**disclaimer** Plz don't forget that this is my PERSONAL opinion/analysis about Korea! I'm 24(born in 98) and lived in Korea for 20yrs, so this content is basically a compilation on my experiences in Korea and experience of my friends(both Korean/foreign). Your Korean experience might be totally different from what I state here and my words are not the bible obviously!! :) I'm human, so the ppl I socialize with irl are at most 100 ppl, and the stories I hear from those 100ppl are from their social groups, which are around a 100 each, which makes my Korean experience limited to a group of 10000ppl. Keep that in mind, and take my words with a grain of salt ;). I do think I have insight about how Korea feels to foreign ppl cuz of my unique background, and so I made this video to help foreigners, especially bc with the recent hype of Korea, some foreigners seem to think that Korea doesn't have problems or have unrealistic expectations and they become disappointed when they come here :) Plz don't hesitate to share your own Korean experience, it's really interesting for me to read them and it helps to build an open community where everyone can talk about their experiences!! Also, it's more data added to my 10000ppl's data, so it evens out things I think :) Share positive experiences honestly, and negative experiences honestly too! Anyway hope this video helped you guys in some way
your videos have been a huge help in helping me understand why everyone feels so near yet so far away and out of reach whenever I try to befriend them. Your videos are so positive and I feel like it helps bridge the gap between Korean culture and the rest of the world. Thank you for your honest perspective and sharing it with us!!!
Yes japanese do that ( more before than now .. ) that they think of bilingual japanese as not one of us either. ( Too much group identity... Ect ) on the opposite side English countries are full of multilingual people and it's not valued at all. Sadly it's a crazy blind spot instead.
I've heard of an American guy who idolized Korean culture from a young age. He grew up on Korean media, did 태권도, learned how to speak basic Korean, studied in a Korean university, and got TOPIK 6. Then when he graduated in Korea, he applied to so many positions in Korean companies and was rejected from all of them. One of the companies that rejected to him said, "so what if you speak fluent Korean. You know, every other Korean applicant can speak enough English to get by, why should we hire a non Korean who won't fit in?" Needless to say, he was demoralized and went home after his visa expired and couldn't get it extended.
This Korea Country most local people are so arrogant. It’s not a good country at all to live to because they have their own world on their own. Plenty of discrimination to. Unwilling to learn English means arrogant. Unfriendly and narrow minded people. It’s not fun to live their plenty of insecure people. Very stressful country.
As a foreigner who just moved back home after living in Korea for 4 years I can definitely say I agree to everything you've said so far. Love that you're willing and able to express your honest opinions and your observations. It feels great being able to get this perspective from a Korean who is not afraid of speaking up and sharing these thoughts about their own country.
Amen! I lived there for multiple years as well and absolutely loved it, but everything she said was something I experienced. I did actually make Korean friends while there, but they were like Kelsey, they spoke English and had traveled or lived abroad. It helped that I speak some Korean and was always making efforts, but there was definitely a barrier. You're always "the outsider."
@@Oceanrocks121 Of course, but this video is about Korea and we lived there so that's why we're commenting on this particular conversation. We've had experiences and are sharing our perspective. There are people that have fantasies about Korea that just aren't realistic. Doesn't mean Korea isn't a fantastic country, people just gotta be prepared for the differences.
@@Oceanrocks121 glad you edited out the "well what did you expect" part of your reply because that was stupid. If no one has ever been to a homogeneous country, how were they ever going to expect anything? Especially when they speak a different language. Most (or pretty much all) of the time it takes people who have actually been there and experienced these things and share them with others for us to know that this is how things are. There's a whole community of foreigners in Korea who have all experienced atleast one of these situations and they talk to each other about it all the time. Also it's rare for a natural born citizen of said homogeneous country to come out and confirm these things about their own country. So what we are saying is, yes, from our experience of living there, we agree with what Kelsey is saying. And as @N had stated people who have never lived there are have these different fantasy-like ideals of what it's like to live there. Mostly because of the image and romantic visuals they are sold from kpop and kdramas and possibly other reasons like fetishism (but that's another topic for another day 😒). So videos like these are informative and are what's needed as a reality check.
I've been back home for 2 years already after being 4 years in Korea, and I lost contact with all my Korean friends who don't speak English. One of them is really nice, but we don't talk much anymore. I only talk with my Chinese friends now (in korean, because they also don't speak English). It was so hard to make korean friends at university. I don't even know why though. Only in Itaewon it was easy to find 'open minded' Koreans willing to be friends without fear. But I never managed to make close friends like I did with people from other countries.
I respect you talking openly about your country. I dislike when people blindly praise their own country or try to keep up the fasade. Every country has it's flaws and I think the ladder one is global. There is no way to escape where you start off in your life. You just watch others get richer and have no worries about taxes getting bigger every year drastically
I 100% agree what you said. For an example if you try criticize how US has expensive health care and higher education compared to other first world countries, you'd immediately get so many people angry and calling you hater or not a patriot for calling out your own country flaws. It doesn't mean I don't love my country just means I'm aware what's going on and shows that I care about my country. So many Americans love to call out other countries for their flaws, you cannot do the same thing to the US, it doesn't mean everyone in America is what I'm currently described but it's sometimes annoying.
we say: "born in poor and corrupted country is not OUR FAULT but IF by the time we die it still is poor and corrupted then IT IS OUR FAULT..".....true, there is no way to escape where you were born....but do not watch others get richer...do your part and enjoy what you can do...(not what you cant do)...if the country is one of those that no matter what ...will never change THEN.... get out....plan ahead and look for opportunities.....
I live in Korea. The way I have been treated as a foreign woman caused me severe depression. I have been bullied, excluded -told I was ugly. A demon. Ordered out of restaurants and cafes. Noone will date you. All my foreign women friends, no one will date them. The only man I slightly dated dumped me as foreigner bodies are ugly. Sometimes I have so much anger towards Korean people. I want to leave, I know other people who have been driven to suicide attempts from the loneliness and racism. I can't ever forgive how I have been treated and how it has changed me as a person and how it has made me hate myself and feel ugly. I even had surgery because of the pressure and bullying.
Hi. Hang in there, there is more to life than Korea and Koreans. You want to leave then make that your target and focus on that and your bright future. You aren't ugly, they are.
Wow I'm sorry you had to go through such a terrible experience. Seriously, if you have any chance to leave, you must seize it. Trying to fit in a country that completely rejects you is not good.
I’m sorry you had to endure that and pray for your healing. Your life is precious and way more valuable than how people are treating you. Their opinions don’t matter please remember that. Sending love and light your way💛
She’s very amazing 😉! I’ve always wanted to go to Korea. I love learning more about Korea. I’m kinda liking the more innocence but I’m romanticized by it lol.
Wish she could make a video on how life is like in Sweden for her and her boyfriend. I suspect that her experiences will be similar since Sweden is pretty homogeneous as well.
one word: ✨insecurity✨ It's hard to find meaningful friendships in foreign countries when they see you as a commodity (free language practice, fetishization) or competition (unrealistic beauty standards, language abilities)
와. Very interesting! Thank you so much for your honesty and bravery! I’m in my 60s and left Korea 40 years ago. I realize nothing has changed. What you say is exactly how things were 40 years ago including myself. Plz continue to speak up. Maybe Koreans who watch your videos will learn something.
this is 100% true. I've been living in Korea for 3+ years and the only close friends I've been able to make are other foreigners or bilingual Koreans. even some of the Korean teachers at the English schools I've worked at don't like hanging out with foreigners because they don't want to speak English. I get it, if you're not fully comfortable that must be tiring, but it puts such a barrier up when you're trying to be friendly with all your coworkers. I know foreigners who have lived here much longer than me who are pretty much fluent in Korean (one who even got her Master's in Korean at Yonsei) who still struggle to make Korean friends. it's definitely a cultural difference. anytime I've had Korean people try to befriend me or hang out (besides coworkers/dates) it's always turned out they wanted English practice or something sexual. no tea, no shade: I've loved living here and I've had some amazing experiences, but knowing that I'll always be an outsider is a bummer. I'm really grateful that I've found an amazing girlfriend, a couple close pals, and connections in the queer community here, otherwise I don't think I would've made it. loneliness living abroad is pretty normal, but the amount of cultural isolation you feel in such a homogenous country can be overwhelming.
I’m actually going for a teaching job in the fall. I’ve been anxious and on the fence about it this whole time because I know the reality (I can’t idealize it, I’m just hoping for the best and to achieve my personal goals)... I hope I could cope and find a good community like you! And I at least hope by being there I could make a little bit of a difference in someone’s life. I hope I could inspire confidence or expose people to another way of living or have them know and see it’s ok to be different. I’m glad you’ve found a life for yourself and I hope to do the same
@@m1jime thanks!! overall I feel like I was able to grow a lot as a person & despite any anxieties/challenges it was definitely worth it. I think you have the right attitude going in & I sincerely hope you have a great experience!! you can definitely find a sense of community over time, & there are other foreigners who will support you & understand the struggles. cheers~!
yessss I’ve always found it so strange how kdramas glamourise European culture (rich characters drinking wine etc.) and it’s usually the more working class characters drinking soju or makgeolli
I never thought that it could be linked to the glamourization of the west. I always thought that the rich simply could afford things from all over the world but now looking back I can see that they have mostly shown things from the the US and other known European countries. I'll keep a look out for more, thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Well...To speak as Korean, Soju is approximately 1dollar in here, Makgeolli isn't that cheap, but usually less than 10 dollar.That's why working class characters drink that.Besides, as you know, WINE CAN BE VERY EXPENSIVE.In here, it is hard to find cheap and low class wine that costs a few dollar.THAT'S ALL.not glamorizing western and European.
You answered my question. I was wondering why France is such a popular tourist attraction for South Korean's and learning French. The glamourized culture of Europe in K-dramas makes sense. Thanks @ Ur Mum.
@@hughallan1647 it’s true Thai people are a lot more accepting of Americans/Westerners. It’s not a bad thing but many of them would not mind having a relationship with you as long as you are willing to learn basic Thai and try to learn their culture. If you plan on marrying a Thai girl be prepared to fly to Thailand to meet her whole family. Just try every food they want you to try, respect the rules of the dining table, drink with her uncles and dad if they drink, and just be really friendly. I have a Thai GF and I’m American.
the fact that i heard korean idols say this to THEIR OWN CO MEMBER (who is a foreigner) maybe two times max in my six plus years of being a multi kpop stan .. yeah its sad ..
As a foreigner who lived in Korea from 2011 to 2014, I can absolutely understand all these points. I was an English teacher full time for one year and then I went to Korea University for the other two years. Those two different chapters really helped me fully understand the Korean culture from multiple angles and see the good and the bad. I could easily add to all your points, but one thing that stuck out to me was the Korean education system point. One piece I also noticed being a teacher and in school there myself was that it very much lacked the push to think for yourself. Creative thinking. There was too much emphasis on memorizing and regurgitating. I found that the Koreans never had a lot of projects to challenge themselves to think outside of the box, so to speak. For a country who strives to push for innovation and become a global leader, there's a lot of systemic flaws in work culture and even basic creative thinking skills that will continue to hinder the growth they push for.
I’ve been living in Korea for over 5 years now and can now speak Korean pretty fluently. But I find that a lot of Koreans I meet still feel uncomfortable talking to me, or will say random words in English when we’re having a conversation fully in Korean as if they think that I actually can’t properly understand. I think the problem is two fold: like you said a lot of Koreans are afraid of interacting in English, but also a lot of Koreans can’t fathom that a foreigner might be able to communicate with them in Korean and undermine non-native Korean speakers. When I met my partner’s family, his father kept saying things along the lines of ‘oh she won’t be able to understand what you’re saying’ or asking his sister to translate for me when other family members would interact with me. It was hurtful and really dismissive of all the effort I’ve put into learning the language and culture while I’ve been in Korea. But…at the same time I also get really frustrated at foreigners who have lived in Korea for a while and make no effort to learn the language or culture at all. That is privilege and ignorance in my opinion. Both sides need to make an effort!
I agree with ... when a country, foreign for you, adopt you (no matters how you move there) it's your respect for that country to learn language, culture and socializing manners
@@onishkapink they're obviously not "adopted". Maybe tolerated and accepted but not much more. I agree that you should at least learn the language but if it's to still be treated as a stranger who you just can't communicate with just because you look different or have a different culture I get it.
There's a lot of trauma people experience from different cultures. Some people don't learn the native language for whole bunch of reasons.. i try not to shame people for not knowing the language cause there's a multitude of factors. I.e like she said in the video, feeling fear or embarrassment when trying to speak this different language.
Was adopted from Korea to a Jewish-American family. I tried relearning the language when I was younger at the local Korean church but they kept trying to convert me. A kid who I went to school with did apologize when she found out.
I truly agree. If you are in a country, you should make the effort to learn the language. I find the unwillingness to learn very disrespectful. That's just being intelligent. But, as for the interactions, why is English so idealized in a foreign country? I grew up in Haiti, and there is such a thing as being Americanized. That includes the clothes and making the effort to speak the language while losing some of what makes you Haitian. I relate to that. Did it help whe I moved to the states, yes. Can we do not look at it as another language without belittling another's language, culture?
I've read a few books by North Korean defectors who talk about when they eventually move from South Korea to the USA that it is the first time they experience 'Liberty of the mind' & not being judged as social outcasts by being from the North. I thought that was so interesting that they couldn't find that in the South after years of living there, being fluent in the language & essentially just being Korean.
It's similar in Germany. It was pretty bad before reunification (my family left East Germany in '82). But even today 30 years after reunification this problem still is alive and well. It seems to be getting better with people born 20ish years ago though. So it seems to be a generational thing.
I loved so many aspects of living in Korea for 6 years but I was shocked by the unashamed racism and the weirdest one of all is when Koreans 'congratulated' me for my ability to use chopsticks. A little boy growing up in west London where you see the whole world around you everyday. I used chopsticks since I was 5 years old, like most Londoners I guess but in Korea it seems locals think it's a miracle if non-Koreans can use chopsticks. Really odd.
@@armynurseboy I was told by Korean colleagues that 'miguks' (basically any Western foreigner (although it actually means 'American') have 'too big hands to use Korean chopsticks'. Also that Japanese fingers 'are too short and fat to properly hold Korean chopsticks which is why Japanese use shorter chopsticks'. This was said with zero irony. They really meant it.
I'm a Canadian gyopo and I totally agree about your point about Koreans being insecure/jealous of English speakers, ESPECIALLY if you can speak pretty good Korean as well (like myself). The biggest thing I hate about Koreans is how obsessed they are with appearance and how they will bluntly tell you 'you are fat' or shower praise on your for being pretty or good looking. I feel this inflates or crushes people's egos.
My exbf who is korean (dated for 5 years and lived with him, met his family and friends) so~ he usually mentioned “ because you aren’t korean” . He reminded me that I won’t be part of the society and always be just a foreigner there...so I agree with your open opinion, it’s difficult for foreigners to fit there.
@rong aron. That's interesting, because there was a survey asking why Koreans would date a foreigner and ONE of the main reasons they said was: "to experience a different culture".
Shit... that is quite ironic because when you are with someone for that long they, their family are suppose to accept you for who you are and help you get used to the culture. It's kind of shitty how those kinds of relationships between two people from different countries usually play out that way.
this is also fcked up bc mixed koreans exist and i also wonder abt the small amount of people born and raised in korea but who arent ethnically korean (chinese people for example). arent they considered korean either?
I just remembered this scene in Crash Landing on You where a character was able to escape from a police officer who wanted to question him by pretending to only speak English, basically the officer felt uncomfortable and ran away from him.
This isn't racist, idiot. And he wasn't even foreinger, do you are talking about kim junghyun's character on a scene where he speak english in his car to a police office?
@@darxmieditscc your comprehension skills suck. They aren’t talking about it being racist. Just mentioning that it’s odd that you would run away from someone simply because they speak another language.
I think the phrase "free minded" in Korean is interesting. It's often used in a sexual connotation and often about foreigners. It's used when someone is precieved as having sexual freedom or wanting to pursue that with someone else. The reason I find it so interesting is because I think they're pointing something out. The opposite of being free minded is being closed minded but the thing that closes those doors is shame. To be free minded is to be free of shame. And I think every human wants that
totally agree but I think they're saying it in a judgmental way, they're not saying "you're so free of shame" they're pretty much saying "You're not exhibiting the proper amount of shame" that we Koreans show, to them the correct way would be conservatism. So they imply she was changed by her experience abroad, and no longer "acts Korean" which of course, is the proper way to act.
Having taught English in a Korean high school for a while I can safely say a huuuuuuge aspect of the whole 'embarrassed by their English' thing is the actual topics studied and the exams themselves. None of it is practical and students end up learning extremely advanced words that they don't truly understand and won't use on a day to say basis in English conversation. It needs to be reformed but I doubt it will be for a long long time
I have read they are mostly interested in test scores and not actually learning how to speak it, It was that way in Japan where grammar was the most important thing.
I'm a Korean highschool student and i've experienced almost every English learning course in korea. It is absolutely true that we don't learn how to speak and listen to english but to read articles I guess it is bc most korean won't have that many chances of meeting foreigners especially in the older generation. But korea is now becoming opened to the world thru culture and english learning course's renovation is needed. HOWEVER I can say that if they reach a certain level in reading english via korean curriculum it is quite easy to get listening and speaking skills in a short period. For me, i was able to only read and interpret articles but not speak or listen at first. i think i reached to quite decent level by devoting myself on english for 1 and half month.
I find Koreans' fetish for English language approaching the realm of absurdity. As a Korean living in the US, I cannot emphasize the following enough: you must bump into native English speakers on everyday basis in order to become better at English. There are some Koreans who are even obsessed with trying to sound like native speakers which I find a complete waste of time. Let's get real here: Filipinos and Indians, while their pronunciation might sound awkward, are more fluent in English than Koreans will ever be simply because English is ubiquitous in both the Philippines and India alongside their respective official languages. Meanwhile, English classes in Korea are geared up towards preparing for exams, meaning the overwhelming number of students will forget whatever English they have learned once they no longer have to prepare for dreadful English exams. South Korean education system has many flaws and its obsession for college entrance exam is one of them. This has a perverse consequence: students are not groomed to think for themselves which actually puts them at a disadvantage compared to their Western peers once they become adults. Korean parents' attitude towards education also has a lot to be desired. This sort of cognitive dissonance seems to have become even more pronounced today compared to the time when I was growing up in Korea.
I'm from an Asian country and I wanna scream "SAME SAME SAME SAME" people think you're posh and fancy and eLiTe just because you've lived abroad. People will treat you as if you're somehow better than them just because of it. They think they're being respectful and they're hyping us up when actually it just hurts that they will never consider us to be "one of them". It's so awkward being with the part of my family that never lived abroad.
@@johnwa2323 people from my country DO NOT like foreigners, they're pretty racist tbh. They only like native people who act foreign because it means they have money
I don’t know why we expect Koreans to speak English. It’s their country, they should speak their language. I hate that White supremacy and colonization make Koreans feel bad about speaking a language with origins on the other side of the planet.
@@Chi1Chi1O I doubt it's white supremacy and colonization. It's just that, English is a global language, used for communication across countries, so being able to speak it is a sign of prestige in other countries. Being able to speak English in Korea means you're well educated and wealthy, that's why some Koreans feel intimidated when other Koreans speak English. It's more about class rather than race
This breaks my heart. I've always wanted to be friends with someone Korean, and live in another country for a little while. I came from a small town and love to meet new people with different cultures. I was lonely most my entire life, I don't want to be lonely in Korea.
That's true, I feel exactly as you do. Being African I wonder if I'll ever even get a shot there😅 I'd really love to visit, being into Korea and all.. But I'm sure you'll eventually meet someone nice, miracles are everywhere and are disguised as humans too
@@de341f6 So I met a German man who came over to work in the US. He literally learned English from watching Friends. He said he's always wanted to work in America and have American friends. I thought that was fantastic, not weird. His work visa ended and he had to go back home but we still talk to this day. Maybe I didn't articulate my reasoning properly for saying I have wanted a Korean friend. I don't seek people out of different races to make friends like I'm collecting Pokemon cards or some shit like that. I study Korean culture, my Hangul is shit but I'm trying to do better, and I'm learning Korean. I would love to be someone who could help with English and they help my Hangul. I would do the same with someone Chinese, because my Mandarin leaves much to be desired 🙈 If you still think I'm weird then not much I can do about that fam.
@@truthbetold3209 I hope you meet a great friend too! I came from a small all white town, so in college I would find people who would stick together racially (exchange students who looked scared or uncomfortable with a brand new place and let's get real, I'm talking anyone of any race who looked stressed) and just be welcoming and try to help them feel comfortable. I made some amazing lifelong friends!
