Chuseok Gifts and the Foreigner Experience

Here are the Chuseok-related questions:

Chuseok is coming up and I'm curious as to what exactly happens. I've discussed it with the Koreans I work with and while it's interesting, much of what they tell me centres around their family's traditions. What I'm wondering is:

- are there traditions that foreigners are expected to take part in? I've seen a lot of gift packages in Kim's Club and the like; are we expected to give gifts?

- what shuts down? Do the buses and subway run on a reduced schedule, or are they 100% closed?

- is it only family-based, like the Thanksgivings I'm used to back home in Canada, or is there a way to take part in a Chuseok tradition - for instance, a "Chuseok meal" in a restaurant?

--and---

I used to work for a hogwan and now I have a much better job teaching at an elementary school. My Korean co-teacher has been very helpful with both school stuff and non-school stuff like dealing with my apartment and setting up an new bank account. I was wondering what might be an appropriate gift to show my gratitude. Should I also get her something for Chulsuok? I should also get something the woman volunteer who helps out with the after-school classes. Any suggestions? What is the protocol here? And should I also get my Principal something?

Simply put, Chuseok is a harvest festival where Korean families gather together (usually in the husband's hometown or the oldest son's home) and celebrate the harvest, eat traditional food and pay homage to their ancestors.

Here I am a few years ago...

First we give thanks and bow to the harvest (Spot the white guy!):



Then we offer it to our ancestors:



And after eating and drinking, we head to the tombs:



That's the ritual and just about as involved as any non-Korean will ever be in the holiday. Unlike myself, most expats here are not married to a Korean, so your participation is limited to enjoying quiet city streets (unless you live in a "hometown") or getting slammed by hours and hours of highway traffic. All public transportation remains the same though. You'll find that a lot of restaurants and stores are closed, but it's not that big of a hassle.

The gifts are part of the fun as well. Korea Times ran a piece today about parents bribing teachers for the holiday, but there are certainly less-tainted gifts that people exchange.

For an older person or boss, most people buy honey (the expensive kind) or a fish called 굴비. For someone close to your age or a colleague, it's pretty common to buy them some dried persimmon (감) or other dried fruit. Some people try to get away with the famed Spam gift set and even though it's presence in supermarkets might say otherwise, it's viewed as a little "low-class" or "out-dated" these days. For kids, you give them money. If you don't want to be that specific, deok is probably the safest holiday gift and very easy to find.

As far as your holiday plans, either plan a trip out of the country or book your train tickets now because you don't want to deal with Chuseok traffic.

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.

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.

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.

New Teachers, Love Motels and an Interesting Welcome to South Korea

Here's the question:

I'm getting ready to move to Seoul and am worried about my apartment. I was told that I have one waiting for me, but when I asked to see pictures, they didn't respond. Yesterday, I talked to one of the teachers and they said that I'll be staying in a motel for a week. What's going on? Am I going to get screwed? Should I change schools?

I have been waiting for a love motel question for awhile. Let me kick this one off with a comment Brian left on a post about Jet Lag and Settling-in Time.

"I went from the airport to the hagwon to be shown around, and started teaching the next day. Actually, besides going to school right off the plane I also experienced something common for first-timers on their first night: I was put up in a love motel. Don't get me wrong, love motels rule. It was a weird introduction to Korea, and when the director said "your apartment isn't ready" all the horror stories entered my mind. But it was all right."

What Brian experienced many years ago is still in practice. Sometimes, the apartment is not ready as some schools recruit new teachers BEFORE the old teacher leaves in order to give the new recruit some observation time and maybe a little settling-in time. There's also the possibility (especially with Pagoda, Direct English, YBM etc...) that you will be put up in a love motel for a couple days while you and the director/apartment manager search for the new place. It appears that's what's happening and you really have nothing to fear. It's pretty common practice in the industry.

Now, let's get to the juicy part of the post. In the question, you simply called it a 'motel' and that's totally normal. After all, it is just a motel. However, a motel in Korea is not place you stop for the night when you can't keep your eyes open and on the road. The motel in Korea is called a 'love motel' and, for the most part, it's sole purpose is to house sex. Perhaps that might sound a little surprising since Korea often claims to be a conservative nation, but the truth of the matter is that even though Koreans might not talk about it or display it in public, it's going on all day and night.

