RIP Teddy

I'm super busy getting some dental work done this week and I know I'm breaking the rules by mentioning this, but the "Liberal Lion" has died.

RIP, Teddy. What makes it hurt the most is that he dedicated so much of his life to health care and the last thing he got to see was the nutty American GOP shitting on his dream.

My Take on Kim Dae-Jung's Legacy

Every once and awhile a staff reporter from the Korea Times writes a few foreign contributers and asks for our opinion regarding big political issues on the peninsula. I'm sure a few fellow K-bloggers got the same email. I added my two-cents in a previous article about the Roh scandal last spring, although they did a wonderful job of editing out most of my thoughts.

Here's the email:

This email is to learn how foreigners with deep understanding about the country's modern history evaluate the late Kim and his achievements. An article based on answers to this email will be published on Monday edition.

1. How do you evaluate the late former President Kim Dae-jung as a politician or an pro-democracy activist?

2. What do you think is the most brilliant feat Kim has made during his presidency or throughout his life?

3. Please give us other comments you want to leave.

Kim Dae-jung embodied everything that a Korean politician should. He was came from a poor part of the country, was charismatic, inspiring and revolutionary. His life was one that an industrializing Korea could really relate to since he essentially personified the Korean nations' post-WWII struggle. And while there is no denying his contributions towards the democratization of Korea, I think the real effects of DJ can be witnessed in the uncompromising zeal of his supporters and the stagnation of serious and positive rapprochement with North Korea.

Just as we are now seeing with Roh Myu-Hyun supporters leaving the Minju party to create their own, Kim Dae-jung aroused similar enthusiasm and contempt for civil bipartisanship. Politcos and staunch supporters from the DJ-era refuse to acknowledge election mandates and laws passed under any opposition party. Rather than using the many democratic avenues that DJ fought to establish, they resort to lynch-mob discourse and petty branding, i.e., "Lee Myung-bak is a dictator." The sheer emotionalism connected to DJ has somewhat disconnected his message and followers from pursuing a true democratic society. Losing an election is part of the system. Refusing to accept a loss is part of the problem.

*The GOP in the US is suffering from the same delusions.

Secondly, DJ was known for his failed 'Sunshine Policy'. He was praised the world over and even received the Nobel Peace Prize, however, the consequences of appeasing such tyranny are pretty clear. By legitimizing the leadership of North Korea, DJ delayed reunification in more ways than one can count. Offering financial aid under the guise of joint economic development might have sold the project, but it's clear now that it paved the way for the Kim Regime to solidify its power, manipulate South Korea and expand illegal operations both domestically and around the globe. Still today, South Korea and the rest of the world must deal with the mishandled wranglings of Kim Dae-jung who naively rewarded Northern inaction, belligerency and flat out hostility. A unified Korea is a wonderful dream, but the achievement of that dream can only be realized wisely. North Korea behaves the way it does because it was taught by Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy that it's bad behavior will be met with aid rather than sanctions.

I'm not so sure this what the Times was looking for, but that's what they got.

His story is one to be impressed with and that's what Koreans buy into. But leading a divided nation takes much more than a compelling story.

Handicapped Beggers in the Streets of South Korea

Here is the question:

Hello Expat!We see many people around Seoul who are asking for cash. I'm sure you've seen them:

1) Blind people on subways, slowly making their way through cars, either with pre-recorded music, or perhaps playing a harmonica

2) Older people in subway stations, parking themselves at the bottom of
a stairway, perhaps remaining in a bowed position on the ground

3) People who have had a leg removed, and walk around with their pant leg rolled up, to get sympathy

And perhaps the saddest cases of all...
4) Men laying prone on little rolling carts, with their non-functioning legs wrapped in what looks like inner tubes.

Our question is: Are these folks generally
"on their own," or are they the "front people" for others who take a large cut of the money they collect?

In the US, we would tend to support organizations who in turn provide services to the needy. Which Korean organization(s) provide those same services?

This is a HUGE question that touches on so many different issues. Who are these people? Why are they begging or how did they become homeless? How did they lose their limbs? Do they have family? Why are they on the streets in the fashion they are? What does the government do to help? The questions are endless and "Ask the Expat" generally doesn't go into that much detail, but this is one that I, too, have always been curious about (question #4 in particular).

I guess we should start by identifying who these people are. It's hard to say, but some of them are just your average jobless or homeless dudes and luckily, there has been a good study done on homelessness in South Korea. I'd suggest reading it so you can get a better idea of who might fit each of the categories mentioned by the questioner. I will refer to some of the data from time to time.

