That is the question that the Joong Ang Ilbo asked recently. The Joong Ang also called Koreans the Italians of Asia. Wait a minute I thought Koreans were the Irish of Asia? Anyway this is how the Joong Ang answered the question of why Koreans are rude:
Anti-social behavior displayed by Koreans is said to have its origin in the agricultural society of the country’s past. In close-knit communities where members care for each other like family, strangers were rare. This perhaps explains why the Korean language has limited expressions appropriate for social conversation between complete strangers.
As society modernized, companies engaged in Western-style services or retail industries had a hard time training local staff to be hospitable to customers, as they have a habit of taking professional situations very personally.
Compared with other Asians, Koreans in general are known to be temperamental.
I think to an outsider it may appear that Koreans are rude, but really I don’t think they are. For example in Seoul there is a lot of bumping on sidewalks and subways, but Seoul is so over populated people are just used to bumping into each other and think nothing of it. The locals are used to it, but foreigners new to Korea are not. Really the only non-polite tendency that really bugs me is some of the drivers of both mopeds an cars that are just absolute jerks and the people who obviously cut in line. The line cutters I’m able to deal with because I will confront them and when confronted they retreat to the back of the line. The drivers, not much I can do about that, I just grin and bear it.
However, in restaurants and businesses I have more often than not received better service than what I have received in many western countries. When traveling on the subway or trains around the country and I needed assistance usually I was overwhelmed with people wanting to help. Often in Korea I also see people give up their bus and subway seats to senior citizens. There is politeness in Korea, but in a Korean way, not a western way.
HT: Ampontan
9:40 pm on March 13th, 2007 1
French of Asia.
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April 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm
“French of Asia.”
I actually had a French woman, residing in Korea, tell this once—nothing against the French since I’m of French ancestry myself. Having said this, personally, I do not find Koreans rude. However, I have often found small business owners cold, people tend to selfishly cut lines, and the drivers are generally terrible; this may be more acute in Seoul because of high stress levels and a large number of people living in close proximity.
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4:52 am on March 14th, 2007 2
The “italians” of Asia? Never got the feeling that the Italians were that rude. The French, sure. Italians? No.
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March 10th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
I once heard the people saying that the Koreans were called the “Italians” of Asia
as the two nations are on the “peninsula” and are similarly merry people.
The Koreans are called the “Italians” of Asia to be spoken good of.
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5:16 am on March 14th, 2007 3
madne0, I thought the same thing, I have never really thought of Italians as being rude either. French of Asia sounds more appropiate if the stereotype is true about them in France. I have never been to France so I couldn’t tell you. However, every person from France I met in Korea were very nice and polite.
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May 30th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
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May 30th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I don’t know what you are getting at because I clearly said in my posting that Koreans are not rude:
Also I know my Korean history very well such as Koreans through most of the Joseon Dynasty owned slaves:
http://kennedy.byu.edu/papers/Peterson.pdf
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June 1st, 2009 at 12:14 am
That was exactly why I wrote with you not against you. I am sorry for missunderstanding. We Cool?
June 1st, 2009 at 1:53 am
The Joseon period was not a dynasty. Joseon was the country not the name of a King. And there were many tribes throughout the years Hankook (Korea)was called Josean. Could you bring me up to speed on when and who these slaves were? I mean slaves that were say not criminals from Joseon? If you are are speaking of Ming or Quing spies or soldiers I agree, but lets remember that Quing took Hundreds of thousands of slaves from Korea. It is really something that these folks are talking about Korean folks being rude. I would bet this is longest time of peace folks in part of Korea have seen in many hundred years. Their land is plush rice land and was desired by many of the other Asians. Recent history is more important though. I actually had a Korean professor tell me that he believed Korea was The land of the “mourning calm”.
Then I saw what he meant after sevral years of living amongst Korean folks. Wow The Chinese believe they tried to hide their Martial Arts. LOL Those arts in Korea are incredible and many unknown to the world. Exception Tae kwon Do which the Japanese named Karate. They took every piece of glass From Korea for glass floats they took all metals spoons forks anything, brass silver or otherwise from 1910 to 1945. The Japanese forbid the Korean people to even Write speak Hangul. Now the world knows Hangul is the most clever alphabet in the world. I learned to read Korean or Hangul in about a week but didnt know what I was saying as hadnt learned the lanquage. There are very few symbols in Korean writing (Hangul) made in the 15th century 10 vowels and 15 constanants. The Japanese and chinese well you know what 3k symbols whoa. Thats the short versions. I will always love Korea but most of all it would be nice to see folks saying nice things about people. This rude or beauty thing Has no Factual findings. Now I will say this. I did see many non Korean folks struggle in Korea because they expected special treatmeant. When I came back I saw folks struggling with Koreans again Because of their accents. They were trying to speak proper english but that wasnt good enough. And I have seen many different races catch hell for that. So whos Rude? I am sorry I was not clear to you but you were the first person I identified with when I came across this blog.
11:33 am on March 14th, 2007 4
The density argument just doesn’t cut it. The sidewalks of Midtown Fifth Avenue during rush hour are impossibly crowded, but people generally somehow manage to give one another some personal space and apologize if they bump. The issue is the lack of a tradition of public civility/courtesy in Korea, which has everything to do with social construction of reality here not geography.
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4:48 am on March 15th, 2007 5
I’ll speak up for the Koreans. I think they are very polite, but not in areas that United States folks expect it, i.e., it’s a cultural shock issue. It’s something you have to learn to live with in Korea. It’s your problem not the Koreans.
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April 19th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Yah right, its not the Koreans’ problem but the rest of the world. Cultural shock or not, the Koreans are the most barbaric people I’ve seen! Rather than we getting used to them, they should learn to be more civic-minded. Oh and I’ve heard Korea is a very homogenous country and therefore not used to different cultures. I am ok with that if they stop immigrating to other countries. If they do, please clean up their barbaric acts!
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3:57 pm on March 15th, 2007 6
Koreans are not rude – Germans are rude.
I would rather be around 10 Koreans than one German. “Service” in Korea by local merchants is good – don’t even expect a smile from a German sales rep.
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March 11th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Maybe no smile or jokes – but unlike Koreans, you can expect from Germans Hello, Thank you and Goodbye – certainly most Germans wouldn’t ignore others in a line.
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April 2nd, 2009 at 5:35 am
It just sounds a little different in Korean (Hangul)
Anyounghaso so
Kasahamnida
Anyoungkasao
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4:21 pm on March 15th, 2007 7
Notions of what constitutes rude (or polite) behavior are purely cultural. If you were to walk into someone’s home wearing your shoes in Korea, you’d be thought of as being rude and inconsiderate. If you were to insist that people take off their shoes when entering your home in the US, you’d be thought of as an inconsiderate host.
North Americans are used to wide open spaces. Our personal bubbles are bigger than those of people who live in very densely populated areas. Even native New Yorkers still have a bigger bubble than Koreans. Most Koreans, in my observation, don’t have a problem being close to each other. Notice how parties will all be grouped together in a restaurant—when the rest of the place is empty. Notice how, at holiday time, will crowd dozens of people into their grandparents’ tiny home and sleep shoulder to shoulder on the floor. Is it rude for a restaurant to seat people so close together? In the US, maybe. In Korea? Nope.
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May 18th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative……think about it…
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June 10th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Very well put and You know what? I have been in restaraunts where a family was having a party and I have ended up with them . I am not saying that happened every time but has happened. Your observation about space is so simple for all to see but I seen many outsiders wanting more space as were used to it. Wow in the early 80s or late 70s in Korea They didnt have enough busses so the Busses would overflo at times folks were getting off work. Now when your on a buss that is filled 5 times to capacity and no one is fighting and the oldest or pregnant are getting any seats available You learn real fast about People who love and respect one another. I was told by a friend that in the 60s those seats would be offered to a GI. I believe that as it happened to me in other situations. What country in this world has more love for people who helped them continue a way of life that they loved? Ya, I know allot of that is gone now but hey they dont have to behold us as great warriors forever. The younger folks dont have this memory but have been told. But The space issue is the bestobservation one can make. As far as negative or positive. I found that was up to me in most situations. I could turn it either way. So I loved being there and BECAME Positive in Cramped situations. As as a result I was able to get past the exterior of the korean people. What I found then I will Hold onto for all my life. I gotta say this I was a huge ass when first going to Korea. I didnt get it right off the plane. In fact for a few months I thought I was a Giant in a valley of dwarfs. Foolish I was.
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4:51 pm on March 15th, 2007 8
I think Joe put it very well. I have found Koreans to be very polite in a Korean way. Just to add another example, when visiting a Korean’s home they will treat you much better than when visiting the home of most Americans in the states. Koreans take being a good host very seriously.
Really the biggest annoyance to me is line cutting, which I think is something that burns into foreigners minds about Korea when it happens to them. It is such an impolite act that people tend to dwell on that instead of remembering all the polite instances when visiting Korea. What puzzles me is that when I ask Koreans about it they hate the line cutters to but every time someone lines cut I haven’t seen a Korean jump on that person. However, if I say something to the line cutter, than another Korean will tend to jump in and ask the line cutter to politely go to the end of the line. I think since older people usually line cut, younger people are hesistant to tell that person anything.
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10:53 pm on March 16th, 2007 9
I think you hit the nail on the head there. The older people are the line cutters, and a Korean would never scold an elder. We can scold them because we are ignorant foreigners who don’t know the rules (or at least pretend not to). You’d never see a young person cutting in front of their elder.
As for being good hosts, yeah absolutely. I’m amazed whenever I visit a home. They are always ready for guests. It seems they keep a refrigerator full of goodies for guests. I frustrate my wife because she is always trying to keep these things around the house so we can be good hosts, but I always eat them. It is starting to cut into the number of people we invite (and not to mention the increase in my waist size).
This being a good host also carried over to the 2002 World Cup frenzy. I never had better service from everyday Koreans. Taxi drivers went out of their way to pick me up (one even told my wife that he was just finishing his shift and wasn’t going to pick me up, but he wanted to be a good host to foreigners so he stopped)
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1:17 pm on March 17th, 2007 10
“I think since older people usually line cut, younger people are hesistant to tell that person anything.”
This cuts to the core of the issue. People “impose” upon each other here, in one form or another, so easily because to get pissed off about it is to lose face. Rude line cutters, selfish bosses, asshole taxis all rely on the “victim’s” acquiescence.
joe, I don’t think behavior the World Cup is a fair comparison. Koreans, in gerneal, are extremely well mannered when the lights and camera are on them. Let me put it this way. If there were tv cameras in the store, no one would cut in line. This is not cultural. Rude people know the difference between right and wrong, even when the choose to ignore it.
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10:23 pm on March 31st, 2007 11
[...] [GI Korea] Why are Koreans Rude? Published: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:03:38 +0000 That is the question that the Joong Ang Ilbo asked recently.Â* The Joong Ang also called Koreans the Italians of Asia.Â* Wait a minute I thought Koreans were the Irish of Asia?Â* Anyway this is how the Joong Ang answered the question of why Koreans are rude: Anti-social behavior displayed by Koreans is said to have [...] Read More… [...]
5:24 am on April 19th, 2007 12
[...] Why are Koreans Rude? at ROK Drop on 13 Mar 2007 at 5:01 [...]
6:29 pm on June 24th, 2007 13
why are koreans rude??
1) Korea lacks ” thinking or logical” education. Korean style of education system is simply outdated. It has strong Japanese influence. Test Prep style of educational system simply don’t cut it in real modern world.
2) Korea is still agricultural society. Farmers and Ajuma’s ( Housewife) rule Korean society. Good or Worse. It’s biggest problem about Korea. Korean disease derived from this two things Farmers and Ajuma’s. Politically or Economically killing Korea.
3) Koreans are neither French or Irish. Koreans are Koreans. If you add Irish, Italian and Jewish. You do have Koreans.
4) Yes, Koreans are rude. In good or bad way. It was rudeness that saved Korea.
5) Koreans are rude as much as People from New Jersey or New York or even Boston, Massachusetts. Koreans have ” Hot” and ” cold” direct personality like East Coast ” New England Yankees”. Yes, Koreans are direct and very blunt people. If they want too. Yes, I have met direct and blunt Koreans.
6) Is rudeness bad?? Answer is No. Why??? It’s alot better than phillipinoes ” backstabbing” or Japanese ” superficialness” or Chinese ” superiority complex”. I would have 10 Koreans over German, Japanese, Chinese or even Phillipinoes. Koreans are direct and emotional. But least they are trust worthy people with words and friendship in this regard they are like Italians.
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April 1st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
korean style of education is not so good but it also contribute alot
to korea
still agricultural?
it has been changed
samsung,LG,hyundai those are koraen brands
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June 12th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Clearly you have not been outside a Korean city in quite some time. I just returned from a year of teaching in the countryside, and one of the 3 schools I taught at didn’t even have indoor plumbing.
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June 12th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
There ya go again an outsider making assumptions. Spent much time in country Villages and in the cities and Guess what Your info is nothing new. So fifty years after a war that leveled a country indoor plumbing in every place is so important!? You obviously missed the way Korean people recycle and if the rest the world quit throwing everything in the Ocean and used a similisr recycling method the world would be better. Now I suppose your gonna say Korea is dirty in the country. BS Why is it that people have to nit pick on another culture other than yours. Korea has come a long way. They grow the best and most sought after rice in the word and if you have had Korean organic vegetables well your healthy. Simply put the out house where it needs to be and simply put yourself back in the country you point fingers from. When you are back check and see where the poo go’s. Country villages in Korea recycle everthing. Does that scare you? Well we have algae problems in many of our oceans because of where many other countries put that stuff. Peace
7:07 pm on June 24th, 2007 14
Gentlemen,
Go to the Phillipines for a week. When you get back you’ll realize just how much “customer service” and courtesy skills Korea as a whole lacks.
Compared to their counterparts in Southeast Asia, Koreans are extremely rude, very well aware of it, and have no intention in changing this.
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6:26 pm on June 25th, 2007 15
For sure, I think most Koreans can be rude. It’s worth noting that they can be quite the actors in regards to placing the ‘ol best foot forward routine, but when that gets old, a foreign person can be in for some rude behavior.
Thankfully, not all Koreans are line cutters and sidewalk bumpers. I’ve made a couple Korean friends along the way during my work stint here who openly admit the obvious rudeness of their peers. What seems to make the difference when dealing with Koreans is whether or not they see you as a person or a thing. I think it’s true that Koreans must accept you as a person before you’re given personal treatment. Otherwise, you can be treated the same way as a dog that needs medicine over here: out the door, no questions asked. This, I experienced personally and I really lost respect for their culture because of this throw away mentality. I’ve seen many a stray dog that would have been bought a few months ago from a pet store only to be tossed to the street because of fleas, infection, etc., and the cost of medicine needed to treat it.
Which leads me to another qualm I have with some Koreans: Most are painfully cheap and greedy. If you ask around, many foreign workers here get the big runaround and can lose a lot of money as a result of dealing with a Korean employer. I remember an experienced female ESL teacher from the US helped me to figure out why they act as they do with money, and she put it this way: “Not long ago they were picking daisies from fields and eating them. Suddenly, they industrialized (with the enormous aid given by foreign countries) and they convinced themselves to never again be that way.” I sort of agree with this, but there’s more to it than that as the younger generations aren’t in touch with the dark past of Korea. Rather, I think the material wealth thing is ingrained in their minds where ever they turn. The BMWs, fancy suits, new laptops, etc., are the pinnacle of success for them. They haven’t quite caught on to the notion that material things don’t really equate to happiness.
Overall, Koreans can be very rude especially compared to neighboring Asian countries. I recommend Korea for those who wish to work for a limited time (with a reputable company; ask other foreign staff) but not as a long term home. The quality of life here isn’t very good compared to other developed nations.
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7:50 am on June 26th, 2007 16
Koreans are more blunt or snide than they are outright rude. Especially to those who are considered lower in hierarchy (age, seniority, rank, social standing)
I’ve heard someone comparing Koreans to East Coast Americans. They’re not beyond saying “you’re as fat as a pig” to an overweight person. Way back in Korea my teachers used to say “You’ll be picking up garbage rest of your life if you don’t get better grades”
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12:37 am on June 30th, 2007 17
To: Typeking
Excuse me? Have you been to the Philippines? If you haven’t, then, you don’t have the right to say that Filipinos are “backstabbers.” As far as the Filipino people are concern, the world has once made to believe that Filipinos are one of the friendliest people on earth and it quite convincing until now. And according to the latest statistics, there are over 300,000 Koreans now in the Philippines. Some if them come to the country for pleasure or for English study while some others chose to retire in the Philippines for good. Now, what do these people saw about the Philippines that you didn’t see or maybe, even notice? Have you ever been with one of these people you labeled as “backstabbers?” How come you could throw a false lie against them? Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Viva las islas Filipinas!!!
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May 13th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
I agree with Binibini about Typekings comment on the Filipinos. KNow our people more before you give such rude comment. Best of all know the right spelling of Filipinos (not Philippinoes)first before you judge us. Come back to the Philippines and taste the real goodness of Pinoys but be sure not to be rude yourself because Filipinos would simply not take racial superiority sitting down. Mabuhay Manny Pacquiao!!!!
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May 30th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
You stand well for the country you love, and I believe you that the Philipines would be an awesome place to live . BTW Many Korean Folks are moving there because their money goes much farther and they love the climate. I have gotten this first hand. My Father was in the philipines WWII. He said the people were greatful and beautiful. I seen that in Korea. Folks can be good anywhere as well as bad. The thing is we as humans need to be kind to each other and stop the racial BS. This is a fault of my own also as I have seen the french as rude and that is a generalization.
I am embarrased of myself for that. Anytime we say someone or some race or place is bad we are saying we are better. How could you know if you wernt better? We are not humble enough yet and we will be in a mess for That ignorance. That is my opinion
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4:14 pm on August 9th, 2007 18
I have been in 15 countries . Koreans are the rudest , loudest most disgusting people I have ever seen .
In other countries 90% of people are good and 10% are bad . In Korea it is the opposite .
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7:33 pm on August 9th, 2007 19
On the expressway from LA to Vegas, there is one Korean restaurant where many Korean tourists from Korea stop to eat. During one summer, one of the Korean tourist’s family was dining in the restaurant. The mother told her kids that if they did not study hard in school then they would be end up being like those Wait staff working in the restaurant. One of a wait staff was the owner’s daughter, UC Berkeley student, was helping out her family business during her summer vacation. She heard the comment from the woman and she complained to her parents. Her parents kicked the family out of the restaurant.
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2:23 pm on August 10th, 2007 20
You can all say what you like about cultural differences ,
misinterpretations e.t.c e.t.c . however ,it does not change the facts that these people are just plain obnoxious . I worked as an English teacher in Korea .Three of the flashcards I was given were PRETTY (picture of a white woman) , HANDSOME (picture of a white man ) UGLY (picture of a black woman )
I could go on forever about their rude , arrogant, noisy and pushy manner . I am sick of these do-gooders trying to stick up for them , or say how wonderful their culture is . They are a disgrace .
The funny thing is though , they think they are so superior living in their little dogbox apartments , a living style that we would consider housing commission standard .
