We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog to direct you to an interesting (if self-referential) discussion happening on the Internet and in the Korean Media considering foreign bloggers in Korea. Some of us have irked the Korean netizens, who have expressed that Ex-pat blogs in Korea are too damn negative.
Do we Ex-pats (who tend to all get lumped together as "foreigners", even though we represent different nationalities, genders, cultures, and languages) have a right to express our opinions of South Korea, even when we may not be fluent in Korean, and thus may not understand the culture well? Is the tone of our writing in blogs really what angers some Korean blog readers?
I am away from Seoul teaching at a camp, and only have night time computer access, so I don't really have time to give this issue the consideration it deserves.
However, I am intruiged and would like to say a few quick things on this issue, as I find this discussion fascinating.
1. A blog is an outlet-for creativity, for frustration, for questioning. It can be an outlet for ideas Ex-pats may lack the Korean skills to say out loud, and for feelings Ex-pats may lack the courage to say out loud.
2. Ex-pats are responsible for their own tone. If Ex-pats genuinely spew hate about South Koreans as a group, they shouldn't be surprised to get hateful comments in return.
3. However, Ex-pats are indeed foreign-which mean they think differently. Some Ex-pats here come from cultures where freedom of expression is very highly prized-so what a Korean may see as mean spirited criticism of their beloved country, a foreigner may see as merely independent thought. Which has been particularly emphasized in several Western countries since the 1960s.
4. Even blogs with pretty well-written political commentary can lapse into a diary- like style. You can't take them too seriously! :) Sarcasm and black humor abound in Ex-pat blogs all over Asia. The Marmot's Hole, for example, is a well written and well sourced Ex-pat blog in Korea. Yet even that blogger will post the occasional picture of a pretty Korean chick in a short skirt. I could care less about those pictures, but the writer's obviously interested in such photos, and heck, it's HIS blog. I just surf away from it.
5a. We foreigners should probably try to lead with a disclaimer: even if one studies Korean, or has been here a long time, if one didn't grow up here, one is still somewhat of a foreigner.
HOWEVER.....................
5b. It is my personal, non-expert, terrible-at-Korean, opinion that Korea can only strengthened by more free expression. Even expression by foreigners, who might be less educated on the culture, but nonetheless inter-act with it. The "Hermit Kingdom" days are over-and for the better. South Korea has built an impressive, modern power out of the ashes of war in a short span of years. I admire that. And modern, free powers should embrace free expression. There are even certain issues, such as inter-racial dating, the inside view (and myriad problems) of the Hagwon language academy system, or even Western thoughts on the best places to grab a great brunch in Seoul, where the ex-pats, beyond all their whiny complaints, have a kernel of knowledge to offer. :)
Even if they finish blog posts with a run-on sentence. :)
For some other good thoughts on this issue I suggest the blog "Ask A Korean!" which can be found at http://askakorean.blogspot.com
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2 comments:
Well, if Korea wants nothing more than to be what they have historically been, then they should ignore the foreigners.
If, as they quite often say, they want to be a 'world leader of such-and-such industry' or the 'hub of this-or-that', then they will need to be more international.
They can't have it both ways. Either you're open or you're closed. Pick one.
For example, the issue of ATM cards for foreigners. If you are a foreigner, you can have a Korean bank account, complete with an ATM card. However, these cards will not work outside Korea. The party line from the banks is that 'foreigners cannot be issued ATM cards that will work outside Korea'. This is not a rule or law, but it's what everyone is told. It might be one thing to have this rule for credit cards, where perhaps the person could charge something and conceivably skip the country, but for an ATM or debit card, it's your money in the account. You're being denied access. Why? Nobody really knows. Korea has publicly stated that they want to be the 'financial hub of asia'. With policies like that, they never will be. And yet they were hurt when they were left off the list of top 50 financial hubs in the world.
It's all clear to me.
While we expats have a lot to learn from the Koreans, they also have a lot to learn from us. This includes such concepts as:
-Women can be the equal of men in the workplace.
-Overseas investors will make money in your country. Sometimes a lot. That's business, and when foreign investors make money that means more investment and employment for your people. Don't pitch a fit when a foreign company makes a good profit in Korea. Lone Star Investments is the prime example.
-Nobody should be above the law. The CEO's of Hyundai, Samsung, and quite a few others currently are. They should not be. They should be held to a HIGHER standard, not a lower one.
-Motorcycles do not belong on the sidewalks. At any time. For that matter, cars are supposed to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks. Korea has the highest pedestrian fatality rate of all OECD countries. Yet they protest mad cow disease, which has never killed an American or Korean.
-Recognition of problems is the first step to solving them. Due to the issue of 'losing face', any real problems are basically ignored because it would be upsetting to 'air the dirty laundry' and talk about the problems openly. No recognition=no action taken=same actions as ever.
-Education should be about learning, not about teaching the test. The Feisty Traveler may have more to say about this. But the engineers that I work with are actually incapable of independent thought. It has been beaten out of them during grade school and college. That approach will work if you are trying to copy someone (i.e. Japan) but you will never be able to surpass them unless you allow people to free their minds and let the bright sparks create and invent.
-The Japanese performed some hideous atrocities on Korean women during the second world war. It was sexual slavery and the Japanese did not care about them because Koreans are not Japanese and therefore in their eyes, not worth caring about. But there's all sorts of sexual slavery going on right now in Korea. Almost every 'barbershop' in Seoul is basically a place where you can buy sex. Yet there is no outrage about this. Why? Because those who are enslaved are generally not Korean, they are Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai. Therefore they do not matter. This is utterly shameful.
I imagine that there will be a time when the foreigners will be thanked for bringing 'traditionally western' thoughts to Korea. I don't think this is cultural imperialism. It's the way that Korea can become a leader rather than just a follower.
Good points. Amen to scooters staying off the sidewalks!Also, very valid point about sexual slavery of foreign women in Korea. It is not as obvious, and planned out, as the horrible atrocities against the Korean comfort womern, but it is still here. And I only know of one small women's group in Seoul trying to do something about it (help prostitutes sneak out and get other housing;jobs). Everyone else just denies it exists.
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