I'm going to answer this one in three posts. The longer the posts, the less people read and I think that if people knew more about this, then they would be more inclined to throw out a couple bills.

The first group can be paired with the third group because they are both handicapped in some way. I separated the fourth group because their situation is much different. True, they are also handicapped (mentally or physically), yet there are a few other things going on there.

South Korea does not take great care of their handicapped citizens. There are glaring problems that need to be addressed. For starters, most of Korea is not handicapped-accessible and discrimination is rampant in companies and higher education institutes around the country.

"I was the only applicant for the PhD degree but my application was rejected because I have a disability,” claimed Ms. Lee, a 27 year-old who suffers from cerebral palsy who says she was discriminated against due to her illness.

And it's not just the handicapped who have a difficult time finding jobs or being taken care of by the State. Fat people and people with poor vision also get left out. The situation never really got much attention until the late former Pres. Roh Moo-Hyun promised some increased welfare and benefits, but the effects of his promises have yet to be felt just as Oh Mi-sook realized when she made the choice to fight for refugee status rather than being sent back to Korea. Ms. Oh is not the first to try this either. All the way back in 1985, Park Soo-young was fighting the same battle. Why?

"...handicapped and mixed-race people are subject to extensive discrimination in Korea, so Park and his wife want to remain in the United States."

The fact that very similar cases have taken place over 20 years apart suggests the Korea still has a ways to go. I can even add two fellow expats stories to this. About two years ago, I was a little late for dinner with friends, so I joined them at the table and introduced myself to the new faces. One of the guys had been there for a week, but was stressed out because he was already out of a job. He had been fired because he had cerebral palsy. He was not able to find another job and had to leave Korea ON HIS DIME.

Another one comes from an American woman who had had her left leg amputated as a child. I worked with her for six months and not once did I notice her leg. I knew she was an amputee because she had mentioned it, but it was impossible to notice. Well, as I got to know her, it turned out that she had been fired from a kids hagwon. The school knew that she had a prosthetic limb, but once the parents spotted it on a hot summer "sports day", they complained, threatened to pull their kids out and just like that, she was kicked to the curb. Luckily, she was able to secure employment teaching adults presumably because the dress code called for more formal attire which covered her fake leg.

Still, all of that discrimination does not answer why they are on the streets or playing music in the subways. It comes down to care and the government has an interesting policy. The burden of care falls almost entirely on the family. And of course, some family members are tired of the burden or, in this horrible case, they take advantage of the burden.

The Cheongju District Court Thursday sentenced an 87-year-old grandfather and two uncles of a 16-year-old girl to four-year suspended prison terms for sexually assaulting and raping the girl for the last seven years. Another uncle received a three-year suspended jail term.

The court acknowledged that their crime was ``sinful'' as they used the young girl, who is their family member, to satisfy their sexual desires. But it gave the suspended terms, saying, ``The accused have fostered the girl in her parents' place. Considering her disability, she will also need their care and help in living in the future.

Change the wording around and it reads: "As long as anybody but the government has to pay and deal with this retard, then so be it." I apologize for being crass, but that's what it boils down to.

Even in modern day Korea, parents often give their life savings to their children at the time of their marriage. This setup usually leads to the parents falling back on their children when their age becomes an issue. One study suggests that daughter-in-laws are the ones who must shoulder the heavy burden of caring for a disabled relative. I'm speculating now, but I'm sure that imposed role comes with a large amount of resentment and anger which could lead to a parting of ways within the family.

And that brings us to where we are today. Thousands and thousands of people are alienated from society and their families because of their uncontrollable condition. They have little or no support, so they make do and head out to the subways and streets to beg for help. There's no telling where they live or how much they make, but I can guess it's not that much. -Not enough for them to be able to avoid begging on the streets.


I always make it a habit to put money in their cup or basket and, from where I'm sitting, it looks like -as an expat- that's about all I can do.

I will talk about the old people begging next and the "front groups" when I discuss category #4.

Private Tutoring in South Korea: Is it safe?

Here's the question:

I understand that teaching privates for E-2 holders is illegal and lucrative, yet many people do it anyway. I have quite a bit of debt and some financial obligations back home, and teaching privates or some other form of supplemental income would help me alot. How often do they do private tutoring crackdowns? What is the general safety of this practice?

I was wondering when I was going to get a question about privates.

