Dailian reports that the suddenly busy Incheon police have busted 20 people — 12 foreigners, including an American identified as Mr. W, and eight Koreans — for (allegedly) not only smuggling and selling pot and hash from the United States and Egypt, but also growing it here in Korea.
Incheon Vice are also looking into how they managed to get 3 kg of pot (street value: 9 million won), 5 g of Ecstasy (street value: 500,000 won), 0.4 g of LSD (street value: 96 million won) and 180 g of hash (street value: 10 million won) into the country.
According to the cops, Mr. W was the chief supplier, allegedly smuggling marijuana seeds from California to cultivate in apartments in Seoul’s Bangbae-dong and elsewhere. The horticulturalists had prepared everything, including soil, flower pots and search lights.
Meanwhile, a Mr. Kang was allegedly the man in charge of sales. He allegedly smuggled in pot in bags through Incheon Airport.
What’s more, they apparently got the drugs into the country by exploiting a weakness at Incheon Airport, namely, that they apparently don’t do a great job going through the things of Korean students returning to Korea from overseas study. They allegedly sold their product to the usual suspects — foreign English teachers, Korean high school students who have studied abroad, and club workers — in the Itaewon area and elsewhere.
Incheon Yeonsu Police Station said foreign English teachers, Koreans who have studied overseas, and club workers with drug experience would approach the group to acquire drugs. With foreign English teachers high on drugs sexually harassing women and causing other social problems (Dailian’s words, not mine), police are expanding their investigation of foreign teachers in connection with this latest drug bust.
Incheon Yeonsu police said with incidents of drug smuggling through Incheon Airport on the sharp rise, the police are planning to crack down harshly on the smuggling through joint investigations with related bodies.
UPDATE: SBS TV is reporting the story. The headline? “Foreign Teacher a Drug Dealer… High School Students Buyers, Too.”
More bulletin board material for the Bureau of Immigration:
“Anchor: A large group of foreigners have been arrested on charges of selling drugs. Among them, there was even a foreign elementary school teacher, and they sold even to high school students.”
Yep. Oh, in addition to Itaewon, they were selling in Gangnam, too. Makes me feel better that we in Itaewon have at least one thing in common with South of the River.
The vice-principal of the elementary school where one of the dealers taught was shocked. He said the teacher was quite sincere, and he taught his students diligently.
Well, of course he was a hard worker — he was working two jobs! So much for English teachers being slackers.
Five of those arrested were Korean high school or university students who had studied abroad when they were young, apparently picking up bad habits while they were there. I mean, Jesus, Californian pot? Don’t you know the best pot is from BC?
Oh, and Mr. Kang, the head of sales of this little enterprise, is Korean-American. And who said expats and gyopo can’t work together?
UPDATE: This story keeps getting better and better. MBC TV is now one of the many reporting the bust. According to this report, the chief grower was a 21-year-old American identified as “Justin.” Gee, I wish I were that industrious when I was 21.
The best part, though, is MBC reports that some of the foreign teachers who’d purchased drugs taught their classes while high.
From MBC:
While teaching their classes, most of the foreign teachers who taught while high reportedly spoke louder than necessary and used exaggerated body movements.
Now THAT’S an AFN-style public service advertisement that NEEDS to be made.
MBC also reports the bust at nine foreigners detained, 11 people (I’m assuming foreigners) booked without detention, and 16 now wanted by police.
The Kookmin Ilbo reports the same numbers. The report highlights, however, that these guys were apparently professionals who came to Korea specifically to cater to the hallucinogenic needs of local customers (and when I say local, I mean mostly resident foreigners). It ALSO reports that one of their primary customers was the migrant worker community. Again, to put a positive spin on this, it’s nice to see foreign English teachers showing concern for migrant workers.
UPDATE: I’m kind of disappointed about two things. Firstly, with the quality of journalism here. In all the stories I’ve read about the bust, not one mention of sex. Not even an indirect reference that one of the teachers had a Korean girlfriend. Come on, reporters — what do the newspapers pay you for? Secondly, I’m disturbed by the glaring cultural ignorance of the foreigners arrested. Pot? Ecstasy? Cocaine? Those are foreigner drugs. This is Korea, damn it! Fuck indoor pot farms — you should be investing in meth labs!
132 Comments
I love the practical nature of Koreans.
They never waste a perfectly serviceable scapegoat.
This sort of scandal is so unfair to the 17.4% of foreign English teachers who are not irredeemably evil.
