Is Korea held to unreasonably high standards?

    I feel like every time I’m on Reddit, all I see are foreigners in Korea ranting abt how they think Korea is racist and all the other isms and how unwelcoming the country supposedly is and how they will never be accepted in Korean society.


    I don’t understand the mentality of going to a foreign country and expecting people to roll out the red carpet for you?? I think a lot of these kids are raised in multicultural countries western countries like US, Canada, Australia and we are always taught to welcome and accept foreigners, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with a country wanting to be homogeneous like??They don’t have to welcome you. Plenty of Eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary resist immigration too. Is it wrong to only want to live amongst your own people? I mean it’s not what I would want personally, but it’s not like they have ever had a history of immigration. I can see how and why they might perceive foreigners as a threat.


    It’s like the Paris Syndrome where people are so piped up to visit this country because of this image they have in their head but then they are disappointed after they realize….wait for it… it’s just another country…. Shocker!

  • AllKill VIP

    I think people are holding Korea to the standards that they've been advertised. Korea voluntarily presents itself as a place that people should want to go to, so it's natural that people expect to be welcome there.


    That said, it seems like people who complain on reddit about countries not being welcoming are usually the type of people to put zero effort into to fitting in. All English speaking friends, never spend time getting to know their neighbors and coworkers, don't follow social norms in public, etc. So of course they're going to feel disconnected and unwelcome.


    Probably a bit of column A, bit of column B type of situation.

    Quote from 3ne

    I think people are holding Korea to the standards that they've been advertised. Korea voluntarily presents itself as a place that people should want to go to, so it's natural that people expect to be welcome there.

    I agree with this. But I also don’t understand why you would promote your country to foreigners if you dislike foreigners so much and your country and it’s people are not accustomed to different kinds of people. I remember at my university, there was this fair held by people from Korean universities trying to encourage students to do an exchange there. Like dude you hate us but u want us to study in ur country? Lol, where is the logic?

  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from Sehuns_lines

    I agree with this. But I also don’t understand why you would promote your country to foreigners if you dislike foreigners so much and your country and it’s people are not accustomed to different kinds of people. I remember at my university, there was this fair held by people from Korean universities trying to encourage students to do an exchange there. Like dude you hate us but u want us to study in ur country ? Lol

    Money. Money is why they would do that :iconpepe:

    I can't speak for SK but I can for China which is very similar and very homogenised


    I remember going there with a friend (white white) and to the more "country/rural" areas of china where they don't see many white people - that was a shock to them lol


    for a lot of the people there it's more ignorance than outright racism racism...

  • AllKill VIP

    To attract tourism, countries advertise themselves as effectively as possible. This leads to people having an idealized image of what their experience in said country will look like, which sometimes results in disappointment.


    In reality, you'll need to do your research and put in some effort to get a good experience. It'll be difficult to have a good time when you speak only English and expect the locals to cater to you. At the end of the day, most of the people they interact with are Koreans. Most of the customers these businesses deal with are also native Korean speakers. They likely don't get the opportunity to practice English much and they don't feel the need to. You'll have to learn some basic words and sayings.


    A homogeneous society and a diverse society are extremely different, and you'll notice this right away. It's not a good or bad thing. It just takes some getting used to, the key being to acknowledge that a lot of the "unpleasantness" comes from ignorance rather than hate. People who only engage with their own ethnic or racial group feel less of a need to be politically correct, so they're generally more used to being blunt with each other. They'll say some things that foreigners will be caught off guard by. It's a cultural shock for sure.


    Anyway yes, it's "just another country" in the sense that there's good and bad just like everywhere else. Accept the good and try not to let the bad faze you too much. The unpleasant things shouldn't deter you from visiting or having a good time.

    Quote from selfmate

    I can't speak for SK but I can for China which is very similar and very homogenised


    I remember going there with a friend (white white) and to the more "country/rural" areas of china where they don't see many white people - that was a shock to them lol


    for a lot of the people there it's more ignorance than outright racism racism...

    I mean China is pretty diverse compared to Korea no? They even have a huge Korean minority, Russians, Tibetan. Judging by my own experiences, Chinese people seem to be pretty open minded about these things. Like I think you would be more likely to find a job in China and than Korea.

    Quote from Sehuns_lines

    I mean China is pretty diverse compared to Korea no? They even have a huge Korean minority, Russians, Tibetan. Judging by my own experiences, Chinese people seem to be pretty open minded about these things. Like I think you would be more likely to find a job in China and than Korea.

    What is the racial makeup of the China?

    The largest ethnic group is the Han (91.6), and the largest non-Han minority groups are Tibetans, Mongols, and Uyghurs. These territories (Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang) are resource-rich and these ethnic groups often dispute the autonomous regions.


    I mean in a country of 1.4 billion people even that 8.4% is huge but han is still by far the largest largest majority


    South Korea is a relatively homogeneous society with people of Korean ethnicity accounting for approximately 96% of the total population.


    (just from random googling)


    Chinese people seem to be pretty open minded about these things.

    yes for the city part which is why I added going to the more rural/country areas...


    Like I think you would be more likely to find a job in China and than Korea.

    greater population greater opportunities

    Quote from superyeah

    It just takes some getting used to, the key being to acknowledge that a lot of the "unpleasantness" comes from ignorance rather than hate. People who only engage with their own ethnic or racial group feel less of a need to be politically correct, so they're generally more used to being blunt with each other

    I’m not saying this is inherently “hateful” per se. But the idea that you are one people one race and one distinct society is a state building myth you have to keep indoctrinating people into believing. So it’s not like there aren’t certain nationalist ideologies that cement the “Korean” at the exclusion of “the other” It’s just this whole thing of “they don’t know” is questionable. Either way, I still want to travel there regardless and see the country just as a tourist . I think too many people fantasize about starting some fantasy life there w they oppas or whatever lol. This is long but I’ll keep it short, I’m just saying u can like K-pop and Korean culture without making ur whole life about idolizing a country you know nothing abt.

    atleast korea still has an overall positive rep internationally because of their economic success and visual appeal


    cultures similar to korea are mostly present in poorer nations who get absolutely shat on all the time

    u r m o m g a y

    1e1282e4806e9f6f1080ccc53055ea21c0a98974.gifv6cc52730ebd88d19753cac6a9c1436f129e99705.gifv

    I think people, especially americans, tend to forget that Korean society is generally homogenous with all the implications that come with that. I've seen that raised individualists have a really hard time adapting to other societies especially east asian collectivist societies.

  • AllKill VIP

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

Register Yourself Login