Thank you, I'm sure we'll definitely meet great people. It's nice to learn new cultures and there's nothing weird with that. I'd love to learn about various cultures and equally share mine 🙂
this is a REALLY good video for any koreaboo, someone who wants to live in Korea, or just someone who wants to learn more about the culture....it's realistic about actual Korea, from a real Korean's perspective not a foreigner's, so thank you for this! looking forward to part 2
In my state, a Korean company came and with it many Koreans came as well. The thing is, they started to make places just for them, like clubs and bars where "foreigners" were not allowed. Like, I don't think they realize they are the foreigners in someone else's country. We were all pretty shocked and just ignored them tbh. It was just disappointing to see.
@@lunali7209 because unfortunately our people can be huge hypocrites how can we ask others to openly accept and adopt our norms but then shun them when they try to engage with us its stupid as fuck. hopefully our society will grow out of this mindset and very quickly
Thank you for sharing this video (even tho it's a year old now). I'm a sociologist and a college professor of education. Much of what you described about the rigid social ladder and education system is fascinating and concerning. I remember watching Parasite the movie and feeling like it was one of few films that highlighted inequality in S Korea (at least very different from K-dramas that tend to idolize wealthy men/families). Also, I'd love to read books that address the collapse of the social ladder. *I should also say that America has the SAME problems, but perhaps it's more acceptable to talk about inequality and to support politicians who call for policies that reduce inequity in education, housing, health, etc.]
Husband of 5 years is Korean, stayed in Korea for about a month, been in community for around 8 years. I FEEL this video. There are things in every society that need attention, but you highlighted Korean society so well. Especially felt it when you talked about wearing sleeveless top in summer 🤣 my mother in law was shocked when I wore leggings, as it was too “sexy” 🧐 like y’all. It’s hot af here, let’s just wear some shorts 😭
Something I noticed lately is how the popularity of Korean culture has led to people excusing some of the ignorant behaviors. I don’t think it should be excused at all, doesn’t matter if it’s “not their fault”. South Korea is a democratic country and their citizens have access to a plethora of resources to keep themselves “woke” lol. From my experiences, Korean people fantasize English speakers and white people things, they get defensive with Japanese things, BUT still think Japanese pop culture is cool. And lastly, Korean people look down on Chinese people.
I also hate that Westerners also have this mentality like every Asian country should have the same beliefs and values. In addition, I see Westerners are very unaware of their hypocrisy. Like trying to say how bad racism is in Korea when in the US we have things like police brutality against Black people and hate crimes against Asians. There was also the mass shooting against Mexican people in El Paso not too long ago. Not saying you can't talk about the bad things you experience in Korea but ppl have absolutely no perspective and live in this fake utopian western bubble.
@@LyzaLawal This is what I mean by Western mentality and hypocrisy. There is a big anti-Asian attitude in the US in Black communities and it's been there for decades. No Black person has actually tried to address these issues inward towards their own communities and yet... here we are where another American Black person tries to lecture Korea (and I'm not saying that Korean race issues should be ignored). The COVID situation helped more people see what was alrdy happening for a long time although Black on Asian hate crimes have been more accelerated recently. If you think about it, the Black community should understand not to do these things considering how they were treated by Whites in the past. It's the same argument you're trying to say with regards to 'Han'. At the same time, Black, as well as American people, have appropriated Asian culture (just watch countless past hip hop videos), watch anime, K-dramas, K-movies, etc. In addition, Americans, in general, use many Asian things whether it's food, medicine, tech, martial arts, yoga, Buddhism, etc. The achievements of Asian people are also disregarded and they've always been 'othered' in spite of contributions to America. For example, the co-founder of RUclips is Asian which a lot of ppl don't even know. And things go beyond just 'consuming culture' and there are countless inventions and everyday things that are there because of Asian contributions yet no credit is given to Asian people. As you mentioned, I also do not like how Whites are treated with better preference in Asian countries when Asian people are treated with so much racism and disrespect by Whites in America. This is another topic in of itself but obviously associated with the fact that Americans helped with the Korean civil war in the past and there's a relationship there. There's no such thing as a utopia. You have to stop acting like every western or non-Asian country is non-racist, because they are. I experienced it in Europe, South America, and Africa during my travels. It took the Western world 200 years to do away with race-based slavery and yet you're expecting foreign countries to offer a perfectly equal society to others in what... 3-5 years? People like you also never judge in a logical manner. They jump to conclusions based on a few incidences and extrapolate them to the masses (generalization). You never hear of the progress that's been made over the past few years and attempts that have been made by the Korean gov't. I've actually heard many personal accounts of Black people being treated better in East Asian countries than Western countries. Also, foreigners don't have to fear for their lives in Asian countries while as a minority, I have to worry about some random hateful person trying to stab or shoot me due to my race in the US.
@@Oceanrocks121 Well the world is in an economic cold war with China due to their unethical communist gov't. They've broken many treaties and agreements while engaging in IP theft from advanced nations and creating unfair trade agreements. The South China sea is in contention as well since it borders multiple Asian countries but China is trying to claim it as their own and using their military power to bully other countries out.
Oh i felt that first one a lot. Right now living in Korea studying Korean has been quite difficult. My teacher keeps telling me to make Korean friends but it’s like almost impossible haha. The few korean friends I have usually like to talk in English to me to practice as well. Also I noticed in the dance studio where I go, a few people only dared to talk to me after I sort of ‘proved’ myself as being an okay dancer? at least that is what it feels like. They are all incredibly nice there but stay away from foreigners and with their own little group. Which is fine, but it’s been pretty hard to connect.
Glad you mentioned the dance studio thing. I've only been here for a few months and live in a rural area so I I been able to go to a dance studio yet. Sucks that I may have to "prove my worth" to gain some connection. Guess I'm gonna have dance battle battle way to friendships hahah
Interesting that you guys say that. I feel like that’s also just a dance community thing - it can be clicky in general. At least that’s what I experienced in my own city without any language barriers lol. It,s sad to hear that might be the case there too when you add cultural/language barrier. I was hoping to check out some dance studios when I travel there.
@@CaroBrass ! I’ve danced in many places and have experienced that yes! It’s a little different here though. Everyone is extremely supportive during classes and it seems that they enjoy watching and learning from me as well. The dance community here is very open in the classes which is so nice!!
@@anna-mooncrutzen3427 Well that's good to know. I think humans are like that in general, but it can be intense in the dance community. It's good to know people are encouraging. I definitely want to check out some studios when I go there someday, hopefully soon, and I only got back into dancing recently, nowhere near feeling confident but good to know there's an encouraging atmosphere. Thanks for the reply! I hope you make more local friends soon.
I love watching these types of videos since I've never really experienced any negative experiences over the several times I've gone and lived in Korea. Have been visiting since 2016 and most recently lived in Seoul for six months in 2021. I would really only count two times when I had a "bad" experience: a drunk guy trying to talk to me but I just ignored him + walked away and second in Gyeongju, the staff at a restaurant were telling me they didn't have most of their menu available(seemed like they wanted me to leave). I don't take these moments to heart since I've had similar experience in my home country. Other than those times, I've really only had positive experiences in Korea. BTW I'm an overweight mid-tone Latina with Spanish and English as my native languages. I do speak some intermediate Korean but I think the thing that gets me by every time I'm in Korea is the fact that I just know Korea really well. I know how to get around the cities and how to research any things when I don't know. It might be that I'm just extremely luck with the people I interact with but the majority of people are super kind/helpful. I understand the struggle other people face and appreciate gaining this knowledge. Korea is not perfect and I hope these negative attributes can one day be resolved. Korea is truly a wonderful place and I have grown so much as person due to being pushed outside my comfortable zone. Definitely agree with everything said in this video tho.
One thing i don't like about the korean media and entertainment industry is their perception of Africa. I feel like in this day and age you can't be ignorant about the rest of the world. No matter how conservative that nation or individual is. I was watching "He is psychometric" and i was so irritated by a statement >> "Did you think I'd read the Africans picking coffee beans if i touched this or what?" If you have watched the drama you'd understand. It's the same as assuming we live in huts when we are actually so evolved as a continent. The media and entertainment industry is especially not allowed to be that ignorant. It's disgusting no matter how conservative a nation is.
And it's not even ignorance. It's the choice to be ignorant to anything that isn't in front of them. I'm sorry but it's very true that alot of them would watch a documentary on white ppl over one on black people. Like- the itnerest and willingness to be knowledgeable isn't there for a good number of them when it comes to this. There's a korean woman who does illustrations on these issues on ig, when my ig starts working I'll insert the name if I remember....
Honestly why, even though I've always loved Korean, Japanese and Chinese cultures (wanted to go there years ago for a painting class even), I'd never try myself. It's hard being Black and worse when people realise I'm African. I have a US background but prefer to identify as an African (grew up there). Life is already hard, no need to complicate things going to places where I'm not welcome. Don't have time for Deliberate Ignorance.
I'm Korean and I also have lived in the english speaking country for few years when I was young like you. Then I grew up almost my life in Korea, so whenever I watch your videos, they are really really relatable. Like it feels like you're just in my head or something😂 I think my age is also similar to your age so that's even making me feel more like that. I only have few Korean friends and bunch of foriegn friends so I really agree to this video. I was so happy to find your channel when I first saw your video but I didn't leave any comment so far, so I'm just going leave this comment right now. Always thanks for the videos😘
I lived in Korea for two years as a US Army officer and will probably be going back soon. I feel kind of bad to say it, but those issues, while true, ended up mostly working to my advantage there. Because I speak English and because of my status as a military officer, almost every Korean I met wanted to be friends me with. Even ones who spoke ZERO English. They would just use a translator entirely to speak with me. Especially a lot of the older, more conservative generation that remembered the Korean War, absolutely loved me as well. Every week there were rallies with Koreans waving American flags. So I think the social status of being a military officer and speaking English made things very easy for me. That being said, I did have some unique negatives as well. Sometimes, a few of those older Koreans are so conservative, they actually wanted all foreigners out, especially US troops, and they hated me for that reason. And sometimes, younger Koreans, especially females, would tell me about the bad things some US soldiers did with Korean girls. Because of that, I always did my best to treat people with respect and train my soldiers to respect Korean people too.
Older Koreans don't hate Americans because they're conservative. They hate Americans because America split and destroyed their country within their living memory.
Living in Korea is as a US Soldier is not exactly an immersive experience. Working and living on a US base is almost the same as still living in the US. You can go the entire time on base without hearing a word of Korean. That being said, I learned how to read all the 한글 and have basic conversations with my friends, but never became fluent. Work/life balance can be difficult as a Soldier too, and at a certain point of working 16-18 hours a day, I gave up trying to study after work. Not everyone has work like that, but that was my life for a while. I'm going back to Korea next year actually, and now I can balance work a lot more, and I'll be on a Korean base. 100% I will be fluent in the near future. If I could do it again I would take more advantage of the time I wasn't working so much to study, but I didn't have that goal back then.
@@PsychoSpartan7 I met a dude from american army and hes hated korea, his status didnt help koreans be friendly to him, still denied entry into many places cause hes not korean.
@@christyotoole7312 unfortunately some other things can affect that...there are some clubs, especially in Daegu I've seen, that just don't let any American in them. Because the whole point of the club is for the guys to spend money on drinks for the girls. And a lot of junior enlisted soldiers without much money were going to the club and not spending anything. So they banned them. For other places...sometimes Americans have just causes problems before, so it's easier to not let any in. Or, if your friend was black, some Koreans just don't like black people. Or if your friend is a female but not beautiful by their standards, they can also get rejected from certain establishments. The girls need to be pretty to attract the guys. I didn't want to bring it up, but I was honestly helped a lot by being tall and white. These are all things that can happen unfortunately.
To all korean youtuber I watched ... I see you as the only one who is really honest and shared own experienced and opinions without hesitations😊❤ You're not just focusing on one side of koreans but as a whole 😊I really love and enjoy watching your vlogs 😊
I’m so worried about going to south K and people making fun of my broken Korean 😰… Subject Object Verb IS SO CONFUSING 😂 ✨Hank Apple eats✨ 🥶 So when I’m speaking Korean (I’m pretty crumby at it btw) I sound like Wow, I here it love! *Wait that’s not right* I- I here love. Wait that doesn’t get my point across *FRICK* It’s such a fascinating language! 😄🇺🇸
@@nikicarrie4071 You're pathetic. You say this after what the US has been through and the level of racism that so many people didn't realize was true? They're not that racist. The country is still healing from war and politics.... just like many other countries. There are countries that are worse than South Korea regarding racism. Like America. If you're gonna compare learn how to think first, and don't forget to improve your spelling.
I think it has to do with mindset... Not particularly ones interests or behavior, but a mindset. If you are opinionated and know what you want, not necessarily "loud and obnoxious ", it's very hard to fit in or get along with the natives. I've never had such a hard time getting along with a whole nation before. It sounds dramatic but the whole mindset just grated me in all the wrong places. I stayed because, it's such an interesting culture.
I thought it was the language barrier at first too, but now after 9 years in Korea with good fluency, the barrier for me is still there! It's not because of language, it's because of the mindset.
@@bvu8080 Maybe it's age, they grew up, went to school and work with eachother....... like everywhere in the world people start to get more on their own as they age and it's very hard to make new friends. Don't think this is just a Korean or mindset thing.
Before I travelled to Korea back in 2018 I made sure to learn and practice basic Korean language so it’ll be easy to like ask for directions or help. I also went there thinking that probably it would be easier to approach the teens and young adults as they might have studied english in school. I was surprised that there were older ones that were approachable and helpful despite the language barrier. I remember an ahjussi who was so fast to think about taking out his phone to use a translator app just to understand and help me find the address I was looking for. There were a few teens whom I approached that were hesitant to speak with me. I think they were too shy to speak english. But generally, the people that I encountered during my trip were nice.
I'm a U.S. military veteran and we had a huge Philipino culture in the Navy! We all socialized so well together and learned about each other's cultures. Even with spouses and family who spoke little to no English did the best to be welcoming in their homes. Don't even get me started in how much I LOVE Philipine food! Of course this was in California and cultures are very diverse. Huge melting pot of cultures there. ✌🙏
As a foreigner , from what I've seen online , unless you're married to a Korean , you got no chance on the long run. Hopefully I'll visit Seoul one day . Hugs from Romania
Having visited Korea and speaking ok-ish Korean (enough to get me around), I definitely agree with your analysis. In fact, it was the elderly people (they didn’t speak English at all) who were the most kind to me and praised me for my Korean. The younger people (Middle-aged and young adults) pretty much avoided me, and I heard somebody even discussing me in not a very nice way, thinking I can’t understand them. It was quite disappointing tbh
My sister moved to China several years ago now, my brother in law works for Boeing - anyway they have a big family, the kids the Chinese people seemed to love almost treat them like celebrities- my nephew is very tall blonde blue eyed I don’t know but they loved him. My sister on the other hand has always struggled with her weight and the older men there had NOoo problem pointing it out to her everywhere she went. The culture is wild!
I feel so blessed to be born in India. I had a different picture about Korea but after watching this video the way I look at Korea has changed. I really thought that people in Korea are warm and welcoming towards people from other countries. Coz in India most of the people are warm n welcoming towards foreigners. Infact most of the Indians give preference to foreigners as they are guests in our country and treat them really well. You can see in India even if people don't know how to speak English are warm and welcoming towards foreigners. This video was really an eye opener for me.
i appreciate your honesty! as a person who appreciates korean culture, i like to hear opinions from locals on the culture and what life can really be like in the society, good and bad. it’s really good to know these things.
Oh my gosh, I felt so HEARD with that first point. This is something that took me soo long to fully discover and understand the reasons behind, and it was soo hard for (many of) my Korean friends who have not lived abroad to understand and empathize with my feelings. I remember many of them (with no ill intentions at all) would say dismissive things like “Well, of course they didn’t invite you. They can’t speak English.” Or “They were just embarrassed/shy.” and not recognize that they were belittling my very real loneliness and feelings of rejection in favor of the general Korean’s “discomfort”. Like immediately excusing their actions and defending their emotions while ignoring or minimizing my own feelings. But, as you explained so well, it is very possible to understand that many Koreans feel this way and the complex reasons behind it, and to empathize with them, while also being bothered by it and saddened by how it affects many foreigners. I’ve lived in Korea for 7 1/2 years. My goal was always to make friends with Koreans, learn the language, and immerse myself in the culture. But it took so long and there were so many setbacks and times I felt left out, ignored, treated as “other” and genuinely hurt. It’s definitely become easier and easier to be accepted and make friends with Koreans the better my Korean has become. But it takes a lot of time and effort (years) to become proficient in a language and a culture, especially when your job is to teach and speak English everyday. And it’s not like I didn’t need friends or need to feel accepted in the first 3 or 4 years when I couldn’t speak Korean well yet. I think a big part of the reason why I, and many other foreigners in Korea, can feel so jaded or hurt by this kind of thing is that nobody actually explains why they are not talking to you or avoiding you or don’t include you in things. In their minds they might be thinking “Oh no! It’s the American teacher. My English is so bad. I’m so embarrassed/scared/uncomfortable. . . I’ll just go talk to someone else. I’m sure someone else will talk to her, someone who is good at English.” Or “Oh, these friends don’t speak English well. If I invite my foreign friend she/they will feel uncomfortable.” (Just some examples) But all we see is a bunch of Koreans literally avoiding or ignoring us, and not inviting us to things that we feel we ought to be included in, over and over and over again. So it just feels like “Wow, nobody wants to be my friend. Everyone is ignoring me because I’m a foreigner. I tried so hard and put in so much effort to speak to them first, even when it was really intimidating for me, and learn the language, but I still get left out and treated differently.” So, from a foreigner’s perspective, it is actually very hurtful. And we often feel bad for not being able to speak Korean well, but it’s not something we can magically fix. It is a very long, slow process. Anyways, I just appreciate you further explaining this point and empathizing with your foreign friends, as a Korean. It’s very helpful. All that being said, although the specifics of this problem are related to Korean culture, education, etc., it’s ultimately a human problem of choosing to overcome your own discomfort or insecurities in order to reach out to someone and help them feel included. And it’s definitely a problem which is present in America and other countries as well, just in very different ways or expressed in different areas. Finally, I am truly grateful that throughout my time here I have met many wonderful Korean friends, both English speaking and non-English speaking, and currently have many genuine people around me (with a variety of linguistic fluencies), but it sure took a lot of time and effort and failed tries to get here. ^^ I’m very happy now though. And, ultimately, a lot of it comes down to character, personality, and just meeting people who are compassionate and willing to reach out.
Good this kinda thing should be discussed more so we could be more open towards foreigners. And1 not to mention prevalent belittling of middle east asians. I feel sick when one of us(Koreans) treat them disrespectfully just becuz of their skin color. Its sick.
@@lololol6614 ❤️ Yes, I had a friend here who was affected by that. Sadly, I’m also aware that if my skin were darker I might have had an even worse time of it and if my skin were lighter I might have had a slightly better (or just different) time. :/ I also feel very upset whenever I hear about injustice and discrimination in my own country. 😔
From what I see in different comments and what Kelsey said, it almost feels like for Koreans, if you're not Korean from South Korea you're so foreign it's like you're alien. Literally. I can't imagine ignoring someone systematically just because they are not of your culture and you can't bare to be challenged by talking with them. It's not like we are not humans ? Idk. It blows my mind a bit but I would love to learn more about that
@@lunali7209 this! East Asian countries are very insular and xenophobic. I was watching a Chinese variety show and saw similar attitudes towards the foreigners on that show. It was so weird. Do they really believe the world and all its humans are so different and they and their Asian experiences are so, so very unique?
@@TheLily97232 well if you’ve been entertaining yourself with various Korean content, you already know the answer I guess: that’s a consequence of the homogeneity of the country and the impact it has on culture and social structure (competition, and a very strict elite; and indeed alienation of foreigners
I understand everything you’re saying but we have to stop making excuses for ignorance. Even if you’ve never seen a black person for example, if a black tourist is in Korea he/she shouldn’t be stopped just to get pics taken of them. This often times happens to black travelers who visit Korea and other foreign countries. U may be close minded, but respect is something that everyone should know. U don’t take pictures of strangers without asking, you don’t touch their hair without asking. But I absolutely agree with everything else you said, you are very intelligent and I love to see videos like this coming from an actual Korean. Love how blunt and honest u are about the reality of the world we live in
Yes! I also heard a lot of stories of SA towards foreigners because of fetishization and being seen as “easy”. And that was regardless of race white, black, latina etc.
@Solo Leveling This! They're super conservative publicly but damn they have a problem of repressed sexual topics. Too many taboos and things they should've discussed in high-school. I feel like their only exposure to such things is po*n and unreal visuals. Which are pretty wrong and harmful view of sexuality. Also they don't seem to mix a lot with foreigners, we're like mythological creatures who are much more free minded, so they as they not view us as one of them, but something exotic and won't hurt them rep publicly, they're much so much bold to do or ask things they won't otherwise with a Korean.