What is the difference between a Korean and a bucket of shit ? Answer: THE BUCKET
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June 24th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Jeff,
I have ignored you long no to long. What is it with some of you English teachers? English was the one class that was so boring I just barely got Cs. Many English Teachers just failed to get the attention of the students. Now I do not want to generalize so I beleave it was a coincidence that most my English teachers seemed excrutiatingly boring. No imagination. I suspect that is your issue with Korea. And I would never have told you my feelings about some English Teachers if ya hadnt made your statement about dogooders? Hu Hu; So it is your stand that if someone who is not Korean loves Korea/ Koreans, and tells about this they are not up to your standards. Your just as racist as you beleave others are. You talk about pictures. A pretty white woman, and what you beleave is an ugly black woman. Wow arent these just teaching tools? I mean you are saying Korean people did this on purpose. You are a funny person. But sadly very unhappy. Why dont you try to have some fun? Change the picture of the black lady first as that wouldnt be good if you are right. Its just a picture you can print a beautiful Black lady off the internet or get one from a magazine. No ones gonna put you in jail or fire you for that, Seems to me it is a needed corection. Use your imagination. It cant be easy to teach any lanquage and That alone could be frustrating so far from home. So dig in while you are there. Enjoy being in a different country. It is almost like another planet from what I remember. Take the the good with the bad. It is not all bad and you know that. Why hold yourself back from such an oppertunity to have fun and learn? Is this the way you want to remember your time in Korea for the rest of your life? Peace
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June 24th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Actually I beleave Jeff is not in Korea anymore but the post I left was for anyone else that is in the Frame of ,ind this person post shows. Really sad to see people missing out on so much. We need each other. Peace
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4:17 pm on August 24th, 2007 21
Well, I’ve lived here for five years and Koreans are the rudest people that I have ever met. They don’t que up in lines like we do in North America. You can walk into an empty bar or restaurant and they’re already telling you where to sit(I’ll find my own seat in an empty place, thank you very much). You should see how they treat people who work in restaurants (try that in Mexico and see what happens). Mexicans are totally the opposite from Koreans, they are well-mannered, cordial and polite.
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9:07 pm on August 24th, 2007 22
Narcissistic personality disorder.
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10:35 am on December 12th, 2007 23
[...] are Koreans Rude?Source: http://rokdrop.com/2007/03/13/why-are-koreans-rude/Displaying mentions in this article, for full text please visit source….That is the question that [...]
3:35 pm on January 30th, 2008 24
From my 3 years experience in Korea, I think most Koreans I’ve encountered were generous and good. This warmth is, more than not, sincere and comes from the heart. First impressions of Koreans can be deceiving, as they can seem tough, arrogant and unfriendly,but don’t take it personally. It has much more to do with cultural conditioning that lends a kind of stiff formality to the various types of social interactions. Did you know that in Korea, it is considered unseemly to show more than “polite” interest when first meeting someone? They are not as open with their feelings as, say, Americans are with strangers. Although it can take time for them to scrutinize and evaluate you before they accept you into their fold, once it happens, you’ll see that Koreans really stick together and identify as a group. This strong group mentality is evident not just with family or a circle of close friends, but also at work and other outside functions. Once you’re part of the “group”, this kind of solidarity that I’ve seldom if ever experienced in America, can bring on a feeling of warmth and security. To foreigners in Korea, I can understand how frustrating and demoralizing many Korean behaviours may be. really, I’ve been there!!! BUT, give it time and understanding, and hopefully, you can also experience the warm and wonderful side of Koreans!:)
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June 1st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
You really hit the nail squarely . I wanted to say that but the words didnt come so easily. One of the things I enjoyed most in Korea is the fact that when you are part of the people and it doesnt take long after you learn your way, Korean people will not hesitate to point out a flaw in your character and all laugh because it is friendly exchange. You also can say something like you are way to skinny or he is sort of fat etc. and the group will laugh if it is true. Comments that are positive are given on an equal plane. Korean Folks just dont take things as personal as many other nationalities, The ability to laugh at ones self is awesome and a great trait in Korean society. No punches pulled. No BS, To the point and out with laughter and if you can understand this your in. Many times I have been one American amongst many Koreans and after a few comments I have felt like I was Korean also. The comments go better with soju. Just kidding but it’s part of Korean society to drink, talk and sing. Before I could speak Korean I sang American songs and was part of the gang. Sometimes I felt picked on untill I learned that i could do the same. Doesnt mean I did or didnt. Just saying “so what” was my exceptance. I suppose things would seem very different to someone who didnt understand these customs but it only took me a couple weeks to get with it. We are all different. That is what makes the world so interesting. BTW the Koreans are not whale hunting like (we all know who) are doing this in Antartica under false pretenses. Who has whaling ships that falsely say research on them? We all have good and bad. It really is time for the world to stop holding faults against one another. I know things have to change in every country to get it right. The first change comes with exceptance. Peace.
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2:40 am on April 14th, 2008 25
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February 26th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I never knew how foriegners thought koreans were so rude…
As a Korean myself, I am really ashamed that forieners think of us as unfriendly, impolite people. But I just want you to know that not all Koreans are like that. And I really appreciate your passion of teaching English here ^^ I hope you can meet some very good korean people while you are still here teaching! Bless you too
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June 14th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Riena,
I feel bad that you have had such a bad experience as an African American in Korea. When I was in Korea I had African Amrican friends that dearly loved the country. In fact I started learning Korean from a friend that is African America. He was married to a Korean lady. I remember him having more incidents from White Americans from the south then Koreans. He loved Korea so much he stayed there 5 years. His wife died the 3 year with a brain tumor but he still loved Korea and helped me love Korea. Bad things happen everywhere. It would be cool if you got past that and really enjoyed the cool things in Korea. If you go with the so what attitude you will find a different side. Im not saying you should take any BS anywhere either! Just would like you to see what I seen. If you dont Like any of the foods or customs then it is the wrong place for you. But dont let bad incidents keep you from the great stuff that you could really enjoy. Peace
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4:35 pm on April 14th, 2008 26
Welcome to Korea Riena. I have heard your story 1000 times. If you like teaching in Asia, I suggest going to Japan or Taiwan. They are everything that Korea is not.
“I am not the least bit impressed with the Korean culture. ”
LOL, I know what you mean. You should learn more about Chinese culture. It is very rich and beautiful.
God Bless you too!
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5:17 pm on April 14th, 2008 27
They’re rude because they don’t want to be Korean-nobody does!!
Food is awful,booze is rancid rotgut,apartments are state housing standard,no free time,impossible to escape from people,expected to be polite to grotty old people,etc etc.
Of course they’re rude!I’d be plenty pissed too!
They can be very nice,but it’s really just a question of whether they want to or feel that they have to.The first is uncommon.Koreans generally are self-centred and needyThe second is just the usual sucking-up,but cursing once they walk away.
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5:36 pm on April 14th, 2008 28
South korea is a much different place than the rest of the world…there are alot of good people here, and then again, alot of confused people…its sad to hear all of the negative that happens here though…the “hushed” rapes, the overall attitude….the dis-pleasing actions of what seems to be, the whole populace…..but still, i personally have seen more good than bad here..
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3:24 pm on May 14th, 2008 29
To compare cultures or label an entire culture as “good” or “bad” is pure idiocy and . . . well . . . rude. They are just different and no amount of time in a foreign country will probably ever convince you that a different culture is inherently better than the one you were raised in, short of some terribly tramatic experience at home.
There are rude and polite people in every culture and, in general, I’ve found Koreans to be far more polite than those inhabiting many of the large cities of the world . . . at least those living in Korea. However, you can’t expect them to follow Western standards of politeness . . . though the same tunnel vision that causes you to expect this will no doubt empower Koreans to judge you by their standard, and the cycle continues. The difference being, of course, that its their country, not yours. Their culture and standards are “normal” in Korea, not yours. If it is so hard to understand this concept and so intolerable for you to stay there . . . leave, it really is that simple, unless the military has sent you there . . . in which case its like any other assignment, it’ll evemtually end.
Racism and sexism are truly the dark side of Korean culture, but then again, since it springs from deep roots in the region’s Confucian past, its just as bad (if not worse) in Japan and China, nations whose cultures were similarly influenced by that philosopher’s teachings. Inexcusable to me, it is–believe it or not–getting better . . . even in Korea. Riena, I can only sympathize with how difficult a time you must have had in Korea (as an African-American and a woman!) and can only praise your bravery in going there in the first place. Assuming you generally kept your cool, I can only offer that your positive behavior will impact the next generation there as humans (even Koreans) will always trust their own experiences over the trash put out by even a popular web site or television news show. Still, I wouldn’t recommend coming to Japan to teach either, for all the reasons you already know so well.
Those of you complaining of line-cutting obviously weren’t around Korea in the 90’s when you couldn’t even find a que in front of a window and people just mobbed every counter. Those of you complaining of Korean drivers have obviously never attempted (unsuccessfully) to cross a cross-walk on foot in Barcelona and had a bus actually accelerate to beat you to the light (green for me . . . red for him!). Those of you complaining about dirt and filth in Korea haven’t watched as the chicken you just ordered was washed in the canal next to the restaurant in China . . . where 50 meters down an old lady was doing her laundry . . . where another 20 meters down a guy was urinating . . . all in the same canal!
While the belief that certain standards of behavior are somehow universal may make you feel a certain righteous indignation or somehow culturally superior, the simple fact is they are not . . . though globalization does seem to be bringing about a slow norming process across the region. Still, the basic reality is that as soon as you leave your own country, your culture is no longer “normal” and you have to meet others with a view towards where they are coming from, not where you are coming from.
I’ve found getting along with Koreans is relatively simple. Treat people with the same level of respect a person in your social and age status would treat them, but dress and act several levels higher. Koreans will most often treat you as you present yourself . . . and they’ll be appreciative that someone of such obviously high status is treating them with respect as well.
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June 3rd, 2009 at 3:24 am
Marv,
I have read this post 3 times now and wonder why people cant listen to the kind of honesty you are putting across. I appreciate your giving Power to positive energy. Peace
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7:25 pm on May 14th, 2008 30
“What is the difference between a Korean and a bucket of shit? Answer: THE BUCKET”
Do you really mean that Jeff?
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11:09 pm on May 25th, 2008 31
I am an English Teacher in Korea from the States. Of course you hear all day how America is bad and rude, hagwon bosses that rip you off, not being able to get basic services such as a cell phone, cable TV or internet without your school’s approval etc. Went to Japan for a week vacation and a funny thing happened. In the line of polite Japanese some people were cutting, spitting etc. Guess who they were, yep Koreans. How do I know they were Koreans, well after 9 months of learning Korean, I can tell Koreans from Japanese to all the netizens out there!
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11:33 pm on May 26th, 2008 32
Looks like there are a few more cho Seung Hui’s out there. I am wondering how the Korean media will blame the USA.
A Korean serial rapist caught.
hxxp://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/05/21/20080521mr-fosston0522.html
A Korean triple murder caught.
hxxp://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/nyregion/20slay.html?ref=nyregion
Koreans killing in Japan. CAUGHT!
hxxp://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080514TDY02306.htm
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June 1st, 2009 at 2:01 am
Your so quick to point your finger. there are criminals everywhere why are you looking at one place. Maybe you like Bad things happening in Korea. What is your trip. I think you just hate Korea! You have no real reason to hate a country like korea as a whole. Did something bad happen to you. Im sorry for you.
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11:27 am on June 13th, 2008 33
small minded people love to categorize and stereotype people and their cultures. i never could understand why those who “teach” in korea or anywhere for that matter stay in their host countries if they hate it so much? they live in these countries and do nothing but complain. im not arguing about whether koreans are rude or not. im just confused as to why people stay in a place where theyre not happy.
and shattered, youre so transparent. its obvious youre either japanese or chinese and have a chip on your shoulder.
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2:24 pm on June 13th, 2008 34
“small minded people love to categorize and stereotype people and their cultures” Yes Koreans do this all the time.
I guess the truth does hurt after all.
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8:42 pm on June 13th, 2008 35
Whew, comparing the Koreans to the Italians, thats not fair to the Italians
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4:41 am on June 14th, 2008 36
oh leon you short sighted soul. why are you so angry with the koreans? im not here to defend them. if you didnt underdstand im here talking about those who live in foreign countries and complain about it. just like i give shit to people who live here in the states and complain about the country and the people who live here. gtfo if you dont like it.
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4:46 am on June 14th, 2008 37
whether the koreans are rude or thoughtful is not the point. if theyre rude…fine, theyre rude. dont like it? gtfo of their country. what makes you think you can change them or their rude culture?
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4:48 am on June 14th, 2008 38
and all you english “teachers” get a real job.
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2:47 pm on June 14th, 2008 39
1. Seems I struck a nerve.
2. not an english teacher.
3. been married to a Korean.
4. you are an idiot.
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3:26 am on June 15th, 2008 40
1.i never did understand that phrase. “struck a nerve”
ANY topic could be a “nerve” i suppose.
2. never called you an english teacher.
3. ah, so you were burned by one personally. did you get played?
4.not really.
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7:32 am on June 25th, 2008 41
While Koreans can be rude, most of the ones I met while I was stationed in Osan (1991,1993) were quite nice.
Something I learned while I was stationed in Germany helped a great deal. Learn about the people and the country where you are going.
Korean’s have a mindset of “one race” with everybody else as #2. We have no “face” or honor and have to earn it.
Learning how to always use 2 hands helps as it shows you actually have a clue as to their society.
I may not be able to converse entirely in Korean, but I got along quite well by just being nice and respectful. We as Americans need to remember that we have to try and learn about our Korean friends and how to get along with them.
BTW, can somebody send me a giant shipment of bulgogi w/chimchee and soju?
Oh, anyone know what that brown sauce that is served with bulgogi? its a tad spicey and I can’t find it here in the states.
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8:49 pm on July 3rd, 2008 42
For my personal experience here in Bali Indonesia
Most of the Koreans I came across was rude.
if there was any person who skip the cue in front of me in the supermarket,
they were koreans. (and some Balinese too.)
So rude
And once this Korean women skipped cue to infront of me and realized
me watching her, and said,
“oh, you can pay first, cos you were in a cue”
and she had this “I am very polite nice women” look on her face!!!
So patronizing and stupid comment
well but not everyone was rude some rich well educated Koreans were very nice.
But she had very short temper and she should do something about it.
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11:45 pm on July 3rd, 2008 43
“Most of the Koreans I came across was rude.”
This is normal in Korea. If only the Japanese were allowed to civilize the chosun jin. Korea would have been come a civilized and nice place.
In Bali, I suggest hitting the Korean on the top of the head with a stick and warn them to behave. Koreans can do nothing alone, so look out for the rest of the pack. If there is a pack, hit the leader in the nose and the rest will scatter and hide.
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1:56 am on July 14th, 2008 44
Just came back from Seoul and I agree they are the rudest! My travel companion, who is pregeant, was struggling with her suitcase at the subway station and no one offered to help- unbelievable! I am not saying all Koreans are rude and there could be some nice folks but in my opinion, the majority are. To top it off, my friend was shoved three times and I was pushed five times along the streets in our five day tour. The service people are not helpful, the Koreans tend to talk very loudly and the drivers are very reckless. Simply unacceptable if they consider themselves as a developed nation. Say what you want but first impression counts and I don’t think I will visit the country again if I can help it. Btw, i am female from asia.
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5:34 am on July 16th, 2008 45
While I believe Koreans can be rude, in general, they have been rather polite and friendly to me. As for being the “Italians of Asia”, quite possibly.
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12:35 am on July 22nd, 2008 46
From my experience in Korea, other than the KATUSAS and other Koreans who seek contact with Americans are the rudest people I have met. They are rude and intrusive.
On more than one occasion, in the two different apartments we have lived in, people have walked right into our homes without knocking. People also knock on the door really late at night (and we have 4 children). There is an intercom sysem in our apartment whereby the “guards” make announcements (my son’s half-Korean friend told us they were selling somthing)…these announcements occur either late at night or around six am.
Koreans stare and make faces. I was walking down the street the other day and a man actually got out of his car to look at me with his jaw dropped and made a noise.
Koreans pretend to not know English so they can try to cheat us until you bring along an official from Camp Casey…then they apologize in perfect English and stop trying to steal money.
Koreans follow us around stores and try to rush us in our purchases. I have had items ripped out of my arms while I was shopping and put on the counter and been forced to pay.
Koreans pick their noses, teeth, and ears in public. They also openly and loudly fart. They blow their noses into rags, then use the rag to hold onto the handle on the subway. They often remove their shoes and socks and pick at their sweaty feet!!! That is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen…
All of this complete lack of social bearing and they have the nerve to judge me as trashy because I have tattoos.
The KATUSAS and many of the other Koreans who are eager to be around Americans are exempted from all above statements. They behave like civilized people. But all of the other Koreans..
I say we allow any Koreans who want to immigrate to the U.S. to do it, then we pull out of here and let N. Korea roll over them. Why are we wasting tax dollars here when when we are not wanted? Clearly, many of these people don’t realize they wouldn’t have this nice developed country if it wasn’t for US money and US blood.
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March 8th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Well April, I don’t know what “Koreans” you’ve spent time with. Any? None? But the ones I’ve been around have been fine to me. I’ve been around all different Asians and they all seem to act the same. I never saw any “rude” behavior from any of them. I think this thread is nothing more than bait for all the Korean haters. You have a lot of people who come on here and talk with such self righteousness that it’s amazing to me. All it shows is some kind of superiority complex, people have this built up notion of themselves they have to generalize some Asians to feel better about themselves. Like you April. I get the impression that you were in the military,or maybe you thought you were, I don’t know and I could give a crap. Either way, lets play this. S.K. contributed thousands of troops in Vietnam, hundreds died. All because they were an ally to the US. I don’t hear any thankyous or see any momuments being built in America because of their sacrifice. N.K. couldn’t roll over anybody, especially S.K., you’ve got to be kidding me right? The N.K. military doesn’t stand a chance against S.K. Americans wouldn’t be enjoying all those thousands of jobs across the US because of ungrateful Koreans. What is that US blood? What about the 1 million plus Iraqis killed(I MEAN LIBERATED WITH AMERICAN FREEDOM) courtesy of the US military. How about all that Afghani blood? Again courtesy of American Freedom Inc. What about all that Vietnamese blood? What of the Korean blood spilt by Americans when they were in Korea? So how about APRIL?
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6:56 pm on July 29th, 2008 47
Koreans are certainly very rude. Whether you speak Korean or English, you will very very rarely here them say please, hello or thank you. It is common knowledge (this is supported by academic inquiry) that it was Korean rudeness that was one element that provoked the LA riots – their inability to say hello. thank you, use peoples’ names or engage in small talk, went down like a cup of warm sick in LA – this is why virtually every Korean store in areas around the riots were looted and burned.
I won’t even get into spitting, littering, attitudes to foreigners, women or each other. Koreans are rude – but it’s not their fault – they know no better, therefore it would wrong to punish anyone for their Koreaness.
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10:48 pm on July 29th, 2008 48
“this is why virtually every Korean store in areas around the riots were looted and burned.”
You can’t blame real Americans to burn down and hunt down Koreans in such circumstances.
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10:52 pm on July 29th, 2008 49
You make a lot of good points April. But you are off the mark if you want to allow unfettered immigration of Koreans to the USA. They will ruin the USA like they do to other nations. I say that immigration between the USA and Korea should be equal. One for one. Allow no more Koreans in the USA until there are 2,000,000 Americans in Korea. (maybe if the USA started to send her convicts to Korea that would be fair too)
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11:49 pm on July 29th, 2008 50
For the integration I was thinking of the KATUSAs-they seem to be very well educated and well mannered (probably due to the etiquette briefings).
I just am sick of the Koreans acting like US soldiers are a nuisance and a threat. They need a history lesson and should be grateful. And I am tired of the most trivial of crimes committed by US soldiers (some not even true) being sensationalized in the media while serious crimes committed by Koreans on foreigners are hushed up and largely unpunished. I am tired of hearing them complain about soldier’s drinking when I have to ride the train with loud, grabby “high class” Korean businessmen. I am tired of hearing about foreigners not adhering to the ridiculous trash rules when I see Koreans sticking trash everywhere.
I do try to keep in mind that it isn’t personal but due to their so-called “culture”. But from what I see there is nothing here of value that wasn’t copied from a more civilized nation. Everything here is shoddy and bootleg and copied.
I try to be patient with my children’s half-Korean friends because I know they are only so rude because of their Korean mothers NOT teaching them any manners, but it gets harder each time. Today my oldest daughter was eating and all 3 of the half-Korean children ran into my kitchen, went into my drawers and got forks then started eating from her plate- without even asking!!! She didn’t actually get to eat any of it herself. I could not believe it and when they left I told my kids they had better not ever act so trashy at anyone’s house.
