Foriegner to the Rescue
We foreigners can get a really bad rap here in Korea. Wild rumors abound about a pay, I have seen Korean news articles stating that we make about $3,000 a month as fact. This breeds resentment. Also the image of us coming to Korea to seduce Korean women doesnt help (from what I have seen of Korean women here in Gyeongsangbuk-do they can keep them!)
Also the pressjust loves any story of a rare and small time foriegner getting caught selling drugs (usually only to other foriegners). The press loves this almost as much as they love it when someone is arrested as a child molestor that taught in Korea at some point. Of course the government's reaction, much like it would be back home, is to come out with a series of irrelevant and confused beaurocratic obsticles to foriegners coming to Korea, that would have done little or nothing to stop the guy in that article.
Which is why I take a certain amount of sinister satifaction from a story like this. Furthermore it is really refreshing to see the reaction of Koreans to this story. I nearly fell out of my seat (If I had a seat) when I saw a Korean meantion human rights.
That all being said, these frustrations are usually just played out in the media and with the exception of the new and confused visa regulations mostly everyone that I have met has been both kind and respectful towards me.
They just give me something to blog about...
Thanks to
kimchi_and_mefor the heads up.
Also the pressjust loves any story of a rare and small time foriegner getting caught selling drugs (usually only to other foriegners). The press loves this almost as much as they love it when someone is arrested as a child molestor that taught in Korea at some point. Of course the government's reaction, much like it would be back home, is to come out with a series of irrelevant and confused beaurocratic obsticles to foriegners coming to Korea, that would have done little or nothing to stop the guy in that article.
Which is why I take a certain amount of sinister satifaction from a story like this. Furthermore it is really refreshing to see the reaction of Koreans to this story. I nearly fell out of my seat (If I had a seat) when I saw a Korean meantion human rights.
That all being said, these frustrations are usually just played out in the media and with the exception of the new and confused visa regulations mostly everyone that I have met has been both kind and respectful towards me.
They just give me something to blog about...
Thanks to
kimchi_and_mefor the heads up.