@@Nat-ls1uo Yes! And the thing is that when they try to assault you, you cant even do anything about it cause youre more likely to get arrested for it. And like fetishization of asians is a huge topic, especially lately, but fetishazation of white women in Korea, barely anyone talks about it and its a serious problem too. That's why I decided to not visit/go there till they fix their laws. I wouldn't feel there safe for number of reasons. But the problem is that whenever you as foreigner criticize Korea then people go like "Its culture", "Its their country, they can do what they want", "If you dont live here, you cant have an opinion", and Im so sick of it. Going with that logic they cant talk about racism in US, cause its not their country. Its just such hypocrisy "You have to respect us but we dont have to respect you and you cant complain about it". And I only seen that to be the case mainly with Korea, cause criticizing rest of Asia, Europe and especially America is fine with everyone else. But when you speak about Korea they will be like "Why are you trying to make us look bad? Other countries have that too", yeah they do and people talk about it as well but thats not the topic here. Adressing one issue (which is especially important with growing popularity and idealization of Korea cause of kpop and kdramas) doesnt erase an existance of the other. Especially when talked about racism, a lot of people also bring up US and how its worse there, so why talk only about Korea? The thing is EVERYONE talks about US, racism in Korea doesnt get near as much spotlight as in US. Like Im not saying Korea is a bad country, they have so many AMAZING aspects, especially culture itself and industry. Such an inspiration. But they also have A LOT of different (especially discriminatory) issues (like a lot of other countries) and it should be adressed, Im sick of people (not only Koreans just to be clear, people overall) invalidating and gaslighting the victims or someone who wants to call smth out, just cause its Korea. Not to mention their country has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Sorry if I seem hateful (and for long reply), but I cant stand discrimination, let alone justifying it. I do have some hope things will change tho, since their president, from what I know, used to work in human rights before. I had to vent and since we're in topic.. yeah. Its just my opinion and take on this matter tho.
Having lived in South Africa as a Korean person, I have to say ignorance does lead to "unconscious racism or rudeness". I used to be really offended when ppl said 'you guys look the same' or 'Isn't Korea and China same?' Or finding Chinese as a racial group instead of Asian on an application to study at a well known university (this was a shocker though) But when I talk to these ppl, I find that they really just haven't seen many Asians in their lives and often aren't aware their comments are racist or rude. So having this understanding, I don't get so upset anymore.
I can truly appreciate your perspective. I was born an raised in the Philippines. Our school had English speaking as a class. Our culture had to learn how to speak English because we were informed that if in any event we encountered an American or any English speaking foreigner we can understand and assist them to maneuver in the Philippines and show them the culture without any language barrier. I live in the US now.. I was in Miami last month and it was so frustrating that while our stay there no one in housekeeping staff knew how to speak English...last time I checked Miami is part of the United States I was really floored when we were looked at as the foreigner in the land we were raised to learn to speak English at...sorry of topic..I do appreciate that we are not the only one that gets frustrated...
a lot of those people are immigrants from places that don’t teach english in schools but are coming to the US for a better life. the US does not have an official language either so there is nothing wrong with some Americans or immigrants not speaking english. The US is described as a melting pot of cultures and languages. Spanish is also one of the most widely used languages here.
This happens in the UK and it bothers me when foreigners come to live here and can't, or won't even learn, to speak the language. We have entire ghettos of foreigners, mostly middle eastern or Pakistani, who refuse to integrate and nothing is being done about it. It's not because we have excluded them but because they don't want to be part of the culture. I think it's admirable when people put in the effort, like I would do if I decided to move abroad, and it irks me that people make excuses for them.
Miami honestly is a different beast and is one of the few American cities where English isn't the primary language spoken (depending on what part of the city you go to). The city has had a strong Cuban influence ever since Castro came into power in Cuba and a lot of Cubans in response fled to Miami. It can be frustrating at times, just from my perspective as an English speaking American that isn't fluent conversationally in Spanish.
I am a white guy and I have learned Korean for almost 12 years (before all this BTS and Twice stuff - so, I was very serious learning it lol). I studied abroad in Korea and I loved it there, but I was so frustrated when I traveled around Seoul by myself. I remember going to a raccoon cafe and people would look at me like I was an alien. One lady at the cafe was looking at someone else while talking to me! and her eyes popping out of her head. I don't understand the shock really. When Koreans speak English here in America I don't pop my eyes out of my head ( I do realize there is a difference, though). I also noticed that a lot of my English speaking friends who I came over to Korea with from a neighboring university were treated very poorly. Actually, I guess we all kind of, but since I spoke Korean, I was the only one who could keep my head above water. The amount of times people in regular places like malls scammed us by not giving us the correct change too... I will say that a majority of Koreans are sweet hearts and I remember just buying a suitcase in 동대문 and visited (walked all the way!) to 경북궁 or some other palace I forgot exactly. However, on the subway a lady got up when it was her stop and politely pulled me to her seat. I did not realize I had sweat all on the back of my shirt because Korean summers are brutal. I think the worst places that I experienced Korea's xenophobia was trying to get into a club. It's honestly sad and feels like the 50's where people are denied entry based on race or nationality. I still love Korea and was going to go back there for my masters. However, I feel like Korea locks foreigners out. Sure, we can travel there, but unless we marry a korean national we can't survive there with our heads above water. For example, even the internet is set up to where if you want to play on a Korean server say in like LOL you need an IPIN id and like a Korean social..... Also, banking there is a nightmare and options for multiple languages and people with disabilities to use services there are scarce. Don't even get me started on the lack of rights for LGBT there and toxic christianity (although, we have plenty of that here in the US - but at least marriage equality is here, idk when or if ever Korea will do the same). I just think its funny how Korea loves to have this toxic "white skin is beauty" image and i saw ads like that all over 강남, but when white people actually step into normal places like hair salons suddenly its people whispering and weird looks. Make it make sense. Also Koreas beauty standards suck!!! and are toxic!!! the amount of 아프리카/트위치 방송들 I've seen with Korean women who have lighter skin than me (I'm irish) and a face that looks extremely superficial is just sad...... ALSO korea I love you but please update from Internet explorer, its not 2003 anymore!! lol TL;DR: Korea needs to be more open and stop fetishizing lighter skin colors and people who speak both korean and english. Nepotism is a big issue in korea and while korea loves to have people visit korea they hate us living there lmao. Korean education is also toxic as hell. Being confident in your body and speaking english too because of living in America as a Korean should not make one as "exotic" or "a rule breaker" (like 제시) lol
I think language barrier is one part of the problem. When I went to Korea, I found it very difficult to ask for direction. Everyone refused to help me or even tried to help me unlike when I went to Japan. Even though Japanese people are not so good at speaking English but they would at least try. While I was studying in the US, I felt that my Korean friends are so reluctant to go out or socializing with people from other countries even though their English is good. So I think that language is not the only problem.
Not just the languages barrier. Your skin color and facial features are also considered barrier. Koreans even look down on their fellow asians especially Southeast Asians more specifically the Filipinos and Indonesias.
I've made very close friends from Korea, bit it took time. My closest Korean friend was very defensive and scared. I don't know if it was her home life and upbringing or if it was a cultural issue. Some issues were cultural because I remember explaining some of the cultural differences that seemed so rude to her that I wouldn't have thought about. The person was a little thoughtless, but not intentionally rude.
the older korean people actually was very enthusiastic to help us when we asked for directions, even when they can't speak english, they were very kind. in turn too, we (tourist) were the only ones who gave up our seats for elderly on the train, the korean young people didn't budge one bit. (we are chinese descent SEA people so idk if that played some bit, colorism is severe there)
@@uwu-fm2kj Truly!! As an Indian (South Asian) I can vouch for that.. No matter how competent our Institutions are getting day by day..How good some aspects of our culture are..Unless it has the approval by a US Study.. No ones gonna think on its value. Half of the English Newspapers are filled with such nonsensical studies by Western Institutions be it Scientific or Social Science departments.
@@uwu-fm2kj Eg. Yoga.. Taken over by US & commercialized to the point where India's ancient knowledge is now exported back to India with fancy nomenclature of "Hot Yoga" which itself is a derogatory term... India made its own "Covid Vaccine" "Covaxin"..completely indigenous & efficient as per peer reviews..Yet our Media only covered as to why the Indian Govt. was delaying the import of Moderna & Pfizer vaccine of the US. 😒
Very nice video. I live in Thailand and I can say that it is very difficult for foreigners to have a REAL Thai friend. By REAL I mean somebody who is not looking for some advantages/favors from you, but just wants to spend time with you and share your common passion/interests
I have been lucky in that respect because my wife is Korean. Every time I visit South Korea I get to experience genuine Korean culture and beliefs in ways many Expats do not. My wife is from South Jeolla Province so she has even taught me parts of her regional dialect. I was also blessed to be able to get married in South Korea where the symbolism behind their wedding rituals is absolutely beautiful (i.e. coming together of two families, giving my wife and mother a piggy back to symbolize I will always be there for them, catching nuts and dates on a blanket to symbolize how many children we will have, exchange of drinks to symbolize the coming together of the families, etc.). Every trip to South Korea for me is an extraordinarily special event. Her family has been amazing considering I am the first Westerner to marry into their family line. My wife's ancestry goes back thousands of years. My mother-in-law was the most kind and generous person I have ever met in my life. I miss her dearly.
@@michinwaygook3684 I'm asking since I noticed that most of the caucasian males have no issues living in Korea. Totally different story if you are not caucasian or if you are female.
@@tomsawyer2k That is true, but unlike most of those expats I learned about the country from a female's perspective. Traditional Korean society was very sexist and my Korean mom was denied an education and forced to work from an early age; her own grandfather burned her school books. She never learned to read. This was common for her time. I am not ignorant of the plights of other people or Koreans in South Korea, but I preferred to share some of the beautiful parts of traditional Korean society that i experienced instead of focusing on the negative things you can find in most You Tube channels. To go from poor to rich so quickly has come at great cost to the Korean people, a price they are still paying (high rates of depression, suicide and low birth rates).
I feel like everyone who successfuly stayed in korea just married a korean. Which will never happen to people who are ugly like me. Weirdly, I havent seen yet people who successfuly stayed there by finding a job..
Now imagine being born trilingual and progressing through your 30s as a polyglot. I hate that the general public or cultures create such controversies around languages because as a linguist and trilingual translator myself I consider learning languages a safe bubble for everyone. It's a unique space for self-expression which grants people an opportunity to progress, learn and develop safely. It's also a great workout for the brain, memory, patience, discipline, and overall mental health.
Not everyone associates language learning with safety. Many need fluency to survive in society. There's nothing safe about it when a language barrier costs you your livelihood or your social standing with your friends. Some Americans have even gotten physically and verbally violent when a foreigner fails to speak in english.
I'm a Japanese living in japan, but i can agree with a lot of things. I've lived in the states when i was young, and hence i can speak english. After i came back to japan, people were amazed by how i can speak english. They always say things like "OHH you can speak english?? You must be so intelligent!!!!!" It kinda feels weird being praised just because i can speak english, because i didnt work hard to learn english, i was just naturally able to pick it up without noticing it because of my enviroment. People (not all people ofc) also treat me kinda differently, almost like an elite (?) as you stated in the video, just because i lived in a different country due to family circumstances. Even though Im full japanese by blood and im fluent in the language, they dont treat me as a japanese, which again feels weird because though i might not know some japanese cultures and customs, i still am a japanese. I didnt understand why people acted like this at first, but after consuming japanese medias, mostly tv shows, i started to see that they fantisize a lot about western countries, mostly America. English education in public schools are quite shitty, with teachers that cant even read english properly teaching english. Ofc, English is very different from japanese and its hard to learn for them, but if they're gonna teach it in schools, i think they should put a little more effort into it.
Yeah. The way i relate to this😫 I'm in Africa... I'm not rich but i acknowledge my privilege but having lived outside of my home country just further south. The only language I've had constant exposure to is English, due to school and the internet. The next up was French.. THEN the local language.. then bits of Japanese from anime and songs(if any Japanese and the right meaning has sunk it) I fear going back home and having my own family berate my father for "not educating his kids on their native language" I don't want him or I to have that kind of pressure but it's still there... a matter of circumstances I guess.
TaQ: It's undeniably true what you said about growing up in an English Speaking countries. My family hosted a Japanese girl who actually grew up in England since from grade school until part of her college years. Her family lived in England because her father was the President/ CEO of Mitsubishi Co. London. Mayumi spoke with a British accent. One can double take a look at her when she speaks English because of her British accent & looking Japanese at the same time. Anyhow Mayumi said that when the family returned back to Tokyo Japan & she started going back to a University in Tokyo ( Sophia University ) Japanese students would not talked to her because of her ability to speak very good English with a British accented slang. Local Japanese students find her an odd ball. Mayumi felt more comfortable hanging out with foreign students who were more acceptable of her than Japanese students at that school.
Yes, I noticed that Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese have this mindset about the West, especially America. I think the Chinese were beginning to head towards that direction until Donald Trump blew the 2 countries relationship away and made the Chinese realize that they can no longer rely on anything with the West and must strive to be self-sufficient with mastery of core technology and enhanced nationalism. This also happened to Singapore as they have a majority Chinese-Singaporean population of 78% and now pro-China sentiment has increased to 65%. I, being a Chinese Malaysian, have witnessed a drastic shift in the perception of China and the US/West with more in favor of the former among my peers. The sight of young HK rioters carrying the US & UK flags and singing their national anthem sickens us. Hate Asian violence in the US, UK and Australia also exacerbated the situation and we now realized that no matter what country we are living in, they will never accept us and in order for us to survive we need a strong and powerful China. Not that I am less Malaysian but I know being a sheep to anti-China forces is working against us.
you said it yourself! you don't know japanese culture! yes by definition you're a japanese netizen but you're not like THEM who actually know about their culture and history
Wow. I’ve been living in the UK for years now and I always tried to make friends with Koreans and Chinese but noticed that they’re not very receptive. I never imagined the level of embarrassment they would internalise until this video. Thank you sooooo much for this!!!
Calling a spade a spade is advocating for the genocide of white Europeans and Australians, not trying to haphazardly ram through unecessary social change in East Asian countries that are still reeling from the legacy of colonialism.
No, it's not courage, it's just hate. If it was courage then at least she would have said at least one good thing about her own people and it's not a coincidence.
@@TaiwanLife2024 no shit, why else do you think she said "i *hate* xy"? or that the video is called "10 things i *hate* ..." If you wouldve listened to her more carefully you wouldve also registered how she said she did a seperate video on things she liked about korea, so why mention those things again in this one
@@blackthornep8115 that only true if you are from 1st world country becuase a person from Zimbabwe or Nigeria probably would not say that and will do anything to immigrate
Thanks so much. I spent 6 years of my youth learning korean and one day a korean friend was surprised that I could use chopsticks and it hit me "I'm NEVER EVER going to be one of them." And I started learning other languages. Nowadays I regretted giving it up (partly cause korean men are so romantic) and started learning again and also joined a korean dating app. But I'm almost giving up again and this video just reinforces my feelings of being so distant from them. I believe the future is for open-minded people only, who have a good heart and good values.
I can kind of relate to this. Back in middle school I had a group of friends that were all Korean and I was always excluded when we were all together bc they would be speaking in Korean etc and I would just be walking behind them all and they wouldn’t even bother to try and include me in. I slowly distanced myself away from them and it was one of the best choices i made in middle school
I'm so happy that somebody else is talking about the unwillingness to interact with foreigners, as opposed to just being unable or shy. I have one friend who was very upfront about that concerning her friends so I wasn't so "shocked" when I had to deal with it firsthand. It's even more strange when it comes down to koreans who speak English near fluently (not being shy) and who will be strangely hateful towards non koreans. It's very strange. But it ended up feeling like I wasn't a person since I was treated like someone that can't be communicated with, and thus very... aggressivily ignored? It's absolutely in part due to not being exposed to other cultures and not knowing how to interact with other nationalities through something else than ones native language (:through tone, body language, kindness). But for sure, many other reasons behind it, and I love that you talked about them, you're someone that really notices the ways of people's behaviour and I love people like that :) Kelsey is cool yo
Thank you for sharing ur experience! I do notice other ppl’s behavior quite sensitively, it’s an annoying trait sometimes cuz the things I notice make me sad/annoyed/depressed, but it’s a useful skill for RUclips haha.
@@KelseytheKorean I feel you on that. . I get intensely sad as well from watching the way people tend to behave and treat others. In the vein of when someone treats me bad I don't usually get sad because they treat ME bad, but because there exists people who treat others bad overall. Now you're motivating me more to do social commentary videos haha
Thank you so much for this video. I totally agree with you. After spending 4 years in Korea (and loving it!) I eventually went back to my home country because I know that I would always be perceived as an outsider. It felt exhausting in the long run. Moreover, I would never want my child to be submitted to the Korean education system. One year as an exchange student in Korean High School was definitely enough to deter me forever
I am a teacher in Korea and I feel so isolated at work. The other teachers do not want to interact with me. They just tell me I'm the for the students. The principal is so racist, never wants to be in the same room as me. Literally gets nervous if she finds me in a room. I've also had people my neighborhood calling me a nigger and others changing directions on the road when they see me and using the same direction once I've passed.
As a foreigner in another country, I would never expect a local to be able to speak English. I think the onus is on the visitor to try & speak the local language, especially if going to stay for a while. Koreans shouldn't feel ashamed.
I don't understand #5. (I'm an Aussie). I don't know, but the impression I get is that Korea is very hierarchial & the 'appearance' of things matter too much. Eg - So Obama interacting with a janitor reflect poorly on Obama & that he isn't taking his staus seriously and is letting his socio-class down as it's not what you're supposed to do. It's a 'rule' & meeting expected behaviour. It's visa versa too? Is that what it is?
I agree, it’s a very homogeneous country, if you’re going there you can’t be irritated that not enough people speak english & if you want to make friends you should try to learn the language
english is seen as a minimum most of the places around the world. no one is saying you have to be fluent but if you are from a first world country, young and cant even throw some words together thats not really good lol... its like having really bad maths skills and not being able to do the most basic things in maths like subtracting
@@lunali7209 That's pretty silly to say "if you are from a first world country". Yeah sure korea is considered a first world country, but that doesn't mean we're on equal footing with european countries in terms of learning english. So it's a really unfair comparison and quite weird of you IMO to be patronizing about it.
You’re very generous about Swedes and our English skills. 😄 I’d say that it’s only 99% of the younger generations that’s fluent in English. Middle aged and older aren’t as fluent and confident in speaking English. But yes, your point still stands, Swedish people are in general good at English and not as shy about speaking it compared to Koreans. Tho I feel that us Swedes are quite bad at making friends with those who don’t speak Swedish, even those who speak broken Swedish have trouble integrating into Swedish society.
I see! I was indeed very impressed with u guys’ English skills. U guys ranked 1st or 2nd nation that has best Eng proficiency without ir being ur native language tho!! Anyway, i think i way lucky in Sweden to meet friends through my Swedish bf, so they were able to be friends with me even though i dont speak Swedish🙂🙂
@@KelseytheKorean Yeah I suppose it’s also differs depending on age, personality and in what circumstances you’re integrating into/interacting with Swedish society/people. I’m glad you’ve had positive experiences here! 😊
@@KelseytheKorean I have observed that most of korean students attend Australian universities or US.. ones who can afford to avoid depressing korean education system
@@maheshpun4804 Yeah I mean we even have a hard time making friends amongst ourselves 😅 I’d say Swedes are generally very guarded with strangers. My best advice to make friends is through education, apart from uni there are lots of night (and day) classes held through what’s called studieförbund on various subjects like pottery, language, dog training, dance etc. and in many cases it doesn’t require any previous experience.
I think it is ok to be different, there must be respect! There is no need to be an 100% Korean or some other nationality, it's not necessary, but it must be mandatory to be respectful! A foreigner that appreciates your culture and speak your language must be accepted and respect as someone that appreciates your country and at least deserves more appreciation or acceptance...
I feel this happens not just in Korea but other countries too, even if sometimes you are fluent in their native language it's hard to have native friends, because they will always see you as an outsider.
True. The problems introduced in this video are common problems of homogeneous countries including Korea. I think she compared Korea only to the “immigrants” countries…
@fraser Oh not in UK for sure, I'm Portuguese and lived in UK for 4 years, it was so easy for me to make native friends there, I'm still friends with a few of them after all these years. I was referring to the country (don't want to mention) that I currently reside for over a decade and still have no native friends here only foreign friends.
I have been living in Korea for almost 6 months. Even though I am conversationally fluent in Korean (can understand 95% of TV) making friendships has still been a bit difficult since the default here is to ignore foreigners. My best advice is to immerse in Korean media as much as possible to improve your language ablities, since that is the real limit on the realationship (i.e you could bring up this issue in Korean). With that said I still don't find it easy myself despite being fluent.
Wow even after 6 months and even fluent in Korean!?...wow can't imagine how terrible it must be for Lisa of Blackpink who's been living and working there for almost 10 years.. and years of hates and unfair treatment she had faced... all the hardwork trying to be accepted still not enough to them...even their Entertainment Industry full of discriminations toward Foreign Idols regardless how successful they were...sad to see...
Its so hypocritical of some Koreans. Some Koreans want to ignore foreigners, just as you said. But yet they want foreigners to help protect them from North Korea! Its such a bizarre mentality. This is at least with regards to Koreans & Americans.