And the “agricultural” arguement doesn’t hold water. The American South was agricultural and the South is well known for its hospitality and friendliness. (And before you start on the “racism” crap, let me say that I was born and raised in the South and it is greatly exaggerated and most of the racism is perpetuated by outsiders who move to the South. There is lots of “race-mixing” in the South and there are lots of “Bubbas” with bi-racial grandkids or nieces and nephews. It is not an issue the way the media would have you think). My 2 oldest children are bi-racial and I admit I was a bit nervous when going to smaller towns (believing what I saw about the big-bad rednecks on t.v. instead of what I experienced in my own town). Guess what-they couldn’t have been friendlier and nicer.
Simply, there is no excuse for Koreans complete lack of manners and social graces. We have stopped caring what kind of impression we make and we don’t tolerate it anymore.
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March 8th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Well April you hit the nail on the head. You’re a dumb red-neck hillbilly woman. That explains a lot about you. (HATE TO GENERALIZE) I have a friend from Africa who lived in da south for awhile, and he said he experienced racism every damn day. The “Bubbas” as you refer to would say horrible things to him, and about Asians. He was telling me one time some “Bubbas” were making fun of some Japanese kids, saying horrendous things about them, and he stood up for those Asian kids. Well the “Bubbas” didn’t like that one bit, April. He said he had some good people that he ran into, but for the majority, he said, “Nay”. I guess I should tell him that he was generalizing too. Damn!
The K.K.K. is very strong in da south APRIL, from what my friend described and I would have to say, “YEP!!”
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June 13th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
April:
You’re ignorant and near-sighted. The US basically occupied Korea without any consent whatsoever on the Koreans’ part. The US is certainly not any sort of a liberator for the Koreans, and most Koreans resent being occupied. How would YOU feel if the US was occupied by, say, Germany (since the German economy is far stronger than ours at this point in the recession?)?
The American occupation has been a real erosion and threat to the Korean culture. Just as Americans view mass immigration as a threat to the American identity, obviously Koreans will view American occupation as an even greater threat to theirs.
Also, it is well-known that most American soliders and ESL teachers are lower-middle class and generally what other well-to-do Americans would politely call “rednecks.”
Of course Koreans will be disturbed that all the rejects of America would swarm their country!
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12:57 am on July 30th, 2008 51
“I do try to keep in mind that it isn’t personal but due to their so-called “culture”. But from what I see there is nothing here of value that wasn’t copied from a more civilized nation. Everything here is shoddy and bootleg and copied. ”
True True True, April. Korea is a dump and their so called culture is copied, and copied in a shotty way. If Koreans had any dignity and honesty they would wake up every morning and say thank you to China, Japan and the USA. Without those three nations Korea would have no history, culture, or doorway to the world.
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1:12 am on July 30th, 2008 52
I am not going to opine on the virtues of Korean women (aside from their rudeness and lack of hygiene and manners), but has anyone else noticed that all of their models and actresses and women who are considered beautiful look distinctly Japanese and NOT Korean at all? I genuinely wonder why a country who prides itself on its “mono-ethnic heritage” blatantly prefers the appearance of women who don’t look Korean.
My husband said these “Korean” beauties are probably decendants of the comfort women or other women who (willingly or otherwise)shacked up with Japanese soldiers.
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May 30th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
You are really off your Rocker! This is the last time I will write to someone who knows nothing of History. What the hell are saying? This Korean looks like a Japanese person. History will show you Japanese people look like Korean people from way back when there was nothing on that island but a fiew fisherman from Korea or China. where do actually believe the Japanese line started? Do you actually believe the Arts in Japan are older than the arts from Korea? They stole so much from Korea and now we have people say That koreans are stealing Japanese looks. You are ignorant beyond belief. Are you a professor or do you just profess what you think?
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1:36 am on July 30th, 2008 53
“My husband said these “Korean” beauties are probably decendants of the comfort women or other women who (willingly or otherwise)shacked up with Japanese soldiers.”
I heard a similar story April, but I heard they were more than willing. They were “eager beavers” as it were. To be fair, I find when Koreans get surgery to become more Japanese looking, to be a good idea. But some things surgery can’t fix. Like Lee Ho Lee’s long torso. Very long torso. And big heads. Cant fix that.
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May 30th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
The Japanese actually raped many thousand Korean woman to death from 1910 to 1945. Now that is fact, The Koreans dont tell the world about this. So the world has people making their minds part of the picture. The first Geisha were Korean ladies.Called Gisang. Ya Not Japanese but the Japanese are quick to believe they had these artist first. That was after one of the many wars fought with Korea in the last 1000 years. Because they do not teach true history but now they are not the only country in the world that leaves many historical acts out of the class room. When are people going to stop this? Cant we care for each other or do we have to be nuked? Because all the negative things that are said feed the the negative part of Humanity whether you believe it or not. The Koreans have surgery to look more western as in American Movie stars. Its got nothing to do with Japanese. Sorry!! and They do not need to look like Western folks do either. There is allot of that in Japan also. But I wonder who they trying to look like. HMM Maybe people are just trying to look better when they really are fine allready.BTW ARe you aware that some very old Korean Ladies have asked for an apology from Japan? They didnt get it. THEY DID WHAT THEY HAD TO DO TO SURVIVE!! SO KILL THEM instead of this garbage talk. Would that make you Happy. You know there was not only a holocaust in EUROPE. The Japanese KILLED millions of Chinese and Koreans.
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1:49 am on July 30th, 2008 54
I am sure some were willing (like the ladies working in the brothels already, or the ladies swept off their feet by Japanese soldiers) and some were unwilling. I think, as in most cases in most countries, the unwilling ones were primarily forced into it by Korean pimps who made money off of it. BUT I was not here to witness it either way, so I will leave that one for the history books. I just see the Japanese influence in the faces of the girls considered beautiful here and I think that is odd considering how Koreans are supposed to be all about mono-ethnicity.
Who is Lee Ho Lee?
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June 1st, 2009 at 12:39 am
Here we go again if they are beutiful they are japanese influince. HUH HUH And you dont know what happened but will wait for the his story books. Which one will you choose to believe. Maybe you should write them as you are so good at telling which Korean women look like Japanese. The history books will never tell the truth about the onslaught from Japan to Korea. Korean pimps. You are something as they were slaves also during that period. Can you get to your heart and tell yourself that there are people in all races that are beautiful to someone and there are those that are ugly to someone. Why take what belongs to someone else and try so hard to give it to the others. Wow These ladies must have been beutiful all through history as the Japanese men stole them. Do you think they would have done that if they were say uglier than their wives. Give yourself and the world a break. If you are good looking on the outside then good for you. I dont suppose that belongs to anyone but you and you anscestors. Beauty is skin deep but ugly is to the bone. I will fight for Korea forever. You have no Idea what you are saying.
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June 14th, 2009 at 5:25 am
APRIL
Your reply that came to my email shows you are angry, no hateful towards me because I have a different point of view than you on this thread. I have only seen you spread anger and negativity but have not read all your posts. You come from the most wonderful country in the world. One that allows you to point your finger any direction you feel fit to. I wonder if Native Americans were Rude. I have Heard Hostile but then that was natural. Your Telling me I am ignorant I am because i ask you to stop living your angry life, and start enjoying your good life where ever you are. If I said you were ignorant I apologize. You say this Korean rudeness Goes way back before occupation of Japan. You also point out that Korean people do not enjoy our American presence. Im sure some Korean folks do not enjoy our presence. But they prefer the bit of comfort we give them to none at all. Even though we are not as strong as we were. You may be missing something I surely seen in Korea. South Korean people will not live the way North Korean People are forced to live. Ever heard the saying “there but by the grace of God go I” Dont get it yet do you? Your very much like Korean Moms are with their sons. You are telling how well behaved and wonderful he is and i believe you. Why shouldnt I? This isnt about me and you it is about many folks getting something in their head and not allowing anything else to enter. Goes way back with us Humans. We like to believe we are right. Did you chose to let something you felt was terrible lead you to seeing all situations as Rude? I might be wrong about that if so please except my apology now and lets agree we see things different. Who will be Humble? As long as many will not be humble we have no chance. Im not saying you should take any BS from others but there are humble ways of telling people they are wrong. If they refuse to listen Leave. If they get in your face then it’s good to know Your martial arts. And use the very old techniqes. The ones that have past through much time. Not wanting to say i know what is good for your family I will say this. It has been a gift for my chidren.
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12:53 am on July 31st, 2008 55
As this is the first Asian country I have visited, I can make no comparisons. But being a very liberal American, I can now say I had fallen prey to the dribble with which we portray other cultures as being somehow superior. I think living here would cure that misconception for most people, even the lowest level of people back home would not behave in the ways which are common here. They put on a facade, a show, a superficial imitation – but the things the culture produces are not the culture itself and simply adorning yourself with trinkets does not suffice. Western civility would be a great addtition to the ‘culture’ here and wouldn’t diminish it at all – I mean, it can’t be a cultural value to not have any manners can it?
I have never seen a parent correcting a child for being in the way or doing anything wrong – the way they are constantly corrected in my country. I think these 100,000 or so tiny, unwritten rules which seem unknown in Korea are at the heart of the problem. As a teacher, I see no behavioral difference between my kids and adults aside from rough-housing and talkativeness. I have just about given up pointing out these slight infractions to my students because it seems a lost cause.
Dignity takes sacrifice, but it is worth it because if I behave in a dignified manner you have more dignity because of it. By sacrifice I mean things like waiting your turn or perhaps not running to barely make a crosswalk’s green light or not taking up as much damn space as you possibly can or not bumping into people because you refuse to move a single inch to the side while deliberately looking away in a passive agressive attempt at machismo. I have yet to observe a Korean sacrificing personal gain or convenience for dignity. I mean, why should they? – just do whatever the f*ck you want because no one matters but you right?
How many of you know that driving a motorcycle on the sidewalk is illegal? The police seem to do absolutely nothing for any motor vehicle violation and as a result seem to have no respect at all. We have all seen motorcycles doing things that should get their permits revoked, and sometimes right in front of the police – all the while honking at pedestrians to get out of thier way; feels like a 3rd world country sometimes. I believe it is true that the concept of shame has kept Korean people in line, but I also believe that the idea of shame is becoming less and less important. I think that if they do not start enforcing the smaller laws, the consequences will be disastrous a generation or two from now.
I think the attitude of being able to do whatever benefits you most right now is very ingrained here. There is no shame in being disgustingly rude. I mean, what would happen in the States if any of these things were to happen? – people would yell at them, correct them on the spot, shame them or even call the police. I’ve seen two ajossi struggling over who was going to be able to cut into the very first position in line, all the while with these stupid smiles on their faces. If you can’t act respectably, how can you think you deserve respect?
I ask Koreans themselves about these things. the most precious answer I have received is that Koreans have a revolutionay spirit of freedom. Sure… that was too easy, so I didn’t say anything – the hardest part was not laughing.
I could go on and on, as we all could. I will finish my time here and perhaps go to another country, but I am skeptical – I have heard it is worse in China and is Japan truly as civil as they portray themselves? It is true, as I have heard many times, that being abroad will make one appreciate thier own country – I just wonder if that is true of Koreans who visit the US…
PS – be careful out there: the rate of vehicle to pedestrian injuries is four times that of the US.
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June 1st, 2009 at 2:25 am
Your in a different country and you cant enjoy the differences because all you can see is the things you dont like. Have you not figured out yet that these things are not personal to Korean people as they are to you. So that makes them uncivilized and you give power to ignorance by not getting it through your stubborn skull that you are in a different culture. Enjoy it. Korean Folks are going through a cultural landslide. Everthing moves fast so if you cant keep up or someone bumps you they are labeled rude? You should go Home where ever that is. I live here in the land of the Brave. You are not seeming brave. But I am not so brave either. It was the land of Braves. You compare cultures. How can you do that? Look what happened to the people who lived in the land of the Brave. I am only 4 or 5 generations to this country and have no native blood. How about you?
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1:17 am on July 31st, 2008 56
“shame has kept Korean people in line”
Many, not all have no shame. No face.
” is Japan truly as civil as they portray themselves? ”
Its better. Japan IS civilization. That is why Koreans hate them so, yet sneak over by the boatload.
“I have never seen a parent correcting a child for being in the way or doing anything wrong – the way they are constantly corrected in my country”
Yes, everyone who knows korea says that. They run wild like animals and then the adult beats them like a dog. Actually, I have no problem with beating Korean children, as some people only understand the cane. However, Japanese and other civilized nations never NEVER do such things.
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1:51 am on August 2nd, 2008 57
Japan is a civilization? Wow really? A civilization that repeatedly refuses to acknowledge their war crimes? A country which has some of the highest suicide rates amongst teenagers?
Koreans hate them because of their “civilization”. Yes, I agree with you, but only in the sense that their “civilization” was forced down their throats with threats of murder or torture.
Japanese people never hit their children? Haha…you do realize that the overturning of corporal punishment happened int he past decade and due to that there have been many problems in their school systems right? (E.g. mass boycotts of school if they believe their teacher is too hard, etc)
“You make a lot of good points April. But you are off the mark if you want to allow unfettered immigration of Koreans to the USA. They will ruin the USA like they do to other nations. I say that immigration between the USA and Korea should be equal. One for one. Allow no more Koreans in the USA until there are 2,000,000 Americans in Korea. (maybe if the USA started to send her convicts to Korea that would be fair too)”
Shattered…really, come on.. I am Korean-American, my parents were born in South Korea and you know we do pretty well here in this country. My father and mother are both Physicians and I myself have just finished medical school. Please don’t generalize, it makes you look pretty damn stupid.
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4:04 am on August 2nd, 2008 58
This is a ridiculous thread. Nobody is convincing anyone of anything. The entire premise of the thread is ethnocentric. Who is to say what constitutes rude behavior?
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12:04 pm on August 2nd, 2008 59
We don’t have to convince anyone of anything. Koreans, in general, are rude.
Koreans who seek out education and the company of Americans are exempted from all of my comments.
Koreans who are raised in America (as long as their parents don’t stick to “Korean courtesy”, are exempted).
Ethnocentric? That describes Korean “culture.”
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March 8th, 2009 at 5:27 am
April, you sound racist. I’m going out on a limb and saying, yeah, you are. Just like a lot of these damned posts. Your posts sound like you one hell of a chip on your shoulder. Your Superiority Complex sounds like it’s on overdrive. Maybe you’re not really “racist”. Maybe you’re bitter because the warranty on your Hyundai expired, or something.
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12:37 pm on August 2nd, 2008 60
“binibini
12:37 am on June 30th, 2007 17 To: Typeking
Excuse me? Have you been to the Philippines? If you haven’t, then, you don’t have the right to say that Filipinos are “backstabbers.” As far as the Filipino people are concern, the world has once made to believe that Filipinos are one of the friendliest people on earth and it quite convincing until now. And according to the latest statistics, there are over 300,000 Koreans now in the Philippines. Some if them come to the country for pleasure or for English study while some others chose to retire in the Philippines for good. Now, what do these people saw about the Philippines that you didn’t see or maybe, even notice? Have you ever been with one of these people you labeled as “backstabbers?” How come you could throw a false lie against them?”
Enough of the False Information “binibini,” Filipinos are just plain Evil!
I have lived in the Philippines for a very long time and I will personally attest to Filipinos being “Backstabbers…Racist…Rude…and some of the most despicable people that I have ever had the misfortune to be associated with.” Obviously I am there no longer…nor, would I recommend the place for anyone to visit.
Funny how it only seems that Filipinos are the one’s tooting their own horn about how friendly they are and how great their country is (unless it is some foreign guy freshly back from a one-week vacation, still basking in the glow of his false illusion of paradise, and reeking from the smell of little brown women), but let us examine the facts: No.1 corrupt country in Asia, a murder rate 3 x that of the U.S., more Filipinos in foreign jails than probably any other nationality (latest figure was estimated at 4,500 with 23 on death row), more Filipina prostitues in almost every country you visit, etc.
It is not uncommon to hear Filipinos say “I am proud to be a Filipino, but I am not proud of my fellow Filipinos.” Behind the so-called hospitable Filipino smile is someone of evil intent, just waiting to B/S you out of your money, or if that doesn’t work, then threaten you, intimidate you, assault you, or even kill you in order to get your money. THAT IS THE TRUE CULTURE OF FILIPINOS!
Oh yea, tell us about the three Korean women recently RAPED, ROBBED and KILLED (ages 56, 35 & 9) in their own home in Olongapo City this past week…is that how hospitable Filipoinos are???
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6:22 am on August 3rd, 2008 61
koreans are rude because they are always pissed off at something more or less. they need to chill. koreans go to a foreign country and don’t interract with the locals. instead, koreans set up their own “korean” commnuties to benefit their well being and do not share the wealth with he locals. that’s why koreans are hated all over the world.
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March 11th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
That explains China Town in all major American cities.
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March 11th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Look here in the Philippines for an example: http://cybergladz.i.ph/blogs/cybergladz/2008/09/23/korea-town-angeles-city-my-hometown/
They not only set up their own town where others are not welcome, but even bribed the city to mark the area and let everyone know. If you go into some restaurants in this part of the city you will not be served unless you are a gook. I use that racial term because that’s what it deserves.
When I was in civil service I had a korean-American work for me. She had been in government service for 24 years, and spoke English like chit and certainly couldn’t write it. Why? Because in California where she settled she went to a gook market, gook church, gook everything. Even at work on the Navy base most of the office spoke gook because of this nepotism. Definitely not fair, and definitely racist against all non-gooks.
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March 11th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Oh, cry me a river. Every country has something like that. Get over it. I once went to Japan and saw a sign that said Japanese only.
Guess that Korean-American girl didn’t want to sleep with you?
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12:07 pm on August 3rd, 2008 62
I feel that I should add that in our time thus far in Korea we have met some exceptions to the Korean rudeness that prove the rule. The Koreans we’ve met who don’t have the general Korean attitude are extra polite and seem thrilled that we are here. Of course, these are the ones I’ve mentioned in previous comments as seeking out Americans and other foreigners for interaction.
I have to say that these super-nice Koreans who are genuinely warm and friendly are almost always male (all but one sole female) and that women tend to be disapproving of and condescending to my husband and me, but the old ladies light up and try to talk to my youngest two children. It would warm my heart but these are the same ladies who make faces at me when I am walking around without my children.
And, as someone born and raised in the USA, I do realize Americans are not perfect and I could list my complaints about American culture (as some of the people leaving comments here have done) but the point of this blog is discussing why Koreans are rude, not what is wrong with any other culture.
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8:46 am on August 15th, 2008 63
TO : CalmSeas
I have been to Philippines, China, India, Korea and Japan. In my experience, I must say that my experience in Philippines has been wonderful and a lot of people I encountered are friendly. In Korea, some people are rude. In India, some people are like little children squabbling and backstabbing but some are nice too. In China, some are nice and some are not same as in Japan.
Why? Are all americans nice and good?
I can see a green monster coming out called jealousy from you. Maybe you cannot accept the fact that some Filipinos are really good. Of course there’s good and bad qualities in every race. You seem to have a lot of hatred in your heart towards a certain group of people. Chill out!
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1:56 am on August 23rd, 2008 64
I have to deal with rude Korean customers daily. And, today, I just got fed up, so I decided to search for why Koreans are rude. I don’t know if the location of where I work determines the kinds of customers I get. (I work at a Hyatt-owned coffee shop in a shopping plaza whose tenants are of high end brands, i.e. LV, Gucci, Coach, Dunhill, Chanel, Lacoste, etc.)
The Korean customers we get at the cafe want us to attend to their every need. They expect us to always watch them and go up to them when they want something. We don’t usually do that, but we don’t mind doing that ONCE in awhile. Actually, how the cafe works is: order up front at the counter, and then we serve you. It’s just easier that way when we have 15 customers at a time. And we only have 2 staff each shift. Afterall, it’s just a small cafe in a small plaza. But those Korean customers seem to think they’re the only ones that matter just because they buy all those expensive stuff. They do the rudest things to get our attention: yelling, clapping of the hands, flagging us down, etc. (Why can’t they just walk 10 feet to the counter. Our cafe is only, more or less, 25 feet long!)