Certainly not as big as the growth ops back home. I mean…shit…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux2npli7uTA
Oh, and speaking of ‘high’ school and the cultural differences…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHWaU3FYPg4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFxCqXwBZ28
Ok they’re all bad but I think now officialy SBS are the worst of all Korean broadcasters. They never let up. And any foreigner who appears on SBS is an ass!
I wonder if they switched off that electric fan at night?
High on drugs harassing women indeed, have they ever seen a bunch of adjoshis juiced up on soju with their younger female co-workers? And although the reportage standards here no longer phase me, where the fuck do these people get their insights into the drug world from? From my own brief encounter with dope during high school (which might explain why the fuck I ended up teaching here instead of being a QC, architect or physiotherapist like dear old Mumsie wanted me to be)I can attest that the only things I ever sought to harass whilst under the influence were the beanbag, the TV remote or the contents of the refrigerator.
Gives me a slight chuckle that there is an overseas connection to this story, as that is where most Koreans I know go to get up to no-good. Included in that would be a former university student of mine, in whose mouth butter would not melt who has moved to Australia under the pretext of learning English just to carry on her affair with a (Korean) boyfriend.
A puny, small-time operation compared to this:
http://www.ssqq.com/archive/vinlin19.htm
Gasp! God forbid a media outlet sensationalizing a headline to sell their news… Sorry to break it to some of you guys, but it’s not a new phenomenon….. yeah, it sucks…
And all the “Koreans this”, “Koreans that” comments which will ensue, should be good entertainment. Although, some of you guys need to step your game up with something else beside the whole “Koreans need to cater to us, our way..” deal. Just stick to the generalizations if you’re running out of ideas. Use Aaronm or William G’s comments above this reply as an example. And for the record, aaronm’s comment was most amusing. I like the “redirect focus to a Korean equivalent with a slight self deprecation that kinda makes me cool” approach. Sorry Bradley you gotta be a little more “undercover” about your discontent, (and here’s the punchline) and maybe next time you’ll get the pot. (drum shots!)
The one real beef I got with this article however, is that the best reefer do NOT come from BC! I have love for Pacific Northwest and all that but erm…… no…. I have to beg to differ.
i hope/wish/yearn for more reports of dirty English teachers smoking dope and using local girls for their sexual perversions. each dumb story gets us closer to the point of saturation where no one, not even Joe Korean will give a crap anymore.
and that’s likely the whole point of this worthless exercise in journalism—because once immigration is through drug/alcohol/AIDS testing all the useless tit E2 holders this year, the only people left to blame will be gyopo or Korean. and there’s the image that mustn’t be tarnished … no matter what for the sake of the economy.
That’s the ticket! They don’t report Korean criminals on Korean news because they don’t want their image tarnished! They pull these “dumb stories” out their Korean rectums(:D) because it never happens!
I can understand the issue with the stereotyping, I live in the land of it. But it almost sounds like some of you guys are defending criminals just because of where they come from and/or what they look like.
I wonder, just because I’m where I’m at, how you guys feel about foreigners of African decent in Korea that have committed crimes now that you guys are on the “same side”.
Hell, what do I know, it may be “All foreign criminals, all the time, 24/7/365″ in Korean news for all I know. I’ll find out soon enough.
Actual bumper sticker: “420 - I don’t smoke pot, that’s my credit score”
With foreign English teachers high on drugs sexually harassing women and causing other social problems (Dailian’s words, not mine), police are expanding their investigation of foreign teachers in connection with this latest drug bust.
I love the practical nature of Koreans.
They never waste a perfectly serviceable scapegoat.
But, of course. The sex/drugs notoriety of Engrish teachers is all a myth which has absolutely no basis in reality, completely manufactured by the wholly unprofessional and jingoistic Korean press.
Why anyone would think that a bunch of first-world economic refugees with useless liberal arts degrees in basket-weaving with limited job prospects back home and a nihilistic outlook on life who have occasion to fancy themselves as enlightened iconoclasts against Korea’s uptight, rigid Confucianism and other traditional backwardness, would be capable of such behavior is beyond me also.
But let’s look on the bright side, at least, for once, they’re not blaming something on the Japanese.
perhaps they should have opted for the grow lights instead.
So, Robert. How are you going to manipulate the statistics to prove that Canadians are to blame for this?
Selling to high school kids. Yeesh. At least Canadians only sell to other Canadians.
Some questions for some Koreans.
In the US or wherever, do you ever see signs that say NO KOREANS?
Has a national media outlet ever singled you out and written negative stories often based on lies and/or hearsay about you in the name of nationalism?
When you had sex with someone outside of your ethnic group, did it ever make the front page of a national newspaper?
