Gyopo

The word Gyopo (교포) is my least favorite word in the Korean language. Gyopo means a Korean who was not born and/or raised in Korea. For me, gyopo is a word that is filled with hate. Censuses show that roughly 7 million Koreans live abroad. With 50 million Koreans living in the South Korean peninsula, by using the term “gyopo,” Koreans effectively isolate 8% of its population.

For any person living abroad, it can be difficult. You long for home and miss everyday familiarities. Children born from immigrants oftentimes visit their home country rarely, if at all. So, for many who are the children of immigrants, there is often a sense of loss. Yes, they were born in this country, but in reality they are from another. This tends to be the case with my Korean American friends; they call themselves American, but at the same time, their true home is Korea. Yet with the word “gyopo,” it turns many Koreans away from Korea.

Gyopo is a harsh word.  It’s a word that really pushes Korea’s homogeneous mentality—you’re only Korean if your parents are Korean and you’re born in Korea. For my Korean American friends whom I have here in Korea, life can be a bit of a struggle.

One of my good friends is a so-called “gyopo.” Though he was born in Korea and has even done his military duty, he is still “gyopo”—not Korean. He speaks Korean fluently, with no accent, yet the Koreans around him reject him. He’s not Korean, he’s American. He dresses like an American, he talks like an American, he acts like an American. He’s not Korean. He’s American. We often have lunch together and he will tell me how often he is rejected. His Korean friends don’t want to have drinks with him or dinner with him. When working in group projects, he’s treated as the foreigner, not as a Korean. A family friend offered to set him up with his friend’s daughter but warned my friend, “Treat her like a Korean. You’re American, but you need to be Korean around her.” When he said these words he became depressed. He is Korean. He was born in Korea. Yet he did not grow up here. Therefore, he will never truly be Korean.

Many Koreans who live or were born abroad face the same struggles that my friend does. Often times, they don’t socialize with native Koreans, they socialize amongst themselves. Even in their “home” country, they are isolated. While not all non-native Koreans are treated like this, the vast majority are.

The largest population of non-native Koreans is located in China. They are known as the Chaoxian in China and as the Joseonjok in Korea, 2.5 million Koreans live in China. In China, they are not accepted. They are not Chinese. In Korea, they are not accepted. They are “gyopo.” For Koreans living in China, it can be a difficult road. They live in a country that does not accept them, and their home country treats them as if they are foreigners.  For the these Koreans, the Joseonjok, life is much harder. Unlike Koreans who grew up in western countries and tend to be much wealthier, Koreans who grew up in China tend to be much poorer. Since they don’t have as much money, they face more discrimination. They are often blamed for stealing native Koreans’ jobs and for crime. For Koreans born in China, they are the bottom of the racial hierarchy in Korea.

My boyfriend is a native Korean, born and raised in Korea. He spent two years in the US and speaks English almost as well as any native speaker. Anytime we’re out in public and Koreans speak to him and in English, my boyfriend gets excited. He’s a foreigner. He feels flattered that Koreans think he’s a foreigner, and it makes him feel proud. Yet sometimes I don’t think he realizes the implication of what being a Korean foreigner is like. Yes, he’s excited that Koreans are treating him as a foreigner as they do me, but being a true Korean foreigner is not that romantic. He doesn’t understand the isolation and discrimination that comes with being a “gyopo.”

Not all Koreans treat non-native Koreans like I have mentioned in this post. Yet the Koreans that do this have often lived or studied abroad themselves. It is oftentimes the Koreans who have had little to no international experience (whether that be from traveling abroad or even having a foreign friend) that treat non-native Koreans like “gyopos.”

“Gyopo” is a word that I hate. I wish sincerely that it was a word that didn’t exist. But it does and the stigma is there. I hope that one day Koreans can accept all non-native Koreans and treat them as equals, but that day seems like a long way off. 

Racism in Korea (Part 2)

Racism isn’t limited to being charged extra or being refused service. Young Koreans are just as guilty, though perhaps in a more innocent way. For some Koreans, having a foreigner friend can make them seem worldly. They’ll brag to their other friends that they have a foreigner friend; you essentially become their pet in a handbag.

Guys and girls will date foreigners just to learn English. Korean guys will try to hook-up with foreign girls to add a ”notch in their belt.” Foreign girls, especially Americans, are perceived as slutty, and we are approached as such. Foreign men are seen as sexual devients, trying to steal away the poor, innocent Korean women.