@@erikstorm8935 well south koreans actually thinking that US mil stays in korea for their benefits, not to protect korea. we think we are 10 times stronger than north korea , also existence of US army isnt bad~ we think US is here cuz to win over china with power.
I am Afro Latina and I love to blend in when I travel and not be bothered. Since being in Korea, I get approached daily and someone is willing to help me or want to get to know me. I’m here for personal reasons but I find your comment completely different from my experience and I wonder why
We should know that every nations has its own culture and in my own opinion I will try to learn their language their customs and traditions in a way to communicate with them and to work with them freely! Thanks for the information!! Appreciated
I think it’s hilarious when kdramas make a big deal about a character’s English skills in some business meeting. 90% of the time the pronunciation is so bad that it’s almost impossible to understand them. If they are aiming for a more international audience they are better off cutting those scenes.
@@rockyrosy I think accents are a bit different from not being able to pronounce anything to the point that nobody can really understand you. Like yes there's accents, but even with an accent you're still pronouncing things correctly. Pronouncing for example the words "things" and "process" as "tings" and "pro-kess" isn't an accent, it's simply the wrong pronunciation. Plus alongside with the pronunciation the grammar is atrocious. For example, this is a bit tamer, but in squid game, some of the lines the English speaking actors were given weren't grammatically correct. I'm not saying that native speakers speak with correct grammar constantly, it's just that the lines that didn't have correct grammar were lines that no native speaker would make a mistake on unless they're a child.
I don't know. I mean, do you understand all native English speakers? Try watching Derry girls from Northern Ireland. I bet you'll need subtitles as much as the non English speakers. When I went to England to live, I had to slow my speech, as they couldn't understand me. English is my first Language. Just, Cork people, speak very quickly. Or what about Liverpool or Newcastle accent, both in England? As for the Scots, particularly Glaswegians. Unless you regularly interact with people from these area's, it's very hard to understand them. So, my point is, pronunciation is different. I don't mind Koreans speaking English with strong Korean accents. What annoys me is the stilted English that comes out of non Koreans, for example King2 hearts. The so called Americans sound like they are speaking broken English. Surely they can find good English speaking actors and actresses living in Korea. The crowd they have sound like non English speaking Europeans.
For #5 I would like to say that one of the janitors at my high school gave a commemoration speech at my graduation for all the graduates. Everybody loved him, staff, students, the people at the top in our district. There is no such thing as hierarchies like that here, people are just people and deserved to be treated as such.
The thing about people not wanting to interract with foreigners because they are insecure about their English skills is very relatable to me even though i never stepped foot in Korea. I'm Romanian and i lived in Germany for 3 years, and it's the same there. When i moved there my German was really bad, but i thought i could get by because i thought most Germans could speak English since it's a developed western country and i even looked up statistics about this. Oh how wrong i was. The most frustrating thing is that even the people who could speak English didn't want to. And believe me, it's a very shitty situation when you're trying to write documents for the city hall and the lady who works there understands your English just fine, but answers you in a language you don't understand just because she's too lazy to speak a language that she knows and has studied for probably 12 years in school. There were also some odd ones, after a couple of years my German was better and while 99% of people understood me just fine, some bastards pretended not to understand even basic words like "Yes". Weird people.
Very strange.. are you somewhere in east germany? Whenever i go to germany i have the problem of not being able to practice german because everyones english is better than my german. The koreans who have tried to talk to me in english have worse level then my german, or they are just lying and pretending not to understand anything, i dont know.
As a Swede, I think you're giving our schools too much credit 😜 I think the biggest reason we are so good at English is mostly due to Sweden being a small country, meaning most of our media is in English (we only dub kids shows), we have to be in contact with foreign companies a lot at our workplace since Sweden is heavily dependent on export and import etc. Basically Sweden is to small for us to live in an isolated "bubble" like countries with a larger population can and so we don't have much of a choice but to learn English 😅
Hungary has roughly the same population as Sweden, and most of our movies and TV shows are dubbed. We also have fewer people who are fluent in English.
@@sourcerror I've been to Hungary and I was amazed that so many people could speak good English! Obviously I didn't go past Budapest but there were definitely more people able to speak English in Budapest than in Milan. Only once I got yelled at in a street by an old lady for speaking English to her but I didn't get offended, she was just a little weird.
And that is the thing about Americans only speaking English (unless you come from an "ethnic" family that still speaks a 2nd language at home). While we catch a lot of shit from other countries about not learning other language, Americans (and I guess Brits and Aussies also fall into this as well to an extent) simply don't NEED to learn another language to get by in the world. Like it or not, English is the current lingua franca worldwide, and the language that most folks worldwide default to when in a mixed language crowd. That may change in the future, but that is the truth for now.
It's not just korea it's the entire asian community india, korea, china etc it has been seeded in our thought processes that west and english is superior a psychological barier passes down over time. But the good thing is it's changing and slowly we as a community are making space for us and our people on the global stage. By the way love the snorlax relaxing in background 😄
Even though I agree with you I still think that India is not a homogeneous country because within India we have multiple culture and we are more open to other cultures than Koreans. Also our beauty standards are not harsh.
I would have to disagree with you on one point, India. India is such a diverse country and with in india there are so many cultures, languages, religion and what not. Though we might have had internal differences, we have had kept this unity for more than 70 years. You cant just compare India to China or Korea. China and Korea are almost a homogeneous community who has their own language as Mandarin and Korean. Their culture, language, dressing style, food habits almost similar all over the country. Where as in India, with in 28 states and 9 UT's, you would experience different culture, food habits, dressing style and language in each state. You cant even experience such diverse culture in any other part of the world except India. India has always been open to diversity. Even the facial features of people are different through out indian subcontinent. South Indian have comparatively darker complexion when compared to North Indians(am from South) and North east Indians have entirely different culture when compared to other parts of India. Though they five states in South have Dravidian language as common ancestry, they have four distinct languages. Almost all states have their own official languages. So where in the world you could find culmination of such diversity?? In short, India cannot be compared to anyother country in the world when the point of discussion is diversity.
@@anjalijaswal5147 India is not homogenous true. But the original commentor's point still stands. It's a great great thing if you study/work/live in the west. Family members who live there and come to visit are treated visibly differently. The romanticisation of the west, the feeling that we are inferior to them and have to constantly try to catch up to them.. it's very prevalent even now. It's ironic that even though we are open to diversity, we look down upon ourselves and fail to appreciate our own diversity.
@@anuou792 yes i agree and I think max Indian are very proud of Our Culture, unity, etc.....and english in India is i think important because we have many Languages....and i think India is only country where people still wear Traditional Clothes daily
As a Korean who lived overseas 95% of the time, I absolutely agree this - you couldn't have said it better. I mean after going through the army conscription here - I pretty much faced/noticed all the problems point blank - in my face. It was a bloody 18 months that felt like 18 years.
I watched this once last year in 2021 when I first moved to Korea and felt that it was true, after struggling to make friends. I also feel it's true 9 months later; I still dont' have any Korean friends. I feel like they just avoid me like the plague. I am from a privileged country, I am educated and have a good job in Seoul and am very friendly and socialable but I still really struggle just even talking to Korean people in public whether it is in Korean or English. To be honest, it's one fo the main reasons I don't like living here.. If times were different, I would have just left, but it's not so easy in the pandemic and I have committed to staying here a few more years because as my job is good for my career. With that said, I have never felt more lonely in my life. I really feel the isolation in this society.
I would say the social status thing is what is increasing the bullying in Korea....am not sure though... Kelsey would you please rectify me if am wrong...I think bullying is not taken very serious because most of those bullying others are usually of higher social rankings than the victims...
@nora Hamisi YES wouldn't you agree that the pandemic has brought out the worst characteristics of every one and it doesn't matter what race/country/culture people are just getting out of hand with hate & bullying. The overwhelming attitude with bullies is "you don't look or think like me, you must be wrong." Everything is fear and judgment based and intolerance is everywhere. SAD.
1.) There is an issue with the age-ranking in Korea. In the business field, you are taught not to contradict or go against your "elders" (literally anyone older than you, not just people who were hired first), which can cause issues when there is actual illegal activity or negligence going on. 2.) Bullying is quickly becoming an issue in the realm of cancel culture and celebrity life. Many people are finding that their careers are now over because of bullying allegations. It's the younger, tech-savvy generation that is spearheading this candle culture movement, which means that there are a lot of older people who may still abuse their age status and superiority to manipulate others and even bully. Hopefully in upcoming generations, more and more of the population will take a firm stance against bullying.
I think is more that the bullying in Korea uses the status culture as a weapon of bullying. Bullying exists everywhere but having experienced school in 3 countries I noticed the reasons one is bullied or becomes a bully differ quite a lot. And I guess in a highly hierarchical society it could be even harder to battle it, but not that this necessarily causes more..?!
I am Korean and have lived in Australia for 10+yrs and planning to stay in Korea for the rest of the year due to health reasons. Im frightened for the stay due to the cultural barriers you discussed about as Ive felt and witnessed them myself in the past two weeks. I cant imagine how i will endure the next 6mth here.. can’t wait to go back to Aus and be in my comfort space. Thanks for sharing gal!
I been interacting with Korean Media/Culture a lot lately, and it's crazy how different the idealization of Korea is in contrast to the reality. Great Video tho! Super interesting to learn about Korean culture.
I studied in the UK for my Bachelor's degree and even there I could see how Asians, in general, were very closed off, they had these student accommodation buildings they always occupied and not try to merge with other people, always stayed in their groups and I had a Thai friend who used to live there, even for her it was hard to understand them because she was very exposed to different cultures. I've always been interested in Asian cultures and even started studying Korean a few months ago, but when I try for instance to find someone to chat with even on HelloTalk it doesn't work out at all. I can understand why the Korean culture is like this but I find it very discouraging because you are willing to put the effort in and it still doesn't work...
I just downloaded hellotalk a few days ago and out of 10 people that I messaged, three people replied. One person is a absolute beginner,one person is an Elder, and one person is extremely hilarious. I'm slightly intimidated by the Elder. I only know random Korean phrases and they are not cohesive. I know, "help me, please" and then the next phrase I know is, "I'm hungry" and " lie down on this bed" from talk to me in Korean 30 irregular verbs and phrases. I use to play that audio for 7 hours a day, while I was working in a warehouse, because I needed to pass time. Anyway, before I really, really started taking Korean seriously, I had studied Chinese inconsistently for two years. The reason why it was on and off is because I could not find someone who was patient and understanding of my beginner struggle. It seemed as if every tutor would have preferred for me to be conversational or at least B2 level. I also met Chinese people who were rude who had ignored me,mocked me, tor made fun of me( ridiculed) an excuse their behavior by saying that "foreigners make fun of their English accent all the time." I was genuinely eager to learn Chinese and I started learning during the pandemic. I'm a black woman, so that was an issue as well. One tutor told me I was too sensitive and laughed. She had ridiculed me for not being an fluent speaker after studying beginners Chinese for a year-and-a-half. She discredited my progress and undermined my intelligence . I told her that she had came off as emotionally abusive because her mockery was insensitive. I chose to Enlighten her and shared screenshots of the vocabulary list of the words I had studied, which school has shown that the level was Elementary. (hsk1-hsk3.) I shared with her screenshots from language professionals that had conducted thorough research about language learning, that would have shown that most reach hsk 4 level still struggle with basic conversation. I had turned back to Korean because I haven't experienced anything remotely close to what I had experienced with Chinese. But, I'm still weary and I'm slightly less enthusiastic about learning these Asian languages. Nobody really likes black people so it's like, it'll be a miracle if I find a language partner or even a friend😫 Please excuse my lack of punctuation marks and poor grammar. I had used the voice message recorder to relay this message. *edit: I had started watching Chinese zero to hero channel for HSK7 -9 vocabulary, and I had also re-watched the dramas that I had started this language learning Journey with, like : "The Legends", "Legend of white snake", "Princess Agents", and the most recent drama, "Word of Honor"😊 that I can say has rekindled the flame I had for this language.😍 My focus is on mastering writing, reading, and understanding 80% of the characters of the first four levels of the standardized test.
Yeees, in Russia in my University Asians really stay in their groups and not try to just say Hi or have small talk. And that makes me feel upset and it seems that I am not good enough for them. It is rude.
I need to stop using my voice recorder when I don't feel like typing the message because I read so many grammar errors in my paragraph, from two weeks ago, that I had to edit it so that it would make sense😂 I'm surprised anybody even got through that one😂
@@Gurza_girl oh wow I wonder if it's because they don't feel confident with speaking English or they probably assumed that Russians do not speak English or the chinese language.As a black woman, I also have to factor in racism so my social experience is a bit different
Ngl number 5 made me so sad. The presidents job is to be a public servant and in America it is seen as he works for us and should be expected to care about all workers in America. It's very common to critique politicians so it is in their best interest to be nice to everyone so in America pictures like that are quite common.
Having lived here for 20 years. I have seen a huge change in the openness of Koreans, especially since I first arrived here. On the whole, I feel that Koreans today are more open and willing to engage in conversation. I also find those outside of Seoul are very kind and friendly. But I did experience some closed mindedness when I first arrived, but that was because Korea had hardly any foreigners way back then.
There's definitely a big city issue. When I was Tokyo, no one talked to me. When I was in Kyoto (somewhat big but not that big) people were more open and friendly.
I stayed in Korea from 2014-2015. I studied some Korean before going and I also wasn't in Seoul. But instead in a small country town ( 시골) Jillyang (진량) I think amongst college areas and stuff you will come across a lot of Koreans who are intrigued by foreigners and want to improve their English. And a way foreigners can get into those groups are by hanging out with open minded Koreans. But I do agree there can be instances where they avoid English speaking foreigners. Though I had great experiences being a black man in South Korea with elders who were so excited to meet international people, dating was a whole different beast. Many times I would be called the n word, ignored, or blocked for little to no reasons. Knowing some Korean can help for sure, but being 100% in the dark will prove a disadvantage.
I reckon that even if a foreigner learned how to speak Korean fluently and even adopted many social customs from S.Korea, they would still be "the odd one" just because they look different. So one has to wonder...is it even worthy to try this if no matter what you do you still will be excluded?
Trust me, everyone will view you as a higher up in society… Some will avoid talking to you bc of that… but if you speak really good Korean, good manners, and are kind you’ll be just fine
i never understand why someone would want to do this anyway? Be proud of where youre from instead of being something else, especially when they dont even like you to begin with.
@@stuka80 What? What you mean with "being something else"?Not everyone that wants to live in another country and adopts their customs do it to "be someone else". They do it for the experience, and to try to see the world through the views of that country/culture.This is what globalization is about, sharing experiences.
@@BeastChaeng ermmmm... its probably becuz u dont have a 'best friend forever'. Even Koreans ourselves dont get to have the 'insider' status easily. U gotta know that.
OMG all what you say in this video is absolute truth and facts, you must be such an empathic person for being able to catch all that. My life in Korea is lonely and sad and I can’t wait the pandemic to finish so I can go somewhere else to live. I came here from Italy, loving this country and his culture, but I’ll leave hating it poisoned by the discrimination and mistreatment that most Koreans gave me since the first day.
Oh boy, you're Italian and went to Korea ehh. They are a cold people and they don't even care for other Koreans. I find that interesting in general about a lot of Asians they're insular but don't care about each other.
Italy has the most warmest of cultures. By now people should be aware of how Koreans are and people like you should not go to Korea. I am Slavic and my culture is much less warm, I think someone from my culture would be able to handle solitary life much better.
When I was 16 years old I moved to Argentina (I’m Italian) and from the get go, and by that I mean from the very first day, my classmates at school and everyone in general made me feel SO loved. They made me feel part of the country, after a while they would tell me “you’re more Argentinian than us”. Of course we are talking about very different cultures here, but that was amazing, I still, to this day, feel a bit Argentinian. However, I do feel like it is also due to MY behaviour. Of course people there were super friendly to other foreigners too, but with me it was almost like I really was Argentinian, born and raised. But that is because I was so into their culture, I would pick up every word, I would constantly ask about things, I would read and watch whatever I could about politics, history, culture in general. I would know facts about Argentinian history that even my classmates didn’t know (although it was basic historical information that they should have known hahah) 😅 After a little while I was 100% bilingual so of course the language barrier was out of the way. My point is, I do believe that making friends in Korea and being accepted into society is definitely harder, but I also think that it also depends on the foreigner’s mindset. I know that Korean is very difficult for us Westerners, I know that pretty well since I study it too. But when Kelsey says “my English speaking foreigner friends”, I think that explains everything. Why are u even there if you are not willing to pick up the language and study it a bit? In Italy it’s the same, when I was living in Milan my best friend was Canadian. Of course we clicked immediately, and we just spoke English with each other. We used to play football in the same team, and I would notice how our Italian teammates wouldn’t talk to her much, they were friendly, but just that. They would greet her either in Italian or English, and that’s it. They felt like they couldn’t get close to her because she didn’t speak Italian, and they felt like they were not good enough at English, and in Italy as well so many people are embarrassed at the mere thought of even trying to say a few things in English. My point is, how can you have the desire to discover a foreign country and culture without learning the language? It’s hard, and it takes time, but I think every non English speaking country is like that to an extent. Even here in Italy, if you speak English with a thick Italian accent, well that’s the norm and it is completely fine. If you, however, have lived abroad and have a proper English/American/Australian accent people look down on you, and treat you as if you are just “showing off” your skills on their faces. It’s just stupid, and I guarantee you that it’s not just Korea.
Honestly this was a refreshing take. I’m Ghanaian (Ghana), just well read and arguably well traveled and I feel very similar to you, living in my own country.
I have lived in korea and not that fluent in korean yet, but I have some korean native friends (who are not fluent in english) and they are very welcoming and very interested to be friend with me. I think they are the young generation who are open-minded. They are kind to me as well despite of the language barrier. Tho we communicate with body language and google translate, we can still manage to socialize hahah
Yeah I'm Australian and I got it when you said janitors/cleaners are invited to events and stuff. They are respected. My mother did alot of cleaning, cooking and public service jobs (council worker) and I would never imagine someone not being polite and talking to her because of it. She usually was great friends with her boss of the hotel or restaurant that she. was working at, I even remember some of her bosses coming over our place to chat and cup of tea with mum as friends.
to be honest, korean students when they visit my country also didn't try to fit in or hang out with the locals or other foreigners, they just hang out with fellow koreans. out of 10 people, there'll be 1 or 2 at most who wants to make friends with locals. other foreign students were having fun hanging out with local students and forming lasting friendships etc even if they still hang out with the group from their country or isn't good at english. idk why these korean students go on an exchange program in the first place if they just wanna be in their bubble. this is my personal experience in my university back then. i can imagine what foreigners go through in korea itself... i know it's not out of malice or anything, but there's definitely that "exclusive" feeling
The thing about forgetting some words in your language and remember them in English or another language happens in every language in the world. I am Greek and i can assure you !!
@@kensha1643 I agree. The fact that you can make friends in Korea without speaking the language is pretty incredible. In most English speaking countries the expectation is always that the foreigner should learn and speak English. It would be extremely difficult to make any friends without speaking English.
Wow!!! Your videos really made me think and see Korean culture and mindset in a whole new light. But let me just say that I still would loooovvveeee to one day visit your country and I hope by then I will be able to learn the language. Thank you!!
As a foreigner living in Korea this is true. I didn't think itd be easy but I hoped it wouldnt be this hard. I'm learning and can hold very simple conversations but I've had people just literally run away. Like I'm willing to jump through hoops to talk to you. I have a Gyopo friends and her friends are always like "Wow you have so many foreign friends that's so cool" but arent willing to try to talk to us. or that we try to talk with her boyfriend and her wont talk to us. I also feel what you said about education. I teach and my absolute hate the Korean style. We get hired for our American style but get bogged down with the priority on books and memorizing instead of competency.
**disclaimer** Plz don't forget that this is my PERSONAL opinion/analysis about Korea! I'm 24(born in 98) and lived in Korea for 20yrs, so this content is basically a compilation on my experiences in Korea and experience of my friends(both Korean/foreign). Your Korean experience might be totally different from what I state here and my words are not the bible obviously!! :) I'm human, so the ppl I socialize with irl are at most 100 ppl, and the stories I hear from those 100ppl are from their social groups, which are around a 100 each, which makes my Korean experience limited to a group of 10000ppl. Keep that in mind, and take my words with a grain of salt ;). I do think I have insight about how Korea feels to foreign ppl cuz of my unique background, and so I made this video to help foreigners, especially bc with the recent hype of Korea, some foreigners seem to think that Korea doesn't have problems or have unrealistic expectations and they become disappointed when they come here :)
Plz don't hesitate to share your own Korean experience, it's really interesting for me to read them and it helps to build an open community where everyone can talk about their experiences!! Also, it's more data added to my 10000ppl's data, so it evens out things I think :) Share positive experiences honestly, and negative experiences honestly too!
