racism!11!1
=(
(\o/)  If you want it, you find a way. Otherwise you find excuses. No exceptions.
 /_\   aka Shinbi (requesting a name change since 27/05/09 ☺)
kejako
Profile Joined April 2016
1 Post
April 19 2016 16:05 GMT
#18
You are all true guys ^^ I have a lot of friends there in korea and they said that the attitude of koreans is like arrrg. They are bad if you are not close amd they said koreans are so serious in life. They focus on their work. Etc.

So better we should close w them. Hahaha
parkufarku
Profile Blog Joined March 2014
882 Posts
April 19 2016 18:03 GMT
#19
Dat 8 year old bump. lmao.
Chef
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
10810 Posts
April 20 2016 13:55 GMT
#20
Shots fired at Japan

I think any country you go to you need to have pretty thick skin and a willingness to adapt to the new culture. In other words you can't be stubborn, you have to assimilate, or people will treat you like an alien because you act like one.

I think you are going to suffer if you don't have a real reason for going there. As horrible and cruel as racism is, blaming everything that goes wrong on it is a real problem for people who are bad travelers. I cringe every time I hear white people telling stories about how they weren't accepted in Japan, or that they were bored of being complimented on their Japanese and chopstick usage. It's like white people want so badly to experience prejudice. I don't really wanna hear you saying you couldn't get a job in Korea because you're white, when you're going into a country where the job market for anything decent is very competitive.
LEGEND!! LEGEND!!
TheKwas
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Iceland372 Posts
April 20 2016 18:37 GMT
#21
The people will treat you very nicely. Koreans are generally a very welcoming people and many of them are interested in talking and befriending foreigners. Any racism you might experience will probably be the benign awkward kind that comes from ignorance rather than hate.

However, there's really not many jobs for foreigners except as English teachers. If you want a non-teaching job, you'll probably either need to be near-fluent in Korean, or you need to have a special skill-set that can compensate for your lack of fluency (high-level STEM or IT knowledge, or fluency in a high-demand exotic language like arabic). The only jobs, other than english teachers, where English alone can land you a job is overseas marketing, or something specific to the ex-pat community (owning a bar, for example). However, in both those cases you should have some experience in Korea first.

I would suggest to first go there as a teacher or as a student, get a feel for the country, then explore non-teaching opportunities. You're definitely not going to get a non-teaching job right off the airplane.

Source: 4+ years in Korea.
FueledUpAndReadyToGo
Profile Blog Joined March 2013
Netherlands30548 Posts
April 21 2016 11:42 GMT
#22
Former GSL caster Khaldor made a vlog about some of his bad experiences living there (but he still says he loved living there)

Neosteel Enthusiast
swissman777
Profile Joined September 2014
1106 Posts
Last Edited: 2016-05-17 03:29:45
May 17 2016 03:29 GMT
#23
At least you guys get smiles. As a fellow Korean who does not live there anymore, it feels really dull. I guess I still not used to saying hello to everyone in Geneva and then you ignore everyone in Seoul and Urbana Illinois
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