Having said all that, I met some Korean players at Resorts World in Manila and they were just fine. They agreed the Korean underground games are stupid and just there for gambling, not for poker and they travel to Manila or Macau to play real poker.

I know not every Korean is racist, some are very kind and will do anything they can to help me out at times.

For example: last month my dry cleaners ruined one of my shirts. Then she produced a bag from uni qlo with a brand new shirt. They had actually gone shopping, bought me a new shirt for me to make up for ruining just one of my shirts. I doubt they would have done this for a regular Korean customer, but sometimes this kind of treatment towards foreigners happens.

Things like this happen from time to time and its nice, but sometimes the rock star treatment actually feels a bit strange too.

wow, that's really nice of them. Good clothes in Korea tend to be ****ing expensive. True Religion generally goes for 2x+ the U.S. price

Yeah, customer service is pretty top notch in Korea. Esp from older business owners and giving service (Free stuff). You can't beat it.

i've played in underground cash games in seoul in apgu and some other places. the rake is INSANE but the dudes are just straight gambling and it played more like a $3 hyperturbo sng than a deep 1/3 cash game. i did see some weird ****, like if one coolered another (set-over-set/AA v KK/etc) the loser in the pot would take back a stack from the pot and the other guy was fine with it/expected it. i saw that at walker a couple times but it was clearly with people that knew eachother.

i also got invited to play in a 5% rake uncapped game which i declined...

yea this x100. racism isn't justifiable. just because it exists in the US/canada/whereever doesn't mean it's acceptable anywhere.

wtf guys. can't we all just get along? i was actually pretty disturbed in korea by the amount of hate i heard about japan/china. also even like walking around itaewon/HBC of all places holding hands with a korean girl she'd get called a whore by drunk adjeossis. same **** would happen to my friend who has a taiwanese gf when he'd ride the subway with her cause people would think she was korean.

**** was ****ed.

Check out Gmarket for cheap stuff. I found a desk for 100 bucks on there. Shipping is a pain.

Not even remotely true and you should probably be embarrassed. There are some bad apples for sure, but he majority are just regular folk just looking to do well at their jobs, make friends, and enjoy life, just like they are in every other country.

Don't let your interaction with one person spoil your interactions with everyone else. You're missing out.

I came to Korea to experience the culture, the food and the job. I've never been to a whorehouse nor am I here to out drinking every weekend. I've been here since 2007 and for the most part it's been pretty good but I have experienced racism and xenophobic. If Korean people feel shame about this then they need to change their attitude.

Yes, some teachers in Korea aren't here to teacher. They have other motivations. I don't disagree that some bad apples come here and do bad things but are all Korean people good?

I should have been more clear about Black/Korean relations. I mean that Koreans generally get their news through a few web and TV sources that constantly looped clips of the Koreatown riots and then loop clips of various soldier mistakes and that "teacher" on the bus. So they look at all black people as just "Darks" without differentiating.

The thing is most Asians are racist, judgmental, and petty to begin with. It's just a given. I think most people actually are. It doesn't excuse Western hypocrites like madison (who should know better) from their flagrant racism.

Madison I think it's pretty clear you're racist. Your posts are filled with loaded terminology. I think people like you should stay in their own country and spit bile near newstands or something. Not really going to get into a discussion with you on these forums.

starvingwriter, I have a lot of American friends, gyopos, and Korean friends. I regularly go to stuff for westerners like meetup, couchsurfing, and others and talk with a lot of people. I do apologize for saying "most," that's not anywhere near true. I was more generalizing to insult people like madison. So no offense intended.

You are right, there are a lot of great teachers here who come with an open mind and have a great time. One of my very good Jewish friends from Cal ended up getting married to a Korean girl here. There are/were cultural gaps for him but it's just absurd for anyone to expect different.

Buuuuuuut then you have people like madison who refer to me as a "you Korean" (when I'm actually American) and go for the double play special by also adding a slur towards Black people. lol.

I'm not that only person who has expressed negative views of foreigner treatment in Korea. I've linked a bunch of blogs that talk about being a foreigner in Korean. Many of them have Korean wifes and have lived here for many years.
Also, JJKKYY you are American Korean so it's not like you don't blend in with others here. It's a whole different level of treatment.
Let's do an experiment: We both walk down the same road at night. Say a Saturday. We each hold hands with a Korean girl and see what happens. Let's even video tape how they treat you vs me.

OMG, calling you a Korean person is wrong? Oh wait... you are Korean. You grew up in American but 1 or 2 parent(s) are Korean. I don't see this an an insult. I'm Dutch and Swedish.
How the **** is saying you're Korean the same as a word used Africans to hold them down? Get ur head out of your American ASS.

Not all Koreans are bad people but overall you won't feel welcomed in Korea if you're not of Korean decent. Also, that means if you not pure blood and are mixed at all.
Just ask Hines Ward's mom about this. She got spit on for marrying a black person.

I have spent enough time in Korea (and never with other foreigners, always with koreans or alone) and never had any problems here. Koreans always help me, give me more food than usual, ... A 50 year old man even bought me a ticket for the metro when I was lost.

Never had any problems with friends/gf parents either, they always want to know more about me and invite me to eat with them.

The fact that I`m white, blond hair, blue eyes and can speak some Korean probably helps obvioulsy.

Just left immi, was approved for D-10.

So I posted in OOT without knowing of the Korea help here. Excellent thread. Here's my original post.


Just found out that I'm moving to Korea with work (most likely for 12 months, possibly more). I will be in Ulsan in the South East. My only exposure to Asia at all is 3 days in Thailand on route to Australia and Singapore airport. Needless to say I will be looking to do a lot of hopping around visiting nearby spots.