Anyway hope this video helped you guys in some way
100*100 = 10,000 just FYI
your videos have been a huge help in helping me understand why everyone feels so near yet so far away and out of reach whenever I try to befriend them. Your videos are so positive and I feel like it helps bridge the gap between Korean culture and the rest of the world. Thank you for your honest perspective and sharing it with us!!!
I have a suggestion. Put subtitles in Korean so Korean people can think about you perspective ... It might reduce the barriers and mind sets issues.
Yes japanese do that ( more before than now .. ) that they think of bilingual japanese as not one of us either. ( Too much group identity... Ect ) on the opposite side English countries are full of multilingual people and it's not valued at all. Sadly it's a crazy blind spot instead.
I also have a suggestion. Don’t put “10 things I hate about Korea” if you only have five things. Just be honest in the title and say it’s five things.
I've heard of an American guy who idolized Korean culture from a young age. He grew up on Korean media, did 태권도, learned how to speak basic Korean, studied in a Korean university, and got TOPIK 6. Then when he graduated in Korea, he applied to so many positions in Korean companies and was rejected from all of them. One of the companies that rejected to him said, "so what if you speak fluent Korean. You know, every other Korean applicant can speak enough English to get by, why should we hire a non Korean who won't fit in?" Needless to say, he was demoralized and went home after his visa expired and couldn't get it extended.
This Korea Country most local people are so arrogant. It’s not a good country at all to live to because they have their own world on their own. Plenty of discrimination to. Unwilling to learn English means arrogant. Unfriendly and narrow minded people. It’s not fun to live their plenty of insecure people. Very stressful country.
wow, that's heartbreaking.
wow
Damn that's so sad 😔
the american guy met the wrong people. so unfortunate
As a foreigner who just moved back home after living in Korea for 4 years I can definitely say I agree to everything you've said so far. Love that you're willing and able to express your honest opinions and your observations. It feels great being able to get this perspective from a Korean who is not afraid of speaking up and sharing these thoughts about their own country.
Amen! I lived there for multiple years as well and absolutely loved it, but everything she said was something I experienced. I did actually make Korean friends while there, but they were like Kelsey, they spoke English and had traveled or lived abroad. It helped that I speak some Korean and was always making efforts, but there was definitely a barrier. You're always "the outsider."
This is what it’s like in many racially homogenous countries
@@Oceanrocks121 Of course, but this video is about Korea and we lived there so that's why we're commenting on this particular conversation. We've had experiences and are sharing our perspective. There are people that have fantasies about Korea that just aren't realistic. Doesn't mean Korea isn't a fantastic country, people just gotta be prepared for the differences.
@@Oceanrocks121 glad you edited out the "well what did you expect" part of your reply because that was stupid. If no one has ever been to a homogeneous country, how were they ever going to expect anything? Especially when they speak a different language. Most (or pretty much all) of the time it takes people who have actually been there and experienced these things and share them with others for us to know that this is how things are. There's a whole community of foreigners in Korea who have all experienced atleast one of these situations and they talk to each other about it all the time. Also it's rare for a natural born citizen of said homogeneous country to come out and confirm these things about their own country. So what we are saying is, yes, from our experience of living there, we agree with what Kelsey is saying. And as @N had stated people who have never lived there are have these different fantasy-like ideals of what it's like to live there. Mostly because of the image and romantic visuals they are sold from kpop and kdramas and possibly other reasons like fetishism (but that's another topic for another day 😒). So videos like these are informative and are what's needed as a reality check.
I've been back home for 2 years already after being 4 years in Korea, and I lost contact with all my Korean friends who don't speak English. One of them is really nice, but we don't talk much anymore. I only talk with my Chinese friends now (in korean, because they also don't speak English). It was so hard to make korean friends at university. I don't even know why though. Only in Itaewon it was easy to find 'open minded' Koreans willing to be friends without fear. But I never managed to make close friends like I did with people from other countries.
I respect you talking openly about your country. I dislike when people blindly praise their own country or try to keep up the fasade. Every country has it's flaws and I think the ladder one is global. There is no way to escape where you start off in your life. You just watch others get richer and have no worries about taxes getting bigger every year drastically
☝🏼☝🏼☝🏼 preach!!! 😎
Some people like to make us believe in your words dearly! So cunning of them!
SKY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! WOW talk about crossover
I 100% agree what you said. For an example if you try criticize how US has expensive health care and higher education compared to other first world countries, you'd immediately get so many people angry and calling you hater or not a patriot for calling out your own country flaws. It doesn't mean I don't love my country just means I'm aware what's going on and shows that I care about my country. So many Americans love to call out other countries for their flaws, you cannot do the same thing to the US, it doesn't mean everyone in America is what I'm currently described but it's sometimes annoying.
we say: "born in poor and corrupted country is not OUR FAULT but IF by the time we die it still is poor and corrupted then IT IS OUR FAULT..".....true, there is no way to escape where you were born....but do not watch others get richer...do your part and enjoy what you can do...(not what you cant do)...if the country is one of those that no matter what ...will never change THEN.... get out....plan ahead and look for opportunities.....
I live in Korea. The way I have been treated as a foreign woman caused me severe depression. I have been bullied, excluded -told I was ugly. A demon. Ordered out of restaurants and cafes. Noone will date you. All my foreign women friends, no one will date them. The only man I slightly dated dumped me as foreigner bodies are ugly. Sometimes I have so much anger towards Korean people. I want to leave, I know other people who have been driven to suicide attempts from the loneliness and racism. I can't ever forgive how I have been treated and how it has changed me as a person and how it has made me hate myself and feel ugly. I even had surgery because of the pressure and bullying.
Hi. Hang in there, there is more to life than Korea and Koreans. You want to leave then make that your target and focus on that and your bright future. You aren't ugly, they are.
Wow I'm sorry you had to go through such a terrible experience. Seriously, if you have any chance to leave, you must seize it. Trying to fit in a country that completely rejects you is not good.
Can you leave? Leave! Why stay?
lol, you weak, stay there pls, west no need u anymore.
I’m sorry you had to endure that and pray for your healing. Your life is precious and way more valuable than how people are treating you. Their opinions don’t matter please remember that. Sending love and light your way💛
Can we just appreciate the intelligent, articulated and good humorous woman that Kelsey is?
Totes❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Awww thanks😭
To kelsey ♥️💜💜💛💚❤️❤️
Yes!
She’s very amazing 😉! I’ve always wanted to go to Korea. I love learning more about Korea. I’m kinda liking the more innocence but I’m romanticized by it lol.
You're one of the RARE Koreans who tells the truth. When foreigners talk about Koreans being very insular, we get dragged.
Yeah! Those are the ones who are looking at one specific area(music) Mmmh!! To be precise celebrities.🙈
Wish she could make a video on how life is like in Sweden for her and her boyfriend. I suspect that her experiences will be similar since Sweden is pretty homogeneous as well.
@@keithmoh1 But she won't because she's one of those white man worshippers.
@@keithmoh1 almost 20% of people living in Sweden are foreign born. That is not including those who were born in Sweden by foreign born parents.
@@bleed7378 how can u put someone in a box because they are out of their asian racism box?
one word: ✨insecurity✨
It's hard to find meaningful friendships in foreign countries when they see you as a commodity (free language practice, fetishization) or competition (unrealistic beauty standards, language abilities)
Yes, you summed it up with one word.
No that’s not true lol
yup. inferiority complex
Everyone says that they worship white people so I guess yea inferiority complex
와. Very interesting! Thank you so much for your honesty and bravery! I’m in my 60s and left Korea 40 years ago. I realize nothing has changed. What you say is exactly how things were 40 years ago including myself. Plz continue to speak up. Maybe Koreans who watch your videos will learn something.
this is 100% true. I've been living in Korea for 3+ years and the only close friends I've been able to make are other foreigners or bilingual Koreans. even some of the Korean teachers at the English schools I've worked at don't like hanging out with foreigners because they don't want to speak English. I get it, if you're not fully comfortable that must be tiring, but it puts such a barrier up when you're trying to be friendly with all your coworkers. I know foreigners who have lived here much longer than me who are pretty much fluent in Korean (one who even got her Master's in Korean at Yonsei) who still struggle to make Korean friends.
it's definitely a cultural difference. anytime I've had Korean people try to befriend me or hang out (besides coworkers/dates) it's always turned out they wanted English practice or something sexual. no tea, no shade: I've loved living here and I've had some amazing experiences, but knowing that I'll always be an outsider is a bummer. I'm really grateful that I've found an amazing girlfriend, a couple close pals, and connections in the queer community here, otherwise I don't think I would've made it. loneliness living abroad is pretty normal, but the amount of cultural isolation you feel in such a homogenous country can be overwhelming.
I’m actually going for a teaching job in the fall. I’ve been anxious and on the fence about it this whole time because I know the reality (I can’t idealize it, I’m just hoping for the best and to achieve my personal goals)... I hope I could cope and find a good community like you! And I at least hope by being there I could make a little bit of a difference in someone’s life. I hope I could inspire confidence or expose people to another way of living or have them know and see it’s ok to be different. I’m glad you’ve found a life for yourself and I hope to do the same
@@m1jime thanks!! overall I feel like I was able to grow a lot as a person & despite any anxieties/challenges it was definitely worth it. I think you have the right attitude going in & I sincerely hope you have a great experience!! you can definitely find a sense of community over time, & there are other foreigners who will support you & understand the struggles. cheers~!
So learn korean
@@Nimazeila bruh, I literally said bilingual foreigners who speak Korean feel the same way lolll
@@Nimazeila no matter what languages you speak, its a homogenous country. they can still identify you as an outsider
yessss I’ve always found it so strange how kdramas glamourise European culture (rich characters drinking wine etc.) and it’s usually the more working class characters drinking soju or makgeolli
I never thought that it could be linked to the glamourization of the west. I always thought that the rich simply could afford things from all over the world but now looking back I can see that they have mostly shown things from the the US and other known European countries. I'll keep a look out for more, thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Well...To speak as Korean, Soju is approximately 1dollar in here, Makgeolli isn't that cheap, but usually less than 10 dollar.That's why working class characters drink that.Besides, as you know, WINE CAN BE VERY EXPENSIVE.In here, it is hard to find cheap and low class wine that costs a few dollar.THAT'S ALL.not glamorizing western and European.
@@user-eq8ub4ko6b Funny thing is, in New Zealand at least, Soju can cost upwards of $10-15 per bottle.
It’s Yt supremacy and its legacy
You answered my question. I was wondering why France is such a popular tourist attraction for South Korean's and learning French. The glamourized culture of Europe in K-dramas makes sense. Thanks @ Ur Mum.
Living in Thailand, I get this all the time: “you’re same same family”, “you’re thai now”. God I love this country.
oMg now I really wanna na go to Thailand, I want to study in Chula♥️
@@kaiexol5707 if you’re a good person and respect the culture, which is an amazing culture. you’ll make fast friends everywhere.
Context pls.
@@hughallan1647 it’s true Thai people are a lot more accepting of Americans/Westerners. It’s not a bad thing but many of them would not mind having a relationship with you as long as you are willing to learn basic Thai and try to learn their culture. If you plan on marrying a Thai girl be prepared to fly to Thailand to meet her whole family. Just try every food they want you to try, respect the rules of the dining table, drink with her uncles and dad if they drink, and just be really friendly. I have a Thai GF and I’m American.
the fact that i heard korean idols say this to THEIR OWN CO MEMBER (who is a foreigner) maybe two times max in my six plus years of being a multi kpop stan .. yeah its sad ..
As a foreigner who lived in Korea from 2011 to 2014, I can absolutely understand all these points. I was an English teacher full time for one year and then I went to Korea University for the other two years. Those two different chapters really helped me fully understand the Korean culture from multiple angles and see the good and the bad. I could easily add to all your points, but one thing that stuck out to me was the Korean education system point. One piece I also noticed being a teacher and in school there myself was that it very much lacked the push to think for yourself. Creative thinking. There was too much emphasis on memorizing and regurgitating. I found that the Koreans never had a lot of projects to challenge themselves to think outside of the box, so to speak. For a country who strives to push for innovation and become a global leader, there's a lot of systemic flaws in work culture and even basic creative thinking skills that will continue to hinder the growth they push for.
Korea is a giant ant hive.
You don't need a smart ass ant.
This🔥🔥🔥. It is similar to Japan to be honest
There is no innovation or research in Korea. They wait for USA and Europe to invent something and make a copy of that. Japan is also like the same.
I’ve been living in Korea for over 5 years now and can now speak Korean pretty fluently. But I find that a lot of Koreans I meet still feel uncomfortable talking to me, or will say random words in English when we’re having a conversation fully in Korean as if they think that I actually can’t properly understand. I think the problem is two fold: like you said a lot of Koreans are afraid of interacting in English, but also a lot of Koreans can’t fathom that a foreigner might be able to communicate with them in Korean and undermine non-native Korean speakers. When I met my partner’s family, his father kept saying things along the lines of ‘oh she won’t be able to understand what you’re saying’ or asking his sister to translate for me when other family members would interact with me. It was hurtful and really dismissive of all the effort I’ve put into learning the language and culture while I’ve been in Korea.
But…at the same time I also get really frustrated at foreigners who have lived in Korea for a while and make no effort to learn the language or culture at all. That is privilege and ignorance in my opinion. Both sides need to make an effort!
I agree with ... when a country, foreign for you, adopt you (no matters how you move there) it's your respect for that country to learn language, culture and socializing manners
@@onishkapink they're obviously not "adopted". Maybe tolerated and accepted but not much more. I agree that you should at least learn the language but if it's to still be treated as a stranger who you just can't communicate with just because you look different or have a different culture I get it.
There's a lot of trauma people experience from different cultures. Some people don't learn the native language for whole bunch of reasons.. i try not to shame people for not knowing the language cause there's a multitude of factors. I.e like she said in the video, feeling fear or embarrassment when trying to speak this different language.
Was adopted from Korea to a Jewish-American family. I tried relearning the language when I was younger at the local Korean church but they kept trying to convert me. A kid who I went to school with did apologize when she found out.
I truly agree. If you are in a country, you should make the effort to learn the language. I find the unwillingness to learn very disrespectful. That's just being intelligent. But, as for the interactions, why is English so idealized in a foreign country? I grew up in Haiti, and there is such a thing as being Americanized. That includes the clothes and making the effort to speak the language while losing some of what makes you Haitian. I relate to that. Did it help whe I moved to the states, yes. Can we do not look at it as another language without belittling another's language, culture?
I've read a few books by North Korean defectors who talk about when they eventually move from South Korea to the USA that it is the first time they experience 'Liberty of the mind' & not being judged as social outcasts by being from the North. I thought that was so interesting that they couldn't find that in the South after years of living there, being fluent in the language & essentially just being Korean.
Can you recommend any books you read ?
@@chloebishop814 Yes! 'The Girl With Seven Names' by Lee Hyeon-seo; and 'In Order To Live' by Yeon-mi Park
Yes I heard that north Korean are discriminated against even though they are koreans ....
That's very sad, hopefully their mindset as a whole shifts. This is unfortunately true for many countries and cultures
It's similar in Germany. It was pretty bad before reunification (my family left East Germany in '82). But even today 30 years after reunification this problem still is alive and well. It seems to be getting better with people born 20ish years ago though.
So it seems to be a generational thing.
I loved so many aspects of living in Korea for 6 years but I was shocked by the unashamed racism and the weirdest one of all is when Koreans 'congratulated' me for my ability to use chopsticks. A little boy growing up in west London where you see the whole world around you everyday. I used chopsticks since I was 5 years old, like most Londoners I guess but in Korea it seems locals think it's a miracle if non-Koreans can use chopsticks. Really odd.
to be fair, Korean chopsticks (the flat metal ones) are a pain in the ass to use.....😉
@@armynurseboy I was told by Korean colleagues that 'miguks' (basically any Western foreigner (although it actually means 'American') have 'too big hands to use Korean chopsticks'. Also that Japanese fingers 'are too short and fat to properly hold Korean chopsticks which is why Japanese use shorter chopsticks'. This was said with zero irony. They really meant it.
It's no big deal, I also praise my white friends for being able to hold chopsticks better than me
@@jasons4045 what does skin colour have to do with it?
How is congratulating yu on holding chopstick racism?
I'm a Canadian gyopo and I totally agree about your point about Koreans being insecure/jealous of English speakers, ESPECIALLY if you can speak pretty good Korean as well (like myself). The biggest thing I hate about Koreans is how obsessed they are with appearance and how they will bluntly tell you 'you are fat' or shower praise on your for being pretty or good looking. I feel this inflates or crushes people's egos.
My exbf who is korean (dated for 5 years and lived with him, met his family and friends) so~ he usually mentioned “ because you aren’t korean” . He reminded me that I won’t be part of the society and always be just a foreigner there...so I agree with your open opinion, it’s difficult for foreigners to fit there.
@rong aron. That's interesting, because there was a survey asking why Koreans would date a foreigner and ONE of the main reasons they said was: "to experience a different culture".
Shit... that is quite ironic because when you are with someone for that long they, their family are suppose to accept you for who you are and help you get used to the culture. It's kind of shitty how those kinds of relationships between two people from different countries usually play out that way.
this is also fcked up bc mixed koreans exist and i also wonder abt the small amount of people born and raised in korea but who arent ethnically korean (chinese people for example). arent they considered korean either?
@@lunali7209 Blood quantum still exist in their mind. (You aren't full Korean, why should we accept you)
luna li its really tough for mixed Koreans in Korea. They arent considered Korean.
I just remembered this scene in Crash Landing on You where a character was able to escape from a police officer who wanted to question him by pretending to only speak English, basically the officer felt uncomfortable and ran away from him.
Yep That scene depicts what I’m talking about!
WOW so that means everything you see on tv is real life right?
@@KelseytheKorean Seriously sad you have such hangups over being Korean. See a therapist.
This isn't racist, idiot. And he wasn't even foreinger, do you are talking about kim junghyun's character on a scene where he speak english in his car to a police office?
@@darxmieditscc your comprehension skills suck. They aren’t talking about it being racist. Just mentioning that it’s odd that you would run away from someone simply because they speak another language.
I think the phrase "free minded" in Korean is interesting. It's often used in a sexual connotation and often about foreigners. It's used when someone is precieved as having sexual freedom or wanting to pursue that with someone else.
The reason I find it so interesting is because I think they're pointing something out. The opposite of being free minded is being closed minded but the thing that closes those doors is shame.
To be free minded is to be free of shame. And I think every human wants that
totally agree but I think they're saying it in a judgmental way, they're not saying "you're so free of shame" they're pretty much saying "You're not exhibiting the proper amount of shame" that we Koreans show, to them the correct way would be conservatism. So they imply she was changed by her experience abroad, and no longer "acts Korean" which of course, is the proper way to act.
So...shameless.
Having taught English in a Korean high school for a while I can safely say a huuuuuuge aspect of the whole 'embarrassed by their English' thing is the actual topics studied and the exams themselves. None of it is practical and students end up learning extremely advanced words that they don't truly understand and won't use on a day to say basis in English conversation. It needs to be reformed but I doubt it will be for a long long time
I have read they are mostly interested in test scores and not actually learning how to speak it, It was that way in Japan where grammar was the most important thing.
I'm a Korean highschool student and i've experienced almost every English learning course in korea. It is absolutely true that we don't learn how to speak and listen to english but to read articles
I guess it is bc most korean won't have that many chances of meeting foreigners especially in the older generation. But korea is now becoming opened to the world thru culture and english learning course's renovation is needed.
HOWEVER I can say that if they reach a certain level in reading english via korean curriculum it is quite easy to get listening and speaking skills in a short period. For me, i was able to only read and interpret articles but not speak or listen at first. i think i reached to quite decent level by devoting myself on english for 1 and half month.
I find Koreans' fetish for English language approaching the realm of absurdity. As a Korean living in the US, I cannot emphasize the following enough: you must bump into native English speakers on everyday basis in order to become better at English. There are some Koreans who are even obsessed with trying to sound like native speakers which I find a complete waste of time. Let's get real here: Filipinos and Indians, while their pronunciation might sound awkward, are more fluent in English than Koreans will ever be simply because English is ubiquitous in both the Philippines and India alongside their respective official languages. Meanwhile, English classes in Korea are geared up towards preparing for exams, meaning the overwhelming number of students will forget whatever English they have learned once they no longer have to prepare for dreadful English exams.
South Korean education system has many flaws and its obsession for college entrance exam is one of them. This has a perverse consequence: students are not groomed to think for themselves which actually puts them at a disadvantage compared to their Western peers once they become adults. Korean parents' attitude towards education also has a lot to be desired. This sort of cognitive dissonance seems to have become even more pronounced today compared to the time when I was growing up in Korea.
