By The Asia Pages gives an insightful look at how Koreans interact with foreigners. This passage here explains why it seems like just random people will come up to me and ask me random questions in English all the time.
We were waiting in line at Lotteria (we were buying icecream) when a rather large group of English-speaking Caucasians exited the restaurant. Immediately (after giving the crowd a good long, obvious stare) all those within my company nudged me and told me to start speaking English loudly to impress the weiguks.
“If they see you speaking English well,” one person told me, “maybe they will have a good impression of Koreans as being intelligent people with good language skills.”
I really don’t mind the kids wanting to practice English. I actually like talking to the kids. Make a good impression on them so in the future they don’t have a negative stereotype of foreigners. However, I do get annyoyed by the random weirdos that come up to you on the subway, the sidewalk, at a restaurant, or even hiking that want to speak Hanglish. They always ask the same questions about if I’m married, what I do, how much money do you make, etc. I am always polite and then try to go about by business because I don’t got time to spend with every random ajushi on the subway I meet but they just don’t leave you alone and they will follow you and ask you to go drinking with them, go to their home to meet the family, go to the sauna, and even a massage room. It is usually weird ajushis that hit me up and want to engage in conversation. On a different note though, I don’t mind when an ajushi comes up to me and wants to talk because they used to be a KATUSA during their past military service. You would be amazed how many former ROK Army KATUSAs are out there that I have met in random places. I have even ran into former KATUSAs who served as long as during the Korean War.
The ajummas on the other hand, usually don’t try and engage in much conversation. What they do is poke you and touch your hair and stare in amazement. I’m 6′4 and 215 pounds with blonde hair so I cannot help but stand out. I must look like a walking freak show to some Koreans. I have had in the past ajummas without even saying a word, walk up to me on the subway and start rubbing the hair on my head. I have had moms bring their kids over to practice English and then point to different parts of my anatomy like my eyes, nose, and ears. I one time while hiking have a random ajumma poke my stomach and say in Korean wow he is not fat. I have even had an ajumma come up and pull my arm hair out and stare at it in amazement.
Finally, here is the part of the post I find most interesting:
I was horrified. Was this the product of an inferiority complex that Koreans feel they have to make up for? The reality that compared to other countries the English capabilities here are seriously lacking?
Or was it something else?
I have always felt that Koreans have an inferiority complex. If Koreans feel they need to bombard foreigners with English phrases they have learned to impress foreigners that Koreans are in fact intelligent they are mistaken. They don’t need to do this because we already know they are smart. Koreans are a very intelligent people with a lot of potential and they shouldn’t feel they need to speak English well to be considered intelligent.
This is all part of the inferiority complex that Koreans seem to have that they think everyone looks down on them. This inferiorty complex is what has built the nationalism in this country, unlike Japan where nationalism has been built by a superiority complex.
I tell all my KATUSAs that they shouldn’t feel inferior to anyone. They as a people should feel proud of all that Korea has accomplished in the last 50 years. The way the older generation of Koreans lived through occupation by the Japanese and the Korean War and then rebuilt this country into the economic power house that it is. This is something all Koreans should feel proud of because what they did is really unprecedent in history. This is what should drive nationalism. Not ethnicity or a sense of inferiority.
So hopefully the younger generation of Koreans will learn to be more proud of Korea and not feel inferior to anyone. Also I hope the younger generation learns to not poke people and stare at them. Better yet, not to pull out my arm hair either.
2:56 pm on January 6th, 2007 1
Amazing, I wouldn’t have thought that some Koreans would still touch you. That sounds like Korea back in 1976. With all the foreigners in Korea now aren’t the folks use to it?
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2:56 pm on January 6th, 2007 2
It is usually older people who do the poking and staring. The younger people tend not to stare as much and have never had a younger person pull out my arm hair or poke me.
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2:57 pm on January 6th, 2007 3
So what are you saying, GI’s don’t look down on the Koreans? Sorry to say this, but I really think you’re out of touch with reality.
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2:58 pm on January 6th, 2007 4
I never said that some GI’s don’t look down on Koreans, but this GI doesn’t look down on Koreans. The problem with some of the young GI’s that do look down on Koreans is that they go through AIT and listen to there older instructors tell stories to them about when they served in Korea in the 80’s and early 90’s when Korea was much different from the Korea of today. Plus combine that with the lack of general education about modern day Korea in the United States to begin with and you already have many young soldiers with a third world country stereotype of Korea before they ever step foot in Korea.