Take this question The Korean answered last year:

Why is Korea so conservative about sex? Women go to great lengths to remain (or pretend to remain) virgins or thereabouts until marriage or Very Serious Long-Term Relationship With Certain Future Husband. But there is a Love Motel down every alley, filled with sexual activity all hours of the day. So what's the big secret?

The questioner was dead-on. There really is a love motel on every street and most of the time, they are filled with men and women doing it. Sometimes it's young lovers who didn't have anywhere else to be alone and other times it's a businessman who just offered a little under-the-table cash to his favorite girl at the room salon. If you want to read about some of the seedy-underbelly in Seoul, check out this, this, this, this and this. Brian has written a lot on love motels and hotels in his area as well. The gist of is it that they're ridiculously prevalent and no matter who much they try to claim they're for travelers, it's pretty clear what's going on there.

My wife and I have stayed at these places many times while traveling around the peninsula for the same reason that hagwons put new teachers up there: they're cheap. The cost is usually between 20 and 40 bucks and you can almost always get a room. The rooms aren'y that bad either. I could go on about it, but Brian has already taken a pretty good look at it, so I would suggest taking a peak at what he has to say. (On a side note, it seems that Brian writes more about Korean Love Motels than anyone else on the web. I'm glad someone took the time.)

In conclusion, don't be worried in the least about being shacked up in the love motels for a couple days while you wait for your place to be ready. They're comfortable, free, convenient and -between us- make sure you flip through ALL THE CHANNELS. It's kind of like a strange welcoming gift.

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

Will I be blacklisted from getting a new E2 visa for breaking a contract?

Here's the question:

I have been in Korea and have been screwed by 2 hagwons. I am signing with my third but do not plan on finishing my contract. I just signed last week and plan on leaving in 4 months. I make tons of money by teaching kindergarten in the mornings and doing privates so I would like to come back to Korea and teach at a later date. I'm leaving because I've been here for almost a year and miss my family and I need a vacation. My question is......if I run and then go back to the US for 3 months and have a vacation (which Koreans don't seem to respect), can I get another VISA when I am ready to come back to Korea and make more money? Or will Immigration blacklist me when I reapply?

I seem to be getting a lot of 'midnight run' questions these days. Sorry to hear about the bad hagwons. Have you taken the time to add them to ESLBlacklist, yet? If so, you should. I would also suggest that you stay away from hagwons. You seem to have a knack for finding the bad ones.

Pulling a midnight run and leaving the visa early is really not that big of a deal. It does, however, perpetuate a nasty stereotype and you would be screwing the school and your fellow teachers for a week or two, but in the end, the school will be fine and your tenure there would be nothing more than a bad memory. However, since the school didn't pay for your flight tickets or recruiter fee (since you were already in Korea), I would suggest that you tell them a month ahead of time. If you want, make up an excuse, but there is no need to do the late night sneak away.

Typically, the school will cancel your visa pretty quickly once it's discovered that you have left and in most cases they will not try to "blacklist" you. If you trash your apartment or get an advance the day before you flee, then they will try something, but there really isn't any clear evidence that hagwons have the authority to get your name on a blacklist. After all, you're not a criminal. You just left the country. Brian linked a Korea Times article that suggests Immigration "does not retain data on foreign nationals who have had work experience [in Korea]."

Technically, you should be fine to bail after four months and return on a new visa, but again, there is no risk in telling your new school that you've gotta leave either. Sometimes things happen at home and, if you're open and honest with them, then you should be fine.

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

Transgender Community, Clubs and Bars in South Korea

Here's the (different) question:

Is there a large transgender population in South Korea? Are there good transgender bars?

JT

JT, huh? Hmmm, I wish it was JTT as in Jonathan Taylor Thomas because then it would make perfect sense, but then again it might actually be the boy wonder. After all, Vanilla Ice wrote into the Korea Times today, so who knows who's interested in Korea these days.

I should say that I can't tell if you are curious for personal or academic reasons, so I will try to give you as much as I can about a relatively quiet community.