I'm from an Asian country and I wanna scream "SAME SAME SAME SAME" people think you're posh and fancy and eLiTe just because you've lived abroad. People will treat you as if you're somehow better than them just because of it. They think they're being respectful and they're hyping us up when actually it just hurts that they will never consider us to be "one of them". It's so awkward being with the part of my family that never lived abroad.
truuuuueeee
That's bc there's the idea if you can travel outside, you have money \($_$)/
@@johnwa2323 people from my country DO NOT like foreigners, they're pretty racist tbh. They only like native people who act foreign because it means they have money
I don’t know why we expect Koreans to speak English. It’s their country, they should speak their language. I hate that White supremacy and colonization make Koreans feel bad about speaking a language with origins on the other side of the planet.
@@Chi1Chi1O I doubt it's white supremacy and colonization. It's just that, English is a global language, used for communication across countries, so being able to speak it is a sign of prestige in other countries. Being able to speak English in Korea means you're well educated and wealthy, that's why some Koreans feel intimidated when other Koreans speak English. It's more about class rather than race
This breaks my heart. I've always wanted to be friends with someone Korean, and live in another country for a little while. I came from a small town and love to meet new people with different cultures. I was lonely most my entire life, I don't want to be lonely in Korea.
That's true, I feel exactly as you do. Being African I wonder if I'll ever even get a shot there😅 I'd really love to visit, being into Korea and all..
But I'm sure you'll eventually meet someone nice, miracles are everywhere and are disguised as humans too
...you want to tokenly make friends with a Korean? That's so weird
@@de341f6 So I met a German man who came over to work in the US. He literally learned English from watching Friends. He said he's always wanted to work in America and have American friends. I thought that was fantastic, not weird. His work visa ended and he had to go back home but we still talk to this day. Maybe I didn't articulate my reasoning properly for saying I have wanted a Korean friend. I don't seek people out of different races to make friends like I'm collecting Pokemon cards or some shit like that. I study Korean culture, my Hangul is shit but I'm trying to do better, and I'm learning Korean. I would love to be someone who could help with English and they help my Hangul. I would do the same with someone Chinese, because my Mandarin leaves much to be desired 🙈 If you still think I'm weird then not much I can do about that fam.
@@truthbetold3209 I hope you meet a great friend too! I came from a small all white town, so in college I would find people who would stick together racially (exchange students who looked scared or uncomfortable with a brand new place and let's get real, I'm talking anyone of any race who looked stressed) and just be welcoming and try to help them feel comfortable. I made some amazing lifelong friends!
Thank you, I'm sure we'll definitely meet great people. It's nice to learn new cultures and there's nothing weird with that. I'd love to learn about various cultures and equally share mine 🙂
I think the K dramas "One Spring Night" and "Something In The Rain" pretty much sums up Korean society.
How about SKY Castle? Just curious why students from SNU, KU, and Yonsei are considered as the crème de la crème.
something in the rain was sooo frustrating
@@lunali7209 the effin mum and the ex
this is a REALLY good video for any koreaboo, someone who wants to live in Korea, or just someone who wants to learn more about the culture....it's realistic about actual Korea, from a real Korean's perspective not a foreigner's, so thank you for this! looking forward to part 2
@@johnwa2323 nope
@@johnwa2323 yeah u just did what she also wanted to point out...
@@johnwa2323 Hey everyone, we found the type of myopic person she just spent 20 minutes complaining about! She wasn't lying!
@@johnwa2323 and you're a typical korean??
Did this vid hit a nerve with you? what a crybaby lmao
@@johnwa2323 Are you sad that she's riding that viking rod? You gonna cry and complain? 😂
In my state, a Korean company came and with it many Koreans came as well. The thing is, they started to make places just for them, like clubs and bars where "foreigners" were not allowed. Like, I don't think they realize they are the foreigners in someone else's country. We were all pretty shocked and just ignored them tbh. It was just disappointing to see.
You should have joined the club. It helps to break them out of that mindset plus its a reminder you are in my house not the other way around
Thats raceist
then they have the nerve to say that foreigners in korea should integrate themselves, speak perfect korean etc if they wanna be respected lol
@@lunali7209 because unfortunately our people can be huge hypocrites how can we ask others to openly accept and adopt our norms but then shun them when they try to engage with us its stupid as fuck. hopefully our society will grow out of this mindset and very quickly
@Marina Carriz from where are you from?
Thank you for sharing this video (even tho it's a year old now). I'm a sociologist and a college professor of education. Much of what you described about the rigid social ladder and education system is fascinating and concerning. I remember watching Parasite the movie and feeling like it was one of few films that highlighted inequality in S Korea (at least very different from K-dramas that tend to idolize wealthy men/families). Also, I'd love to read books that address the collapse of the social ladder.
*I should also say that America has the SAME problems, but perhaps it's more acceptable to talk about inequality and to support politicians who call for policies that reduce inequity in education, housing, health, etc.]
Husband of 5 years is Korean, stayed in Korea for about a month, been in community for around 8 years. I FEEL this video. There are things in every society that need attention, but you highlighted Korean society so well. Especially felt it when you talked about wearing sleeveless top in summer 🤣 my mother in law was shocked when I wore leggings, as it was too “sexy” 🧐 like y’all. It’s hot af here, let’s just wear some shorts 😭
Something I noticed lately is how the popularity of Korean culture has led to people excusing some of the ignorant behaviors. I don’t think it should be excused at all, doesn’t matter if it’s “not their fault”. South Korea is a democratic country and their citizens have access to a plethora of resources to keep themselves “woke” lol. From my experiences, Korean people fantasize English speakers and white people things, they get defensive with Japanese things, BUT still think Japanese pop culture is cool. And lastly, Korean people look down on Chinese people.
I also hate that Westerners also have this mentality like every Asian country should have the same beliefs and values. In addition, I see Westerners are very unaware of their hypocrisy. Like trying to say how bad racism is in Korea when in the US we have things like police brutality against Black people and hate crimes against Asians. There was also the mass shooting against Mexican people in El Paso not too long ago. Not saying you can't talk about the bad things you experience in Korea but ppl have absolutely no perspective and live in this fake utopian western bubble.
@@LyzaLawal It's more like colorism and it exists in many groups including Black people, Indians, and even SE Asians. Honestly, this shit needs to go.
@@LyzaLawal This is what I mean by Western mentality and hypocrisy. There is a big anti-Asian attitude in the US in Black communities and it's been there for decades. No Black person has actually tried to address these issues inward towards their own communities and yet... here we are where another American Black person tries to lecture Korea (and I'm not saying that Korean race issues should be ignored).
The COVID situation helped more people see what was alrdy happening for a long time although Black on Asian hate crimes have been more accelerated recently. If you think about it, the Black community should understand not to do these things considering how they were treated by Whites in the past. It's the same argument you're trying to say with regards to 'Han'.
At the same time, Black, as well as American people, have appropriated Asian culture (just watch countless past hip hop videos), watch anime, K-dramas, K-movies, etc. In addition, Americans, in general, use many Asian things whether it's food, medicine, tech, martial arts, yoga, Buddhism, etc. The achievements of Asian people are also disregarded and they've always been 'othered' in spite of contributions to America. For example, the co-founder of RUclips is Asian which a lot of ppl don't even know. And things go beyond just 'consuming culture' and there are countless inventions and everyday things that are there because of Asian contributions yet no credit is given to Asian people.
As you mentioned, I also do not like how Whites are treated with better preference in Asian countries when Asian people are treated with so much racism and disrespect by Whites in America. This is another topic in of itself but obviously associated with the fact that Americans helped with the Korean civil war in the past and there's a relationship there.
There's no such thing as a utopia. You have to stop acting like every western or non-Asian country is non-racist, because they are. I experienced it in Europe, South America, and Africa during my travels. It took the Western world 200 years to do away with race-based slavery and yet you're expecting foreign countries to offer a perfectly equal society to others in what... 3-5 years?
People like you also never judge in a logical manner. They jump to conclusions based on a few incidences and extrapolate them to the masses (generalization). You never hear of the progress that's been made over the past few years and attempts that have been made by the Korean gov't. I've actually heard many personal accounts of Black people being treated better in East Asian countries than Western countries. Also, foreigners don't have to fear for their lives in Asian countries while as a minority, I have to worry about some random hateful person trying to stab or shoot me due to my race in the US.
Most Japanese people look down on Chinese people as well. Anything they cover on China and Chinese people is always negative.
@@Oceanrocks121 Well the world is in an economic cold war with China due to their unethical communist gov't. They've broken many treaties and agreements while engaging in IP theft from advanced nations and creating unfair trade agreements. The South China sea is in contention as well since it borders multiple Asian countries but China is trying to claim it as their own and using their military power to bully other countries out.
Oh i felt that first one a lot. Right now living in Korea studying Korean has been quite difficult. My teacher keeps telling me to make Korean friends but it’s like almost impossible haha. The few korean friends I have usually like to talk in English to me to practice as well. Also I noticed in the dance studio where I go, a few people only dared to talk to me after I sort of ‘proved’ myself as being an okay dancer? at least that is what it feels like. They are all incredibly nice there but stay away from foreigners and with their own little group. Which is fine, but it’s been pretty hard to connect.
Glad you mentioned the dance studio thing. I've only been here for a few months and live in a rural area so I I been able to go to a dance studio yet. Sucks that I may have to "prove my worth" to gain some connection. Guess I'm gonna have dance battle battle way to friendships hahah
Interesting that you guys say that. I feel like that’s also just a dance community thing - it can be clicky in general. At least that’s what I experienced in my own city without any language barriers lol. It,s sad to hear that might be the case there too when you add cultural/language barrier. I was hoping to check out some dance studios when I travel there.
@@CaroBrass ! I’ve danced in many places and have experienced that yes! It’s a little different here though. Everyone is extremely supportive during classes and it seems that they enjoy watching and learning from me as well. The dance community here is very open in the classes which is so nice!!
@@anna-mooncrutzen3427 Well that's good to know. I think humans are like that in general, but it can be intense in the dance community. It's good to know people are encouraging. I definitely want to check out some studios when I go there someday, hopefully soon, and I only got back into dancing recently, nowhere near feeling confident but good to know there's an encouraging atmosphere. Thanks for the reply! I hope you make more local friends soon.
Do you really need to have $20,000 or more in your bank account in order to move to Korea? What are the requirements to study abroad?
I lived in Korea on one year, and I really agree what you’re saying about Korean culture and how they’re not getting connect with foreigners.
I love watching these types of videos since I've never really experienced any negative experiences over the several times I've gone and lived in Korea. Have been visiting since 2016 and most recently lived in Seoul for six months in 2021. I would really only count two times when I had a "bad" experience: a drunk guy trying to talk to me but I just ignored him + walked away and second in Gyeongju, the staff at a restaurant were telling me they didn't have most of their menu available(seemed like they wanted me to leave). I don't take these moments to heart since I've had similar experience in my home country. Other than those times, I've really only had positive experiences in Korea. BTW I'm an overweight mid-tone Latina with Spanish and English as my native languages. I do speak some intermediate Korean but I think the thing that gets me by every time I'm in Korea is the fact that I just know Korea really well. I know how to get around the cities and how to research any things when I don't know. It might be that I'm just extremely luck with the people I interact with but the majority of people are super kind/helpful. I understand the struggle other people face and appreciate gaining this knowledge. Korea is not perfect and I hope these negative attributes can one day be resolved. Korea is truly a wonderful place and I have grown so much as person due to being pushed outside my comfortable zone. Definitely agree with everything said in this video tho.
One thing i don't like about the korean media and entertainment industry is their perception of Africa.
I feel like in this day and age you can't be ignorant about the rest of the world. No matter how conservative that nation or individual is.
I was watching "He is psychometric" and i was so irritated by a statement >>
"Did you think I'd read the Africans picking coffee beans if i touched this or what?"
If you have watched the drama you'd understand.
It's the same as assuming we live in huts when we are actually so evolved as a continent. The media and entertainment industry is especially not allowed to be that ignorant.
It's disgusting no matter how conservative a nation is.
Amen!!!!
Ppppeeeerrriodddd
omg I've watched that show and it was so disturbing to hear that especially being from an African country
And it's not even ignorance. It's the choice to be ignorant to anything that isn't in front of them. I'm sorry but it's very true that alot of them would watch a documentary on white ppl over one on black people. Like- the itnerest and willingness to be knowledgeable isn't there for a good number of them when it comes to this.
There's a korean woman who does illustrations on these issues on ig, when my ig starts working I'll insert the name if I remember....
Honestly why, even though I've always loved Korean, Japanese and Chinese cultures (wanted to go there years ago for a painting class even), I'd never try myself. It's hard being Black and worse when people realise I'm African. I have a US background but prefer to identify as an African (grew up there). Life is already hard, no need to complicate things going to places where I'm not welcome. Don't have time for Deliberate Ignorance.
I'm Korean and I also have lived in the english speaking country for few years when I was young like you. Then I grew up almost my life in Korea, so whenever I watch your videos, they are really really relatable. Like it feels like you're just in my head or something😂 I think my age is also similar to your age so that's even making me feel more like that. I only have few Korean friends and bunch of foriegn friends so I really agree to this video. I was so happy to find your channel when I first saw your video but I didn't leave any comment so far, so I'm just going leave this comment right now. Always thanks for the videos😘
Hi
I lived in Korea for two years as a US Army officer and will probably be going back soon. I feel kind of bad to say it, but those issues, while true, ended up mostly working to my advantage there. Because I speak English and because of my status as a military officer, almost every Korean I met wanted to be friends me with. Even ones who spoke ZERO English. They would just use a translator entirely to speak with me.
Especially a lot of the older, more conservative generation that remembered the Korean War, absolutely loved me as well. Every week there were rallies with Koreans waving American flags. So I think the social status of being a military officer and speaking English made things very easy for me.
That being said, I did have some unique negatives as well. Sometimes, a few of those older Koreans are so conservative, they actually wanted all foreigners out, especially US troops, and they hated me for that reason.
And sometimes, younger Koreans, especially females, would tell me about the bad things some US soldiers did with Korean girls. Because of that, I always did my best to treat people with respect and train my soldiers to respect Korean people too.
Older Koreans don't hate Americans because they're conservative. They hate Americans because America split and destroyed their country within their living memory.
You lived there for 2 years and still can’t speak korean…?
Living in Korea is as a US Soldier is not exactly an immersive experience. Working and living on a US base is almost the same as still living in the US. You can go the entire time on base without hearing a word of Korean.
That being said, I learned how to read all the 한글 and have basic conversations with my friends, but never became fluent. Work/life balance can be difficult as a Soldier too, and at a certain point of working 16-18 hours a day, I gave up trying to study after work. Not everyone has work like that, but that was my life for a while.
I'm going back to Korea next year actually, and now I can balance work a lot more, and I'll be on a Korean base. 100% I will be fluent in the near future.
If I could do it again I would take more advantage of the time I wasn't working so much to study, but I didn't have that goal back then.
@@PsychoSpartan7 I met a dude from american army and hes hated korea, his status didnt help koreans be friendly to him, still denied entry into many places cause hes not korean.
@@christyotoole7312 unfortunately some other things can affect that...there are some clubs, especially in Daegu I've seen, that just don't let any American in them. Because the whole point of the club is for the guys to spend money on drinks for the girls. And a lot of junior enlisted soldiers without much money were going to the club and not spending anything. So they banned them.
For other places...sometimes Americans have just causes problems before, so it's easier to not let any in.
Or, if your friend was black, some Koreans just don't like black people.
Or if your friend is a female but not beautiful by their standards, they can also get rejected from certain establishments. The girls need to be pretty to attract the guys.
I didn't want to bring it up, but I was honestly helped a lot by being tall and white. These are all things that can happen unfortunately.
To all korean youtuber I watched ...
I see you as the only one who is really honest and shared own experienced and opinions without hesitations😊❤
You're not just focusing on one side of koreans but as a whole 😊I really love and enjoy watching your vlogs 😊
Never make fun of someone speaking broken English, it simply means they know another language 🇰🇷
I’m so worried about going to south K and people making fun of my broken Korean 😰…
Subject Object Verb IS SO CONFUSING 😂
✨Hank Apple eats✨ 🥶
So when I’m speaking Korean (I’m pretty crumby at it btw) I sound like
Wow, I here it love! *Wait that’s not right*
I- I here love. Wait that doesn’t get my point across *FRICK*
It’s such a fascinating language! 😄🇺🇸
@@SamuelSamuelSamuel1 bruh I want a friend like you
This is not about us this about Korea . They’re 10x worse with racism ect it’s not even comparable
@@nikicarrie4071 You're pathetic. You say this after what the US has been through and the level of racism that so many people didn't realize was true? They're not that racist. The country is still healing from war and politics.... just like many other countries. There are countries that are worse than South Korea regarding racism. Like America. If you're gonna compare learn how to think first, and don't forget to improve your spelling.
@@nikicarrie4071 the grannies be aggressive tho
I had problems finding friends despite the fact that I speak Korean on a quite high level, so I have to agree on that!
I think it has to do with mindset...
Not particularly ones interests or behavior, but a mindset. If you are opinionated and know what you want, not necessarily "loud and obnoxious ", it's very hard to fit in or get along with the natives.
I've never had such a hard time getting along with a whole nation before. It sounds dramatic but the whole mindset just grated me in all the wrong places. I stayed because, it's such an interesting culture.
I thought it was the language barrier at first too, but now after 9 years in Korea with good fluency, the barrier for me is still there! It's not because of language, it's because of the mindset.
@@bvu8080 Maybe it's age, they grew up, went to school and work with eachother....... like everywhere in the world people start to get more on their own as they age and it's very hard to make new friends. Don't think this is just a Korean or mindset thing.
For some reason it has been easy for me to make korean friends especially because ik the language and culture they open up more to me
@@soulyheaven9600 that's cool and really precious!
Before I travelled to Korea back in 2018 I made sure to learn and practice basic Korean language so it’ll be easy to like ask for directions or help. I also went there thinking that probably it would be easier to approach the teens and young adults as they might have studied english in school. I was surprised that there were older ones that were approachable and helpful despite the language barrier. I remember an ahjussi who was so fast to think about taking out his phone to use a translator app just to understand and help me find the address I was looking for. There were a few teens whom I approached that were hesitant to speak with me. I think they were too shy to speak english. But generally, the people that I encountered during my trip were nice.
I'm proud of being a Filipino, cause we are well known for being hospitable specially to foreigners ❤️
Exactly! I’m Filipino too
Yeah we seek approval from foreigners for the sake of Filipino pride to the point even berating co-Filipinos.
Lots of Filipinos have a crab mentality
I'm a U.S. military veteran and we had a huge Philipino culture in the Navy! We all socialized so well together and learned about each other's cultures. Even with spouses and family who spoke little to no English did the best to be welcoming in their homes. Don't even get me started in how much I LOVE Philipine food! Of course this was in California and cultures are very diverse. Huge melting pot of cultures there. ✌🙏
I had a co worker friend who was Filipino. He was so freaking amazing…I miss him
I loved visiting the Philippines primarily because of that! The people were SO friendly and hospitable
As a foreigner , from what I've seen online , unless you're married to a Korean , you got no chance on the long run. Hopefully I'll visit Seoul one day . Hugs from Romania
Cum dau de romani peste tooooooooot
Chiar suntem peste tot :))))
@@OCEANbreezeDIA daca nu noi , atunci cine ?:))
Having visited Korea and speaking ok-ish Korean (enough to get me around), I definitely agree with your analysis.
In fact, it was the elderly people (they didn’t speak English at all) who were the most kind to me and praised me for my Korean. The younger people (Middle-aged and young adults) pretty much avoided me, and I heard somebody even discussing me in not a very nice way, thinking I can’t understand them. It was quite disappointing tbh
Hugs
My sister moved to China several years ago now, my brother in law works for Boeing - anyway they have a big family, the kids the Chinese people seemed to love almost treat them like celebrities- my nephew is very tall blonde blue eyed I don’t know but they loved him. My sister on the other hand has always struggled with her weight and the older men there had NOoo problem pointing it out to her everywhere she went. The culture is wild!
I feel so blessed to be born in India. I had a different picture about Korea but after watching this video the way I look at Korea has changed. I really thought that people in Korea are warm and welcoming towards people from other countries. Coz in India most of the people are warm n welcoming towards foreigners. Infact most of the Indians give preference to foreigners as they are guests in our country and treat them really well. You can see in India even if people don't know how to speak English are warm and welcoming towards foreigners. This video was really an eye opener for me.
Lmao Indians are not warm and welcoming.. 😂I had a better experience in Korea then India
i appreciate your honesty! as a person who appreciates korean culture, i like to hear opinions from locals on the culture and what life can really be like in the society, good and bad. it’s really good to know these things.
Oh my gosh, I felt so HEARD with that first point. This is something that took me soo long to fully discover and understand the reasons behind, and it was soo hard for (many of) my Korean friends who have not lived abroad to understand and empathize with my feelings. I remember many of them (with no ill intentions at all) would say dismissive things like “Well, of course they didn’t invite you. They can’t speak English.” Or “They were just embarrassed/shy.” and not recognize that they were belittling my very real loneliness and feelings of rejection in favor of the general Korean’s “discomfort”. Like immediately excusing their actions and defending their emotions while ignoring or minimizing my own feelings. But, as you explained so well, it is very possible to understand that many Koreans feel this way and the complex reasons behind it, and to empathize with them, while also being bothered by it and saddened by how it affects many foreigners.