If it does happen, does it happen on a regular basis?
If your answer is yes to all or some of these questions, did you like it? Did you feel you had to accept it? Did you think it as racist?
Just curious.
Bringing weed into Korea, or growing it, and especially selling it, these just seem like phenomenally idiotic endeavors to me. Can’t people wait until they’re out of country?
#12 Do Koreans immigrate to other counries because they don’t have the skills to make it in Korea?
#10: It’s more than just stereotyping, but what do you know about being a foreigner in Korea?
Skin color is irrevelant, why do you even feel the need to bring it up?
Here, here day4night!!
#11,
I saw this one during the presidential elections:
“420- I don’t smoke pot, that’s my IQ”.
StonedAsian,
I’m commenting specifically on the phenomenon of linking any perceived deviant behavior by members of the foreign community here to sexual matters. I’m just wondering if you can see any useful purpose in this meme other than to perpetuate the view that non-Koreans are borderline rapists. And, for that matter, where do you see reports in the western press that throw out non-seqitors concerning the sexual licentiousness of non-native criminals (except for Korean prostitutes caught in LA brothels)?
But for the record, it’s their country and Koreans and the local authorities have every right to prosecute these idiots. Heck, I even know one of the guys detained from my early years here, and while I would vouch for him being a decent guy (at least superficially when I would bump into him at the pub), he deserves to do some time for his stupidity.
@20
given the current warm, fuzzy feelings towards foreigners, just knowing someone will probably get you an extra drug test and another serious look at your credentials.
‘it’s not guilt by association because all foreigners are guilty of something, we only need to determine of what; make a sensational arrest, then let our
xenophobicefficient system of justice do the rest.’Netizen Kim: very well put. Teachers selling pot to students would be a pretty big news item even in the USA and Canada. Let’s stop carping about the Korean press and focus the blame where it belongs.
Don’t know yet. I’m still working on it.
Creative writing courses must be part of the journalism curriculum.
#22,
The thing is, you don’t know if it’s true that they were selling to their students.
#24. Yeah, as I was saying.
“While teaching their classes, most of the foreign teachers who taught while high reportedly spoke louder than necessary and used exaggerated body movements.”
Herod’s right! You can’t agrue with observations like this. You pothead English teachers better stop exaggerating and speaking loudly — The cops are onto you.
“The sex/drugs notoriety of Engrish teachers is all a myth which has absolutely no basis in reality, completely manufactured by the wholly unprofessional and jingoistic Korean press.”
I would allow that the sex/drugs notoriety of English teachers has some basis in reality, though partially manufactured and grossly distorted by the largely unprofessional and jingoistic Korean press.
As for people who want to roll the dice by setting up a narcotics cultivation/import/distribution business in Korea, tough shit if you get nailed. These aren’t casual users we’re talking about. I have no sympathy for them.
A reporter has to excel in creative writing if he/she wants to succeed in the Korean media. That and it also helps bring in the uhm extra income.
“While teaching their classes, most of the foreign teachers who taught while high reportedly spoke louder than necessary and used exaggerated body movements.”
I doubt it. If they were high on meth, maybe, but smoking pot? Highly unlikely.
People caught smuggling drugs across international borders don’t get good press anywhere. But the tarring of a whole classification of people is a particular peril with the Korea media.
I’d like to hear from Brendon or another authority on the law whether and how the penalties might differ between Korean and non-Korean suspects in cases like this.
Be very careful of believing all of the reported “facts” in the media.
In 2002, there was a big bust/roundup here in Busan and while it was true that there were a group of foreigners and locals toking up and buying and selling with each other, the press had a field day with some of the made up stories they were shilling.
The exaggerations and fabricated stories were seriously ridiculous!
-will go into detail later, no time now
This is a real problem in that this sort of alleged reporting uses sly innuendo and hearsay to essentially slander the character of any foreigner living here. Though some could laugh this report off as being the work of poor journalism, the cumulative affect has a negative impact upon those of us that live here. I have noticed this already and I am certainly no English teacher.
Perhaps the time for holding the media accountable for this sort of yellow journalism is close (?).
#29,
Exactly. They had pot and E. If the were on pot, the reporter would have written, “The teachers reportedly spoke very slowly, giggled, and ate all the students’ saeookkang while on drugs.” Had they been on E, they reporter would have written, “The teachers reportedly danced energetically while the kids did their English chants. They would then congratulate the kids by hugging them.”
Isaac?
