世界の嫌われ者
投稿者： muimi_2002 投稿日時： 2001/02/23 17:44 投稿番号： [231 / 99628]
韓国と日本両方住んだ欧米人の感想です。
とにかく韓国に住んだ外人はみんな韓国が嫌いになるんだって。
しょうがない国なんだよ。
長いけど頑張って読んでね。
Korea is a closed and racist country
I lived in Seoul for a year and a half after having lived in Japan for two years. All the foreigners that I knew in Japan left Japan loving Japan, Japanese people, and Japanese culture, and all of them want to return to see friends and to travel. Many of them, now in their home countries, pursue jobs and activities that involve Japan.
I'm sorry to say that this is definitely not the same for Korea. Almost all the foreigners who lived and worked in Korea ended up hating the country, culture and the people and could not wait to get the hell out. None of them now have anything to do with Korea nor do any of them want to.
This is because almost all foreigners have a VERY negative experience in Korea due to Korean racism and xenophobia. For example, wherever I went I ALWAYS heard the insult "kopaengi" and others. And when I was with my girlfriend (who was Korean) we had insults hurled at us left and right (she was often called a whore,etc. -- even though she is a Yonsei graduate). All of this on the streets of Seoul -- definitely not a cosmopolitan city!!
Where does this xenophobia and racism come from? Such a virulent kind that it does not exist anywhere near the same degree in any other country that I have visited (including all over Europe, Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada).
I wonder if Koreans realize how the racism and narrow-mindedness of their society hurts them? There are VERY few people who study Korean language or history in the US besides Korean-Americans (in Japanese language or history classes nearly everyone is non-Asian -- many non-Asians are also interested in Thailand, Vietnam and India etc.).
Bookstore shelves are loaded with books about Japan -- there is usually a Japan section, whereas books about Korea are few, outdated, and stacked in a section along with books about about Myanmar, Laos, and Mongolia.
I also belong to the Japan-America Society in my home city which is very active with members and support from various businesses and civic groups, the local Korean-America Society has little participation from anyone who is not Korean or Korean-American.
Americans know about karaoke, sumo, kimonos, sukiyaki, kabuki, and the tea ceremony (among many others) and can easily identify them with Japan. But if you ask them about hanbok or even kimchi, most Americans will have no idea what you are talking about. If you asked them to identify anything about Korea, they would not be able to respond.
Why is that?? I don't think that it is a problem with people from other countries not knowing anything about Korea. The problem is Korean xenophobia. Koreans are so closed that they have made themselves peripheral and irrelevent to the rest of the world. Korea has not opened itself up to the world as Japan has. Korea is 30-40 years behind Japan in this regard. Koreans must open up and realize that being closed (and closed-minded) hurts them as a people and a culture.
by Eric
December 13, 1999 at 21:58:20
x94-145-69.unreg.umn.edu - 160.94.145.69
とにかく韓国に住んだ外人はみんな韓国が嫌いになるんだって。
しょうがない国なんだよ。
長いけど頑張って読んでね。
Korea is a closed and racist country
I lived in Seoul for a year and a half after having lived in Japan for two years. All the foreigners that I knew in Japan left Japan loving Japan, Japanese people, and Japanese culture, and all of them want to return to see friends and to travel. Many of them, now in their home countries, pursue jobs and activities that involve Japan.
I'm sorry to say that this is definitely not the same for Korea. Almost all the foreigners who lived and worked in Korea ended up hating the country, culture and the people and could not wait to get the hell out. None of them now have anything to do with Korea nor do any of them want to.
This is because almost all foreigners have a VERY negative experience in Korea due to Korean racism and xenophobia. For example, wherever I went I ALWAYS heard the insult "kopaengi" and others. And when I was with my girlfriend (who was Korean) we had insults hurled at us left and right (she was often called a whore,etc. -- even though she is a Yonsei graduate). All of this on the streets of Seoul -- definitely not a cosmopolitan city!!
Where does this xenophobia and racism come from? Such a virulent kind that it does not exist anywhere near the same degree in any other country that I have visited (including all over Europe, Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada).
I wonder if Koreans realize how the racism and narrow-mindedness of their society hurts them? There are VERY few people who study Korean language or history in the US besides Korean-Americans (in Japanese language or history classes nearly everyone is non-Asian -- many non-Asians are also interested in Thailand, Vietnam and India etc.).
Bookstore shelves are loaded with books about Japan -- there is usually a Japan section, whereas books about Korea are few, outdated, and stacked in a section along with books about about Myanmar, Laos, and Mongolia.
I also belong to the Japan-America Society in my home city which is very active with members and support from various businesses and civic groups, the local Korean-America Society has little participation from anyone who is not Korean or Korean-American.
Americans know about karaoke, sumo, kimonos, sukiyaki, kabuki, and the tea ceremony (among many others) and can easily identify them with Japan. But if you ask them about hanbok or even kimchi, most Americans will have no idea what you are talking about. If you asked them to identify anything about Korea, they would not be able to respond.
Why is that?? I don't think that it is a problem with people from other countries not knowing anything about Korea. The problem is Korean xenophobia. Koreans are so closed that they have made themselves peripheral and irrelevent to the rest of the world. Korea has not opened itself up to the world as Japan has. Korea is 30-40 years behind Japan in this regard. Koreans must open up and realize that being closed (and closed-minded) hurts them as a people and a culture.
by Eric
December 13, 1999 at 21:58:20
x94-145-69.unreg.umn.edu - 160.94.145.69
これは メッセージ 1 (magekuri さん)への返信です．
固定リンク：https://yarchive.emmanuelc.dix.asia/1834688/4z9qa4ua46a41a4sa4j_1/231.html