Some Apprehensions about South Korea

I would lie if I pretended I had no apprehensions about South Korea. First, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. In my research, it seems I came across too many reports of racism experienced by foreigners. As I was planning on dropping my bags there for a month, I was really hoping these reports were exaggerated and that I had no reasons to worry.

I am happy and relieved to report I experienced no such problems. Except, perhaps, for the fact that I did sometimes feel some people staring, not the stares I got in South East Asia... it's hard to explain, but it was a different type of stares. I'm not sure if it makes any sense still.
 
Other times I did feel like I was dressed incorrectly. I suspect it mostly had to do with the cuts of my shirts: v-necks that would be considered rather conservative in Canada, but were quite daring for South Korea. This was easily fixed by wearing a scarf.

I did pay heed to the accounts of my fellow travelers who had a hard time adjusting to South Korea. It seemed one common denominator was the corruption. For a developed country, it was surprising to read several accounts of foreigners being assaulted only to be charged for the crime and, for sole way out of being prosecuted, having to compensate their victim in the four digits figures. Which was much more economical than going ahead with a defense that could rise much higher.

Another common theme seemed to revolve around the idea that South Koreans were not fond of Americans. The main explanation I could find for this was the controversial presence of several American military bases in South Korea.

But, as I said, this was not my experience. I found South Koreans to be very welcoming and kind. I have made friends during my month and have seized the opportunity to discuss the preceding points when I voiced on one occasion my pre-arrival apprehensions. I didn't know at the time, and my friends were kind enough to overlook my misstep, but it was a major faux-pas for me to actually speak of this. I suppose I should have known better, I had heard South Koreans are really proud and my questions could have easily been interpreted as criticism of their country.

However, I am glad I did breach the subject. It allowed me to gain insight that would come useful throughout my stay. While racism exists (to be fair, racism can be a problem anywhere really), Westerners might mistake extreme shyness for race bias. I can attest to the shyness of South Koreans. Communication is another issue that can result in locals seeming unfriendly toward foreigners. Communication issues could also explain the unfair nature of the assault investigations.

My roommates did however warn me, saying the assault cases to which I was referring most often happened at the end of the evening in a neighborhood called Itaewon. The explanation made sense. On weekends, many young American soldiers gather in Itaewon for a drink or two or too many. Soon, you find yourself with a melting pot of cultural differences, politics and inebriated minds - an explosive mix.

I was advised to keep out of there on weekend nights. I did. So I can't really comment further on this.

I will go further in depth in some of the elements mentioned here in upcoming posts. Stay tuned.