‘A reporter has to excel in creative writing if he/she wants to succeed in the Korean media. That and it also helps bring in the uhm extra income.’ mins
mins씨, 넌 사화동이라고 하십니까? 그대
그놈이 누구인지 아십니까?
does them mean it will be harder and harder for english teachers to pharmaceutically escape from their miserable lives?
are korean beer brewers behind the crack-down on these botanists?
I’ve never heard someone address another as “너” and then go on to use 높임말 in the same sentence.
Anyway, you do seem to watch a lot of Korean historical dramas, as you say.
@21,
It was ages ago and aside from buying a cellphone from the guy in 03 I’ve had no contact aside from the odd chance encounter. Still, I’d happily piss, puke or crap into any receptacle the local plods provide with a clear conscience.
Well pawi is a unusual fellow, to say the least. And from his Korean, one can tell that he has never or rarely set foot on Korea.
From this, I believe pawi is out of touch with the reality of the going ons in Korea. Of course that is understandable considering that he is sitting in the US with a romantic view of Korea and to him it is a far away treasure worth defending with honor against the non Korean commentators here. I hope for his sake that he doesn’t come to this country because the reality will truly shock and disappoint him to the point of making him eat his own words.
I believe if pawi was to meet a Korean on the streets of Seoul, and were to say some of the things that he says in this blog, he would be pushed aside and called a “또라이”, to put it mildly.
Aw, don’t be too hard on him. He probably used Babelfish translator to write that sentence.
“Anyway, you do seem to watch a lot of Korean historical dramas, as you say.”
Just imagine if he had used 하소서체.
lets thank the korean media because they keep sending those lovely young ladies to the dark side
womens liberation is growing in this country everyday and no better way to expand it with a little drug and casual sex experimentation
And what’s forbidden is always sweeter…
As often is the case, reading the above has been fairly entertaining, but all of the above seems to overlook a very serious aspect about drugs in Korea — they are friggin’ time bombs.
The standard M.O. for cops here and elsewhere is once they nab one druggy, they scare the bejeezus out of him/her and suggest leniency if that person names names. While a few resist, it’s amazing how easily and freely many will squeal to try to save their own skins.
The cops call it “pulling up potatoes,” since once you get a hold of one drug user you can get him to name a lot of others.
Ergo, if you simply show up for, say a small party and someone passes the bong, and if you partake just once and down the road someone gets nabbed and names others whom they see take drugs, you could suddenly find yourself on a one-way ticket home. Koreans don’t need a lot of credible evidence to get rid of foreigners once they put their minds to it.
So, to reiterate, consider illegal drugs in this country as time bombs, since eventually they will explode. If you come into even accidental contact with drugs, I recommend anyone to get the hell away, since it is too easy to be incriminated in a way that could really screw up your options involving Korea. And that’s not to mention getting on your record that you have been deported for drug use. Not a pretty picture.
i wrote it like that on purpose, sherlock. lol. and sonagi, we all know about your skills to deduce anything:
‘you ain’t no medical student.’
‘pawi speaks english as a second language.’
‘And from his Korean, one can tell that he has never or rarely set foot on Korea….’
yeah, i would not really speak like that to a real korean.
you guys are too easy.
‘I’ve never heard someone address another as “너” and then go on to use 높임말 in the same sentence.’
너 나 잘 하세요
BTW, mins, you’re the one who thinks
‘해달라..’ is a command, right?
“너 나 잘 하세요”
One of the best lines from Chinjeolhan Geumja-ssi
“너나 잘 하세요”
So deliciously cheeky. I don’t know why, but it sounds so witty and sarcastic whenever informal and formal forms are mixed in a single sentence in Korean.
pawikirogi, I actually had a hard time figuring out what you were trying to say in Korean…
‘pawikirogi, I actually had a hard time figuring out what you were trying to say in Korean…’ bumfromkorea
lol. you’re alright, bumfromkorea.
LOL. For once you say something that makes sense, pawi. Keep this up and who knows maybe people will start respecting you.
Hmmm….real Korean. I kind of find that ironic, because some Koreans I know do not consider Korean Americans as real Koreans.
If you landed in a strange, hostile, foreign country with only 150 bucks in your pocket, not speaking the language, started a prosperous business from scratch, survived in the typical urban jungle that infests most major US cities, managed to send your kids to some of the most prestigious universities…then let’s talk.
But if you happened to be the typical expat who washed up on Korea’s shores, because a liberal artsy-fartsy degree from the local community college offered you the grand choice between flipping burgers or Mom’s basement.
Then, I must point out that you are comparing ninja apples to fuzzy, green oranges.