Private tutoring is one of those things that nearly everyone seems to have done, speaks relatively openly about and is paid very well for. Sometimes people are approached on the streets, in subways or restaurants and other times, parents of students and adults in class ask for some extra help. Koreans are hungry for tutors in all subjects and many are willing to pay big bucks for it. Some might wonder if there is such a demand for it, then why has the government taken such a strong stance against it? Why not regulate it? They have. They're called hagwons.

I could opine if I wanted, but much has already been written about it. The gist is that the government has been working very hard recently and over the past decade to level the playing field so that all students and households have an equal shot at succeeding in school. There's also the growing concern that education costs are linked to the rapidly decreasing birthrate as well. Again, if you're interested in that, I'd suggest digging around Google and the K-blogosphere as nearly everyone has added their angle to the story.

As you know, it is illegal and there have been the occasional crackdowns and threats from the government, but in general it's pretty safe. I "officially" state that you should not do it since it is illegal and getting caught is always a possibility. If the police do catch up with you, then you can expect to be jailed, fined or deported. From time to time you'll also hear about small groups of citizens who band together in an effort to snuff out illegal teachers by propositioning them and then turning around and calling the police. (Think that's bad? Look at what the crazies over at Anti-English Spectrum do.) There's also the lame people who try to sell their privates (pun intended). I couldn't find any ads for them today, but just for the extreme levels of their douchiness for trying to squeeze cash out of other expats, we should all ignore these guys.

Bottom line is that many Koreans want tutors, they'll pay well (usually around 50,000/hr) and that's good for teachers (and them if you're effective), but if you are really set on tutoring privately, only accept gigs from people you know or from solid recommendations. Other than that, it's not worth searching. If they land in your lap, well, then there you go.

There are, however, legal routes to go if you want to make some solid extra cash. If you really love working all day, well, then get two jobs. It's possible. You can teach adults on the split shift and do an afternoon school gig in the middle. It's a lot of hours, but you'll be pulling over 5-6k a month, plus benefits and the potential for double housing cash. Or you can teach at a kindergarten place in the morning and early afternoon and then a hagwon till late into the night. There are plenty of ways to make solid LEGAL cash. Of course, if you're on the E2 then you'll need to get permission from the school who sponsors your visa. That can be tricky sometimes, but as long as the two mediums aren't vying for the same market, then you should have no problems.

You could also consider getting involved in some aspects of the entertainment industry, but that's for another question and another post.

In the end, teaching privately is a lucrative business and can make you some big bucks. However, it could also end in deportation. If you have the F2 visa, then you can teach privately, but you're supposed to register with the government and report all earnings so you can pay taxes on them.

Making and saving money is important and you will be tempted to privately tutor. If you do, then that's your business. Just know that it could lead to problems.

Has anybody been caught in the game?

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Gay Politicians in South Korea

Here's the question:

I started wondering what the political atmosphere in Korea is concerning gay rights. As I'm sure you know already, it is a really touchy issue here in the US of A and political candidates stance on that one thing can make or break them at the polls. So my question is: does such a political stigma exist in Korea similar to how it does in the US? If so, what happens when the political discussion shifts into that issue?

From all of your responses so far [on LGBT issues], it seems that Korea is in a bit of denial when it comes to anything gay. I might be right to guess that they don't even mention it in politics? If so, are there any "rabble rouser" politicians who are making a mark in that respect?

I'm certainly getting a lot of questions about the LGBT community in Korea and honestly, while I was aware of some facets of it, I didn't know nearly as much as I do now. For that, I say thanks.

When considering South Korean politics, you must throw out many of the highly emotional issues in America. Korea has their own set of highly emotional issues and, although there are a few that overlap, many do not. Korea has dealt with same-sex marriage and like many US states, the court refused to recognize such unions.

In 2004, the left-wing or Democratic Party in Korea (민주당) has advocated for equal rights and even ran on a similar platform picking up a few seats in parliament, but there has yet to be a single successful openly-gay candidate to win an election. That's not to say that some politicians are concerned about equality for all citizens, it's just that timing is everything in politics and considering that current President Lee Myung-bak called homosexuality "abnormal", it's safe to say that right now, LGBT rights are not at the top of the list.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Abortions in South Korea: Legality, Morality and Public Opinion

Here's the question:

I know that in the Korean age system, there is a year added because they count the time Koreans are in their mother's womb as 1 year (at least, this is what one of my Korean co-workers has told me). My question is, what do Koreans in general think of abortion? Can a woman get an abortion here? My thinking is that since they count the age from conception (plus a few months), abortion must seem more barbaric than in Canada.