Tips I'm looking for...

Best way to learn Korean (in prep for journey, obviously getting out and speaking once I'm over)
Nightlife tips for Ulsan/Busan should anyone there. Seoul as well as I'll probably make a few weekend trips.
Must-see places in Korea
Must-sees in nearby countries (planning on Hong Kong, Tokyo, China and others).
Golf + Snowboarding possibilities??
General tips (x is expensive, stock up. x is cheap, buy loads. x is the tastiest/most disgusting thing you will ever eat)

If anyone has anything else or logistics tips related to the above (Chinese visa going to be a problem for a visit?). Then fire away with those too.

Cheers,

AC

Adapt this to Korean: http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/

What's your work Cobra ? Nothing much in Ulsan except for factories and army.
Don't bother learning Korean.
You can golf and snowboard.
Nothing interesting to see in Korea. Busan is an hour away, some expat bars and beaches, maybe good for weekend.
I live in Busan, so I can give you some tips or just check out Busan Haps magazine.

Hey,
Questions like this would be better off posted on waygook.org or daves esl cafe. Both of those sites have tons of information about living/working and life in Korea.
Besides living near Seoul is pretty much like being right next door to everything you need.
Korea has tons of cool places to go and see. It's just what you want to experience here. I chose to get into the culture and see the true experience. Not a westernized version of Korea. Jeju didn't have a Quiznos until a year ago but has the best beaches in the whole country.

Korean food is really good. I don't eat fish so I'm the weirdo here on Jeju.


NOTE: I saw something that is a sign that Korean media is getting the hint about it's ever growing population of foreigners. Some media outlets are going to stop using a blanket term like foreigner to describe all non-Koreans living in Korea.
This is nice sign of progression here in Korea. Since many like myself aren't really all that foreign to Korea after 5 years.
Feel free to pm about teaching. Cheers.

My work will be linked to the shipyards (I'm an engineer).

Thanks for the tips guys. Will check out those sites (really though, waygook?!).

Will obviously be getting into the culture and regular experiences. Was looking more for tips with natural/ancient wonder (for lack of a better term) type things.

[QUOTE=AC-Cobra;33871291

Will obviously be getting into the culture and regular experiences. Was looking more for tips with natural/ancient wonder (for lack of a better term) type things.[/QUOTE]

Culture ? regular experiences ? LOL

Soju and more soju and then singing room and more soju and fish and singing room. If you're under 30 you can get laid. that's a plus....best wishes friend.

DL,

Your responses seem pretty against the general mood of the thread. Care to explain why?

Korean history is insanely depressing because ROK never wins anything. Their entire history is getting their **** ruined by China or Japan.

I would pick up the Chinese visa in your home country. I don't have experience getting one in Korea, but China has tightened their visa restrictions recently and I was only able to get a 30 day visa (at a much higher price) when I applied in Tokyo. You can get a multi-entry 1 year visa in the US for cheaper.

Some cool stuff I did in Korea:

-Went to a Korean bathhouse
-Ate chopped up octopus that's still moving as you eat it
-Got a blind person massage
-Visited some palaces
-Played poker at Walker Hill

Golf is huge in Korea, by the way. Pretty much every Korean guy plays. There are driving ranges and indoor screen golf places all over Seoul.

I've never been outside Seoul, but Jeju Island was recently named one of the natural wonders of the world, whatever that means.

Don't let the haters get you down!

So I've been pretty hard on Korea and some might think it's because I don't like Koreans or the culture. That's not true. What I dislike is some Korean peoples excuses for bad treatment of foreigners always under this statement "Please, understand my culture."

So here are some of the amazing things about Korea and it's culture. (not 100% on some of the spelling of Korean to English)
-Jinjabongs or bathhouses for 5 bucks.
-Beaches on Jeju.
-Food. I love korean food. My favorites are Samgipsal, galbi jim, Dokdorytong, and many more.
-Hanbok I love seeing Koreans wear traditional clothes.
-Customer service. It's totally standard for 50 year old person to come running if you ask for something.
-Nightlife and going out.
-Korean women (straight guy) Very hot and very short skirts in the summer.
-taxi's and cost. So cheap for stuff here compared to USA.
-Strong foreign community
-The history and culture.
-Deep sense of togetherness.

I can't think of anything more right now. Cheers.

Most interesting place I went to was Haesindang Park, commonly referred to as Penis Park as the park has countless penis-related statues in it. It's like the end credits to Superbad.

I think you'll enjoy Korea. It's pretty fun for a year or so. A huge plus is that you have a real job and NOT an English teacher.
You might be working long hours though.

I'm down on Korea because I've been here too long and burned out on all the micro aggressions and the way the kids behave in class. I'm moving soon but haven't decided where yet.

Keep us posted on your adventure.

wow, butthurt pretty bad itt.

moving back to korea in february. are koreans xenophobic? yup. see racism sometimes? sure. ever feel unsafe at all? nope.

i say this all the time to my friends who go to korea but there really is no substitute for making friends with korean dudes. they'll get you into so many places you'd never consider. you'll meet women you'd never meet. you'll experience culture you wouldn't.

and seriously, just develop some thick skin. yeah you'll get stares, some offhand comments, the occasional shout in your direction... who cares? the good things outweigh the bad by far if your self worth isn't completely tied to how every other person in the world perceives you at all times.

sick beat having a girl whose parents weren't cool with marriage. having said that, i've seen the other side of that many, many times including twice myself (lol egageaments.) my second korean gf's mother was angling soooo hard to become my MIL. and that's not rare in my experience. korean mothers-in-law are the nuts. they spend and spend and love without mercy. unreal.

i'm drunk and rambling. i'll be sure and post about my happy times when i get back to the morning calm.