Also, I’ve observed how they order. They order very little like 2 cups of coffee and then they get free pot of hot water and iced water. What they do is: pour those cups of coffee into the pot of hot water, ask for extra cups, and then share with their friends. Because we were losing money, the Hyatt management decided that all customers can only buy bottled water and charge for extra cups. (We don’t have a billion cups to give away. Besides, we’re too far from Hyatt to get more materials all the time.) You see, our Korean customers order SO much, but give SO LITTLE. They don’t even tip us for the trouble they give us. And they are so messy.
And I can’t even begin to describe the way they treat us baristas. They treat us like we’re nothing to them. They boss us around, insult us, get mad at every single thing, and blame us even if it’s their fault. One time, a Korean lady made one of our Korean interns cry. According to another Korean intern that witnessed it, the Korean customer told our intern that she did not have the right to “treat” her like that. And our intern was nothing but polite to her. It was even the customer’s fault that she ordered the wrong items.
I’m not saying all Koreans are mean, but there is quite a handful here on Guam that are. Hyatt gets a majority of Korean interns, and, from my experience, they are very nice. But, even they feel like our local Koreans are just so rude. Now, why do you think that is?
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2:04 am on August 23rd, 2008 65
To: CalmSeas
Who are you to say what a culture truly is? Each country has their “downfall”. And what makes you think that no other country than the Pilippines has what you have listed? You are entitled to an opinion, but don’t think that you know a culture for sure. Mindsets like yours are what creates hate in the world.
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3:23 am on August 23rd, 2008 66
GI,
Could we have a “Why are Americans (foreigners) rude?” post? Why?
There are 65 comments in this post, and most of them are negative to Korea, and though it bothers me because in my opinion they are mostly based of misunderstanding of Korean culture, it is helping me to understand my own Korean culture, since it is working as a reflection time to me.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how people will answer to this question, both foreigners and Koreans?
Regardless of the result it would work as a reflection moment for those who stop a while to read it (Koreans and foreigners).
This is just a suggestion, not confrontation.
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4:31 am on August 23rd, 2008 67
DR Yu
that would make very interesting post but what if he believes that americans and other (white) foreigners are not rude? the comments and rokdrop’s post suggest that americans (and other white foreingers) are living in a country that is less civilized than the countries they are from.
asking rokdrop to have “why are forigners so rude” post is like asking fox news that they should attack the republicans the same way they are attacking the democrates.
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4:50 am on August 23rd, 2008 68
“that would make very interesting post but what if he believes that americans and other (white) foreigners are not rude? the comments and rokdrop’s post suggest that americans (and other white foreingers) are living in a country that is less civilized than the countries they are from.”
No way, no one with a minimum sign of intelligence would believe so. I mean, we are all humans and regardless of our race or nationality we will never be just nice or polite all the time. Look at Shattered for instance
(sorry, I could not resist. 
)
The only reason why this kind of post would be avoided is because of a potential racist war between Koreans and the foreigners, but looking at the comments here, I think it already happened. So..
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8:18 am on August 23rd, 2008 69
“I have been to Philippines, China, India, Korea and Japan. In my experience, I must say that my experience in Philippines has been wonderful and a lot of people I encountered are friendly.”
uscalif:
It is a world of difference when you are just visiting the Philippines. The plastic smiles abound in efforts to seperate you from your money. Many people DO try & argue that the PI is a great place based on limited travels and some, who live there, will try & argue that what really goes on…doesn’t. They do not want to have their Illusion of paradise busted by the truth, facts and evidence right under their noses. More power to them, but do not expect the rest of the world to NOT call a pile of sh*t…well, Sh*t!
Fe:
“HATE” against foreigners was created by Filipinos long before I ever stepped foot in that wretched country over 30 years ago, so in true Flip fashion, you would have everyone just shutup about the bad things in regards to the PI. Sorry Charlie…the PI is so screwed up that it’s reputation is “infamously” known throughout the world.
By your name you must be a Flip, so I would not expect to hold an intellectual discussion with you on the reality of the situation in the Philippines, since Flips are purely driven by emotion. Flips always try to paint a rosy picture of the PI to foreigners because the truth would expose them for the truly racist and criminally minded people that they are.
My counter for a Flip’s arguement is this: “If the Philippines is so great, as Flips like to brag, then why are Flips leaving at any chance they get?”
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March 3rd, 2009 at 4:24 am
A lot of us are leaving because of the bad division of wealth in Philippines, there are only a few who hold the power and there is no real distribution of wealth…Even if you are a college graduate you will face the lack of job prospects…Also the ‘colonial mentality’ of some, they want to brag to fellow Filipinos that they lived in America or Europe. But at least I can say it’s not because of rudeness…We are the warmest people, we treat visitors and foreigners with respect and great hospitality, this is considered and taught in school as the right way to treat foreigners…
We love our family and have a great fear for God.
You say in your earlier post sir you’ve encountered bad Filipino people, may I say sir maybe you’ve been with the wrong crowd. All nationalities have them, maybe you were directed by the throbbing of your d*ck that’s why you had bad judgement with your Filipino peers. Just like a person saying Americans are bad after his company with prostitutes and the likes?
You have a small brain, thank you very much and never come back in my country, we may be poor but we are not small minded! Ciao!
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March 3rd, 2009 at 4:27 am
One more thing, they leave but what do they do with their money? They send their siblings and children to school, build houses for their parents…
Something to consider before you laugh at the leaving situation of Filipinos.
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12:39 pm on August 23rd, 2008 70
Dr. Yu, you’re just going to have to suck it up and admit that some people on this thread have valid criticisms about Korea. I agree, for example, that Korean customer service is in general abysmal. I was a cafe manager in the US during college and know a bit about customer service. After 11 years in Korea, it is clear that many Korean shop owners do not train their staff on such simple matters as smiling to customers, being polite, listening carefully, anticipating customer needs, etc. Thus, when many tourists come to Korea for the first time, they enter a convenience store and encounter surly staff who often won’t even talk to you to tell you the price. I could go on and on but the simple fact is that customer service is a fairly recent concept here in Korea and so far this country gets an “F” in that dept. Then go to Japan, where the customer is always king and it would be a serious loss of face on the staffer’s part if they were ever rude to a customer. In Korea, it is not the customer who is king, but rather the owner, and in fact it often seems that a customer is merely an inconvenience who interferes with the more important task of making money. A perfect example of putting the cart before the horse, isn’t it? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time here, I dare say.
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1:07 am on August 24th, 2008 71
COTABATO CITY — Two government officials have joined hands to deport what they claimed was an arrogant South Korean golfer who was whacked with a golf putter by a provincial vice governor.
North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol, who hit the foreigner with the putter, earned the support of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in working for the deportation of Young Youn Hyeon, a South Korean now based in Davao City.
Youn allegedly shouted at Filipino golfers last November 9 in Davao City, including Piñol who tried to pacify the South Korean.
Youn is now in hot water as Duterte vowed to work with Piñol to send the South Korean back to his homeland.
“No foreigner has the right to insult a Filipino in his own country,” Duterte said in a statement.
His staff confirmed that the mayor had called up the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) to ask for the conduct of summary deportation proceedings against Youn.
Youn figured in a golf club-whacking incident November 9 after he reportedly struck a golf ball towards Filipino golfer Gary Santiago whom he accused of playing slow at the Davao City Golf Club. The Korean also repeatedly and angrily shouted at Santiago.
When confronted by Santiago in front of several people that included Vice Governor Piñol, the South Korean allegedly yelled at the golfer and later vented his ire on Piñol when he was reminded not to shout at Filipinos.
“Do not shout. You have no right to shout at Filipinos. You are just a visitor in this country. You are not in South Korea,” Piñol told the Korean.
Following a heated exchange of words, Piñol whacked Youn with a golf putter while other Filipinos who were around pushed the Korean to the ground.
Youn has reportedly filed charges against Piñol and Santiago but the North Cotabato vice governor was unfazed.
Piñol’s lawyer, Luwill Al-ag of Davao City, has prepared the affidavits of witnesses to support the petition for deportation to be filed by the vice governor against the South Korean.
Piñol personally met in Manila Thursday BID Commissioner Marcelo Libanan to file the petition for deportation. The deportation hearing is expected to start this week.
Piñol said there were efforts from the South Korean association in Davao City for an amicable settlement but when contacted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he said he turned down the offer.
“We have to teach him a lesson so others, including Filipinos, would not shout at golfers if they play slow,” he said.
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7:46 am on August 24th, 2008 72
Dr. Yu, feel free to write an article up and e-mail it to me and will put on the site as a special posting.
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3:29 pm on August 25th, 2008 73
I spit in the food of the Korean people. My coworkers do not but they laugh at it, even my boss smile when he see me. My boss know Korean people well.
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10:38 pm on August 25th, 2008 74
Ok GI. Thanks
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8:37 pm on August 26th, 2008 75
Yes SOYHAPPY! That is funny! I will do same! In Thailand people respect doggy and cat, but Korean eat it! Shame!
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9:20 pm on August 26th, 2008 76
Soyhappy2, give it a rest. The title of this thread is not “This Is How Non-Koreans Can Be Rude.”
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6:24 pm on September 1st, 2008 77
[...] of what long time visitors think. For example an on going debate here on the ROK Drop is whether Koreans are rude or not? Well here is what this new visitor to Korea thought about Korean manners: The cities never seemed [...]
1:24 am on September 13th, 2008 78
Yes, Koreans can be rude. Not all just a lot of them. They learn it from birth. Its not culture…Koreans are tought the ME ME ME…at an early age. I’ve seen it first hand. Go to a playground and watch the children at play. There is a large amount of bulling and picking on any child that is the least bit different all in the full view of the parents. Children learn that it is ok to be mean to someone that is lesser then you and to suck up to those higher then you are. They aren’t tought to share or to wait their turn they are spoiled to death and then beaten at the whim of the parent…. This is not culture….it wasn’t that way all the time…when I was a young girl visting here during school breaks I saw parents correcting their children..I saw old man hit a young student on the head for being rude to another student on the bus. I would brag to my friends in the US that Korean kids had mannars. Then in my late teens I returned to Korea to find that it just wasn’t true anymore….it isn’t culture its a sign of the times. The same can be said of places in the south where it was once considered a sin to be rude, but the gen of children comeing up now are also being effected by the ME ME ME virus.
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2:55 pm on September 18th, 2008 79
One of the problems about Korean being rude is on elders. Elders cry for respects from younger generations. Yes Koreans DO show a lot of respects toward their elders. There is no doubt about that. Do elders respect younger generation? I don’t think so. Koreans have tendency to think that they are better than anyone else in the world. Korean Elders are THE WORST. Korean elders know how to order everyone around them but don’t the definition of “respect” is. Respecting elders IS important but in return, elders MUST respect other back.
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8:15 am on September 25th, 2008 80
People can apologize for Koreans all day long, but you’ve got to ask yourself why Korea and Koreans get so many more complaints than, well, any other country or nationality that I’ve ever heard of. I’m sorry it makes Koreans upset to hear the truth; but there’s no smoke without fire.
Koreans rub everyone else in the world the wrong way, and if they are not prepared to adapt their manners even a little to the entire rest of the world, then perhaps we should no longer bother, as we do automatically in every other country, to try to be sensitive to the local culture. And we should become as inflamed as they do when our own sensibilities are offended, as they so often are, by Korean crudeness.
Unfortunately, we are usually either too shocked or else good manners are too ingrained in most of us to repay Koreans in their own coin: hence Korean rudeness is tolerated as the price for having to deal with them and, too, the complaints when, thankfully, they leave the scene, are as loud as we see they are!
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8:21 am on September 27th, 2008 81
We recently spent a week in Japan. Guess what? NOTHING like Korea. The Japanese people we encountered were not overly friendly, but they were not hostile or rude. When we went shopping, the clerks were not following us around, ripping our selections out of our arms or rushing us to finish making our selections. They were nicer and gave better customer service all the way around.
And, the areas we saw were very clean-no trash on the streets or in vacant lots. The buildings didn’t look thrown together, and it didn’t stink. No one was picking their nose or feet in public. Despite the number of people, there wasn’t all the shoving and line jumping.
All-in-all, despite the fact that, unlike Korea, most of the signs didn’t also have English printed on them, the people were much more civilized and foreigner-friendly.
And I was wondering,
If Koreans are so elder-respecting and take care of their elders, why are there so many hunched-over old ladies walking around with baby strollers picking through trash and the old men working as “security guards” in the apartment complexes?
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8:42 am on September 27th, 2008 82
Also, we have figured out to get any respect from Koreans, you have to be aggressive, in-your-face and rude. I guess their “culture” dictates that the more intimidating person is the one in the right. Case in point:
Our teenage son, who is very respectful and mature, frequently buys video games from a pawn shop near post. Once he beats the games, he resells them to a different pawn shop, which pays more for used games. Recently he went to the pawn shop he normally buys from and purchased 4 games. He handed the owner the money, the owner counted it, said ok, my son put his 4 games in his bag, then walked out. He was a few stores down on the sidewalk and felt someone grab his arm. The pawn shop owner snatched his wallet, ripped off his backpack and when my son tried to retrieve his things, the grown man pushed him several times. My son followed him back to the store and the guy was yelling loudly about how my son had just “stolen 20 games”-saying he put more in his bag than he paid for.
He looked in the bag, and of course only the 4 games were in there. So he went through my son’s wallet and took out his ID card and made a copy. He told my son he knew he was a thief and he was going to call the police, but he never called the police. My son asked for his phone (which had been in his backpack) and the guy told him he couldn’t call us. Luckily, there was an American soldier in the shop who saw the entire incident, from my son purchasing the games, to the assault by the owner (the witness said he thought the owner was mugging my son), to the accusations of theft. This soldier let my son use his phone to call us and the owner was trying to grab the phone away.
Despite seeing that he hadn’t stolen anything, he refused to return my son’s property, including his military ID. He then changed his story to say that my son had stolen on previous visits to the store. We told my son to run across the street to post and wait for my husband, which he did. When my husband got there, he escorted my son back to the pawn shop. When faced with an adult male, he tried to act reasonable. He told my husband that it was “stealing” from him when my son re-sold the games he had purchased in his store to other pawn shops. His view is that it is dishonest to buy a game, beat it, and then make money by reselling it (even though that is what pawn shops are for-it isn’t like he is a legitimate electronics store).
He was trying to talk his way out of the situation, and my husband got in his face and called him a bully for assaulting our son. The guy kept stammering and my husband gave him to the count of 3 to return my son’s bag and wallet or he would call the MPs and get him shut down for theft of military property (the ID) and assault on a minor. The guy handed the stuff over. My husband grabbed the photocopy of my son’s military ID from the counter and they walked out. The owner had removed the games from the bag. He chased my husband and son down the sidewalk and tried to get them to take the games my son had purchased but my husband refused to take them (so the guy got to keep 30,000 won for free).
My husband called the MPs and they said shop owners around post do this all the time. They said that shop owners will pick on young, naive looking service members or on children and basically will scare them and then ‘make a deal’ that they won’t call the police if the kid will give them more money. Since everyone knows that Americans cannot get justice in the Korean system, innocent people will give money just to avoid trouble. What this guy didn’t expect was the reaction of an Angry American Parent when someone f*$@s with their kid. The MP said my husband handled the situation properly (with intimidation but no threats or physical contact) and that we should not even bother to call the Korean Police b/c they would likely not do anything about the assault and the guy had returned the stuff.
And before Dr. Yu or some other smart alek suggests my son was guilty, ask yourself if he HAD stolen anything why:
a-The shop owner didn’t call the Korean Police?
b-Why did he tell my husband that by “stealing” he meant reselling the games to other shops?
c-Why was the guy such a tough guy, pushing my son repeatedly and threatening him but kissing my husband’s butt?
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10:30 am on September 27th, 2008 83
The increased freedom under more democracy, the I1997 IMF crisis, the increasing global competitions, and the global recession certainly made people more selfish and less considerate towards others in South Korea. I would think that even in Japan, where civility may still be better than in Korea, the Japanese, too, may have become like Koreans.
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2:30 pm on September 27th, 2008 84
April:
Your husband & Son showed great restraint and coolness under pressure.
What a piece of Dog Sh#t that Korean was for accosting yourson in that manner. Korean business owners that live at this depth should be placed permanently OffLimits.
It is almost unfathomable that someone would behave in this manner, but having lived in Asia for quite sometime i have seen worse…still, to do this to a minor reeks of depravity on the Koreans part…I have no doubt that you are spreading the word around as to exactly this Korean’s identity and location.
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6:54 pm on September 27th, 2008 85
Yes it was very good that your son kept his cool. This same extortion happens with the cab drivers as well. The people who do this also try to provoke fights by grabbing people. No matter how much you are grabbed or shoved you cannot retaliate which is unfortunately what some people do under such circumstances.
Once you retaliate you are the criminal and will be paying out a big compensation payment to avoid jail which is what these people are looking for.
It is a good idea to make a complaint and try to get this guy put off limits because this is probably not the first time he has tried this.
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10:51 pm on September 27th, 2008 86
I agree that Koreans do things considered rude by American standards. By Koreans, I mean the strangers with whom I interact on the street, at restaurants, in stores, etc. I agree with most of April’s posts on the subject. The main things that I find rude:
-unfriendly service at restaurants (No friendly interaction, no smile, extremely quick service like they just want to get you out of there. Even when the servers speak English, they still treat us like a task to be taken care of.)
-NEVER moving, not even an inch, on the bike paths and trails (no matter what side I run/cycle on, the Koreans WILL NOT MOVE. Recently my husband and I conducted an experiment in Washington DC. We purposely walked towards the center or left of sidewalks and running paths. EVERY TIME, and I mean every time, people WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY to move over to the far right. Even the leashed dogs were moving to the right. It has reached the point where I run into people if I have no other alternative. I guess rudeness is contagious.)
-Staring
-Subway – no one will move, not an inch. You might even get pushed out of the way if someone wants a seat.
On the other hand, I have found Korean children to be very polite. I frequently interact with both Korean and American children, and in my experiences the Korean children have been more polite and more willing to do what I ask.
I don’t think that the only polite Koreans are the KATUSAS or those who interact with Americans. I think that many – most? – Koreans ARE polite when you get to know them on a one-to-one level. I think we as Americans (or other Westerners) are used to a level of politeness towards strangers. We go out of our way to say “sorry” or to give someone space. I guess Koreans do not care about how they treat strangers.
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11:01 pm on September 27th, 2008 87
april,
u have found the perfect place to discuss korean people in general. beside rokdrop.com, i think u and ur husband (and perhaps ur son) will have more intelligent discussion regarding mind of korean race at occidentalism.org.
u r welcome
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1:09 am on September 28th, 2008 88
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2:58 am on September 28th, 2008 89
Apparently someone has forgotten what Rodney King said after the LA riots of ‘92.
I’ve noticed a lot of my female Korean friends, when ordering at a cafe, for example, will say hello first to the counterperson and use very polite language. This usually elicits friendly service in response. My own opinion is that since I’m the customer, the clerks should be friendly to me first, but it seems some people do things differently around here.
Yesterday I had a funny exchange at Smoothie King in Chongno. The young clerk automatically spoke to me in English after I had ordered in perfect Korean (he was new). I asked in Korean, “Is this America?” He said, “No.” Continuing in Korean, I said, “Why are you speaking English? Americans don’t speak Korean in shops in America.” He agreed that they didn’t speak Korean in US shops, but then said, “It’s ’service.’” I said, “Well, just speak Korean. This is Korea, and anyway you used panmal to me when you spoke English.” (He just barked out the price without even using a verb, let along a verb ending). He became defensive and said, “There are many foreigners who come here.” I said, “Well, that’s fine but I ordered in Korean, didn’t I?” (He had certainly understood me the first time without my having to repeat my order). He continued to argue and said, “Well, it’s ’service.’” I said, “Look, in Japan the shop workers speak Japanese, not English. In China, they speak Chinese. This is Korea, so just speak Korean. I’m not a tourist, you know?” He decided to actually start contradicting me: “No, they don’t. They speak English in Japan.” I said I lived in Japan for three years and they certainly spoke Japanese in the shops there. He insisted and said, “No, they don’t.” I then got pissed off and just said, “Kibun nappa” and walked away to pick up my drink.