Oh, that’s just what your parents told you to make you feel guilty and study harder. It was more like “Let me tell you, little Nettie Kim, we landed in a weird but wonderful and welcoming land. We had only $5000, but opportunities were everywhere. We didn’t speak English, but we quickly found jobs and saved some money. All the diverse people in this international neighborhood were so friendly. We started our own business and carefully grew it up over many years. And we did all that so we could send your angry little ass to a prestigious school, so get back to that desk and STUDY.”
“A strange, hostile foreign country.”
The same hostile country that saved your ass from the Commies?
US= “strange & hostile foreign country”
Go F yourself!
Linkd@54 hit the nail on the head.
In addition to telling their kids this fairytale of hardship & woe ala #53 to get their kids to study hard, Koreans love this story because it fits right in with with their victim mentality. They love to play the victim.
Other immigrants talk about how glad they were to be in a land of opportunity. Yes, it was hard, but they were thankful for the chances that the US provided them.
Now, the Koreans always talk of immigrating to the US as pure adversity where they “overcame” in spite of the evil US trying to keep them down.
Perhaps if they tried to actually learn English and interact with the community and not just other Korean immgrants, maybe this “adversity” would be so freakin; hard!
Hostile country, my ass. Benicio is right: the myth of the suffering U.S. kyopo is a strong one. In the 1980s they used to be mentioned at the end of the weekly music shows, like American entertainers now mention the troops in Iraq.
(Missing from the kyopo myth is the anchor kyopo who married the big-nose so she could get her butt into “hostile” territory so she could start bringing over the entire clan.)
On the other hand what Benicio says holds true for foreigners here too. If most English teachers learned Korean, and interacted in their free time with more than just their female students, the Koreans’ image of foreigners would be very different.
You mean you put 너 and …십니까 in the same sentence ON PURPOSE??? :0
From now on, I’ll be sure to denote facetious remarks with
or 
, to clue you in on the joke, Pawi.
US= “strange & hostile foreign country”
Oh sure. In your next life, try being a Korean immigrant living in the Bronx during the 80s. What’d do you think, that it was place full of Blacks, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Jews, and Asians all sitting around, holding hands, and singing “kumbaya”?
The same hostile country that saved your ass from the Commies?
As far as I can remember, I do not recall my ass ever being in danger from the Commies nor seeing much Commies in the Bronx during the late 80s.
My parent’s and grandparent’s generation thanks your grandparent’s generation for saving “us” from the Commies during the last millenium. But I don’t like you forcing me to be grateful for something that happened during a time that most history books now refer to as a “Forgotten War” any more than you enjoy current Blacks in America making you feel guilty about slavery and Jim Crow despite the fact that you never owned slaves and that your ancestors emigrated from Poland in 1923 or whatever the case may be.
“In your next life, try being a Korean immigrant living in the Bronx during the 80s. What’d do you think, that it was place full of Blacks, Hispanics, Irish, Italians, Jews, and Asians all sitting around, holding hands, and singing “kumbaya”?
No it wasn’t/isn’t, which is to say that Koreans have problems with other races just like every race in America does. That hardly makes it a hostile country to Korean immigrants.
I don’t get it. Were you and your parents forced out of Korea or something? I don’t think the U.S. was like Japan, where Koreans were forcibly removed from Korea and taken elsewhere to labor. I think in the U.S. we actually had enough people already to sell fruit and dry clean clothing.
Not to mention, almost all of them went back to Korea after the war.
True. I have heard that, but assumed it to be a stock phrase.
Come on now Netizen Kim, it’s really just not that bad for Koreans in America. Maybe it was worse in the late 80’s, but I have Korean American friends who grew up then and they were treated just fine. You yourself admit that *everyone* in the Bronx at that time made life hell for everyone else. Some of my Korean American friends, and I have many of them, did get a little racism here and there, but even they admit that most of the time it was just in their heads. I grew up in Connecticut then, and the Asians were treated the same as everyone else as far as I could tell, and they went on to live successful, integrated lives. So please, play the sad strains of violin somewhere else. Most of the racism that the first generation Korean Americans who I know experienced was at home, directed against blacks and Mexicans. And what’s up with your own, nearly racist comments about quoting MLK as a “white boy”?
At the same time, Netty Kim, let me sympathize with you; it must have been damn annoying having fools ask you for gratitude about the Korean War.
At least the US let you become citizens instead of doing what Korea does to foreigners these days: treats them like those same niggers you seem to sympathize with.
You don’t like being grateful to the US? Perhaps you would prefer Pyongyang, then.