And if you’re a foreigner dating a Korea, be prepared for stares. Mixed race couples, while becoming more common, are still seen as an oddity. The automatic assumption is that the Korean is dating the foreigner to learn English. If a Korean girl is dating a foreigner, the couple will get dirty looks because they think that the girl is a slut. If it’s a Korean guy and a foreign girl, the foreign girl will be thought of as a slut. There have been many occasions where my boyfriend and I have gotten hate glares from people. It should be noted here that most of these assumptions and glares come from older Koreans.

My boyfriend is Korean and I’m an American foreigner. Even though we met in the US and have been dating for more than a year and a half, my Korean friends still try to warm me that he is dating me to learn English. Why do they keep telling me this? Because it is such a common practice for Koreans to date foreigners to learn English. I became mad at one of my students who was going to study in the US when he told me that he wanted to date an American just so he could learn English. What’s worse about this is that Koreans who do this don’t even see it as wrong.

This video is about 2 years old and caused a firestorm when it came out. MBC never apologized for its racist content and things like this still air on Korean news.

In summary, not all Koreans are racist, and to think as such is blithely ignorant. Yet racism does exist, and it’s a huge problem. Korea’s government is pushing for more foreign tourism and foreign businesses to enter Korea. They are riding the Hallyu wave and are encouraging its growth, which is great. Yet, if Korea truly does want more foreign tourists and foreign business, it must stop letting these racist attitudes go unchecked. Being barred from a restaurant, bar, club, or taxi simply because you are a foreigner is simply unacceptable. These businesses need to be held accountable for their actions if Korea really does want to become a part of the globalized world. 

Racism in Korea (Part 1)

While Korea is a wonderful country filled with some of the kindest people I have ever met, racism is still a very large problem here. Korea is a “homogeneous” nation. They are a nation of one race—Koreans. And while this certainly isn’t a bad thing, the idea of having a homogeneous nation creates racist attitudes towards non-Koreans.

This article was posted the other day. Koreans are very upset by this and have been calling Bali racist. This article, along with some other incidents that have started to bother me about Korea’s attitude towards foreigners made me want to write this post.

So why did I share a link about Koreans getting banned from establishments in Bali? Because this is the exact same thing that happens to foreigners here. Foreigners are well aware of bars that ban foreigners *cough* Ho Bar *cough*. But bars aren't the only ones that are guilty; clubs, restaurants, and taxis are just as guilty.

This video (not mine) was taken in Itaewon. Itaewon is (in)famously foreigner and English friendly. The fact that this video takes place in Itaewon is astounding. As more foreigners enter Korea (as part of the government’s plan to attract tourists and foreign business), the fact that this trend is increasing, rather than decreasing is simply disturbing.

When I first came to Korea, I witnessed very little racism. The worst things I saw were Hongdae bars banning American military and old men asking if I was Russian (aka, was I a prostitute). Yet in these last 2 years in Korea, I have seen a dramatic shift in attitudes towards foreigners by business establishments.

When I was living in Ulsan, my Korean and foreign friends and I went to go to a club. They let our Korean friends in, but refused to let us in because we were foreigner. After telling them off, we all left the club. A few weeks later, a Canadian friend and I were trying to buy 김밥 (gimbap) for an activity we were doing with our students. The store we went to was famous for having the best gimbap in the area, and as expected, it was very crowded. We order the gimbap and were told it would be about 20 minutes until we got out gimbap. 20 minutes passed and the restaurant still hadn’t made our gimbap. They were now making orders for Koreans who had ordered after us. I decided to go inside and ask why it was taking so long. When I went inside, I looked the prep station; it was organized so that the order receipts were at top so that the orders could easily be seen and made. Our receipt was till at the end…with the word 외국인 (“weigookin”, foreigner) written in large letters across the top. As each new order came in, our order would be moved to the back. I talked to the owner and told her to cancel our order because we didn’t want to eat there anymore. The owner threw a fit and demanded that we pay even though they had not even made our gimbap. After a while of arguments, they finally made the gimbap, but tried to charge us extra. Incidents like this are far from rare nor are they limited to places outside of Seoul.

It’s not unheard of for foreigners to be refused service by a taxi, or charged extra by them. Restaurants are guilty of this practice, too.  Clothe markets like in Dongdaemun will charge extra if you’re a foreigner. 

I will continue the rest of this topic in the next post.

**Disclaimer** Not all Koreans and Korean places are like this. Most Koreans are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Don't let the 5% change your view on other 95%.