If I were the store manager and saw that punk arguing with a customer like that, I would have fired him instantly. Alas, the problem is that many store owners do not instill sufficient professionalism in their workers.
Hope they can work on that more in the future.
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6:32 am on September 28th, 2008 90
Luckily my husband and I have shared the information we have found on this website with our son (he is 14 by the way, not 18 or 19, so the shop owner knew he was a child). My son knew that if he tried to defend himself he would end up in a Korean jail he did exactly what we’ve told him to do if he ever runs into trouble with a Korean-call us and then get to post ASAP.
Needless to say, if we’d been in the US that shop owner would’ve gotten his butt kicked by my husband, which is what he deserved. He also would have been charged with assault on a minor. I figured he was trying to make my son punch him by taking his stuff and then repeatedly shoving him.
Who would we report this incident to in order to get his shop made “off-limits”?
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8:28 pm on September 28th, 2008 91
Wow, mighty Scott Burgeson even picks fights with the poor kids at the counter at Smoothie King.
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9:31 pm on September 28th, 2008 92
Brendon, you are easily one of the biggest provocateurs on The Marmot’s Hole so please spare me the lectures. I hope that when I am an old man like you are I don’t spend all my time online insulting random people and making fun of working-class Koreans who get in the way of redevelopment or threatening to have environmentalists locked up in jail.
The point of that exchange I quoted above was that he was making assumptions: A) That I’m a tourist. B) I’m an English-speaker.
More to the point, if Koreans spoke Korean to foreigners in shops here, more foreigners would be enouraged to learn the local language. Is that such a bad thing?
I tried to have reasonable debates with you on The Marmot’s Hole in the now distant past, but the reason I gave up is because you are entirely insincere and disingenuous whenever you feel that helps you drive one of your points home.
In any case, I am aware that my exchange with that clerk was arguably uncalled for, but the reason I posted it here was to show that arguing with customers, however out-of-line they may be, is simply bad form. The customer is king is the golden rule of the service industry, and is something that needs to be better understood here if Korea wants to improve its reputation in this area (and make threads like this one unnecessary). When I worked in customer service myself in the US, and when I was teaching English here, I encountered my fair share of rudeness, but I never showed any displeasure and never got defensive or complained because that would not have been part of the professional job I was trying to do.
In the future, Brendon, I will make a diplomatic point of ignoring you (as I have done for quite a while, actually, despite your repeated attacks on me when I no longer even comment on the Hole), so can I respectfully request that we both just ignore each other from now if we have nothing positive to say to each other?
Thank you.
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June 29th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Mark
Sorry you are in need of someone to say please. You say if one speak’s Korean or English you very seldom hear them say Please. You are talking of Kprean Folks of course. Obviously you do not understand Korean even if you think you do so please learn more about the custom and lanquage before saying such a remark. Please is a word In Korean but it is also in their manner of speach. When going to a restaraunt or work place asking for something you are going to pay for a please is not required in Korea. Family members will say please. I and my wife say please more times in conversing. You are so funny. Thank you for the intertainment and please “jayba” learn a bit more. Oh ya it helps if one isnt expecting a please from others also as Korean folks do not require a please in so many situations as Americans do, and you know what? I guess you would consider me rude as i very seldom say please outside the home. Only when I am in need of something more than what is required from a person. Peace
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10:47 pm on September 28th, 2008 93
April:
First off, I would suggest pushing this with the USFK authorities…and if they suggest it, then with the Korean authorities…not necessarily the police, since they are a known racist & corrupt entity.
It will more-than-likely be an uphill battle, since most things RIGHT are…but to not to only condones that which has happened.
Again, my hat is off to your son & husband…you must be doing something right.
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9:03 am on September 29th, 2008 94
Some of your comments are right on rudeness of Korean.
I am a Korean-American living in California. I don’t know
when they will change their bad behaviors. But I learned
a lesson an easy way while I was a lousy teacher for a few years,
near Seoul. Most of time, I tried to avoid meeting or talking to
some of Korean even I speak excellent Korean just like they are.
Koreans have right to be rude to foreigners and nasty treatment like a
door mat unless you are an elite with hansome looking face and a
deep pocket. If you don’t have 3 things, don’t go there, but money comes
first. Korea tradion or culture were bought up by JEBUL( supper rich ).
Even most of the major newspapers and TV are mouthpieces of them.
1, Don’t say or sugest your country is better than Korea, they
are well brainwashed and educated(?) on naïve nationalism .
It became their pride. One time, my son, born in the USA, English
teacher in Seoul for 3months, was beaten up at COEX in Seoul with
a broken hand. He looks Korean to them, but spoke English with
Americans teacher there. Even some taxi drivers scolded him that
he should speak Korean because he should be a Korean. My friend’s
son, who is Korean American, was crippled by gangbangers with
broken back-bone while he wasa student learning Korean language there.
2, Don’t hang out with most of Korean unless buying something
big to Korean. If you don’t buy something big to them, they look down
on you. Many Korean only respect rich people. If you are not rich,
some Korean treat you like a door mat. My son bought me a fake
Omega when I was in Korea to get respect there.(for a joke.)
3, If you are not good looking, you are nothing there, unless you get
expensive cosmetic surgery. One time, my son joked at me he is afraid
marrying a Korean girl. Many Korean girls get cosmetic surgery
It’s sad that even ordinary Koreans look down each other now It’s
so superficial society, it’s tragedy for ordinary Korean and foreigners.
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1:49 am on September 30th, 2008 95
I lived, worked and studied in Qingdao, China for a year and had the opportunity to study with and meet a large number of Korean students. Let me just say that basic interaction between Koreans is totally different to westerners and just being slightly older than another person immediately puts you on a higher level which demands respect. It took a while but I managed to break the ice and developed some very good friendships and found that many of my fellow Korean classmates were as interested in learning about my culture as I was about theirs. This being said, I did have a few problems with some of the slightly older Koreans (30 – 40 ) who are extremely competitive(nothing wrong with that) but extremely rude in defeat. I received many handshakes after a game of tennis when I lost but rarely got one when I won. Not a big deal but it does leave you feeling a bit sour after a match. Furthermore I sometimes got into small argruments with especially slightly older men who didn’t appreciate anybody younger having different points of view. On the most part I did keep my mouth closed and simply listened but I wasn’t totally prepared to compromise my own culture by not stating my own beliefs.
Overall, I found the majority of Koreans extremely friendly and accepting of my Australian ways and I would like to hope that Australians are just as accepting of other cultures.
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2:10 pm on September 30th, 2008 96
Hi Gunner,
Great post. I am an American born woman. There was an isolated friendship that I had with a Korean woman where I felt there was a lot of competitiveness on her part. My ex Korean friend is what I would call a social climber who would brag to me about this person that she had lunch with or that person that she had lunch with while I was having lunch with her. Whenever I went out with her she seemed to be on a mission to collect as many phone numbers and e-mail addresses from random women as possible. As soon as she obtained the contact information from these women she would refer to them as “friends”. Am I missing something? I thought that a friend is someone that you know well. Nothing wrong with adding to her existing social circle, I am not jealous of these other women as I am secure with myself. I just felt I was rude for her to do that in front of me constantly. One day I just got annoyed and stopped answering her phone calls and e-mails.
She was also very materialistic. She married a white man within days after meeting him and to her husbands shock, she did not appreciate all the wonderful things that he provided her, health insurance, a beautiful home, a nice SUV and did I mention she didn’t have to work. What more can a woman ask for?
She immigrated to the US from a part of Korea where poverty and starvation are a fact of life at the present time and has the nerve to say that her house (that her white husband paid for, not her) was ugly just because it needed a few repairs. The nerve! When I actually saw the home, it was one of the most beautiful homes that I had ever seen. I feel sorry for the husband. He should of gotten to know this woman first instead of marrying her just because she was hard up for a VISA. She is a user and a taker. I hope she changes.
As far as Korean men, I have found Korean men to be pleasant. Maybe it is human nature for women to be competitive with other women and men to be competitive with other men regardless of race.
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5:35 pm on September 30th, 2008 97
Newsflash: There are all kinds of people in Korea. Some are rude and some are extremely kind. Wow! It’s kind of like the rest of the entire human race. What a coincidence!
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8:35 pm on September 30th, 2008 98
“She married a white man within days after meeting him”
Bad move on both sides (mostly his apparently).
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10:31 pm on September 30th, 2008 99
Hey Zen Mama,
That is quite a sad story that is unfortunately heard far too often. As for changing, it reminds me of a line from the John Travolta movie ‘you can take the girl out of the trailer park BUT you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl’. Generalisation I know but it is hard to change the values you have been raised with. Hopefully I am wrong !
I think every society has this type of person. People that will never be satisfied with what they have and will use everybody to get more. Seems to be more of a human characteristic than any specific cultural one.
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6:43 am on October 1st, 2008 100
Zen Mama,
I understand why you might dislike someone like that, so the question is why you were her friend at one point?
Sounds like she was pretty consistent in her behavior.
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10:05 am on October 1st, 2008 101
Hi and thank you for your male perspectives. I respect any opposing views as well, as I am not above having my ego put in check. I think it’s sexy to be humble…or is it nice girls finish last? I’m so conflicted. Just kidding. I probably should have noted that as far as materialistic women are concerned, there was an American reality show called “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?” And I don’t recall seeing any Korean gold diggers on that show.
While I make no apologies for some of my previous complaints, I hope to one day let go of some of my hang ups on Korean culture.
If someone insults me though, regardless of race, I will ignore that person, or defend myself if I am continually bullied. I think having a back bone is extremely important when dealing with rudeness on any level, otherwise it’s sort of like a double victimization.
Hi Leon. I felt my old friend was nice at first, but it took me a while to figure out that I was just a prop to make her feel important. I use the word “prop” because I don’t recall having much in common with my old friend…it was evident in our lack of meaningful conversations with one another. Most of her words were superficial in my mind, and when I tried to express my emotions I was cut off by her, no explanation. She just didn’t want to hear it. In terms of my desire to have meaningful conversations, that doesn’t mean that I wanted to know all the dirty details of her marriage or engage in vicious gossip about her other friends. I just like to be around people who reveal their characters in ways that are soulful and human and fun at the same time, not robot-like and insincere. It might just be a cultural thing too. I think Americans are more likely to just let it all hang out as far as expressing our feelings. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad.
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7:03 am on October 19th, 2008 102
Gosh I was thinking about transferring from Japan to Korea, but after reading this post I’m starting to rethink my options. Unfortunately, there is racism, discrimination and rudeness in every country, but not as blatant as it is described in Korea. I’ve lived in Japan on three different occasions for a total of nine years and the Japanese have always been very friendly to me. I’m an African American female and I have never felt discriminated against. It is sad that in this day and age that people still hold on to the inferiority complex and the belief that all AA are beneath them or less them, or any race that is not the superior believed race of anglo-saxon. It’s just the color of skin and slightly different ethnics views and beliefs that seperates all of us; nothing more major than that. WE can all learn something from one another, and most of all we have to leave the hatred of the past behind.
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4:58 am on October 20th, 2008 103
Brieat32,
It is not just African-Americans that are discriminated against…and I have witnessed a fair number of situations where they were the ones doing the discriminating. And it is the Koreans, who are not anglo-saxon, who have the idea that they are the best race and ALL others (including those of European descent) are inferior. They especially despise all Americans.
However, if you have had good experiences in Japan, you should stay there. We would certainly prefer to be in Japan, as we experienced treatment similar to what you describe when we were in Japan. Or maybe try somewhere in Europe. Some of my African-American and biracial friends say that in Europe they were just known as the “American” and not treated poorly at all. (apparently there is a lot less racism in Europe than America).
Koreans discriminate against ALL non-Koreans, but they are afraid of African-Americans. Some of my friends have had to deal with Koreans who assume they are African and not American (an insult to a proud American), and been looked at by Koreans as something dangerous.
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5:12 am on October 20th, 2008 104
April, thanks for the clarification, input and advice. I think the media generates alot of negativity as a whole esp on the AA race, and other ethnic groups basically believe what they hear and see. The point is that every race has their good and bad. Yes, I heard that Europe was more accepting.
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5:53 am on October 20th, 2008 105
Dear brieat32
As a black man who has lived in Korea, here’s my take: Koreans generally dislike all foreigners, but they have an immense sense of inferiority with respect to whites and an immense sennse of superiority with respect to whites. English language schools, for example, will do anything to hire any sort of blond white and everything to not hire a black; and, to go with that, you will find parents who refuse to be taught by a black person, no matter how competent. I have also lived in Japan and before you thnk of moving to Korea, I would encourage you to learn more from blacks who have first-hand experience, especially from ones who are not in the military; take a trip to Seoul, for example, and talk to people. I can’t think of an Asian country where blacks are despised as much as they are in Korea. Although I did meet one or two genuine Koreans during my time there, what I experienced as a black person and what I saw black people experience has forever left me with bitter feelings towards Korea and Koreans. Not fair to all, some might say, but there it is.
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5:54 am on October 20th, 2008 106
I mean “an immense sennse of superiority with respect to blacks”.
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9:06 am on October 20th, 2008 107
Dear brieat32
I imagine that “racism blacks south korea” in Google will provide a bit more information.
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4:31 pm on October 20th, 2008 108
I am black and I have been to countires that are all black. I was treated as an American. I was mostly asked about things that were American. Koreans are big time xenophobics unless they want something from a foreigner.
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10:54 pm on October 20th, 2008 109
Yeah, Koreans are racist. Even if they are nice to you b/c you are doing business with them or they are curious or even if they are just nice, they are ingrained with “pride in their mono-ethnic heritage.”
Anywhere else, this would be seen for what it is: racism. Here, it is supposed to be heritage. I think I’ve heard other racists groups using the pride excuse for their beliefs. Whatever color of the skin or where the people are, ANY group that says their race is better based solely on race, is….racist.
Villain, I think that generally European countries treat all Americans as Americans.
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8:29 am on October 21st, 2008 110
I was not in a European country. I was in a third world Caribbean island. A lot of other countries do not like Koreans as they still act like they are in Korea and when approached about their behavior,they justify what they are doing as part of their culture.You hear the reply “I’m Korean”.
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9:00 am on October 21st, 2008 111
Why do I have the feeling that this thread will wind up being the longest one on this site?
For what it’s worth, I lived in Japan for 3 years and knew several African-Americans there who were living the life of Riley.
On the other hand, I knew another African-American guy here in Korea who was tossed in the slammer for some minor illegal teaching infraction and eventually deported. He loves Korea and longs to return, but unfortunately the authorities here see things differently.
In the meantime, he sings songs on YouTube just to show how much he loves Korea:
kr.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUAY56YkTk
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3:02 am on October 29th, 2008 112
Do Koreans lie so much to each other, or is that something they save just for foreigners?
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3:52 pm on November 3rd, 2008 113
I have lived in the States and have had the experience of seeing how Koreans behave within their social gropus and outside them. At first i met some nice blokes, who were friendly and his behaviour in general was so respectful towards every race. But during that period spending time with them and getting more into their culture, i realised that they could be so rude, especially those who have a wealthy way of life, they see some people with certain sense of superiority. At the same time, they really idolize Yanks. They do everything a Yank does, they wanna look like them, and at some cases act like them. I had a girlfriend from south korea, and it was a nice experience, very constructive, but sometimes she drove me crazy pretending to act like a yank. I have a venezuelan friend, who i and my girlfriend met once in new york city, and my other half’s friend came over to meet us and criticised my friend for coming from a poor country. For Koreans, every non-Asian person is american, every non-asian language is american english, and they compare everything with americans, for example, they usually have certain way of meassuring their ages, so to talk about the regular way counting how old we are in the western world, they say “american age”. We all know the states might be the most powerful country in the world, but it’s not about having that sense of inferiority towards Yanks. In the other hand, Korean-Americans are really rude, and somehow it’s cos they try to imitate americans, but they cannot look like them, so it frustrates them at the point of making them very pedantic. Korean themselves are so nice, but when they come to the States they lose their warmth. Even though i dont have anything against them and i still think they are so nice and have a world class mould football team.
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4:59 pm on November 3rd, 2008 114
Not all Koreans are rude.
Not all Japanese are superficial.
Not all Filipinos are backstabbers.
When will we learn not to overgeneralize an entire culture into one category?
Do we *know* all the people in one country? Of course not. This is an observation based on first impressions and culture shock.
I was born in South Korea then moved to Canada as an immigrant. My first impression was that all Canadians were horrible due to the racism I endured when I first started going to school. As the years went by, I’ve met many people, some wonderful, some horrible. No, not all Canadians are horrible, I’ve learned, but neither are they all polite and hospitable like the image that exists of Canadians to others.
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March 11th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
You’re right. All generalizations are false, including this one. Spin that one around for a few hours.
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8:50 pm on November 3rd, 2008 115
Japanese are not superficial, and Filipinos are not backstabbers. So we agree in part. But to be fair, I have met superficial and backstabbing Koreans.
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June 29th, 2009 at 5:32 am
King Of Mekju,
Backstabbing Koreans? hu hu hu. Where do you better than thou people come from? You have met backstabbing Americans also havnt you? In fact you have met backstabbers where ever you have been. Wow You point your finger from other countries that have human issues. That is why it is so easy for you to pick them out. Your self righteos Human nature is clouding your ability to judge yourself before others. Listen Please. I am sorry for coming off hard but feel it is required to get some folks attention. Not that I actually believe you will take my words to heart. But I may be wrong. Im am Just saying put a cork in the finger pointing. Your handle on this post shows how humble you are. LOL You sure as heck were not the King of Mekju when I was in Korea! Maybe you should switch to Soju. No you couldnt have that title with Soju either. Well There is allways Mokoley.
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9:32 pm on November 3rd, 2008 116
“When will we learn not to overgeneralize an entire culture into one category?”
Are you saying that this is what “we” all do?
“This is an observation based on first impressions and culture shock.”
I’ve been in Korea for 12 years. Guess I’m still trying to overcome my “first impressions”!
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10:45 pm on November 3rd, 2008 117
I find in most cases it is more the individual person than the actual culture that is to blame. I personally have never been to Korea but I find it hard to understand people that have lived in a country for such a long time being unable to adapt and hold such bitter thoughts. My experience is in China where I lived for many years and also encountered people with similar issues. It is strange how some people can thrive in a new environment and others just dwell on all the negative aspects. Maybe I am generalising but if you have truly adapted to your environment, I doubt you would be spending your time on a thread titled ‘Why are Koreans rude?’ …
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1:35 am on November 4th, 2008 118
Matt, in that case you should leave it to people who have lived in Korea. Sure, one should not generalize, but when 9 out of every 10 is a bad egg, what else is one to say? Just dwell on the positive one?
Koreans, in general (i.e. most of them) are untustworthy, lying, greedy (for money), racists. I think the real problem is that Japan withdrew before completing its project of civilization and should be invited back for another 100 years. In the meantime, the world is in for a rough ride as more and more Koreans move overseas.
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1:38 am on November 4th, 2008 119
I should add that the one thing I liked about Korea was the women. Because of their inferiority with respect to whites (especially Americans), Korean women will give it up to any man who is white, regardless of what sort of loser bum he may be. I never had so much p***y in my life!
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4:26 am on November 4th, 2008 120
One does not have to live in Korea to know Koreans and their culture.Please read the previous posts. Many cities in China have extremely large Korean communities.
As previously posted, I think it is the individual rather than the culture that determines the relationships you will develop in Korean(any) communities. I am happy for your sexual conquests but if you seek out women that give it up to any loser then it is my view that it is the group you are mixing with rather than all Koreans that is the problem. Choose your friends more carefully.
