I read a blog by a Canadian ESL teacher who always just writes positive. The fact that she was motivated to write this shows how badly all foreigners are treated not just the American Barbarians. She does make several good points and it is long but worth the read... HERE I am sure some of you have comments?

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Just my humble opinion!

Sounds like she had a good adventure and learned many things. All countries of the world aren't melting pots. Those of us who come from more liberal, melting pot places shouldn't have the same kind of expectations abroad as we do at home.

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Turk Quid Pro Quo

Among the long-term expats and in the K-blogsphere, there isa recurrent theme that most of all what expats do in the blogs is bash Korea relentlessly. It ends up getting on my nerves, because at least on the blogs I read, most of the *****ing is the same you get in the media and you would get if these people were back in their own countries.

But, there is also another type of expat - primarily in the ESL community. The kind just like you described this person - the kind who want to keep their good vibes feeling about their short stint of adventure in another country who go out of their way not to ackowledge the bad. There are just as many of this type of expat you meet in Korea as their are people who are hell bent on bashing Korea.

(These people are different from the apologists, however, and I will just skip talking about them, because they aren't a majority in the community either).

As far as discrimination, I used to tell all new teachers their being from a wealth Western nation would get them more positive discrimination than negative. They would find they would get treated better in Korean shops than Korean customers much more often they they would recieve negative attention.

I'd say if the person stayed in Korea for a year or more and went out and about a lot, especially alone, they would have perhaps 1 or maybe 2 run ins with a Korean with a chip on his shoulder.

However, if you are black, it is a very different story.

Discrimination alone should not be a reason a white person would want to avoid Korea or leave it early.....

Her discussion was more of they make it difficult for all foreigners speaking of the government and the frustraiting time a person has getting anything on the economy. I wonder it use to be when I was there if you needed anything done enough money applied in the correct spot moved things along quickly. Of course that was back in the late 70's. I am willing to bet that it is still the same just the amout of money has gone up a lot.

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Just my humble opinion!

I also tend to think along the difference of exposure in Korea to different generations. I.E. Parisok was fortunate to have been exposed to the country in the seventies and I am glad I got to be there in 82 and beyond. We were exposed to more of the Korean war generation on a wide scale than those who venture there today for the first time. Although there was military law and systematic bribery back then, as today, the perception of Korea was still that of a country rebuilding from war years. It was always viewed as a third world place, (if you believe in the third world theory). Casual conversations with older koreans about their experiences under Japanese occupation and during the Korean war were more common than today. Korea was largely a secretive and internationally ignored place, not on anyones radar, except those involved in maintaining the cease fire. The westernized ROK of today and its youth create a much different first impression upon those who go there for the first time.

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Turk Quid Pro Quo

Very interesting Story, as citizen of ROK I apologise for any discrimination you have reveived.

I feel your pain, I lived in Austrlaia for last 13 years and travelled around the world I have experienced exact same situatoin.
Don't Get me wrong even I get discriminatoin from other koreans in My own country. I speak English when I am out with my family especially with my sister and because of that people stares at us whereever we go. once they find out that I'm fluent korean they look at me like "what the F#$# do you speak in English for?" and I always tell them because Its easier & you dont know what we are saying... :p Ha Ha Ha.

It took me a while to adjust into foreign custom and law, I tried very hard to fit in where ever I went. I hate to see poeple dont even try to learn.

anyway as it is mentioned in the blogg, its very hard to get a mobile phone (cell phone) or even internet shopping with ARC... I dont have any answer to that because its the LAW... those numbers will track you every move you make but without that card you can not do anything in Korea.
that's how korean goverment can track you down, if needed.

Korean people are generally very forgiving and accomodating people, but where ever you go you will bound to see GOOD people and BAD people. I found out that when I went to united State for first time.


imho
:)

Yeah, after reading his post in full, she was ground down by the hassels of things that I don't think quickly jump to mind when you hear the word "discrimination."

I still don't think it would be enough to concern the average expat who plans to spend a couple of years in Korea. There are enough benefits and interesting experiences for the typical expat from a Western nation in Korea to out weigh the negatives. And part of that is how you can work around the negatives. You can get a cell phone, but not under your name, for example.

There are, however, some areas of this offical, legal type discrimination that typical Western expats (ESL people generally) do run across that does leave people with a very bad impression: dealing with crimes and broken contracts through the Korean courts and police.

You can have success taking your boss to court or the local labor board or success with the police and court when dealing with a crime committed against you or in a traffic accident, but more often than not, they will not want to deal with you at all. And the way the system(s) work, too many Korean bosses take full advantage of it to screw the foreign workers.

And being a long term expat and speaking the langauge can help improve your chances with the legal system, but it is in no way a ticket to having your case handled like it would be for Koreans. I knew an older mixed couple who had been teaching in Korea for over a decade. They had met in grad school in TESOL in the US. And they kept the bulk of their money in an American bank, because they knew something could always come up and they'd have to leave. Something like their not getting along with the head of their English department and that guy greesing the wheels in the opposite direction to deny the American male a visa renewal or something like that. And it did not matter how long he had lived in Korea, because back then, he couldn't become a Korean citizen even though his wife was Korean or become a dual citizen.

But, overall, I'd still say the discrimination factor shouldn't be one big enough to convince someone not to come to live and work in Korea for a few years.

The cesspool nature of the hakwon ESL industry is however a big enough reason.

Oh, and another of the court/legal system related problems you hear about from longer term expats (say 3 plus years in country) concerns being cheated out of key money for apartments.

Koreans also get screwed by unethical landlords when it comes to key money deposits, and the Korean legal system isn't perfect for them getting their money back either, but it is much worse for the foreigner due to the fact so much of the system and the people who work it simply don't want the hassle of having to deal with a foreigner. And again the fact that it is easier to screw a foreigner in a deal like this without being called to account for it by the legal system means an unethical Korean is more likely to stick it to the foreigner. You just have to be even more careful when making big committments of money if you are a foreigner and also cross your fingers.

Pva_Glue I understand where you are coming from the Korean cold shoulder is even here in the States. Example My wife and her friends who are all of mixed Korean heritage go to a Korean resteraunt we get our order taken but the table next to us with a Korean family comes in after us gets constant attention from the wait staff while we can not even get our water class refilled. This has happened more than once and I will not go there any more even though the food is pretty good. It is not just Korea that this happens. In Japan if you are american then you are no longer Japaneese and they have no quams telling you so. I remember a friend in highschool he was into the "Black Power" thing and his dad worked for the State Dept. He had a chance to visit Africa with his Father and when he came back he was no longer into the Black Power thing as he was told he was an american and quit acting like he was coming from Africa. (I use Africa as I do not remember the country in Africa to long ago) He was very struck by that as were the rest of us at school. Nationalism is the one thing that may hold a true worls market from coming into being but I also feel that until the playing field is even for every nation it will not happen. Some time you have to make the best of it and as was pointed out no matter where you go there are good and bad. I do not understand when people brand other just because they are different. I guess that is not understood until you experience it.

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Just my humble opinion!