How to Beat the Foreigner Stereotype

Most every foreigner gets this. After living in Korea for about 3 months, other foreigners tend get…annoying. Annoying to the point where you make every effort to avoid typical foreigner hangouts. Why do you do this? Because you don’t want to be the “stereotype.”

What is the stereotypical foreigner? They are the ones that drink an obnoxious amount of 소주 (soju), run around the streets shouting and hollering, and shoving their bottles of soju in other people’s faces. They are the ones that talk loudly on the subway and sit in the seats for the elderly. They are the ones that talk about their “Korean conquests.” They are the ones that the Korean media makes their racist news reporting on. They are the ones that refuse to adapt to the culture that they have decided to live in.

For many foreigners, our biggest complaint about other foreigners is their drunken antics. Yes, Korea is a heavy drinking culture, yet the difference between a Korean getting drunk to a stereotypical foreigner getting drunk is quite large.

Koreans drink. Good God, do Koreans drink. Yet while they drink such a staggering amount of alcohol, they tend to be relatively civilized when it comes to getting drunk. Here’s what I mean. Koreans tend to be much quieter, less rambunctious, compared to the stereotypical foreigner. For Koreans, drinking is as much of a way of getting drunk as it is a way of creating closer bonds with friends and coworkers. I mentioned in a previous post that when Koreans drink, what they say when they are drunk is taken as truth. Thusly, they tend to be much more reserved when drinking compared to their western counterparts.

Stereotypical foreigners drink. Good God, do they drink. But I should say here, stereotypical foreigners drink, just like the stereotype is that all Koreans drink an insane amount of soju. Yet when a stereotypical foreigner (read, not all foreigners) drinks, as I mentioned above, his/her actions become intolerable. The foreigner suddenly turns into this loud, obnoxious beast that jumps around and beats his chest.

Skip to 3:25 to see what I mean by annoying foreigners. And I know, Eat Your Kimchi, it's like committing sacrilege, but this video really pisses me off.

I hate this video. This video depicts what so many foreigners hate about other foreigners; the running around, the shoving soju in people’s faces, and just being a general asshole. But here’s the thing, you can avoid being these people!

Let’s play with a scenario. You have moved to Korea for the first time. You have what I call the golden pass. For 2 months, you’re going to be excited with Korea with its sights and sounds, and yes, drinking culture. More often than not, you will be the stereotype. In my belief though, you need to be the stereotype for a bit so that you can learn the culture—so that you can learn what and what not to do. After 2 months, your views on foreigners will start to change. Bingeing on soju becomes less fun (those hangovers are becoming a real bitch), you notice how loud the subway is when a group of foreigners get on, and all of a sudden, you make a terrifying transformation—you become a Korean. At 3 months, the thought of a large group of foreigners in one place almost revolts you. This is the transformation that most, but not all, foreigners make.

So how do you keep from being the stereotype? Drink, but monitor yourself as you drink. Try not to get wild. Don’t run around shouting and telling Koreans to take shots with you. It’s rude. When you get drunk, DO NOT say 안녕하세요 (Annyeonghaseyo, “Hello”), to every Korean on the street. It’s rude. Try to be quite and respectful to the people on the street around you. Are you drinking in a Hof? Go ahead and play games and be loud. That’s what Hofs are there for. Are you drinking in a bar or outside of a convenience store? Be quieter because a bar is not a place for games and a convenience store is in public.

When it comes to public transportation, remember, you’re in public and you need to speak quietly (think a whisper) or not speak at all. Do not sit in the elderly seats. They’re reserved and open for a reason. If you see an elderly person get on the bus/train, please give up your seat for them; 1) it’s the polite thing to do and 2) you make the rest of us foreigners look good. Also, if there’s a child, please give up your seat for them as well.

아줌마 (Ajjumma, “Middle-aged woman/auntie”) rant: If it’s an ajjumma, you don’t need to up your seat. Every foreigner and Korean deals with the bitchy, evil ajjumma. We all hate them. My advice is just to pretend you don’t see them or understand what they’re saying. (Quick rant as to why I will never give up my seat to an ajjumma again. I was on the subway and a woman came on with her small child. I gestured to the woman to come over so that I could give up my seat to the little girl. As the mother walked over, and I started to stand up so the little girl could take my seat, an ajjumma snaked her way in and stole the seat from the 4-year-old!!! A 4-YEAR-OLD!!!!!! They have no shame!!!!! I hate-glared the bitch for the rest of the ride. Thankfully someone else gave up their seat for the little girl, but good Lord was I pissed at that ajjumma. I have many other horrible ajjumma stories (as do all foreigners and Koreans alike), but this one is the most poignant. Remember, ajjummas are not elderly and you are not required to give up your seat for them.)