By the way, I’m Canadian 6th generation. I don’t have to apologize for slavery, I just think you Korean-Americans are ingrates.
Nettie, if the average white American could choose for his neighbors a) Koreans b) Hispanics c) blacks, d) rednecks which do you think he would choose? Be honest.
I agree with Netizen Kim.
Compare/contrast these scenarios:
1) Coming to Korea as a worker tourist with a college degree, being hired by a hagwon, getting your airfare paid for, your apartment paid for, in order to engage in the grueling work of teaching kids the glories of a-b-c’s. Some also say there are such things as white priviledge and Hollywood haze that will be benefiting you…
With
2) Coming to America, often with family, to live in a ghetto where you will be robbed, your kids will have glass bottles broken over their heads (for their jackets), where work is physical, a 16 hour, 7 days a week ordeal — it doesn’t matter if you have heart problems, you’re a poor immigrant, you must work or else die….
Now, no matter what an expat sap tells you, scenario 2 is real. There may be variations but whatever the case the lives of Korean immigrants involve a lot of work and lots of hard-knocks adjustment. The point here is: 2 is never easier than 1.
How wonderful it would be to be ushered off in droves to America by the hagwons eagerly seeking Koreans to teach Hanguk mal, expenses paid, at their schools. It’s a wet-dream! On the other hand, I’d like to see Western expats move to countries where they’ll be working their asses off in factories, setting up grocery stores, doing the dry cleaning, living in crime-addled neighborhoods — and all this just in time to send their kids off, yes, to the most prestigious colleges in the land. When comparisons here become apt or tenable, then I’ll stop believing expats are a bunch of whiners who love to play the victim.
In other words, it’s like expats on this blog equating themselves to South Asian workers in Korea. If this is really case, then please FOAD.
1. Certainly not the case for all 2 million + Koreans who immigrated to the U.S.
2. How much worse were their lives in their beloved homeland of Korea that they made the decision to live like that in the U.S.?
As I said, no one asked you to do that.
We had grocery stores and dry cleaners already.
Uh, you might wish to be careful with your word choice there…
I already noted that there are variations, the vast majority of which are still far more difficult than - incomparable to - the setup handed to the typical American expat in Korea.
You must be the expat version of pawi. Your comments have no pertinence to anything.
Netizen Kim has laid bare North America’s secret, 75-year plan to swap its slacker and stoner population for more hungry, productive Korean immigrants.
#53,
Yes, I’m ready to talk (it was actually 250$ Canadian, South Korea, and two prosperous businesses).
abcdefg, wow! Since you referred to the violin comment (which I’ll agree was a little strained on my part), let me make a few points. First, I’m not trying to belittle Korean immigrants’ experiences. We should remember also that Koreans aren’t the only ones who immigrated to a nation of immigrants, aren’t the only ones who lived in rough neighborhoods, aren’t the only ones who worked hard jobs, and most certainly aren’t the only ones who received racial taunts; they just happened to do it more recently than many others. So how are Korean Americans these incredible victims? They simply aren’t.
Also, I’m in no way comparing the emigration of Korean families to the States with one-year teaching stints by English teachers. I’m not an expat, I live in California and I’m not an English teacher, so who’s making the assumptions here? As for English teachers in Korea, remember please that many of them are gyopos and that even the gyopos bitch and moan.
(Personally, I think Korean Americans are better suited to teach English in Korea because they understand the culture better, but they aren’t in as high demand as whitey.
Quiz time: Why is the white English teacher coveted over the Gyopo, and the Gyopo over the black? *Who* is responsible for this? Me? I, of course, blame Japan…)
Meanwhile, visitors to Korea complain a whole lot more than visitors to other countries. Coincidence? But visitors to Korea also love their time there. Maybe it’s like New Yorkers who bitch and moan non-stop about the City, but who love it at the same time. But yes, it can be extremely frustrating being a foreigner in Korea, so people need to vent.
About Korean immigrants, there are actually a good deal of new immigrants who arrive with money. And if we break down your argument a little, you’re not comparing the attitudes of the host countries, you’re simply comparing the economic status of the people arriving, so really, what’s the point over which I’m supposed to “FOAD”?
Anyway, please, I’m not offended and I hope you’re not either. The thing is that if Korea wants to move beyond an economic policy, dirigiste economy and become a global hub and all that, people are going to have to temper their ethnocentric nationalism. I mean I’m really glad Korea isn’t a big country, because I fear they’d be going into all kinds of crazy wars, worse than the States. That said, again, I love Korea, I root for Korea, I wish Korea great success. I love America too, and when I see racism or bone-headedness here I speak out against it fast, believe me.