You're generally right about the age thing. Many Koreans do start counting age at conception. Many other eastern Asian nations follow similar patterns. However, it has no effect on the morality or legality of abortion. The politically charged abortion debate in America and some other Western nations does not really exist in Korea. I've talked with students before who were genuinely confused as to why so much emotion surrounded the issue. That was a difficult one to answer without railing into the loons of American conservatism, so I deflected as well as I could. As much as I loathe dislike some aspects of American politics, I try not to give anymore ammunition to the world.

The abortion debate in Korea is not really centered around women's rights, nor is it debated as a privacy law. In fact, the morality of it is not usually brought into question. You will not hear arguments like "Hands off my body!" or "It's a woman's choice." You also will not hear people calling a doctor who performs an abortion "A Baby Killer." It simply does not arouse the kind of manufactured emotion as it does in the West (or at least America).

Koreans generally see abortion as an unfortunate means of birth control. No one in Korea likes abortion. It's messy and can be embarrassing, but typically you won't hear many "life starts at conception" arguments or people walking around shouting "murderers!" The reasons why Korean abort is just the same as in any country: something in their life was not conducive for raising a child.

In most cases, abortion is illegal in South Korea. (Of course, prostitution is too, but we all know how that goes.) Sean Hayes of the Korean Law Blog covers the legality of the issue in detail, so I'll leave that aspect of it to him. Since it is "illegal" to get an abortion in Korea, young women and couples must be going somewhere to get them done, right? Due to the illegal nature of abortion, the operations must be done secretly. There's no back-alley thing going on, but doctors often risk having their practice shut-down (or going to jail) in order to perform the pricey procedure. That risk means that they are going to jack up the price. In fact, I've heard that many doctors make the lions share of their income from abortion procedures.

You also must consider how contraception is viewed in Korea. We all know that Korea is a sexually conservative country (in public). This mentality has a direct affect on sexual behavior and, in particular, the practice of safe sex. Sure, you can find condoms at 711 and birth control pills at the pharmacy, but that does not mean the average Korean is using them. Stats do suggest that sales (and I would assume use) have been increasing over the past few years and that is good (although there is no way to confirm that). However, they appear to be increasing not because of disease, but more out of fear of having children in an economically volatile climate (or because of the North Korea threat).

Buying condoms or getting birth control pills can be embarrassing for people all over the world, but in Korea it is particularly so. For women, it's essentially an admission that they're having sex and for unmarried women, it's simply not worth it. Typically, women put the responsibility of contraceptive on men which of course drastically reduces the chances that protection will be used. It also should be noted that the increase in condom use is only occurring within the younger generation though. The older generation continually opts for other methods.

It is not at all unusual to meet a mother in her forties with three kids who has had an abortion. I have been surprised by the candidness of some of my older male and female students who openly share their abortion stories in class. I had one man in his fifties who told the class that he and his wife had three abortions when they were younger. He now wished he hadn't aborted them, but that's not the point. His admission was totally unprovoked and after telling his story, the rest of the class was unaffected. There were no scoffs or back-handed comments. They identified with his feelings of remorse, but there was no discussion of morality or legality. They simply understood the grief he felt for not having more children.

Luckily for Korea, teen pregnancy isn't a problem. In fact, its rate is the lowest among OECD nations. Is it that low because being pregnant as a teenager is tremendously shaming in Korea and carrying the baby to term is almost not an option or is that Korean teenagers are mostly so busy and sexually inactive that pregnancy is not even possible? Well, I'd say it's a little of both, but more the latter.

On top of that, many Koreans are shockingly naive when it comes to sex. Example: I have two very quiet 20 year old girls who are in one of my social issues classes. The class was talking about Korean films and one student brought up the new film "Thirst" (박쥐). Most of the students had seen it, including the two girls. Another student asked if they liked it, they said, "No. It was too erotic." The film is not that erotic and for a young twenty-something, it shouldn't be. But to these young Koreans, it was.

In short, age-counting in Korea typically begins at conception, in the minds of Koreans there is a very big disconnect between that date and the beginning of life. Koreans get abortions for the same reasons everyone does: health concerns or the timing is wrong. The main difference is that conservative politicians in Korea aren't turning it into a way of cashing in on votes. Getting an abortion here might be illegal, but it is being done in tons of clinics all across the nation. Is it more barbaric due to the age-counting system? Your call.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Internet Censorship, Free Speech and Miranda Rights in South Korea

Here's the question:

You mentioned that some gay sites are blocked or filtered in Korea. Does that mean that web activity is monitored, big-brother style? Are there Miranda Rights in Korea? (e.g. Right to remain silent, right to an attorney, etc...)

