My Top Ten "Negative" Things About Korea So Far

This is not a diss blog, nor is it to gripe about Korea. Every society has its flaws, especially ours in the United States. With this top ten list, I have the unique perspective of being a foreigner from the outside looking in, and I can analyze things that most Koreans don't see. I am just being honest and clear about what I have seen so far in this great nation of South Korea.

1. Korea's inability to speak English - as a teacher, I'm here to teach conversational English, and I take pride in my job and my ambition. According to my friend James, who got this statistic from the Internet, Korea spends almost 1% of his GDP (Gross Domestic Product, a measure of how much a nation spends and produces on total goods and services) on English education. This includes hagwons. However, for a society that wants to incorporate itself onto the world stage more and more, most students can't speak a lick of English, even though they can write it and read it. Yet, poorer countries like my other homeland like India have citizens who are tri-lingual in Hindi, their regional language, and English, and they probably hardly spend a tenth compared to Koreans when it comes to English education. They bring in the teachers, but it is the environment that counts, and from experience, the only way a society can learn a language is to try to implement it daily, not just in commercials here and there.

2. Attitudes towards foreigners: most Koreans are friendly towards all foreigners, including the Asian ones. I have not had any bad experiences when dealing with Koreans at markets, taxis, or on the streets. Yet, with their limited view of the outside world and with the new influx of foreigners such as guest workers from SE Asia, foreign teachers from the Big Six ESL Group (US, Canada, NZ, Australia, England, and South Africa), some like to just stare and point while out in public. Some Koreans just assume and stereotype.

3. Koreans work too much! Some work six days a week! It leaves a society that is very tired.

4. Korean men tend to be too domineering. Even though the role of women in Korean society has vastly improved over decades, it is quite funny to see at a teacher's function in the gymnasium (two weeks ago) when all the men teachers are playing the sports, and the women watch. It looks like a junior high school dance: the girls are on the wall talking, while the men do their thing. Women usually do not speak up in family meetings or help make important decisions. However, women do rule the roost when it comes to one major area: the home.

5. A drinking society. Sure, every society drinks, but drunkeness can lead to spouse abuse, which sometimes is a cop out for leaving your problems at the office.

6. Korean kids study too much. They're kids! Let them have fun. My high school boys have to go to school every SATURDAY, for half of day. I personally believe it is a waste of a day to start your morning back at school.

7. Korean society is too pressuring. Korea unfortunately has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. In a society of competition, competition is good because it can bring out the best and brightest of people. However, many on the tail of the social end who fail just because they tried is too much for some people, especially young people. Some high school students end their life when they cannot pass the life changing college-entrance exams. The college-entrance exams not only determine what prestigious university you go to, but also who you can marry, where you live, and how much money you make! By the way, no pressure, its cool!

8. Korea is conforming, sometimes in a bad way. Everyone is taught to be like everyone else. Obviously, you see it in their genetic make up: skin, eyes, and hair color. Even when there is fashion, most Koreans look the same, especially Korean young women. Their fashion these days is high heels with jeans, pounds of makeup, and instead of looking hip, they just like pop-culture clones and mannequins. Even though more young generation kids are expressing themselves through dance, art, and poetry, everyone must conform to a system of routine, order, and discipline, even if the system is not that efficient. They just borrow from us, the elements of fashion and cool, but don't really know how to make it their own and think on their own.

9. Korean racism. Thanks to Hines Ward, Korea has finally started to examine themselves when it comes to their idea of "pure race" and their attitudes towards mixed Koreans are supposedly to change. Yet, after being here in Korea for 2 months, just because your skin is darker, and even when you have Korean blood in you, you're still a foreigner. I have to tell shopkeepers that my mother is Korean, but in the back of their minds they are like, "foreigner." I know I am foreigner, but being Korean should have an advantage compared to other foreigners in that I am returning to my Motherland to learn about my heritage and background.

10. North Korea. Personally and politically, I think the South should do more to help the citizens of North Korea who are suffering, then sending food aid which is probably going to prop up a regime that is decadent, spoiled, and evil.

There you have it, I hope the criticisms are fair and are in the bound of fair play.