#74 - I knew someone would take him up on that.
#46,
‘you ain’t no medical student.’
Is your first name Ken, by any chance?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
#76,
I mean, what was he thinking. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned that before. I guess it’s like when Pawi forgets that I’ve mentioned repeatedly that I’m multi-ethnic (ie. not white) when accuses me of being an ‘arrogant whitey’ (pardon me if I’m misquoting you, Pawi). I guess when it comes to spew hatred, people ignore evidence that disproves their assumptions.
‘You must be the expat version of pawi. Your comments have no pertinence to anything.’
that’s a nice compliment, abcdefg. dogbert happens to be one of the most intelligent people on this board even if he is a racist. of course, anyone who knows the characters for ‘eraha’ gets my automatic respect. as for you, well…
노 나 잘 하새여.
ok?
Very few lawful immigrants to the United States arrive with a hundred bucks in their pockets. The ones who come to operate convenience stores in Ballmer have to show an investment of at least US$250,000.
“You must be the expat version of pawi. Your comments have no pertinence to anything.” (72)
As are you when you make negative blanket statements about ALL expats based on the actions/complaints of a some of them. Like you did here:
“When comparisons here become apt or tenable, then I’ll stop believing expats are a bunch of whiners who love to play the victim.” (68)
Are you joining NetKim’s and pawi’s Axis of Hatred?
Ooooh, iceburn!
On a related note, why do immigrants who come to the US choose the most disgusting places to live? I currently live in Korea (not an English teacher) and I had the sense to get a place in the Hongdae area when I got here. You don’t see me living near Hoegi or in a van down by the river, do you? So why do Asian immigrants to the US live in the sprawling deadlands of West LA or the noxious hellhole of New York? You know, I grew up in Texas and lived there for my whole life minus the past 4 years, and I’ve never even been to New York. I don’t even WANT to go there. Why do so many foreigners think of it as some sort of Shangri-La?
The wonderful thing about the US is the amount of freedom of choice we have. Unfortunately it also gives you the option to choose poorly. If you come to the US and make a bunch of choices, and you end up with $100 in your pocket living in a crime-infested neighborhood with people stealing your jackets and crack whores for neighbors, you have nobody to blame but YOURSELF.
.. or YOUR PARENTS.
abcdefg, actually your comments have no relevance.
I would really like to know, if kyopo life in the U.S. is as bad as you and bluejives make it out to be, just how much worse was life for you and your parents in Korea?
And, I recommend you take pawi’s advice, to which I will add my own “FOAD” right back at you.
#80,
Zing!
In any case, I’m not excusing the Korean news outlets who blow things out of proportion to further their xenophobic agenda…but it could be much worse.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22589336?GT1=10755
The US investor visas require a sizeable investment — a million dollars for an investor visa, or half that if the immigrant investor sets up in a hellhole. A lot of the people who lawfully immigrate to work in — but rarely do they live in — blighted inner-city areas do so because it’s easier for them to come up with $500,000 than $1,000,000.
The real Korean immigration scam, though, is the E-2 investor visa, which is a non-immigrant (i.e. temporary) visa. E-2 only requires a “reasonable” sum of money (often as little as $25,000) to be at risk in an investment. Once in on an E-2, Koreans are exceptionally efficient at finding ways to abuse the system, extending the visa long enough to get their kids through American schools at taxpayer expense, and squeezing out another new “US Citizen” or two by virtue of ius solis citizenship law.
Several years ago I explored concentrating on immigration law because it was an area which I could reasonably enjoy some professional independence and could even look forward to opening my own “consulting company”. However, I found the clients (all Korean) so rapaciously dishonest, and their demands for me to become a co-conspirator in their immigration fraud so obnoxious, that I gave up on it altogether.
A racist calling an another person racist. Hypocrisy at its best.
no matter how you look at it, when the shiznit hits the fan it ends up sticking where it naturally belongs (even without the help of a fascist media), and lately waygooks are setting themselves up to be prime targets. the ELS market in Korea has reached its dismal golden age and the dust is settling in unforeseen ways. when in rome, do as romans is the old adage, but tell a 24 year old hockey-playing Canauck fresh out of uni that he has to leave both his bong and his skates at home…just see what happens after he gets his feet wet after a year in a hakwon. A Canadian flag hung above the vinyl Korean love-seat just doesn’t hack it anymore. Gotta have the bud.
The US investor visas require a sizeable investment — a million dollars for an investor visa, or half that if the immigrant investor sets up in a hellhole. A lot of the people who immigrate to inner-city areas to open stores do so because it’s easier for them to come up with $500,000 than $1,000,000.