Alright, rather than delving into the nuances of the LGBT culture, I will instead refer you to an excellent write up on homosexuality in Korea by Ask a Korean. As usual, he nails it down pretty well. There's also a book titled, "Gay and Lesbian Asia: Culture, Identity, Community". Pages 65-80 deal with Korea. I think it should cover the basics so I don't have to. Yes, there is a transgender culture here. However, like the gay and lesbian culture, you will find that it's either ignored, denied, pushed to the side or dismissed by the average Korean. Nonetheless, the overall LGBT has been active in recent years and some reports claim that there have been up to 70,000 Koreans who have undergone the transformation since the 1970s and while that number might paint a picture of commonality, it is still very much hidden from public.

There has been one icon of the transgender movement in Korea and her name is "Harisu" who got her name because it sounds like "Hot Issue". You can read about her bio here, a music video here and her influence here.
Now to your second question. I don't know what constitutes a "good" trans bar, but I can at least try to point you to where a few are. First of all, take a look at this page (oddly enough the url says something about friends and badminton). If you scroll down the page you'll find addresses and bar names throughout the country. I also took the liberty to do a google search for you about the well-known Transbar in Itaewon. You can click the links on the search page if you want. I am at work, so no chance there.

I wish I could offer you a bit more information (or perhaps OpenMicah, the worlds strongest expat, could offer you some first-hand insight), but I just don't have a lot on this one. To wrap it up, there is a quiet transgender community here and there are some transgender bars, so I think your curiosity, be it personal or academic, will be satisfied.

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

Teaching Chinese (or piano) in Korea

Here's the question:

Hi,

My name is Meiqin. I am from Singapore and this 22 years-old. I am very interested in going Korea to work, probably teaching English, Chinese or piano. However, I am not sure what are the essential qualifications that I need to achieve and survive in korea. I want and determined to go Korea. Just that, I have limited knowledge about Koreans. Can you help me? I will be grateful to receive advice from you.

Thanks and hope to hearing from you soon.

Love,
Qin

Thanks for the question. First things first, before you start worrying about surviving in Korea, you need to focus on getting here and that takes getting a job. You would think that a quick visit to the Korean Immigration website would help, but it has got to be the most difficult site to navigate. So, we'll go it alone.

You mentioned teaching either English or Chinese and I should go ahead and suggest that you focus on Chinese. The requirements for teaching English and gaining the E-2 visa in Korea are simple, but it includes owning a passport from either Canada, US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa. Assuming you have a passport from Singapore, that would eliminate you from teaching English.

Take a look at all the visa types here.

As you can see, the E-2 visa is not only for teaching English though, but rather teaching all languages in a non-university setting (E-1). If you want an overview of how to start the process, you can start here to get some simple background info.

The best way to come to Korea is with a job, but unlike teaching English, jobs for Chinese teachers are much more difficult to find. I know of four teaching sites, but unfortunately, they're all in Korean. Just in case you have a Korean friend who can help, try here, here, here and here. You could also try your hand at an international school.

As far as teaching piano goes, I'd say that might prove fruitless as well. There are thousands of Korean piano teachers here, so getting visa sponsorship for that might be difficult. I will say, however, that you might have some luck teaching piano IN ENGLISH. I have had little luck locating any resources yet, but I do know that there is a demand for that combination.

If I were you, I would start looking at websites and forums in Singapore and by that I mean at your home and in Chinese or English. That's what you should be working on right now. The jobs are out there, but you'll have to do a little more work and since I can't speak or read Chinese, I'm at a loss on this one.

The next part of your question is a very far-reaching one.

"I have limited knowledge about Koreans. Can you help me?"

I think even those of us who have been in Korea for 10 years would have a hard time organizing our thoughts in order to form an accurate and coherent answer to this one. If I were you, besides reading the papers, I would take a look at a couple books and read a few blogs.

If you want a nice read, then go for Michael Breen's book titled, "The Koreans". He also writes a column in the Korea Times. For a more exhaustive and historical look, I'd recommend "The Two Koreas" by Don Oberdorfer.

As for blogs, I'd have to go with a personal favorite, Ask A Korean. Other than that, if you want a good look at Korean society, then Gusts Of Popular Feeling and The Grand Narrative offer excellent snips of the culture. For more biting commentary, I would suggest Brian in Jeollanam-do or The Marmot. There are a few other good ones out there, but for the most part, the ones I gave you should suffice.

I'm sorry I couldn't paint a rosier picture for you, but that doesn't mean there are great jobs and experiences awaiting you. I will continue and try to locate some more information for you, but until then, I wish you the best of luck.

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