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9:22 am on November 30th, 2008 121
I’m from NYC. I know generalizing is wrong, but I have come across some rude people in Korea…also in the U.S. I won’t say Koreans and Americans are rude because of it. Koreans are very emotional thinkers, so are some Americans. Some Koreans are not emotional thinkers. The same goes for Americans. However, I do think that the homogeneity of Korea does make it rather easy for us to ‘paint the picture with one brush’(hate). I think the homogeneity also makes it just as easy for the Koreans to do the same with foreigners. For example: they classify all foreigners as “wae-guk”. There is no differentiation between a German or an Italian. We generalize in the U.S. too – we call whites, whites and blacks, blacks but there is a very BIG difference in behavior still. For example, you have Black West-indian Americans, West African-Americans, and the Blacks who are native to America. You have Jews, Italians, etc (I grew up in Brooklyn -sorry for the short list). All think differently in some areas, but are still generalized as ‘black/white people’. “I hate black/white people!…” “which ones?” aught to be the question.
. Were jacked-up and we don’t like ourselves very much. 
But, despite the problems, we must to learn to live with each other or we will destroy ourselves; this would be the natural outworking. And what that means for us is to find a reason to love other human beings…even if you witness them not loving themselves-by the way they treat you.
I think before we try to criticize Korea for any faults we need to look at ourselves. Do any of us on this board actually LIVE UP to his/her own expectations in social behavior? I am sure we can all account for a time where we have been complete jerk-offs or dishonest with other people. Lets not criticize Koreans for who they are. Bottom line its not Korea, American, German behavior. Its HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Blessings
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11:58 pm on February 14th, 2009 122
I have lived in Korea for awhile now, and I do get distressed by the cultural differences. I am not sure how to address the problems I find. Certainly there is a lot of bumping and pushing, which I cannot find a cultural defence for. But what irks me more is the way Koreans feel it is ok to intrude upon your personal privacy. I know their culture needs to have some information, but they all know by now that questions about age and marriage are considered personal by Western people. The fact that they continue to ask such questions seems horribly rude to me.
I have often found myself being discussed by a group of Koreans!!! I still cannot believe that anyone could be so rude as to openly discuss a person like they are an inanimate ojbect. I have met many kind Koreans (and an equal number of bad Koreans) and I do not think they are bad people, but their customs are so rude by my standards that it is hard for me to be friends with any. Invariably a Korean will say something so offensive that I will simply be struck dumb by the rudeness. They of course do not even understand they have said anything controversial at all.
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10:11 am on February 27th, 2009 123
Koreans are rude as seen by foreigners.
When they drive, they are totally rude! Ajjuma beind the wheel of her big SOnata won’t let you squeeze in, busses squeeze in front of you, scooters run red lights… etc etc…
Hey, how can we teach Koreans to cover their mouth when they cough? Whenever a Korean coughs near me and they don’t cover their mouth, I make a big disgusting face and wave the air. It’s quite a scene!
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4:15 am on March 3rd, 2009 124
Koreans are rude, I wish they never came to my country>>>Philippines.
hey Koreans! GTFO off my country before you start infecting us with your rudeness!
I see them everywhere, malls, cinemas, schools, UGH.
I was walking in the mall with my sister, I am thin and there was a thin Korean girl who whammed straight into my breasts, it hurt me so bad she didn’t even apologize.
It left a bruise on my chest, and I’m kinda OCD about breast cancer and such, I fantasize about meeting her again and I will tear all the hair from her head.
This is not the only incident I have with them, and I’m always shocked about their audacity to act that way in my own country! Another one is that we were taking pictures in a coffee shop so that I’ll post that in my Facebook account, they acted like they’re the ones I’m capturing in my camera and gave me a bad glare then they all stood up and walked out. AS IF I’LL WASTE MY CAMERA ON SUCH PIGS!
I agree, Japanese and Chinese are the better ones than Koreans! They are uncouth and uncivilized, it’s not that obvious because they dress themselves like a normal fashionista person!
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4:32 am on March 3rd, 2009 125
Rudeness is in the eyes of the person being pushed.
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10:23 pm on March 3rd, 2009 126
I think they are overly rude and trying to be proud because they are trying to delude themselves into thinking their past never happened. This is the past where another country occupied them for 40 years and weren’t pushed out until the U.S. arrived. The past where every mongol in Asia got a piece of the action. Koreans can not and have not ruled themselves, they are only kept as slaves of Asia or made free by others. That’s why it’s called the Sea of Japan and not the Eastern Sea. LOL, how many will that last comment piss off?
Here’s the difference: the Koreans were absolutely controlled before and during WWII by the Japs. On the other hand, the Filipinos put up such a great resistance effort they kept many divisions so busy that the Japs couldn’t use those divisions elsewhere in the Pacific.
And yet, somehow, the Koreans have the nerve to act twice as elitist when traveling to the U.S. or the Philippines. Give me a break. And quit saying “well they are nice on a personal level”. Since when did you have to know someone to not run into them, not cut in line, not cough on them, etc etc.
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10:48 pm on March 3rd, 2009 127
I’ve been to a lot of places around the world and have met so called rude people in all of them. It’s all relative.
Ironically, the only time I’ve felt threatened, or in any danger whatsoever while in Korea, was when a group of drunk male Philipino (I presume factory workers) approached me one evening. Go figure.
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March 4th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
invention would get you nowhere, your race’s bad attitude stinks to high heavens and you can’t cover that with a lame story hahaha!
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March 4th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I’m not Korean Nica and the story is not invented.
Also, why do people yell out “hey Joe” to me in the PI? What makes them think my name is Joe? I find that to be quite rude.
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March 16th, 2009 at 4:54 am
It’s actually a form of greeting, “look at me I’m great in English let’s greet the white guy”, hey joe!
Oh, you’re not Korean?
1:21 am on March 4th, 2009 128
I’ve been fortunate to have been able to travel a lot and live in several big cities in Asia, Europe and Australasia. So with some objectivity and broadness of view I feel comfortable in concluding Koreans are the rudest on Earth. I don’t want to be harsh or negative but it is difficult to disagree with all the criticisms of the Koreans in this forum. Hellos, thank yous and goodbyes are minimums. Seemingly Korean kindness extends no further than their own family.
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2:28 am on March 4th, 2009 129
The only time I’ll take it to heart is if I think the person extending said rudeness my way would not do the same to another Korean. If people in Korea bump, push and shove each other, why should I care? I am but a passerby, and am under no obligation to enforce my perceptions of rudeness and proper social etiquette upon them. Take it for what it is, which is accepted cultural practice by Koreans, and move on. It really is that simple.
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2:56 am on March 4th, 2009 130
Then we shall conclude that they are naturally rude?
Korean=rude?
Yep, that’s about it I guess lol.
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3:35 am on March 4th, 2009 131
If you perceive Koreans to be rude, so be it. I’m not trying to change your mind. I thought my German neighbors in Heidelberg were rude because they stared at me a lot, but really they weren’t being rude at all; they were just curious about the foreigner in the neighborhood, and apparently staring is not considered rude behavior in Germany.
I also thought the countless people who urinated and defecated in the wood lines at rest stops throughout Europe were rude, but who can really fault them for answering the proverbial call of nature? When you gotta go, you gotta go, right? And how could I forget about the hordes of obnoxiously loud British drunks in Amsterdam who pissed and threw up all over the street? I thought they were rude too, but no, they were just drunk and being stupid. Besides, anything goes in Amsterdam, right? The local Dutch might think differently however.
I’m simply suggesting that there are rude people the world over (and there surely are), and that you shouldn’t take something that’s culturally acceptable in the country you live in as being rude just because they don’t do it back in Tupelo, Mississippi. Did you know that Koreans consider blowing your nose in public to be extremely rude? I sure didn’t when I first got here. Heck, back home it’s nothing to see a guy in Wal Mart whip out his handkerchief and blow his nose like its’ a trumpet for the entire store to hear. No one gives it a second thought.
Like I said, if a Korean does something to me that I think he/she would not have done to another Korean, then it’s time to get angry. But if I get bumped by some harmless Ajumma walking down the road, I’m not going to give it a second thought.
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March 4th, 2009 at 4:22 am
Sure, rude people are every where – and rudeness is at times culturally defined – It’s just my experience that in the game of rudeness, Koreans win the trophy.
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March 4th, 2009 at 4:29 am
“…in the game of rudeness, Koreans win the trophy.”
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12:03 pm on March 4th, 2009 132
To those who defend the uncouth Koreans, are you serious?
Learn to read the effing writings on the wall: Koreans are the next Nazis with their xenophobic, higher than thou attitude.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. How I wish someone would nail that thought to these freakishly CRUDE Koreans!
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March 8th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Good God is everyone on the internet an idiot? Listen I’ve met people from all over the world. Some good, some not. I’ve experience racism myself. I’m part Native American, part white. I have a dark complexion. I look like a foreigner, especially in the US. I always have people staring at me. I get the most grief from Whites and Blacks, not from any Asians I’ve met. I can’t really generalize about them, but I will say they seemed fine to me. I didn’t notice any of them sneezing, coughing, farting, curse or try to fight with me, like the experiences I’ve had with non-Asians. Maybe that says something.
I read a lot of these posts and I have to say for a bunch of “civilized” people you sound a lot like the “rude Koreans” you so vehemently hate so much. I mean if you have a problem with S.K. leave. It’s not that hard. When you do leave where you gonna go? You going to go to a “civilized” country like America where someone with a gun will pull you out of your car and kill you dead for your Honda? Will you go to England where the violence has risen so much that you can’t walk down the street without running into roving gangs of youths where they’ll stab you to death? How about Spain where my teacher once described a man dying on the street, and people just walking by, not lifting a finger to help. How about Australia where I saw a video of a group of boys torturing a disabled girl. If those aren’t examples of “rude behavior” I don’t know what is. I could go on forever, but I’ll stop. You can’t pick what country is more rude than the other. For all you haters, who want to pick on S.K. and cover up your own inferiority, be my guest. But a lot of you people sound like you’re the ones who are “rude”.
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1:25 pm on March 8th, 2009 133
But, of course, there are rude people in Korea, as anywhere else. However, let’s not forget that rudeness is sometimes defined differently by different cultures, also.
As for someone like April, I guess with the American economy in a big crisis, it’s time to feel better by bashing the foreigners, again. 
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11:22 pm on March 9th, 2009 134
Yeah, yeah, yeah…..Korea is all that, and even more! I LOVE the opportunity to express my innate AMERICAN despise of socio-cultural mannerisms–You gotta stand up for yourself….you weak pacifists!!When an old lady cuts in front of me, well, I just throw my big fat white ass in front of them, and look at them like they are idiots, like they are! Ha Ha! Try it, it is quite fun…I mean you have to fight fire with fire, right? Just give the third world ethnocentric, xenophobic, racist, mix of Chinese and Japanese people a taste of their “own” medicine!! HA ha ha ha ha
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5:34 am on March 10th, 2009 135
You forgot about the part – harley tatoo across the rump.
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7:46 am on March 10th, 2009 136
“Learn to read the effing writings on the wall: Koreans are the next Nazis with their xenophobic, higher than thou attitude.”
“Just give the third world ethnocentric, xenophobic, racist, mix of Chinese and Japanese people a taste of their “own” medicine!! HA ha ha ha ha”
Some people here are so desperate to show korean rudeness that they become rude themselves.
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March 16th, 2009 at 5:05 am
Don’t worry, IRL we act cultured and tolerant, polite, and liberated unlike some people I’ve encountered…
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June 10th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Dr.Yu,
Excuse me Please. It takes perserverance to overcome ignorance. These Korean Bashers Have yet to think of spiritual or any real type of positive excistence at all. Korea is where I learned to be a Human Being. Or just a being of this earth that doesnt have to have a need to be better than someone else. I will continue to defend Korea all my life but I am sick to think that this thread and article even got started with such a Racist question. How would any of these people respond to this same question being pointed at there culture and people? As i have said i am just an American white boy with a deep profound love for Korea. Beacause of Korea’s History and ability to overcome and continue with love in the worst situations all people can learn from Korea and will. Peace Be with you or OnyangheGaesao
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June 10th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
The question for this article came from the Joong Ang Ilbo newspaper which is a Korean newspaper. Are Koreans racist against themselves?
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June 12th, 2009 at 11:50 am
GI 4 years Korea, thank you for your kind words.
There are rude people everywhere and some of them are posting comments here. They are ignorant and intolerant people and only see rudeness because they are rude as well.
I think it’s fair foreigners complaining about rude people in Korea, but making general assumption on Koreans because of the bad example of few is just as rude as the rude behavior of the Koreans they complain about.
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4:37 pm on March 10th, 2009 137
In the Lone Planet’s Korean Phrasebook, it says in a block note on page 59, titled “Pardon the Expression”:
Does that mean choesong hamnida is reserved for when I accidentally cause someone to fall, spill all their packages, or unintentional make a grave insult to them? Is it more like the English, “Please forgive me. I’m sincerely sorry.”
If that’s the case, is there nothing in the language to say for minor, casual incidents? That might explain some of the cross cultural disconnects.
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6:07 pm on March 10th, 2009 138
About 6 years ago, when I started studying the Korean language, we learned how to say “excuse me” in Korean, “Sillaehamneda”. Since learning this and living here, I’ve only heard Koreans use that expresion twice – both times in very expensive restaurants from waiters. So like JoeC said, don’t expect to hear sorry: add to this list excuse me and usually not even thank you.
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9:00 pm on March 10th, 2009 139
If Koreans are considered rude by American standards, then to me they are rude because I’m American. I do not agree with trying to take into account their culture and adjusting my opinion accordingly. I have met Koreans I consider very rude, and others that were seemingly well mannered. I have been cut in front of at bus stations and bumped into on the streets of Seoul, but I have also had Koreans respect place in line, and apologize when they bumped into me. It seems to me it’s the few that make a bad name for the many. My experience is 50/50. I won’t generalize the whole nation because of half, but there are definitely a lot of rude people. Seems to me more often it’s the older Korean men that seem to be rude the most, while children and young women tend to be the opposite.
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6:46 pm on March 11th, 2009 140
I live here in Korea and I’m able to handle most of the rudeness. It’s not as bad as some people make it out to be. I’ve been all over the world and to me it’s like you’re going into someones neighborhood, you have to learn the streets to understand what’s going on. My Korean friends don’t have a rude bone in their body. They ask a lot of questions as I do them. We laugh our asses off at both cultures! Every single time I go on a train to Seoul someone comes up to me and talks to me, it’s amazing and when it happens I feel like Koreans are some of the nicest people in the world. When I experience a rude Korean I have to laugh it off. I view this country as being extremely crowded and a lot of people have to compete every single day if they want to make it in life. The Koreans have been screwed over for centuries and even today they’re country is divided in half, probably longer than any other country in history. They’re screwed and they’re P’O'd about it. Trust me, youi don’t want to live in a little apartment with no chance to make it in life so be thankful for what you have. There’s a LOT of foreigners here in Korea, approximately 2 percent of the entire population. We live in a better place and have more money than most of them. Don’t let the rude Koreans get to you, sometimes I do get pissed but I can yell back in Korean if I have to (this works practically every single time!) or I can laugh at the rude person if I want to stoop to his level, as I know he ain’t gonna try to mess with me physically. Koreans are tough but I doubt it’ll ever come to blows. In that regards it’s one of the safest countries in the world.
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6:55 pm on March 11th, 2009 141
Oh, I forgot to mention the rudest place I’ve ever been in was when I lived in Honolulu, Hawaii for six years. Now there’s a place that if you’re not the right race or color you will feel the heat!
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7:16 pm on March 11th, 2009 142
Koreans are rude due to the prevalence of narcissistic and histrionic personality disorders in their gene pool. In short, it can be blamed on ch’emyon.
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8:53 pm on March 11th, 2009 143
Cracks me up on how some people complain of how Koreans form their own communities in other countries.
In my home town we have the French Hills. Three guesses on who lived there. The town next to mine is made up of mostly the Irish.
Happens in very country and every nationality does it, folks. Get over it.
Hawaii can be some what brutal about not fitting in. Tourist don’t see or feel it. If you’re living there, that’s a whole different story.
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March 11th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
1) Germans 2) Swedish 3) Chinese Did I get it?
Sure people form their own communities. It’s natural. I think it’s the level of effort put into it that is the discussion………..
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March 11th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
You don’t think the French put a lot of effort into their community? They built their own church just for themselves. They built their own factories also. The factory is gone now, I think. French is their national language there.
If you’re wondering what country this is in, it’s in the good old USA.
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March 12th, 2009 at 12:01 am
You are singling out a specific community. I think the myriad of examples worldwide show Koreans are more exclusive than inclusive as a people.
12:19 am on March 12th, 2009 144
I have found Korean culture and customs to be quite fascinating. Koreans can be very polite in some areas and not so in others. Of course, I am basing this statement on my own personal or cultural values of what politeness is. I am sure they probably think the same thing about western culture. Pushing in, not lining up or not saying please or thank you is not the end of the world. In fact, I made the most of it and joined in. . . It felt great not to say plaese and thank you 20 million times a day and push my way to the front of the line.
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9:17 am on March 12th, 2009 145
I can’t think of anything more rude than what the supposedly more civilized and better mannered Westerners have done for the last few centuries when they invaded, occupied, colonized, exploited, enslaved, destroyed, disrupted, or manipulated other people around the world.
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March 12th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
For the history of the world it was Romans, Spaniards, British, Americans, Africans, Chinese, Japanese, Germans, Muslims and Christians, and EVERY other society and religion that invaded their neighbors for their own purposes. Don’t single out westerners. You look liberal and stooooopid.
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6:23 pm on March 12th, 2009 146
Don’t forget Korea, they invaded themselves ! Is it rude to invade yourself? Well, I guess it is better than invading somebody else.
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10:04 am on March 13th, 2009 147
I am a long-time lurker of a few popular Korean blogs. I like this site, as well as One Free Korea, The Marmot’s Hole, The Metropolitician, and even Occidentalism.
I am a Korean-American. I have never lived in Korea, and speak intermediate level Korean.
I will say it right away: I have had a LOT of negative experiences with Koreans from Korea. They were and have been rude – they are gossipers, backstabbers, and dishonest. They seem to have no honor, no sense of shame, and no ethics. And frankly, after having dated several international student women, and after having dealt with older- and younger-generation Korean immigrants in America as well as with international students of both genders, I have to say that I cannot blame the Americans and other foreigners who have written here negatively about Korean rudeness.
A lot of the experiences you guys have described, I’ve seen similar things in Korean enclaves here in the USA. I will admit that sometimes I was immune from some of the worse things because I am an ethnic Korean, I speak passable Korean, and because in these situations, I didn’t stand out the way you whites and blacks in Korea might.
Yet, I have to admit, a lot of times, Koreans are extremely rude. And what irks me is how they look at you with a blank stare as if you are some ugly alien if YOU call them out on their rudeness. I call it the “oing????” look. Young women are the best at it.
I’m very much in touch with my Korean roots and culture, and I’m proud of them, but I have to say, after all my experiences with expat and immigrant Koreans, that I feel very fortunate I have never had to live in Korea – and I never will.
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March 15th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Keep in mind that it goes both ways and the fob Koreans have some negative things to say about the Korean immigrants in America, also. The bottom line is, it is still much better to improve the relationship among Koreans than to expect that non-Koreans Americans will accept them fully, because that just won’t happen. Even if it does, it won’t happen before Koreans accept each other better in America. Don’t let the outwardly better behaviors of particularly the Anglo Americans fool you. Despite their constant propaganda about colorblindness in public, their demeanors and actions often prove othwerwise.
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March 16th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Expat,
Certainly, “FOB Koreans” have legitimate grips about Korean-Americans – but the irony is that sometimes FOB Koreans are native Koreans who have been here a while, and are more “conservative” than recent arrivals from the motherland.
It’s good to improve relations, of course, but good relations require understanding (even if two parties don’t agree on all, they can still get along)… but to understand another, one must be willing. And when it comes to understanding those who are different from them in background or culture, the natives of Korea are not very skilled.