Damn those free-loading parasitic immigrants leeching off the system…only bringing in $500,000 instead of $1,000,000.
The real Korean immigration scam, though, is the E-2 investor visa, which is a non-immigrant (i.e. temporary) visa. E-2 only requires a “reasonable” sum of money (often as little as $25,000) to be at risk in an investment.
How much money does the Korean government demand of the average expat to work in the world’s only affirmative action program for white people that is the Engrish hagwon industry?
Once in on an E-2, Koreans are exceptionally efficient at finding ways to abuse the system, extending the visa long enough to get their kids through American schools at taxpayer expense, and squeezing out another new “US Citizen” or two by virtue of ius solis citizenship law.
Right. If the IRS is retarded enough to let unbeknownst multitudes of Korean business owners fly under the radar during the years it takes to allow their in solis US citizen offspring advantage of the world renown centers of pedagogical excellence that is the inner-city American public school at taxpayer expense, I’ll have to ask my Dad what the hell are all those 1040 forms he’s got stored in the file cabinet.
re: #82
miguel, i don’t mean to start something, but could you please explain what you mean by “the sprawling deadlands of West LA” amd where exactly these are located? i’m from ellay, having lived in santa monica/venice/west ellay, can’t figure out where you’re talking about.
just curious, nothing more.
Netizen Kim, investor immigrants are not at all a concern of mine; they come to and reside in America in accordance with existing US law.
You may not like it, but the E-2 visa is intended to enable manager/investors in smaller businesses to come to the US for a short period of time to shepherd their investment through its early stages. It’s expressly not intended as a “back door” to an immigrant status, despite the fact that it’s marketed by unscrupulous American (usually Korean-American, but not always) immigration attorneys exactly so to Korean immigrants eager to get to the States by hook or by crook. “By crook” is the expected mode, anyway — these would-be immigrants have been conditioned by their upbringing.
#87,
What about a jaebol employee who hates jaebol?
“How much money does the Korean government demand of the average expat to work in the world’s only affirmative action program for white people that is the Engrish hagwon industry?”
How much legal revenue does the average 2.0 mill earner generate for a hagwon owner?
Sorry about the N-word thing, by the way. Having a bad day.
#92.
I do admit to criticizing the chaebol families, but I didn’t say I hated them. There’s a difference between criticism and hate. And while we’re at the subject, a challenge for you. Show me a chaebol employee who has never criticized the chaebol families. Executives and family members don’t count.
#88,
Canauck: (n) A Canadian New Zealander, see Anna Paquin.
#91,
Listening to the Korean government, you’d think there’s an epidemic of Canadians taking advantage of the 6 month visa…and yet, by it’s own admission, there are over 100000 Koreans doing the same thing in Canada. Funny how the Korean media is oblivious to the fact that the door swings both ways.
Returning to the original topic of sorts…
Am I the only one who finds it ironic that South Korea, with all its herbalists, won’t legalize the medicinal use of one of the few herbal medicines that have been scientifically proven to be effective?
Oh…and before you say, “Yeah, well they are just trying to prevent people from lying about their symptoms and just using it to get stoned” tell me this…Do all the old men who get Viagra from their doctors suffer from penile erectile dysfunction…or do they want to be able to bone young hookers longer?
Koreatown! hahah…
Actually I lived in Westchester, just a wee bit south of Venice, for about 2 years. I guess there’s nothing really wrong with it, but I personally found it to be claustrophobic and soul-destroying. I mean, you have to drive east for three solid hours until you reach something approaching the countryside. I only really started feeling comfortable when I started climbing up towards Big Bear lake. here were just so many people in LA, everywhere! And don’t get me started about the squashed-together buildings.
I grew up in a small town of 1500 in Texas, at the base of the only mountain (300 meter tall hill) in the whole county. I could walk out my back yard and immediately start up the mountain, which I did regularly. There were bushes, mountain goats, lots of wind, and clouds as far as the eye could see. This might have affected my idea of what a good place to live is.
I still have dreams set on that mountain.
By the way, I’m Canadian 6th generation. I don’t have to apologize for slavery, I just think you Korean-Americans are ingrates.
To me a Canadian is basically an funny accent American with universal health care.
If I recall my hazy readings of middle school world history correctly, something like 22 nations fought in the Korean War. But I’ve never experienced a Turk asking me why I’m not grateful for the sacrifices of his countrymen.
As I’ve mentioned before, my parents and grandparents generation are almost obsequiously grateful to your grandparents generation. After