I’ve lived in Korea for 7 1/2 years. My goal was always to make friends with Koreans, learn the language, and immerse myself in the culture. But it took so long and there were so many setbacks and times I felt left out, ignored, treated as “other” and genuinely hurt. It’s definitely become easier and easier to be accepted and make friends with Koreans the better my Korean has become. But it takes a lot of time and effort (years) to become proficient in a language and a culture, especially when your job is to teach and speak English everyday. And it’s not like I didn’t need friends or need to feel accepted in the first 3 or 4 years when I couldn’t speak Korean well yet.
I think a big part of the reason why I, and many other foreigners in Korea, can feel so jaded or hurt by this kind of thing is that nobody actually explains why they are not talking to you or avoiding you or don’t include you in things. In their minds they might be thinking “Oh no! It’s the American teacher. My English is so bad. I’m so embarrassed/scared/uncomfortable. . . I’ll just go talk to someone else. I’m sure someone else will talk to her, someone who is good at English.” Or “Oh, these friends don’t speak English well. If I invite my foreign friend she/they will feel uncomfortable.” (Just some examples) But all we see is a bunch of Koreans literally avoiding or ignoring us, and not inviting us to things that we feel we ought to be included in, over and over and over again. So it just feels like “Wow, nobody wants to be my friend. Everyone is ignoring me because I’m a foreigner. I tried so hard and put in so much effort to speak to them first, even when it was really intimidating for me, and learn the language, but I still get left out and treated differently.” So, from a foreigner’s perspective, it is actually very hurtful. And we often feel bad for not being able to speak Korean well, but it’s not something we can magically fix. It is a very long, slow process.
Anyways, I just appreciate you further explaining this point and empathizing with your foreign friends, as a Korean. It’s very helpful.
All that being said, although the specifics of this problem are related to Korean culture, education, etc., it’s ultimately a human problem of choosing to overcome your own discomfort or insecurities in order to reach out to someone and help them feel included. And it’s definitely a problem which is present in America and other countries as well, just in very different ways or expressed in different areas.
Finally, I am truly grateful that throughout my time here I have met many wonderful Korean friends, both English speaking and non-English speaking, and currently have many genuine people around me (with a variety of linguistic fluencies), but it sure took a lot of time and effort and failed tries to get here. ^^ I’m very happy now though.
And, ultimately, a lot of it comes down to character, personality, and just meeting people who are compassionate and willing to reach out.
Good this kinda thing should be discussed more so we could be more open towards foreigners.
And1 not to mention prevalent belittling of middle east asians.
I feel sick when one of us(Koreans) treat them disrespectfully just becuz of their skin color. Its sick.
@@lololol6614 ❤️
Yes, I had a friend here who was affected by that. Sadly, I’m also aware that if my skin were darker I might have had an even worse time of it and if my skin were lighter I might have had a slightly better (or just different) time. :/
I also feel very upset whenever I hear about injustice and discrimination in my own country. 😔
From what I see in different comments and what Kelsey said, it almost feels like for Koreans, if you're not Korean from South Korea you're so foreign it's like you're alien. Literally. I can't imagine ignoring someone systematically just because they are not of your culture and you can't bare to be challenged by talking with them. It's not like we are not humans ? Idk. It blows my mind a bit but I would love to learn more about that
@@lunali7209 this! East Asian countries are very insular and xenophobic. I was watching a Chinese variety show and saw similar attitudes towards the foreigners on that show. It was so weird.
Do they really believe the world and all its humans are so different and they and their Asian experiences are so, so very unique?
@@TheLily97232 well if you’ve been entertaining yourself with various Korean content, you already know the answer I guess: that’s a consequence of the homogeneity of the country and the impact it has on culture and social structure (competition, and a very strict elite; and indeed alienation of foreigners
I understand everything you’re saying but we have to stop making excuses for ignorance. Even if you’ve never seen a black person for example, if a black tourist is in Korea he/she shouldn’t be stopped just to get pics taken of them. This often times happens to black travelers who visit Korea and other foreign countries. U may be close minded, but respect is something that everyone should know. U don’t take pictures of strangers without asking, you don’t touch their hair without asking. But I absolutely agree with everything else you said, you are very intelligent and I love to see videos like this coming from an actual Korean. Love how blunt and honest u are about the reality of the world we live in
Really???
Yes! I also heard a lot of stories of SA towards foreigners because of fetishization and being seen as “easy”. And that was regardless of race white, black, latina etc.
@Solo Leveling This! They're super conservative publicly but damn they have a problem of repressed sexual topics. Too many taboos and things they should've discussed in high-school. I feel like their only exposure to such things is po*n and unreal visuals. Which are pretty wrong and harmful view of sexuality. Also they don't seem to mix a lot with foreigners, we're like mythological creatures who are much more free minded, so they as they not view us as one of them, but something exotic and won't hurt them rep publicly, they're much so much bold to do or ask things they won't otherwise with a Korean.
@@Nat-ls1uo Yes! And the thing is that when they try to assault you, you cant even do anything about it cause youre more likely to get arrested for it. And like fetishization of asians is a huge topic, especially lately, but fetishazation of white women in Korea, barely anyone talks about it and its a serious problem too. That's why I decided to not visit/go there till they fix their laws. I wouldn't feel there safe for number of reasons. But the problem is that whenever you as foreigner criticize Korea then people go like "Its culture", "Its their country, they can do what they want", "If you dont live here, you cant have an opinion", and Im so sick of it. Going with that logic they cant talk about racism in US, cause its not their country. Its just such hypocrisy "You have to respect us but we dont have to respect you and you cant complain about it". And I only seen that to be the case mainly with Korea, cause criticizing rest of Asia, Europe and especially America is fine with everyone else. But when you speak about Korea they will be like "Why are you trying to make us look bad? Other countries have that too", yeah they do and people talk about it as well but thats not the topic here. Adressing one issue (which is especially important with growing popularity and idealization of Korea cause of kpop and kdramas) doesnt erase an existance of the other. Especially when talked about racism, a lot of people also bring up US and how its worse there, so why talk only about Korea? The thing is EVERYONE talks about US, racism in Korea doesnt get near as much spotlight as in US.
Like Im not saying Korea is a bad country, they have so many AMAZING aspects, especially culture itself and industry. Such an inspiration. But they also have A LOT of different (especially discriminatory) issues (like a lot of other countries) and it should be adressed, Im sick of people (not only Koreans just to be clear, people overall) invalidating and gaslighting the victims or someone who wants to call smth out, just cause its Korea. Not to mention their country has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
Sorry if I seem hateful (and for long reply), but I cant stand discrimination, let alone justifying it. I do have some hope things will change tho, since their president, from what I know, used to work in human rights before.
I had to vent and since we're in topic.. yeah. Its just my opinion and take on this matter tho.
Having lived in South Africa as a Korean person, I have to say ignorance does lead to "unconscious racism or rudeness". I used to be really offended when ppl said 'you guys look the same' or 'Isn't Korea and China same?' Or finding Chinese as a racial group instead of Asian on an application to study at a well known university (this was a shocker though)
But when I talk to these ppl, I find that they really just haven't seen many Asians in their lives and often aren't aware their comments are racist or rude. So having this understanding, I don't get so upset anymore.
I can truly appreciate your perspective.
I was born an raised in the Philippines.
Our school had English speaking as a class.
Our culture had to learn how to speak English because we were informed that if in any event we encountered an American or any English speaking foreigner we can understand and assist them to maneuver in the Philippines and show them the culture without any language barrier. I live in the US now..
I was in Miami last month and it was so frustrating that while our stay there no one in housekeeping staff knew how to speak English...last time I checked Miami is part of the United States I was really floored when we were looked at as the foreigner in the land we were raised to learn to speak English at...sorry of topic..I do appreciate that we are not the only one that gets frustrated...
a lot of those people are immigrants from places that don’t teach english in schools but are coming to the US for a better life. the US does not have an official language either so there is nothing wrong with some Americans or immigrants not speaking english. The US is described as a melting pot of cultures and languages. Spanish is also one of the most widely used languages here.
This happens in the UK and it bothers me when foreigners come to live here and can't, or won't even learn, to speak the language. We have entire ghettos of foreigners, mostly middle eastern or Pakistani, who refuse to integrate and nothing is being done about it. It's not because we have excluded them but because they don't want to be part of the culture. I think it's admirable when people put in the effort, like I would do if I decided to move abroad, and it irks me that people make excuses for them.
Miami honestly is a different beast and is one of the few American cities where English isn't the primary language spoken (depending on what part of the city you go to). The city has had a strong Cuban influence ever since Castro came into power in Cuba and a lot of Cubans in response fled to Miami. It can be frustrating at times, just from my perspective as an English speaking American that isn't fluent conversationally in Spanish.
I am a white guy and I have learned Korean for almost 12 years (before all this BTS and Twice stuff - so, I was very serious learning it lol). I studied abroad in Korea and I loved it there, but I was so frustrated when I traveled around Seoul by myself. I remember going to a raccoon cafe and people would look at me like I was an alien. One lady at the cafe was looking at someone else while talking to me! and her eyes popping out of her head. I don't understand the shock really. When Koreans speak English here in America I don't pop my eyes out of my head ( I do realize there is a difference, though).
I also noticed that a lot of my English speaking friends who I came over to Korea with from a neighboring university were treated very poorly. Actually, I guess we all kind of, but since I spoke Korean, I was the only one who could keep my head above water. The amount of times people in regular places like malls scammed us by not giving us the correct change too... I will say that a majority of Koreans are sweet hearts and I remember just buying a suitcase in 동대문 and visited (walked all the way!) to 경북궁 or some other palace I forgot exactly. However, on the subway a lady got up when it was her stop and politely pulled me to her seat. I did not realize I had sweat all on the back of my shirt because Korean summers are brutal.
I think the worst places that I experienced Korea's xenophobia was trying to get into a club. It's honestly sad and feels like the 50's where people are denied entry based on race or nationality. I still love Korea and was going to go back there for my masters. However, I feel like Korea locks foreigners out. Sure, we can travel there, but unless we marry a korean national we can't survive there with our heads above water. For example, even the internet is set up to where if you want to play on a Korean server say in like LOL you need an IPIN id and like a Korean social..... Also, banking there is a nightmare and options for multiple languages and people with disabilities to use services there are scarce. Don't even get me started on the lack of rights for LGBT there and toxic christianity (although, we have plenty of that here in the US - but at least marriage equality is here, idk when or if ever Korea will do the same). I just think its funny how Korea loves to have this toxic "white skin is beauty" image and i saw ads like that all over 강남, but when white people actually step into normal places like hair salons suddenly its people whispering and weird looks. Make it make sense. Also Koreas beauty standards suck!!! and are toxic!!! the amount of 아프리카/트위치 방송들 I've seen with Korean women who have lighter skin than me (I'm irish) and a face that looks extremely superficial is just sad...... ALSO korea I love you but please update from Internet explorer, its not 2003 anymore!! lol
TL;DR: Korea needs to be more open and stop fetishizing lighter skin colors and people who speak both korean and english. Nepotism is a big issue in korea and while korea loves to have people visit korea they hate us living there lmao. Korean education is also toxic as hell. Being confident in your body and speaking english too because of living in America as a Korean should not make one as "exotic" or "a rule breaker" (like 제시) lol
I think language barrier is one part of the problem. When I went to Korea, I found it very difficult to ask for direction. Everyone refused to help me or even tried to help me unlike when I went to Japan. Even though Japanese people are not so good at speaking English but they would at least try. While I was studying in the US, I felt that my Korean friends are so reluctant to go out or socializing with people from other countries even though their English is good. So I think that language is not the only problem.
Not just the languages barrier. Your skin color and facial features are also considered barrier. Koreans even look down on their fellow asians especially Southeast Asians more specifically the Filipinos and Indonesias.
@@iloveplumpgrannies174 oh this is so sad to hear because Filipinos love Koreans.
@@irisfrancisco8589 korean most racist country in the world .... the way they look down other asian country make me mad
I've made very close friends from Korea, bit it took time. My closest Korean friend was very defensive and scared. I don't know if it was her home life and upbringing or if it was a cultural issue. Some issues were cultural because I remember explaining some of the cultural differences that seemed so rude to her that I wouldn't have thought about. The person was a little thoughtless, but not intentionally rude.
the older korean people actually was very enthusiastic to help us when we asked for directions, even when they can't speak english, they were very kind. in turn too, we (tourist) were the only ones who gave up our seats for elderly on the train, the korean young people didn't budge one bit. (we are chinese descent SEA people so idk if that played some bit, colorism is severe there)
as an asian,fantasizing about the west and those who speak english is an epidemic in asia!
How does this fantasizing about the west manifest itself according to you? I’m very curious as a westener
As a Asian, agree with you.
Spill.
I am from South Asia and the western fantasizing is supreme here, specially white people are so fantasized.
@@uwu-fm2kj Truly!! As an Indian (South Asian) I can vouch for that.. No matter how competent our Institutions are getting day by day..How good some aspects of our culture are..Unless it has the approval by a US Study.. No ones gonna think on its value. Half of the English Newspapers are filled with such nonsensical studies by Western Institutions be it Scientific or Social Science departments.
@@uwu-fm2kj Eg. Yoga.. Taken over by US & commercialized to the point where India's ancient knowledge is now exported back to India with fancy nomenclature of "Hot Yoga" which itself is a derogatory term... India made its own "Covid Vaccine" "Covaxin"..completely indigenous & efficient as per peer reviews..Yet our Media only covered as to why the Indian Govt. was delaying the import of Moderna & Pfizer vaccine of the US. 😒
Very nice video. I live in Thailand and I can say that it is very difficult for foreigners to have a REAL Thai friend. By REAL I mean somebody who is not looking for some advantages/favors from you, but just wants to spend time with you and share your common passion/interests
I have been lucky in that respect because my wife is Korean. Every time I visit South Korea I get to experience genuine Korean culture and beliefs in ways many Expats do not. My wife is from South Jeolla Province so she has even taught me parts of her regional dialect. I was also blessed to be able to get married in South Korea where the symbolism behind their wedding rituals is absolutely beautiful (i.e. coming together of two families, giving my wife and mother a piggy back to symbolize I will always be there for them, catching nuts and dates on a blanket to symbolize how many children we will have, exchange of drinks to symbolize the coming together of the families, etc.). Every trip to South Korea for me is an extraordinarily special event.
Her family has been amazing considering I am the first Westerner to marry into their family line. My wife's ancestry goes back thousands of years. My mother-in-law was the most kind and generous person I have ever met in my life. I miss her dearly.
If I may ask, are u caucasian?
@@tomsawyer2k If I may ask are you caucasian?
@@michinwaygook3684 I'm asking since I noticed that most of the caucasian males have no issues living in Korea. Totally different story if you are not caucasian or if you are female.
@@tomsawyer2k That is true, but unlike most of those expats I learned about the country from a female's perspective. Traditional Korean society was very sexist and my Korean mom was denied an education and forced to work from an early age; her own grandfather burned her school books. She never learned to read. This was common for her time.
I am not ignorant of the plights of other people or Koreans in South Korea, but I preferred to share some of the beautiful parts of traditional Korean society that i experienced instead of focusing on the negative things you can find in most You Tube channels. To go from poor to rich so quickly has come at great cost to the Korean people, a price they are still paying (high rates of depression, suicide and low birth rates).
I feel like everyone who successfuly stayed in korea just married a korean.
Which will never happen to people who are ugly like me.
Weirdly, I havent seen yet people who successfuly stayed there by finding a job..
Now imagine being born trilingual and progressing through your 30s as a polyglot. I hate that the general public or cultures create such controversies around languages because as a linguist and trilingual translator myself I consider learning languages a safe bubble for everyone. It's a unique space for self-expression which grants people an opportunity to progress, learn and develop safely. It's also a great workout for the brain, memory, patience, discipline, and overall mental health.
Your thoughts on language learningb were very well put.
Not everyone associates language learning with safety. Many need fluency to survive in society. There's nothing safe about it when a language barrier costs you your livelihood or your social standing with your friends. Some Americans have even gotten physically and verbally violent when a foreigner fails to speak in english.
Most educated folks in India are trilingual by default.
I'm a Japanese living in japan, but i can agree with a lot of things. I've lived in the states when i was young, and hence i can speak english. After i came back to japan, people were amazed by how i can speak english. They always say things like "OHH you can speak english?? You must be so intelligent!!!!!" It kinda feels weird being praised just because i can speak english, because i didnt work hard to learn english, i was just naturally able to pick it up without noticing it because of my enviroment. People (not all people ofc) also treat me kinda differently, almost like an elite (?) as you stated in the video, just because i lived in a different country due to family circumstances. Even though Im full japanese by blood and im fluent in the language, they dont treat me as a japanese, which again feels weird because though i might not know some japanese cultures and customs, i still am a japanese. I didnt understand why people acted like this at first, but after consuming japanese medias, mostly tv shows, i started to see that they fantisize a lot about western countries, mostly America. English education in public schools are quite shitty, with teachers that cant even read english properly teaching english. Ofc, English is very different from japanese and its hard to learn for them, but if they're gonna teach it in schools, i think they should put a little more effort into it.
Yeah. The way i relate to this😫 I'm in Africa... I'm not rich but i acknowledge my privilege but having lived outside of my home country just further south. The only language I've had constant exposure to is English, due to school and the internet. The next up was French.. THEN the local language.. then bits of Japanese from anime and songs(if any Japanese and the right meaning has sunk it)
I fear going back home and having my own family berate my father for "not educating his kids on their native language"
I don't want him or I to have that kind of pressure but it's still there... a matter of circumstances I guess.
TaQ: It's undeniably true what you said about growing up in an English Speaking countries. My family hosted a Japanese girl who actually grew up in England since from grade school until part of her college years. Her family lived in England because her father was the President/ CEO of Mitsubishi Co. London. Mayumi spoke with a British accent. One can double take a look at her when she speaks English because of her British accent & looking Japanese at the same time.
Anyhow Mayumi said that when the family returned back to Tokyo Japan & she started going back to a University in Tokyo ( Sophia University ) Japanese students would not talked to her because of her ability to speak very good English with a British accented slang. Local Japanese students find her an odd ball. Mayumi felt more comfortable hanging out with foreign students who were more acceptable of her than Japanese students at that school.
Yes, I noticed that Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese have this mindset about the West, especially America. I think the Chinese were beginning to head towards that direction until Donald Trump blew the 2 countries relationship away and made the Chinese realize that they can no longer rely on anything with the West and must strive to be self-sufficient with mastery of core technology and enhanced nationalism. This also happened to Singapore as they have a majority Chinese-Singaporean population of 78% and now pro-China sentiment has increased to 65%.
I, being a Chinese Malaysian, have witnessed a drastic shift in the perception of China and the US/West with more in favor of the former among my peers. The sight of young HK rioters carrying the US & UK flags and singing their national anthem sickens us. Hate Asian violence in the US, UK and Australia also exacerbated the situation and we now realized that no matter what country we are living in, they will never accept us and in order for us to survive we need a strong and powerful China. Not that I am less Malaysian but I know being a sheep to anti-China forces is working against us.
@@bldomain
No matter where anyone goes its shit, simping for China or America is bad. Our world is shit because people are shit full stop.
you said it yourself! you don't know japanese culture! yes by definition you're a japanese netizen but you're not like THEM who actually know about their culture and history
it took me a while to realize thats a huuuge snorlax behind you. this made my day xD
Wow. I’ve been living in the UK for years now and I always tried to make friends with Koreans and Chinese but noticed that they’re not very receptive. I never imagined the level of embarrassment they would internalise until this video. Thank you sooooo much for this!!!
I noticed this too here in the UK. It's VERY hard to make friends with East Asians.
Lots of love to you Kels. And more power to people like you who have the courage to call spade a spade.
Calling a spade a spade is advocating for the genocide of white Europeans and Australians, not trying to haphazardly ram through unecessary social change in East Asian countries that are still reeling from the legacy of colonialism.
Lmao my friend is native level fluent in over 18 languages, I wonder what Koreans would think of that...
No, it's not courage, it's just hate. If it was courage then at least she would have said at least one good thing about her own people and it's not a coincidence.
@@TaiwanLife2024 no shit, why else do you think she said "i *hate* xy"? or that the video is called "10 things i *hate* ..."
If you wouldve listened to her more carefully you wouldve also registered how she said she did a seperate video on things she liked about korea, so why mention those things again in this one
The more I learn about other countries,the more I start loving my country
So so true
100% after studying other countries I've come to realize mine is not so bad at all. Most others are completely trash lol.
@@blackthornep8115 that only true if you are from 1st world country
becuase a person from Zimbabwe or Nigeria probably would not say that and will do anything to immigrate
@@allenk6373 lmao..... don't you think your last statement is far fetched?..I'm proudly Nigerian and wouldn't do just about anything to immigrate.