That Koreans come from a society which to this day doesn’t teach, encourage, or prod its members to empathize or to sympathize with those whose plights differ from their own doesn’t help. (And don’t get me wrong; I know a lot of white people in this country are narrow-minded and mean-spirited, and have a long track record of intolerance.).
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7:51 am on March 14th, 2009 148
Tom Cruise,
I’m not a redneck, actually, but if it makes YOU feel superior to sit on your fat retired or contractor butt and call me so, it doesn’t matter b/c your opinion means nothing to me. Your are a nonentity in my life. Funny how you take the word of your “black” friend as absolute truth, but call me a redneck and basically imply I am a liar. I experienced racism from black people too.
I’m not a “racist” b/c I don’t think badly of someone just b/c of their color or nationality, but I’m not a PC idiot (like you) and I DO make judgments based on my experiences. That is what a smart, critically thinking person does. I don’t shy away from calling someone or a group out on their faults just b/c they are a minority. Their “non-white” or “non-American” status does NOT exempt them from the same social rules. Yes, I am judgmental. So is everyone, I just have the honesty to say it, whereas a PC idiot will say, “Oh, every single person from Nobel Prize winning scientist to AIDS riddled crackhead has the exact same worth. Every ideology is equally correct….blah, blah, blah, puke…”
Since I wrote those other posts, I have had some positive experiences in Korea, which I am glad for. But that doesn’t change the fact that blatant public nose picking and scamming Americans are a fact of life here in Korea. I don’t think they are rude b/c they are Korean. But I have found that 95% of the Koreans in Korea I have encountered are rude. So is the average ignorant person in the South, which I bitch about plenty, but this blog is not about that.
As for your stupid comment about the economy–the American economy has not had a bad impact on me. My family is doing better financially now than ever, so try again.
In case you haven’t figured it out, humanity in general disgusts me. Am I superior? Nah, I am just as hard on myself in my daily life. But YOUR criticisms of me are just stupid.
This blog is about Koreans being rude, so that is what I wrote about-my experiences of rude Koreans. It isn’t something I would have started a blog about all on my own.
I also can’t stand-the average fat Army wife (yes, a disproportionate number of them are sloppy overweight), the large number of NCOs who cannot spell 8th grade vocabulary words, the general pussification of the Army, the inept, surly people in Army offices that act like they are doing you a favor by doing their freaking job, the average bible thumping right wing hypocrite, the average PC liberal who thinks that everything is great and worthy except white Americans, parents who won’t discipline their children and act like everyone should think it is cute when their brats run around screaming and acting out in public, uh….people in general.
I’m not a racist. I hate everyone equally.
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March 16th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Reading your comments gives me the impression that what you hate the most is your own life. Get rid of all your hatred and accept Jesus madam.
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4:53 pm on March 15th, 2009 149
Wow, I actually agree with April on a lot of that. You can add the Korean clearing of their flem while they stand right next to you to the nose picking.
I agree with you about the following inDUHviduals: NCOs with spelling issues, undisciplined children, and most people since they are retards (although that is redundant since I was listing induhviduals).
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4:51 am on March 16th, 2009 150
To Korean apologists, I was sorry for what I said here about the Koreans and bit the adage that let’s give everyone a chance…well heck! We spent our weekend on a country club to get away from hustle and bustle.
The day progressed just fine, then around three p.m. a group of Korean men arrived, around 17-21 years old numbering probably 14 people.
They were playing football and very loud about it, no Filipino reacted in a bad way or stared at them in a rude manner.
The club is filled with amenities, for example if you want to fish you can rent a fishing line per hour. I observed quietly that not one of them seemed to have availed of these options, it seems they only want to use the FREE things from the club.
They jumped all at once at a FAMILY POOL, even shocking a Filipino kid. If you’ve never encountered Korean group of men, you won’t have an idea how bad they are!
They acted like they own the place but Filipinos are too non-confrontational to say anything, and we always give allowances to foreigners.
Worst, we found out too late that our room is next to this group, we assumed that they won’t spend the night in the room because rent for a night only costs 100 US dollars to non-members. But no, they decided to act like they are at a beer house, screaming AND SHOUTING LIKE ThEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THAT PLACE CALLED FAMILY LODGE!!! We politely asked the guards nearby to tell them that they are too loud, they would keep quiet for a few minutes then they would act that very way again. We came close to calling the cops, but the reception office pacified us. We never got a wink of sleep. They are CHEAPSKATES, they could have rented a separate area if they knew they’ll be that loud for they are many but they didn’t!
You can verify this story, you might think I’m only making this up, google CLEARWATER Clark, and call their office.
You can keep defending them, BUT TO ME KOREANS ARE THE RUDEST ASSHOLES I’VE ENCOUNTERED IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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June 11th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Ive heard complaints from other hotels also…They even destroy things..They also have the nerve to criticize our country for being ugly & that our people have no vision..reality bites but what the heck, THEY DONT HAVE ANY RIGHT TO SAY THAT!!! they should go home if they dont like us..
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10:11 am on March 16th, 2009 151
The more one reads this thread the more learn how rude foreigners can be rude.
I once met an American boy in Switzerland and we had to share the same accommodation. I was just learning English at that time so I could not talk to him because of the language barrier. On a wonderful day I got a call from my mom and she told me that my father passed away. I got shocked and got sick so I had to spend two days in my bed and I could not clean up the room. Meanwhile the boy was on a trip with his friends.
On the third day I was better and the boy returned from the trip but the room was a little messy and this boy got crazy about the mess and stared to argue with me pointing his finger to my face. I could not understand what he said but obviously it was nothing polite. He did not give me chance to say anything, but a chance would have been useless anyway since I could not talk English at that time. I had thousands of words in my mind but I could not say a single word. All I wanted to say to him was that my father died so I got sick for a couple of days but if he gives me the chance I would clean up the room for him.
As soon he finishes arguing with me he simply turned around and left the room and I got sick again because of my frustration with his rudeness and my incapacity to express in English.
I met lots of Americans in Switzerland but thanks God most of them were nice people. I don’t take this boy as a model of what American people are, but every time I think about rudeness this guy comes to my mind. Rudeness doesn’t depend of nationality but if I’m wrong than I know that Americans and Filipinos are the rudest people in the world.
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June 11th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Filipinos are one of the rudest people in the world? You must be a sick doctor..Im rude to you now, but we are one of the friendliest race it the world..Come visit my country & well show you world class hospitality…
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June 13th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
friendliest race it the world ….world class hospitality, right … than why people call Filipinos Backstabbers? Because of your hospitality?
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9:04 pm on March 16th, 2009 152
Ahhh, the sad history of Dr Yu comes out. You are breaking my heart, NOT. So the guy was rude, no feelings, poor you. And that justifies all of the bad behavior and hate? Go with yesyesyesyes and see a counselor too……………
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10:06 pm on March 16th, 2009 153
If I was in a room with any foreigner and they messed it up I’d be very pissed off about it.
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11:18 pm on March 16th, 2009 154
Dr. Yu, first of all the world does not revolve around you, worst you can barely communicate with him to explain the trashed room and your gasp! sad situation.
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12:01 am on March 17th, 2009 155
Koreans are rude, loud and noisy
Author: Ranie Jangayo, Straight Punch, ? The Daily Guardian
ATTRACTIONS such as cheaper English education, resorts, golf courses and wider business opportunities for those with some capital (much more than local small and medium size enterprises have) as well as Korea’s relative geographic proximity to the Philippines are the prime reasons behind the phenomenal rise of the Korean population here.
Bisan diin nga parte sang Region 6 naga-apan ang mga Koreano!
The hospitality for which the Filipinos are famous also draws them in. And Ilonggos welcome them.
But some of our friends damn them for being loud and noisy, rude and stingy.
Hipos! Mga bastos! Pilipinas ini!
***
How many Koreans are really here? Some estimate, including those from the Bureau of Immigration Intelligence, gave a much higher figure of up to nearly 500,000. They are visible in the country’s major destinations like Bohol, Davao, Cebu and Boracay.
Reports said most of them are illegal and undocumented.
***
In Iloilo City malls, you can always notice a large group of Koreans nga tama ka gahud. Gahud pa sila sa Pinoy. Daw wala maayo nga breed ang mga haslu.
Any comment Kuya Edwin Turista “este” Trompeta?
***
Koreans of all ages come to the Philippines as tourists with one-month visas or longer. During their stay here in Iloilo, they do almost nothing else but attend English classes. Their teachers are Ilonggos.
Mam, dapat itudlo man sa mga bastos nga mga Koreano ang kultura sang Ilonggo.
***
Koreans are not just loud and noisy. They don’t contribute to Filipino tour operators and restaurant owners in Boracay because they patronize Korean establishments. They have taken away business from Filipino entrepreneurs.
Conclusion: Koreans presence hardly benefits the Filipinos.
Yet, the Department of Tourism loves “the Korean invasion.”
***
Of the 200,000 Koreans staying here who do not have proper travel and immigration permits, half have pending applications with the bureau. The rest are absolutely unregistered. Therefore, these are overstaying aliens, reports said.
Ideport ini para ma buhinan ang mga magahud kag bastos diri.
Another direct proof of harm the Korean presence has done is the tit-for-tat between the immigration bureau and the Korean embassy, resulting in the alleged extortion activities of BI personnel against overstaying Koreans.
Sulumpaan!
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5:15 am on March 17th, 2009 156
I’m new to Korea so my list is short. On several occasions I have opened the door to an establishment and had a Korean rush right through in front of me like my intention was to open the door for them. It’s bad manners but it wasn’t a big deal by any means. The other day I had to make four grocery runs from my car to my apartment which always sucks. Needless to say, I was struggling with all the heavy bags and it was difficult for me to swipe my key card and open the door to the building. I finally got the door open with a ton of groceries in tow and this freakin middle aged Korean lady bum rushed me and made her way out of MY door on which I worked so hard to get open. I didn’t see her head my way which is too bad. The next time this crap happens the Korean is going to get body checked and I don’t give a crap how old they are. Well, that is a lie. I would never mess with an elderly person.
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5:54 pm on March 17th, 2009 157
Nica, you hit the nail on the head. Koreans go to Korean businesses far more than any other nationality goes to their own. People don’t believe me, or just defend Koreans, but go some Korean joints in the Philippines and they won’t even serve you if you aren’t Korean. And they are in the Philippines!!!
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9:07 pm on March 17th, 2009 158
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200903/200903180009.html
Notice the last sentence…………
“Most, or 48.4 percent, of respondents cited inter-Korean confrontation as a reason why Korea’s national brand is undervalued. This group was followed by 44.1 percent who cited Korea’s insufficient contributions to the international community; 41.5 percent who cited political and social unrest; 38.8 percent who said Korea is not attractive as a destination for immigration or tourism; and 37.5 percent who talked about Koreans’ lack of sufficient etiquette during overseas travel.”
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9:26 am on April 3rd, 2009 159
simple english, all of us are not perfect whether what country you came where all the same, each of the countries there’s a rude, arrogant, polite people etc… i’m not believe that Korea is the only rude country!
sorry for the wrong grammar/english etc..i just want to share my opinion about these subject each of us /country has it’s own negative/positive side ..thanks and God bless to all of you!
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2:48 pm on April 3rd, 2009 160
as a proud korean, I could give a f*ck what any of these people have to say about korean rudeness. And all the rude koreans you guys complain about don’t care either. Why? Because we’re proud of who we are and what we’ve accomplished. We went from a third world country to one of the strongest economies in the world practically overnight. Yea the US gave some money (which is much appreciated and not trying to downplay at all) but WE built this country up with OUR bare hands and hard work, not YOU! Do we have our problems? Hell yes, I’ll be the first to admit that. But if we’re going to change, it’s going to be for us, not for you. Our problems, in my opinion, are like those of the nouveau-riche. We went from trashy to flashy in too short a time, and now we don’t know how to act. But if anyone else has a problem with it, go suck on some kimchee juice.
But if you people want to talk about koreans have the worst reputation in the world, let’s be honest. The Ugly-American is the most well known stereotype in the world and that’s a fact. We may bump into you foreigners once in a while and not say sorry, but hey, at least we don’t hang you from trees like you guys did to black people.
And to those accused of being korean apologists by the mob here, thank you. I know it’s hard to give us a chance, but thank you for refusing to slap a label of negativity on the entire korean people so easily, like the rest of you have. Thank you.
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April 3rd, 2009 at 2:54 pm
JKL, there is no way you are a native Korean in Korea. You may be a gyopo who returned, but your diction illustrates you spent time in the US (or Canada).
It’s not a problem of trashy to flashy. Non-flashy, non-rich, non-wealthy native Koreans are rude.
JKL, just a question… have you stopped to wonder why sometimes, some of the harshest critics of Korean rudeness are overseas Koreans?
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April 3rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
That’s where you’re wrong. The poor, the trashy, the flashy, we all came up together. Our homogenity that is brought up all the time, is what makes us strong. We may be different in some ways and have our arguments, but we consider ourselves one. Now if you want to say that the rudeness is just in us, you can prove me wrong by finding any writings by explorers, travelers, etc of korean rudeness before our industrialization. If you find a letter by Marco Polo saying how some korean just bumped into him the other day and didn’t say sorry, then I’ll believe you.
As for the oversease koreans that have harsh things to say about Korean rudeness, thats ok, because I have the same complaints. As long as they are still proud of who they are. If they’re criticizing because they hate us and are ashamed, like I said, go suck on some kimchee juice.
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June 13th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
There are pre-Japanese occupation accounts of Korean rudeness, from the late 19th century, actually. Several.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:01 am
You gotta be kidding me!!!! Learn a little bit of history before you go spouting off.
http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr/
Koreans have a long history of being rude, and your attitude is the reason why it will never change.
2:55 pm on April 3rd, 2009 161
Oh and by the way JKL the US just didn’t give Korea money… they provided low-interest loans and outright grants (several of the former were written off). The US opened its market to Korea’s exports.
So do keep in mind that for all the rudeness Koreans display (with the accompanying anti-US sentiment) that they’re spitting on the face of their greatest benefactor.
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April 3rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
and I don’t believe for a minute that this was all done out of self-sacrifice with nothing expected in return. But like I said in my first post, I’m not trying to downplay America’s help at all, it’s much apprecieated. Before you try to write me off as a reverse-racist American hater, there are many good qualities of America and Americans, and yes I have lived there. But you gotta take the good with the bad right? Or would you prefer it if we just kiss your ass all the time?
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7:38 pm on April 3rd, 2009 162
[DELETED BY MODERATOR FOR DEROGATORY RACIAL REMARK]
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April 3rd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
hahaha! gooks? thanks for showing everyone your true character. you can only hold it in for so long huh? and you’re gonna cry about racism? To everyone that wants to hate koreans but is truly not a racist deep down inside, this is the kind of hate-mongerer that is trying to pull you to his side.
And as for you trying to call us weak, we’ve had men and women that have shown more courage during the Japanese occupation, the resistance movement, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War than you could ever muster. You’re not man enough to even be put on their level. Hell, you probably couldn’t even last in the ROK Marine Corps now.
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8:20 pm on April 3rd, 2009 163
Perhaps both Americans and Koreans need to start looking at the positives and showing a little grace in the ‘perceived’ shortcomings of each culture. And in light of all of this, Koreans need to remember, as I am sure most do, that they have much more to lose if the alliance/relationship goes sour. Lastly, Koreans should be aware that the adjustment and culture shock for Americans first entering Korea is often significant and often leads to excessive and sometimes unfair criticism.
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5:25 am on April 4th, 2009 164
So Koreans are rude because of their close-knit communities prevalent in their agricultural past? Hm. What about the other thousands of societies across the planet that have this same history? I’m pretty sure most countries on the PLANET with arable land and a decent growing season had an agricultural past with close knit communities. So the bottom line is…every other society got over it, but the Koreans are still insufferable assholes today, as they were in the past.
Perhaps the Korean people are just genetically inclined to stay put on this crappy little peninsula. The current Koreans are the offspring of those people who had their asses handed to them by every geographic neighbor for the past 5000 years…but here they stayed; persistent, enduring, stubborn, obstinate, narrow-minded, short sighted. The people remaining are the progeny of generations of people who were invaded, occupied, subjugated, and exploited by their possessors and occupiers.
Koreans now disdain cultures and people that don’t measure up to Korea (measuring stick is usually: economy, skin color, historical bias). Lets not forget that 20 years ago, Koreans were selling daughters to Americans to buy food and support their family. I have not seen another culture so ashamed of their history, but so quick to assume the attitude and depraved moral posture of their previous occupiers (as an obvious example… Japan and their “comfort women”. Korea does the same thing with less-privileged women it imports from the Philippines…with the full support of the Korean Govt. and the KNP…and the silent support of the Philippine Embassy)
Many Koreans hold a thinly veiled antipathy and contempt for America, held in check only by their desire and need to trade with us. Korean culture of the past 40 years has grown to embody and express an un-easy combination of reverence for American power and popular culture, but also shame for having needed America to save Korea during and after (food, aid, investment) the Korean War. I believe the Koreans hold a sense of inferiority and shame that is expressed now as bluster, rudeness, disrespect, over-compensation and emphasis on status symbols.
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6:52 am on April 4th, 2009 165
What a crock of sh!t.
For the most part, the only place anyone even knows the ugly-American expression is in GI towns.
Individual Americans are some of the most well liked people in the world.
You’ve got feelings people have for the American gov’t mixed up with how they feel regarding personal interactions with individual Americans – two entirely different things.
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April 4th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Amen, never had a problem with Americans, Germans, Australians, Japanese, Chinese interaction, it’s solely with Koreans.
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April 4th, 2009 at 11:30 am
what the hell are you talking about? The Ugly American stereotype was created in Europe about rude American tourists. Had nothing to do with GIs. I’m not saying it’s true, but as far as stereotypes about the rudeness of a people, that’s number one.
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9:52 am on April 4th, 2009 166
we have to accept that whether what country you came from you we can’t deny it that we can be found those kind of people everywhere you go!
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4:18 pm on April 5th, 2009 167
JKL, even though my ‘gooks’ remark was deleted, it was not my ‘true character’, although you wish it was so you could win the argument. I deliberately used that term to try and show you what it feels like to be discriminated against. Since I’ve spent almost 20 years in Korea, I feel I know the good and bad parts, and the utter misplaced arrogance is the whole point here. The lack of appreciation or willingness to admit it took more than just yourselves to get to where you are is the point.
As far as the ugly American, they just did a study in Europe, and the French beat us as ‘ugly’ tourists. Go google it if you wish.
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April 7th, 2009 at 1:42 am
no, I don’t really care about winning an argument. I’ve lived in America so I know what it’s like to be discriminated against too. You’re not the only one. Look, I know and appreciate the American’s help and so do a lot of other Koreans, but some don’t. But I would go on a limb and say most koreans would admit it took more than ourselves to get where we are. But I also think I can be appreciative, and still be upset when a Korean girl is raped by a GI, or be proud that we got your help, but then WE took it to another level. If you want to say that because you guys gave us money, that you guys get all the credit, and that we did nothing to deserve it, I’m going to call bulls**! And hearing a bunch of Americans claim that the rest of the world thinks koreans are the rudest is laughable, because look at yourselves and the Ugly American stereotype.
I’m not here to get into an argument about who’s the worst, because like Juan up there has said multiple times, you got your good and your bad. All I’m doing is, for all of you saying koreans are the worst, this and that, I’m just putting a mirror up to you to show you, your people aren’t that perfect either.
And Marcus, you got some nerve hating an entire people in their own country. Were you kidnapped and forced to live here? Have you had a gun pointed to your head all those 20 years forcing you to stay here? If you truly do believe there are good koreans, it sure isn’t reflected in your comments.
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9:26 am on April 8th, 2009 168
JKL, it’s no use trying to argue with the superiority-complexed Westerners and particularly the Americans who believe they are better than other nationals no matter what. I live in the U.S. and know exactly what you mean. But, their unofficial credo is “might makes right and so does white”. If the Americans don’t deny their flaws altogether, then they simply dismiss those as just isolated incidences not representing their majority. But, the flaws of some or, even, few Koreans or other nationals they experience are quickly generalized, if not openly than internally, as typical of most or all Koreans or other nationals. Although not as obvious as in other countries, the double standards are still very much common in America, as shown by the patterns in results.