To sum it up, the best way to avoid being a stereotypical foreigner is by not acting like a jackass. Don’t be rude or disrespectful to people. Be quiet in public places. Be polite when you drink. These are easy things to do, and if you do them, Korea can become a better place for all foreigners. 

T-Money Card

If you’re going to be living in Seoul, you need to have a T-Money card. What is a T-Money card? It’s a transport card that lets you get ride the subway and bus system here in Seoul and can pay for taxis as well. T-Money can also be used in most cities outside of Seoul.

T-Money cards can be purchased at just about every subway station. If there is not a T-Money card machine (always next to the text dispensers), than you can buy one at the convenience store in the subway. If you buy from a convenience store, you’ll have a lot more options than buying from the machine.

If you get you card from a machine (don’t worry, there’s an English option to make purchasing easier), simply select the card or phone charm that you want and insert your money. Cards cost 3,000 won and there are a few varieties to pick from. If you would rather have a cell phone charm, the cost is 5,000+ won. Depending on the store, there will be several varieties of cell phone charms to choose from.

Getting a T-Money money card is very helpful and cost effective. The usual subway fee is 1,150 won plus a 500 won deposit. The bus fee is also 1,150 won. However, with a T-Money card, the subway and bus fare is 1,050 won (and no deposit). The T-Money card has one more useful option: you can transfer from the subway to the bus or visa versa for free. Without a T-Money card, a transfer to the subway to a bus and visa versa costs an additional 1,150 won.

To charge your T-Money card, you can charge it at the subway station at the charging machines or charge it at most convenience stores (GS-25, 7-11, C&U, etc.) You can charge in amounts of 1,000-90,000 won.  

Outside of Seoul, the Cash Bee card is used. While the T-Money card is accepted outside of Seoul, charging it is a little more difficult. So if you’re not living in Seoul, you should buy a Cash Bee card, not a T-Money a card. Cash Bee cards are not accepted in Seoul. 

If you decide to get buy a T-Money card from a store rather than a vending machine, here is some useful vocabulary:

T-Money 카드가 있어요?  ‘T-Money kadue ga issoyo?’ (Do you have a T-money card?)

이것을 주세요. ‘Igosool juseiyo’ (This one please.)

For more information on T-Money cards, please visit: http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TR/TR_EN_5_4.jsp

Playing with Sheep

Unlike the US, where things such as petting zoos are common, in Korea, interaction with animals is relatively minimal. So, when given a chance to pet a farm animal, many Koreans take it. In Gangwando(강완도), the northeastern province of South Korea, there is the  Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (대관령 양떼목장). It's a small plot of hilly, grassy land filled with roughly 200 sheep.

After paying an admission price, you are  allowed to go and pet and feed the sheep as well as walk around the paths that encircle the sheep farm. When you pay your admission, you are given a ticket that is worth one bowl of hay. After retrieving your hay, you can feed and pet the sheep.

The area is quite crowded, filled with mostly small children and retired adults. The sheep however, are friendly and hungry. It's easy to go up and pet and feed the sheep.

After feeding the sheep, you can walk along the scenic paths. For our group, this was our favorite part of the farm. The farm is located in the middle of Korea's rolling mountains which creates some breathtaking and camera-worthy sights.

The price of admission is 4,000 won per adult or 3,000 won per child. The farm opens at 9 am closes at 5 pm sharp, so make sure to get there on time. If you're traveling in Gangwando you might pass by the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm. For a pit stop/leg stretch, it's worth going, however, the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm is not worth going out of your way to see.

A Strange Little Tip

My friends and I discovered this trick when we traveled together recently. When we went on our trip, our group planner made us official looking name tags as a joke and made us wear them. By wearing them, we actually ended up looking like an official tour group.

What made this unique however, was how interested people were in our little "tour group." With a mix of Koreans and foreigners, it looked like quite an odd yet interesting tour group, and we were thus stopped frequently asking how we knew each other or how we found this tour group. At many points at our stops, the owner(s) of the establishment would come out and greet, offering a free private tour or free service.

Free, private tour of Terarosa Cafe

So, a little Korean travel trick if you're traveling in a group, wear official looking name tags. Who knows, maybe you'll get a free private tour or some extra service as well.

Picture of us with the Vice President and founder of Terarosa Cafe