So how do you combat this problem? First all Korea should do more to bolster its image in America. Growing up in America I felt people grew up with much more positive image of Japan then Korea. As a young American growing up Japan is always displayed in the popular culture as highly modern, hard working, and intelligent people with a very interesting culture and history despite the atrocities committed in World War II. Korea on the other hand has very little exposure in the popular culture besides seeing scenes of the Korean War, goose stepping North Korean soldiers, and a fat man dictator with a wild hair cut. Today scenes of flag burnings, protests, signs telling foreigners to not enter certain establishments, plus nukes and Kim Jong Il video clips do nothing to bolster Korea’s image in America.
To combat this stereotype problem in the 2ID the division has set up what is called the Warrior Readiness Center to educate soldiers about Korea the minute they get off the plane to begin to crush the stereotypes they came in country with to help make them better guests in this country. This program was featured in the Stars and Stripes here is the link URL.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26868&archive=true
The program teaches Korean culture and history plus takes them to different areas in Korea like Home Plus to teach them how to shop and to restaurants to expose them to Korean food and teach them how to order in Korean. Plus the course teaches many safety classes especially driver’s training safety due to the dangerous driving conditions in Korea.
I don’t how many times I have had new soldiers tell me how much they were amazed how modernized Korea is and the amount of American style shopping and restaurants are available in the country. Heck the old crusty guys who served here in the 80’s come back here now and are more amazed then anyone by the amount of development and modernization here in such a short time. Like I said in my post all the positives this country has accomplished in the last 50 years plus what it can still accomplish in the future is what Koreans should draw pride from. They shouldn’t draw their Korean pride from trying to impress foreigners. Many of us are already impressed.
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12:01 am on May 2nd, 2008 5
Hahaha I notice this everytime I am in public in Korea. The conversation is completely korean until I enter the scene, then usually a female korean begins to speak in english while her korean friend is completely confused saying in korean,”Moragu or molayo” Meaning “Whatchu say?” and “I dont understand” then I laugh. Other times they come up and say,”I am fine, how are you?” without saying anything prior or you saying anything to them. I think it’s cute because it well…just is. The inferiority complex may have derived from me sportin wood every where I go. Just a theory…
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8:08 am on December 2nd, 2008 6
im korean and i totally do agree with you on the inferiority complex stuff. Koreans had to go through so many sufferings throughout its 5000 years of written history. We have been invaded 449 times by chinese, japanese, French, British, and Americans(you guys invaded us in 1800s once, but they never teach you that in america.) Im not sure if you noticed this, but Korean language has extremely diversity and number of cuss words. It’s probably because we have been invaded so many times, and the few things koreans could do was cuss.(usually to chinese and japanese).however, i don’t think judging korea with ajushis, ajumma, and little kids is bit of a stretch. ajummas and ajussis tend to be people in 50s and over, in another words, people who survived korean war.
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6:09 pm on December 2nd, 2008 7
Korean guy
Yep, I read about the American invasion of korea. Lasted what, about a week. Americans took your flag and left. If I remember right, Korea put up a stone or something that states that on that spot Korea “defeated” America. America took your flag Dude!
But your correct, they don’t teach it in school. Dude, it lasted a week! I’ve had leave that lasted longer than that. Sounds like you have a case of Victimhood. Not that I blame you any.
But I liked my three tours in Korea—well two of them. I didn’t like Korea in 2002 and that was the last time I was there. The first tour was 88 thru 92. The second was 95 thru 97. I didn’t extend on the last one. F—that!
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7:51 pm on December 2nd, 2008 8
“5000 years of written history”
This makes me laugh. HAHA!
“We have been invaded 449 times by chinese, japanese, French, British, and Americans(you guys invaded us in 1800s once, but they never teach you that in america.)”
Stupid Americans don’t teach Korean history right. HOW DARE THEY!!!
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8:40 pm on December 2nd, 2008 9
Don’t worry, Korea Guy.
America has been invaded (at least) twice but they don’t teach that in history class either.
The first time was by Canadians who are proud to inform Americans why the White House is white (they burned it). (The British may have helped in this invasion but the Canadians don’t expand on that angle). The invasion was successfully repelled.
The second time was by Mexicans. It’s still in progress and the outcome is looking bleak.
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11:38 pm on December 2nd, 2008 10
Free Ride
I didn’ know about the Canadians! But yes, the second one is on going and lookin bad. We may have to give them California and make peace. Oh well—-
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9:59 pm on July 2nd, 2009 11
writer! you are right in some aspect. we Corean(??)wasn’t like that before josun era. too much history….most of history, which you learn about corea in even corea now is fantasy that is faked by chinese, japanese, westerners(little part), and ourselves…. we have been brainwashed by inferiority concept that chinese and japanese try to force it into our head and our true history is faked. we once had huge territory and prosperity nation. we have over 9000 years old history not 5000 years which corean history now teach. if you can read corean, that would be good, go to this site and read them some http://cafe.daum.net/mookto. It’s about true history of coreans.
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