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8:15 am on April 15th, 2009 169
Like most countries there are good and bad in Korea – but there are a lot of rude Koreans. They blurt out things that even a child would know is rude. I have been insulted so often teaching that I often have to leave the room and calm down. Compounding this is the cover up all the other koreans do. If you were to believe koreans, no one in the country has ever done anything untoward to westerners … they refuse to accept how rude they are…
they are the rudest people i have ever met…
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10:53 am on April 15th, 2009 170
I’ve never had trouble in my classroom and I’ve taught a lot of English here. There are some rude Koreans but you don’t have to put up with it, just yell back in Korean and they’ll be shocked and shut up.
Overall, Koreans are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, just remember that it’s not an absolute. If you’re not up to the task of dealing with it then you’ll have problems.
Heck man, I’ve been in Japan and met some rude Japanese. It can happen anywhere.
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9:03 pm on April 15th, 2009 171
In Australia, I have generally found that there are 3 types of people. 1. A person who is very rude 2. A person that is very friendly and 3. A person that is neither rude or friendly but does what is required.
In Korea however I have found that people are either rude or friendly and there is not much inbetween. I am not talking about people who don’t say please and thank-you but people who are quite insulting and purposely think of ways to attack you and your country. Fortunately, these people are few but definitely more common in Korea than anywhere else in the world I have travelled to.
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11:37 pm on April 28th, 2009 172
The rudness I see in Koreans are very deeply reflected in the kids I teach English to in a local public school. That is because too many of their parents are useless. They bring these kids into the world not for the purpose of love, but for traditional appeasment. The send these kids to hagwons and make them spend 60 hours a week in education, while their parents work 12 hours a day.
Because of that, Korean parents are contributing to the higher levels of rudness I see in my classroom from kids everyday. Even on the streets when Korean kids see a black foreigner like me, they point fingers and perhaps even say something in Korean that is racial, and theri parents don’t scold them for it because their parents are so damned useless!
I have been to China, Japan, and Taiwan anf I never got fingers pointed at me, only in Korea. Why? Because Koreans are the most prejudice people in Asia, and most Koreans have no mannerisms. That is why one day if I ever come across a Korean kid who is very rude to me, I woudl love to take my belt off and give them some old-time Joseon Dynasty whooping across their behinds!
Come to think of it, after 3 years of being here, I was the one who had to make the effort to make myself comfortable here in Korea. Most Koreans I know never did much to help me because Most Koreans are so stuck up and have no mannerisms that I had to adjust here on my own, without culture shock!
If more Koreans can learn from the people of Thailand, the better Korea would be.
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5:54 pm on April 29th, 2009 173
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9:06 am on May 10th, 2009 174
ive never been to korea but have been working with them here in my country. they can be in a way be rude. ive heard & read many stuff about koreans being rude & being an outdated society on the net. theres a lot of koreans in my country. some of them, are honest to say before they came to my country, they had very low expectations of filipinos. but when they came here, they got shocked when they see filipino middle class & rich have far more bigger houses than most koreans in korea. what am i driving at? from what i heard, they have been brainwashed(maybe to harsh a word)to think that they are a superior race. i guess this has an effect on them, thats why they are rude. yes, they can be clickish. they can be manipulative. and yes, they can be disoriented. but they are at the same time very polite & helpful. its kinda confusing on how to deal with them to be honest. also, from what i understand about culture is that each culture has its own unique approach & practices but i guess rudeness should never be one of them. a country with a very outdated economy with lots of native people would be tolerable for its social structure that is is not comforming to progressive countries, but i guess a country which claims to be economically strong should have at least adjusted their society already to make it easy for non-locals to live with. actually many koreans here in my country, not all, have never adjusted to our culture. they actually complain straight in our face on how korea is way better & that they want to go back. but at the end of the day, they still keep coming here. one point also, if foriegners go to their country, then they should adjust to the korean culture but if koreans go to a foriegn country, do you think they are humble enough to adjust to the that country’s culture? what do you think? hhhmmm…im not here to hate on them because im personally close to some of them, but they can really be difficult to deal with at times. (ive worked & have foriegn friends. so, i guess im basing my comparison on my experience).
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4:59 am on May 12th, 2009 175
Chinese and korean = very rude
polite
westerners and Japanese = very
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5:00 am on May 12th, 2009 176
I am Hong Kong Chinese as myself.
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8:31 pm on May 14th, 2009 177
Ey, I’ve gotta light this one up…. If it’s an AMERICAN GI (no disrespect, I was one a few months ago)who asked why Koreans are so rude, I’ll gladly answer… It’s probably because, like ALOT of GIs I knew in Korea, there was an arrogant approach/aura there. I was taught to be graceful, polite and humble in new territory. I was ALWAYS welcomed with open arms wherever I went there. I only had two incidents in Korea involving Asians (1 was a White-washed Filipina addressing me improperly and the other was a Korean cab driver). The rest were due to drunk GIs starting $h!+, as usual. Koreans were not rude to me AT ALL. In fact, the hospitality of Koreans over there was unmatched. There’s a REASON why my favorite restaurants in the US are Korean, besides the food. Even in Iraq, the hospitality was excellent. The same goes for the Philippines. Maybe alot of Americans (GIs in particular) need to get off of their high-horse and incorporate some style and grace in their demeanor.
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9:39 pm on May 14th, 2009 178
and since ethnicity is such a HUGE factor on this post, I’ll state mine with a few extras. I’m a Black American ex-GI. I was in Korea for two years and when I was out of the uniform, I was a tourist. My overall experience was beautiful there. There were some rude people there, but I’m from Baltimore, MD (it was nothing to even be shocked to see). Overall, Koreans are actually polite from my experience. If anyone wants to call “not coming up to you and greeting you as if you were a king/queen or kissing your ass if you were superior” as rude, then I’d say Koreans are extremely rude. Seriously, most of the people are neutral and neutral is just that – NEUTRAL. When you visit a foreign country, you’re an outsider. Trying to “blend in” by expressing respect for the customs/courtesies will earn you so many points that it’s ridiculous. I can count my bad incidences over there on one hand. The good outweighs the bad enough to erase it.. A positive attitude goes a LONG way, people.
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May 14th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
insert “as” between “ass” and “if”
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May 30th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Fantastic post Jae L as you nail exactly the right attitude of being in a foreign country.
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9:12 am on May 18th, 2009 179
hey JAE L, i think your a cool person..nice perspective..keep it up!
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3:20 am on June 1st, 2009 180
Plz watch that video~
it is really serious situation in Korea now, we might lose freedom of speech~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f25m6DAvNPE&feature=related
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2:55 am on June 10th, 2009 181
I want to know how a person learned hangul in a week.
“”" I learned to read Korean or Hangul in about a week but didnt know what I was saying as hadnt learned the lanquage. “”"
I haven’t even begun to start learning but I’m interested in picking up the language this summer.
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June 12th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
He means the Korean alphabet.
The Korean alphabet is easy to learn to pronounce – with whatever accent you have, of course.
In fact, you can learn it in about an hour.
So, technically, you can “read” anything in Korean, you just won’t know what the words mean….
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June 14th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Thankyou, Thats is exactly what I meant. I put a week because I didnt think anyone would believe Korean is so easy to learn but I do know some history on the making of the Hangul or current Korean alphabet. Scholars came together in Josean in the 1500s. They decided they needed a faster moving alphabet so all people could learn to read. They found scholars from various places. There were several inteligent folks that desighned and put into place Hangul Or Korean writing in its modern version. Now since it is so easy to learn to read one can learn to speak Korean a bit faster also if they are so inclined. Ill refer to Rosetta Stone. Korean lanquage is even more simple if you already know how to read as you are immersed in the lanquage and alphabet. No translations except pictures. That is how it worked for me many years ago in Korea . Because I could read Korean I learned to speak proper Korean much faster as I was immersed in Korea. I think it is a very inteligent alphabet and many People I know have said the same. Im not a teacher. I was interested in speaking Korean well, while i was there. I still use Hangul Writing to learn more Korean words and sentences. And It actually takes a couple days Hard work to really learn Hangul writing. If your going for pronunciation longer. That is what I learned. It may be the easiest learned alphabet in the world. It is a credit to Korea. It was another way for me to enjoy a country that wasnt Home. I did not want to go to Korea when I got orders to go. I learned to love Korea so much I went back for a second tour and extended twice more. I was In An Jung Ni or Pyong Teck. A few miles from Osan. The first year I was in the way far out country support unit. Camp Howard Or Song Won Nee. That is no longer a post. Thank you
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11:04 am on June 14th, 2009 182
Just found this Q: Koreans are NOT rude in my view and I’ve been associated with Korea since 1961. They do love to establish a “pecking” quickly, but once a friend, always a friend for life.
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6:38 am on June 16th, 2009 183
wow fast reply! yah I have like 200$ worth of books in the corner of my room that I’ve been meaning to crack open so I can learn the language, sounds like learning the alphabet should be objective #1 for this week. If you have any other input, opinion or other commentary on learning the language effectively I’d like to hear. I want to learn it in the next 6-8 weeks.
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June 17th, 2009 at 2:32 am
Kinien,
I will tell you honestly The reason I learned to read fast was not only because the alphabet set up easily but I had a korean teacher that showed me how to sound out the symbols. I say symbols as that is more what the Korean alphabet seems like to me. The symbols are sounds but there are 10 Vowels and 15 constanents That sound the lanquage out for you and there are some vowels that are used frequently before or after the part of a word they are sounding. And the words seem to come in parts untill you get good at reading That is why you should speak it while learning it. I also Just got a new program but dont know if its any good. Its called Pimsluer. Rosetta stone is awesome. But Like O. That can be Silent or it can have the ing sound. add vowels to it and it can be wh or w sound. Much more of course. Damn it I wish technology was just a bit farther. I would help you sound out the reading’ Then you could do Rosetta stone easily. But My Kids did Rosetta stone without knowing how to read Korean and all of there other lanquages are taught the same way. Immersion. After you start to understand Korean it become very interesting when traveling as there are different accents from different parts of Souel and different cities and places in Korea. Ya wouldnt think in a small country that would be the case but it is. Korea is big in a different way than Landscape. Cheju Do Island may be my favorite place on earth . It is a very cool Island Owned by Korea. South of Korea. There are Pineapples and other fruit that grows there. The water is crystal clear. You can see so far down into the water its freaky. There are many diver’s there that dive for fresh octopus and other things. This is traditionally a ladies Job and they are in excellent condition. Ya, I have to say I really loved that training exercise on Chey JU do. The reading part is not so tough but remember you have very old lanquage and there is many things to add to or leave out of a sentence depending on who you may be talking with. Ya gotta love it to really get with it. You dont have to worry about the fomality stuff while learning the lanquage unless you are in Korea or addressing Korean Folks all the time. Later Peace
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8:06 am on June 16th, 2009 184
Since Korean alphabet in phonetic and have vowels and consonants like western alphabet, sometime I mix Korean vowels and western consonants or vice versa just for fun. For instance “B?N?N?” or “?A?A?A”.
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June 16th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Oh… korean letters are not displayed here.
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11:55 pm on June 19th, 2009 185
People say Koreans are rude?
That’s absurd. The only part of what I’ve read that seems somewhat understandable is the gap between how Koreans treat family and then friends and then strangers. There’s a much larger gap between each group than you might find in the United States. And, let me excuse myself first, before I say some very politically incorrect things.
But, from a Korean perspective, or at least my perspective – I don’t want to speak for an entire nation, I’ve always found Southeast Asians and particularly the Japanese to be rude. When I mean rude, I don’t mean loud and shouting and emotional. I mean, just inconsiderate in speech and manner in the way they treat others.
When I was in Japan, I remember taking J-line or something (not the bullet train, but the same technology as the KTX train) and I remember giving up my spot to some grandpa probably in his like 80s or so and as coming from Seoul, I didn’t really think twice about doing it. But, my Japanese friend, and he was a very polite guy – I remember both his parents were teachers, thought it was crazy. He said in particular, “50 years ago…” people did that. So, I feel from the opposite perspective, it’s the case that (and I’m replying in particular to that Filipina “lady”, who was talking about killing some rude Korean girl) from the opposite perspective it’s the Southeast Asians, Japanese, and those who come from societies without a strong Confucian tradition that are the ones that are seen to be rude. I believe a lot of other Koreans, who might not recognize that it’s this Confucian tradition, probably also feel this.
Now, if you said Koreans were racist, I’d agree 100%. The way in which Koreans treat let’s say Filipino/Vietnamese/Pakistani laborers are different than the way they’d treat Chinese or Korean-Chinese (Joseon-jok) laborers. Of course, this is different than the way Nigerian merchants are treated (who I swear to God, especially, when wearing American sportsgear, look “American”), and, of course, the simplest proof though: the way in which African-Americans are treated when compared to Caucasian-Americans. And, of course, there‘s the racism that’s practiced on other Koreans as well. In some parts of South Korea, Korean-American English tutors are paid less than Caucasian Americans just because they don’t look “American.”
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June 21st, 2009 at 4:04 am
Han,
Go get em. This whole friggen blog is insane. But ya got me laughing because Korea is probably one of the only countries that respects elders and it works. Elders as a rule dont act like you better do this but are kind, and responsive when treated this way. And thank you for pointing out what you experienced in Japan. Once while I was in Japan for two weeks as an American soldier I was not allowed to wear my uniform as there was a big college protest going on. I will never forget that and the way I was treated. Then when going back to Korea my understanding of some things was much clearer. Now I just gotta say this. You said you agree Koreans are racist. Tell me one country in this world that isnt racist or doesnt have many racist people living in it. Shese, That is a world wide issue but I will go as far as to say I still believe as an American I could get excepted anywhere in South Korea with right attitude and it wouldnt be long before me and some Korean folks would be having fun. That is what I lived in Korea as a poor wite soldier for 4 years. My wife was pusongi. You Know; no Mom, No Pop. I met her in 1980. I love her more now than the first day we met (if possible), and I knew when I met her I would marry her. When I told her that she thought I was crazy. Had already spent two years in Korea when I we met. It rook me a year to get her to love my crazy self but she is so wonderful I would have went allthese years trying if she hadnt excepted me. Tough she was and is but beautiful and loving like an angel. I have had an exfriend or 2 tell me she was cold after she cooked them wonderfull meals that they scraped off their plates to get every last morsel. Nothing wrong with her cooking. Maybe because she did not flurt with them the way some of their wifes have done. Truth hurts! They now are with people I would say I am predjudiced against as I couldnt spend 3 minutes around them without wanting to say. What; you threw your life away and are miserable just so you could be with this same race as yourself. My wife is honest and honest people like her immediately. She has many friends and people she has worked for never forget her. WHIte Americans as well as African Americans and Chinese Americans. One last thing. There is a place i could not fit in, in my own country and that is southeast Texas and some other places like that in the south. I refuse to be predujudiced so I can be excepted by ignorant people in my race. That is expected from people in those places. I feel for the African Americans that live in these places and people who are not Caucasion. So people point their finger from this country better look around. We still aint doin so darn good down dar in da south and if ya want me to be predjudice KMA. Thats from a white man who lost his brother in Beaumont Texas. My brother died in a mysterious car accident. He told me how it was there but couldnt come back to the Northwest as his family was there. Bless his heart.
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June 29th, 2009 at 3:58 am
I always assumed the United States to be so much more accepting, but hey, I am from Los Angeles and like I’d like to tell many Koreans that “visit” the United States. The U.S. is more than L.A., Las Vegas, and, of course, the Grand Canyon (Why is that trip so popular anyways?). But, I was thinking more along the lines of Bakersfield or the Mojave, but yea, I never considered certain parts of the South, such as Texas.
I’m sorry to hear about your brother, but… Haha, no way! Congratulations, it sounds like you are a very lucky man in other ways. A Texan finding Love at First Sight in South Korea?
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4:06 am on June 21st, 2009 186
Wrong email address in upper post
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5:22 am on June 24th, 2009 187
Not rude- just careless. Once inside The Circle, you are a friend for life.
I routinely gently and firmly correct young and old Koreans for being reckless and dangerous- but I always sum it up with “Your family loves you and wants you home safe. Same with me!” and they are apologetic- I do try not to be an A$$hole when I do the Fire Marshall Bill act- ’cause I might be the only Big Nose Wae-Guk-in they’ve met; thus I also represent MY people.
I think ’cause I am old, I get away with a lot more!
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11:08 pm on June 28th, 2009 188
I’ve done some traveling for business & personal all over the world. I even lived in some of those countries. From all the countries I’ve visited, I still think Koreans are the rudest. As an ethnic Korean, very disappointing and sad. I can sympathize all the comments posted here, good & bad. It was relieving to find many people having the same impression as myself. I’m thinking, Koreans will always be Koreans, but I am hoping that things will improve overtime, atleast to some extent if not entirely of course. Let me give you an example why I think Koreans can improve. I was shopping one day in Yong San for computer equipment. Some of us may know that it gets quite congested on Sundays near the market. A boy stepped on my shoes, looked at my face, and just walked away. Having lived in Korea for almost 2 years, I was not surprised and didn’t expect anything more. However, to my surprise, his mother trailing behind him saw this and apologized to me very politely. Moments later, I saw this mother telling her son to apologise from next time. I thought, WOW! I was truly saved by this boys mother. I think its these small events that build up and make a difference over time.
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7:06 am on June 29th, 2009 189
With regard to the moral standards, it has to be said that the Koreans are not very strict when it comes to mine and thine, they lie and cheat and that’s why they can’t be trusted. They are proud if they have cheated somebody and they don’t think that’s a disgrace. That’s why they can undo the buy of a horse or a cow even after four months if it becomes clear that the buyer has been cheated. But the sale of a parcel ground or other immovable goods can only be undone if the conveyance has not taken place yet.
http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr/holland12.htm
Actually most Koreans didn’t think at all that we were ugly. They admired the whiteness of our skin. The possession of it is being regarded at as something desirable. In the beginning we couldn’t show ourselves on the street or a crowd was following us, or people were surrounding us and were gaping at us. On the island Quelpaert we were much less hindered by that, though we also attracted a great deal of attention.
It came thus far that, at a certain night the mob broke into our bedrooms, in order to drag us, against our will, outside and made fun out of us. We lodged a complaint at our commander about this. He forbid anybody to harass us in any way. From that moment on we could move around freely, without causing the gathering of a crowd.
http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr/holland6.htm
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June 29th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Look, pal, like you Anglo-Americans often say to the ethnic minorities who complain of racial discriminations, go back where you came from if you are still in Korea. If you’re not, then good riddance. It’s so ridiculous to read the posts by the Westerners, and particularly Americans, criticizing or whining about the rudeness of Koreans when they committed the ultimate rudeness of invading, occupying, stealing or colonizing the lands of other people around the world. I lived in thye U.S. for most of my life and know that most of you Anglo-Americans are far from being well-mannered or refined as you boast yourselves to be out of arrogance or bigotry. And please don’t flatter yourself with your sickly pale skin that typically shows age and wrinkles after turning thirty years old. Yes, Koreans “admire” your white skin as much as they admire the white lard in a meat.
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12:14 pm on June 29th, 2009 190
That was an historical account from several hundred years ago. An accurate account of how things were back then. The post in no way implied that it’s still that way.
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11:31 pm on July 2nd, 2009 191
Just plain rude. I have met some of the rudest people ever at one of the oldest and most well reputed Korean Language Institutions in the country, or so they boast. Take a wild guess which school? They were instructor’s there too, probably well educated. Not only were they rude, but they were the most wicked minded people I’ve come across in my life. Not everyone, of course, but 90% of a dozen instructors. And guess what, one of them was a director of the language program. No wonder if school teacher’s are behaving that way. No reason, No cure. Just follow the rules, or leave.
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