...and his second question:

What's the deal with needing a registration number to access Korean websites? I understand this is how a blogger was caught and arrested for blogging about North Korea. Also, I heard that gay themed websites and porn sites are censored. South Korea seems more and more fascist to me as I learn more about it.

First of all, I must say that Korea is very far from fascist. Some left-wing fringe groups like to make that claim, but they usually do so for political gain. It appears the information you're finding is not very accurate, so let me try to give you some reliable links and information.

There are some sites that are banned in Korea. Some pornographic sites have made it on the list, but for the most part, you'll find that a handful of sites on North Korea have been banned. When a site it banned, you'll usually see this banner.



It pretty much says that the site you're trying to connect to contains some illegal material. I don't know if your IP address is reported or it just denies access, but if you see that message, chances are you will not be able to access that site. (Try it for yourself. If you click here in Korea, you'll be denied, but I assume if you click it anywhere outside the peninsula, you'll be allowed access.) It is a little Big Brother-ish, but South Korea has dealt with spies, assassins, international taekwondo groups and other sympathizers from the North for decades, so blocking North Korean sites is kind of a necessary evil. Blocking porno is pretty bad, but considering how sexuality is viewed in Korea, it's not a surprise. That said, Koreans are among the world's highest consumers of internet porn (HT Brian), so to say that it's totally or even partially blocked is very misleading.

You'll read a lot about how Koreans value national and communal solidarity over personal freedoms (I disagree) and even when preparing to travel to South Korea, the guide books warn not to bring in (among other things) porno and North Korean literature. That's more for show, but there is an increasingly touchy issue that is getting more traction these days and that is the monitoring and criminalization of netizen dissent.

Korean public opinion is very easily manufactured, manipulated and can change very quickly. President Lee Myung-bak won the election by a large margin and less than five months after taking office, the beef protests were in full-swing. The government tends to blame the internet. Just like people all over the world, tens of millions of Koreans rely on the internet for their news. The difference is that here, they don't trust anything they see on TV (save for PD Notebook), so the internet is their best bet. Of course, that creates the current culture we have now where one guy can alter the public opinion of millions, encourage the implementation of misguided laws (see Minerva and "Real Name System") and cause the government to panic and acquit jail someone for voicing his opinion.

As you probably know, free speech doesn't have a long history in Korea (neither does true democracy) and even after the pro-democratic movements of the 80's, we still see limits on how far said speech can go. Much of it is over-sensationalized on Daum and Naver forums, but it does highlight the fact that the Korean government has yet to come up with an effective way to handle online dissent. They appear to be under the impression that by banning key words, phrases, individuals or groups from the web will end their problems, but so far no results have come from it. Korea needs a little time to work out the kinks, but in the end, all of this censorship and mudslinging is a direct result from political posturing and manipulation of public opinion for petty gain. I will say that Korea is not Iran and is certainly not China when it comes to this. Nowhere close.

While discussing the internet, you also mentioned a registration number. You can access Korean websites without a number, but sometimes you can't purchase items from them without a national Korean ID. That is a separate issue that I will discuss in another post.

Also, the blogger that was arrested for blogging about North Korea sounds made-up. There are tons of (in-country) K-bloggers out there blogging about North Korea and many of them constantly rail into the South Korean government with absolutely no concern of legal retribution. Being critical of the government's North Korea policy is pretty safe since Koreans themselves are highly divided on the subject.

Miranda Rights in Korea is something that I have no experience with, so I'll have to rely on the words of others. According to EFL-Law, there are Miranda Rights in Korea and you do have the right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. However, as an expat in Korea, the law tends to break in favor of Koreans as The Metropolitician discovered a couple years ago.

I think that once you arrive in Korea, you'll discover that many of your concerns have no real effect on you. As a new teacher in Korea, it's great to be informed, but sometimes searching too much before you have any perspective can lead you in the wrong direction, i.e., "South Korea seems more and more fascist." Sure, Korean journalists might be awful and the government might not control its people well, but once you're here, you should have no problem looking at North Korean porno while criticising the government for not doing enough to keep Nork spies from telling South Korean kids to kill themselves.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.