You're not learning enough about your own country, then.
Thanks so much. I spent 6 years of my youth learning korean and one day a korean friend was surprised that I could use chopsticks and it hit me "I'm NEVER EVER going to be one of them." And I started learning other languages. Nowadays I regretted giving it up (partly cause korean men are so romantic) and started learning again and also joined a korean dating app. But I'm almost giving up again and this video just reinforces my feelings of being so distant from them. I believe the future is for open-minded people only, who have a good heart and good values.
Really devastating to know that Most of Koreans think that we don't deserve to have Koreans friends. 💔💔😭
I can kind of relate to this. Back in middle school I had a group of friends that were all Korean and I was always excluded when we were all together bc they would be speaking in Korean etc and I would just be walking behind them all and they wouldn’t even bother to try and include me in.
I slowly distanced myself away from them and it was one of the best choices i made in middle school
I'm so happy that somebody else is talking about the unwillingness to interact with foreigners, as opposed to just being unable or shy. I have one friend who was very upfront about that concerning her friends so I wasn't so "shocked" when I had to deal with it firsthand. It's even more strange when it comes down to koreans who speak English near fluently (not being shy) and who will be strangely hateful towards non koreans. It's very strange. But it ended up feeling like I wasn't a person since I was treated like someone that can't be communicated with, and thus very... aggressivily ignored? It's absolutely in part due to not being exposed to other cultures and not knowing how to interact with other nationalities through something else than ones native language (:through tone, body language, kindness). But for sure, many other reasons behind it, and I love that you talked about them, you're someone that really notices the ways of people's behaviour and I love people like that :) Kelsey is cool yo
Thank you for sharing ur experience! I do notice other ppl’s behavior quite sensitively, it’s an annoying trait sometimes cuz the things I notice make me sad/annoyed/depressed, but it’s a useful skill for RUclips haha.
@@KelseytheKorean I feel you on that. . I get intensely sad as well from watching the way people tend to behave and treat others. In the vein of when someone treats me bad I don't usually get sad because they treat ME bad, but because there exists people who treat others bad overall.
Now you're motivating me more to do social commentary videos haha
Thank you so much for this video. I totally agree with you. After spending 4 years in Korea (and loving it!) I eventually went back to my home country because I know that I would always be perceived as an outsider. It felt exhausting in the long run.
Moreover, I would never want my child to be submitted to the Korean education system. One year as an exchange student in Korean High School was definitely enough to deter me forever
I am a teacher in Korea and I feel so isolated at work. The other teachers do not want to interact with me. They just tell me I'm the for the students. The principal is so racist, never wants to be in the same room as me. Literally gets nervous if she finds me in a room. I've also had people my neighborhood calling me a nigger and others changing directions on the road when they see me and using the same direction once I've passed.
maybe it's time for you to leave, for your sake. why bother staying if it's that toxic?
@@xiaoxia5 yes I left in April at the end of my contract. I'll be starting at a new school now.
As a foreigner in another country, I would never expect a local to be able to speak English. I think the onus is on the visitor to try & speak the local language, especially if going to stay for a while. Koreans shouldn't feel ashamed.
I don't understand #5. (I'm an Aussie).
I don't know, but the impression I get is that Korea is very hierarchial & the 'appearance' of things matter too much. Eg - So Obama interacting with a janitor reflect poorly on Obama & that he isn't taking his staus seriously and is letting his socio-class down as it's not what you're supposed to do. It's a 'rule' & meeting expected behaviour. It's visa versa too? Is that what it is?
I agree, it’s a very homogeneous country, if you’re going there you can’t be irritated that not enough people speak english & if you want to make friends you should try to learn the language
english is seen as a minimum most of the places around the world. no one is saying you have to be fluent but if you are from a first world country, young and cant even throw some words together thats not really good lol... its like having really bad maths skills and not being able to do the most basic things in maths like subtracting
@@lunali7209 That's pretty silly to say "if you are from a first world country". Yeah sure korea is considered a first world country, but that doesn't mean we're on equal footing with european countries in terms of learning english. So it's a really unfair comparison and quite weird of you IMO to be patronizing about it.
..... That's not the point. Even when korean is learned it's still a struggle to make friends.
You’re very generous about Swedes and our English skills. 😄 I’d say that it’s only 99% of the younger generations that’s fluent in English. Middle aged and older aren’t as fluent and confident in speaking English.
But yes, your point still stands, Swedish people are in general good at English and not as shy about speaking it compared to Koreans. Tho I feel that us Swedes are quite bad at making friends with those who don’t speak Swedish, even those who speak broken Swedish have trouble integrating into Swedish society.
I see! I was indeed very impressed with u guys’ English skills. U guys ranked 1st or 2nd nation that has best Eng proficiency without ir being ur native language tho!! Anyway, i think i way lucky in Sweden to meet friends through my Swedish bf, so they were able to be friends with me even though i dont speak Swedish🙂🙂
@@KelseytheKorean Yeah I suppose it’s also differs depending on age, personality and in what circumstances you’re integrating into/interacting with Swedish society/people.
I’m glad you’ve had positive experiences here! 😊
@@KelseytheKorean I have observed that most of korean students attend Australian universities or US.. ones who can afford to avoid depressing korean education system
I was thinking that, I heard Sweden (along with its Nordic neighbors) are very insular and is the hardest for foreigners to make Native friends.
@@maheshpun4804 Yeah I mean we even have a hard time making friends amongst ourselves 😅 I’d say Swedes are generally very guarded with strangers.
My best advice to make friends is through education, apart from uni there are lots of night (and day) classes held through what’s called studieförbund on various subjects like pottery, language, dog training, dance etc. and in many cases it doesn’t require any previous experience.
I think it is ok to be different, there must be respect! There is no need to be an 100% Korean or some other nationality, it's not necessary, but it must be mandatory to be respectful! A foreigner that appreciates your culture and speak your language must be accepted and respect as someone that appreciates your country and at least deserves more appreciation or acceptance...
VERY, VERY WELL SAID!
I feel this happens not just in Korea but other countries too, even if sometimes you are fluent in their native language it's hard to have native friends, because they will always see you as an outsider.
True. The problems introduced in this video are common problems of homogeneous countries including Korea. I think she compared Korea only to the “immigrants” countries…
Not really. Japan wasn't like this and Latin America damn sure isn't.
@fraser Oh not in UK for sure, I'm Portuguese and lived in UK for 4 years, it was so easy for me to make native friends there, I'm still friends with a few of them after all these years. I was referring to the country (don't want to mention) that I currently reside for over a decade and still have no native friends here only foreign friends.
Kelsey is the kind of person to tell us the truth the raw truth. Thank you for being honest with us.
I have been living in Korea for almost 6 months. Even though I am conversationally fluent in Korean (can understand 95% of TV) making friendships has still been a bit difficult since the default here is to ignore foreigners. My best advice is to immerse in Korean media as much as possible to improve your language ablities, since that is the real limit on the realationship (i.e you could bring up this issue in Korean). With that said I still don't find it easy myself despite being fluent.
Wow even after 6 months and even fluent in Korean!?...wow can't imagine how terrible it must be for Lisa of Blackpink who's been living and working there for almost 10 years.. and years of hates and unfair treatment she had faced... all the hardwork trying to be accepted still not enough to them...even their Entertainment Industry full of discriminations toward Foreign Idols regardless how successful they were...sad to see...
Its so hypocritical of some Koreans. Some Koreans want to ignore foreigners, just as you said. But yet they want foreigners to help protect them from North Korea! Its such a bizarre mentality.
This is at least with regards to Koreans & Americans.
Finding a hobby that forces social interaction helps. I'm a dancer, and the Korean dance scene was very friendly and accepting of foreigners.
@@erikstorm8935 well south koreans actually thinking that US mil stays in korea for their benefits, not to protect korea.
we think we are 10 times stronger than north korea , also existence of US army isnt bad~ we think US is here cuz to win over china with power.
I am Afro Latina and I love to blend in when I travel and not be bothered. Since being in Korea, I get approached daily and someone is willing to help me or want to get to know me. I’m here for personal reasons but I find your comment completely different from my experience and I wonder why
Several of your points you said are difficult to explain yet you were explaining everything perfectly! Very interesting video - keep them coming.
We should know that every nations has its own culture and in my own opinion I will try to learn their language their customs and traditions in a way to communicate with them and to work with them freely! Thanks for the information!! Appreciated
That is why I love Kelsey. She never sugarcoat "things". Also a great guide for foreigners like me who is so interested to go Korea.
I think it’s hilarious when kdramas make a big deal about a character’s English skills in some business meeting. 90% of the time the pronunciation is so bad that it’s almost impossible to understand them. If they are aiming for a more international audience they are better off cutting those scenes.
Haha in japanese entertainment too 😂
But wouldn't that just perpetuate the stigma against non english speaking accents? Accents should be celebrated, not derided.
@@rockyrosy I think accents are a bit different from not being able to pronounce anything to the point that nobody can really understand you. Like yes there's accents, but even with an accent you're still pronouncing things correctly. Pronouncing for example the words "things" and "process" as "tings" and "pro-kess" isn't an accent, it's simply the wrong pronunciation. Plus alongside with the pronunciation the grammar is atrocious. For example, this is a bit tamer, but in squid game, some of the lines the English speaking actors were given weren't grammatically correct. I'm not saying that native speakers speak with correct grammar constantly, it's just that the lines that didn't have correct grammar were lines that no native speaker would make a mistake on unless they're a child.
I don't know. I mean, do you understand all native English speakers? Try watching Derry girls from Northern Ireland. I bet you'll need subtitles as much as the non English speakers. When I went to England to live, I had to slow my speech, as they couldn't understand me. English is my first Language. Just, Cork people, speak very quickly. Or what about Liverpool or Newcastle accent, both in England? As for the Scots, particularly Glaswegians. Unless you regularly interact with people from these area's, it's very hard to understand them. So, my point is, pronunciation is different. I don't mind Koreans speaking English with strong Korean accents. What annoys me is the stilted English that comes out of non Koreans, for example King2 hearts. The so called Americans sound like they are speaking broken English. Surely they can find good English speaking actors and actresses living in Korea. The crowd they have sound like non English speaking Europeans.
@@db8134 I've watched Derry girls and perfectly understand them and I'm Canadian. I don't think their accents is that hard to understand.
For #5 I would like to say that one of the janitors at my high school gave a commemoration speech at my graduation for all the graduates. Everybody loved him, staff, students, the people at the top in our district. There is no such thing as hierarchies like that here, people are just people and deserved to be treated as such.
Where are you from?
The thing about people not wanting to interract with foreigners because they are insecure about their English skills is very relatable to me even though i never stepped foot in Korea.
I'm Romanian and i lived in Germany for 3 years, and it's the same there. When i moved there my German was really bad, but i thought i could get by because i thought most Germans could speak English since it's a developed western country and i even looked up statistics about this. Oh how wrong i was.
The most frustrating thing is that even the people who could speak English didn't want to. And believe me, it's a very shitty situation when you're trying to write documents for the city hall and the lady who works there understands your English just fine, but answers you in a language you don't understand just because she's too lazy to speak a language that she knows and has studied for probably 12 years in school.
There were also some odd ones, after a couple of years my German was better and while 99% of people understood me just fine, some bastards pretended not to understand even basic words like "Yes". Weird people.
Yeah, German public servants are quite rude and dismissive. The worst are those that work in the immigration offices as well as the airport police
Very strange.. are you somewhere in east germany?
Whenever i go to germany i have the problem of not being able to practice german because everyones english is better than my german.
The koreans who have tried to talk to me in english have worse level then my german, or they are just lying and pretending not to understand anything, i dont know.
As a Swede, I think you're giving our schools too much credit 😜 I think the biggest reason we are so good at English is mostly due to Sweden being a small country, meaning most of our media is in English (we only dub kids shows), we have to be in contact with foreign companies a lot at our workplace since Sweden is heavily dependent on export and import etc. Basically Sweden is to small for us to live in an isolated "bubble" like countries with a larger population can and so we don't have much of a choice but to learn English 😅
Hungary has roughly the same population as Sweden, and most of our movies and TV shows are dubbed. We also have fewer people who are fluent in English.
@@sourcerror I've been to Hungary and I was amazed that so many people could speak good English! Obviously I didn't go past Budapest but there were definitely more people able to speak English in Budapest than in Milan. Only once I got yelled at in a street by an old lady for speaking English to her but I didn't get offended, she was just a little weird.
And that is the thing about Americans only speaking English (unless you come from an "ethnic" family that still speaks a 2nd language at home). While we catch a lot of shit from other countries about not learning other language, Americans (and I guess Brits and Aussies also fall into this as well to an extent) simply don't NEED to learn another language to get by in the world. Like it or not, English is the current lingua franca worldwide, and the language that most folks worldwide default to when in a mixed language crowd. That may change in the future, but that is the truth for now.
Sorry can you reword that? It's really difficult to understand.
@@sourcerror Hungarian is pretty interesting. It's very different from many European languages. There's not much crossover between other languages.
It's not just korea it's the entire asian community india, korea, china etc it has been seeded in our thought processes that west and english is superior a psychological barier passes down over time. But the good thing is it's changing and slowly we as a community are making space for us and our people on the global stage.
By the way love the snorlax relaxing in background 😄
Even though I agree with you I still think that India is not a homogeneous country because within India we have multiple culture and we are more open to other cultures than Koreans. Also our beauty standards are not harsh.
I would have to disagree with you on one point, India. India is such a diverse country and with in india there are so many cultures, languages, religion and what not. Though we might have had internal differences, we have had kept this unity for more than 70 years. You cant just compare India to China or Korea. China and Korea are almost a homogeneous community who has their own language as Mandarin and Korean. Their culture, language, dressing style, food habits almost similar all over the country. Where as in India, with in 28 states and 9 UT's, you would experience different culture, food habits, dressing style and language in each state. You cant even experience such diverse culture in any other part of the world except India. India has always been open to diversity. Even the facial features of people are different through out indian subcontinent. South Indian have comparatively darker complexion when compared to North Indians(am from South) and North east Indians have entirely different culture when compared to other parts of India. Though they five states in South have Dravidian language as common ancestry, they have four distinct languages. Almost all states have their own official languages. So where in the world you could find culmination of such diversity?? In short, India cannot be compared to anyother country in the world when the point of discussion is diversity.
@@anjalijaswal5147 India is not homogenous true. But the original commentor's point still stands. It's a great great thing if you study/work/live in the west. Family members who live there and come to visit are treated visibly differently. The romanticisation of the west, the feeling that we are inferior to them and have to constantly try to catch up to them.. it's very prevalent even now. It's ironic that even though we are open to diversity, we look down upon ourselves and fail to appreciate our own diversity.
@@anuou792 yes i agree and I think max Indian are very proud of Our Culture, unity, etc.....and english in India is i think important because we have many Languages....and i think India is only country where people still wear Traditional Clothes daily
I would argue that the east asians are alot more closed off than the south asians.
As a Korean who lived overseas 95% of the time, I absolutely agree this - you couldn't have said it better. I mean after going through the army conscription here - I pretty much faced/noticed all the problems point blank - in my face. It was a bloody 18 months that felt like 18 years.
I watched this once last year in 2021 when I first moved to Korea and felt that it was true, after struggling to make friends. I also feel it's true 9 months later; I still dont' have any Korean friends. I feel like they just avoid me like the plague.
I am from a privileged country, I am educated and have a good job in Seoul and am very friendly and socialable but I still really struggle just even talking to Korean people in public whether it is in Korean or English. To be honest, it's one fo the main reasons I don't like living here.. If times were different, I would have just left, but it's not so easy in the pandemic and I have committed to staying here a few more years because as my job is good for my career.
With that said, I have never felt more lonely in my life. I really feel the isolation in this society.
I’ve been surrounded by delulus all my life and I love how straightforward you are! I can just send them ur vids now.
@@johnwa2323 shut up lmao
Kim Teahyung is my everything 🤣💜
I would say the social status thing is what is increasing the bullying in Korea....am not sure though... Kelsey would you please rectify me if am wrong...I think bullying is not taken very serious because most of those bullying others are usually of higher social rankings than the victims...
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
interesting point
@nora Hamisi YES wouldn't you agree that the pandemic has brought out the worst characteristics of every one and it doesn't matter what race/country/culture people are just getting out of hand with hate & bullying. The overwhelming attitude with bullies is "you don't look or think like me, you must be wrong." Everything is fear and judgment based and intolerance is everywhere. SAD.
1.) There is an issue with the age-ranking in Korea. In the business field, you are taught not to contradict or go against your "elders" (literally anyone older than you, not just people who were hired first), which can cause issues when there is actual illegal activity or negligence going on.
2.) Bullying is quickly becoming an issue in the realm of cancel culture and celebrity life. Many people are finding that their careers are now over because of bullying allegations. It's the younger, tech-savvy generation that is spearheading this candle culture movement, which means that there are a lot of older people who may still abuse their age status and superiority to manipulate others and even bully. Hopefully in upcoming generations, more and more of the population will take a firm stance against bullying.
I think is more that the bullying in Korea uses the status culture as a weapon of bullying. Bullying exists everywhere but having experienced school in 3 countries I noticed the reasons one is bullied or becomes a bully differ quite a lot. And I guess in a highly hierarchical society it could be even harder to battle it, but not that this necessarily causes more..?!
I am Korean and have lived in Australia for 10+yrs and planning to stay in Korea for the rest of the year due to health reasons. Im frightened for the stay due to the cultural barriers you discussed about as Ive felt and witnessed them myself in the past two weeks. I cant imagine how i will endure the next 6mth here.. can’t wait to go back to Aus and be in my comfort space. Thanks for sharing gal!
I been interacting with Korean Media/Culture a lot lately, and it's crazy how different the idealization of Korea is in contrast to the reality. Great Video tho! Super interesting to learn about Korean culture.
I studied in the UK for my Bachelor's degree and even there I could see how Asians, in general, were very closed off, they had these student accommodation buildings they always occupied and not try to merge with other people, always stayed in their groups and I had a Thai friend who used to live there, even for her it was hard to understand them because she was very exposed to different cultures. I've always been interested in Asian cultures and even started studying Korean a few months ago, but when I try for instance to find someone to chat with even on HelloTalk it doesn't work out at all. I can understand why the Korean culture is like this but I find it very discouraging because you are willing to put the effort in and it still doesn't work...
I just downloaded hellotalk a few days ago and out of 10 people that I messaged, three people replied.
One person is a absolute beginner,one person is an Elder, and one person is extremely hilarious.
I'm slightly intimidated by the Elder. I only know random Korean phrases and they are not cohesive.
I know, "help me, please" and then the next phrase I know is, "I'm hungry" and " lie down on this bed" from talk to me in Korean 30 irregular verbs and phrases. I use to play that audio for 7 hours a day, while I was working in a warehouse, because I needed to pass time.
Anyway, before I really, really started taking Korean seriously, I had studied Chinese inconsistently for two years.
The reason why it was on and off is because I could not find someone who was patient and understanding of my beginner struggle. It seemed as if every tutor would have preferred for me to be conversational or at least B2 level. I also met Chinese people who were rude who had ignored me,mocked me, tor made fun of me( ridiculed) an excuse their behavior by saying that "foreigners make fun of their English accent all the time."
I was genuinely eager to learn Chinese and I started learning during the pandemic. I'm a black woman, so that was an issue as well.
One tutor told me I was too sensitive and laughed.
She had ridiculed me for not being an fluent speaker after studying beginners Chinese for a year-and-a-half. She discredited my progress and undermined my intelligence .
I told her that she had came off as emotionally abusive because her mockery was insensitive.
I chose to Enlighten her and shared screenshots of the vocabulary list of the words I had studied, which school has shown that the level was Elementary. (hsk1-hsk3.) I shared with her screenshots from language professionals that had conducted thorough research about language learning, that would have shown that most reach hsk 4 level still struggle with basic conversation.
I had turned back to Korean because I haven't experienced anything remotely close to what I had experienced with Chinese.
But, I'm still weary and I'm slightly less enthusiastic about learning these Asian languages.
Nobody really likes black people so it's like, it'll be a miracle if I find a language partner or even a friend😫
Please excuse my lack of punctuation marks and poor grammar. I had used the voice message recorder to relay this message.
*edit:
I had started watching Chinese zero to hero channel for HSK7 -9 vocabulary, and I had also re-watched the dramas that I had started this language learning Journey with, like :
"The Legends", "Legend of white snake", "Princess Agents", and the most recent drama, "Word of Honor"😊 that I can say has rekindled the flame I had for this language.😍 My focus is on mastering writing, reading, and understanding 80% of the characters of the first four levels of the standardized test.
Yeees, in Russia in my University Asians really stay in their groups and not try to just say Hi or have small talk. And that makes me feel upset and it seems that I am not good enough for them. It is rude.
Pls dont generalize asia continent is so big east asians are different from south east asians
I need to stop using my voice recorder when I don't feel like typing the message because I read so many grammar errors in my paragraph, from two weeks ago, that I had to edit it so that it would make sense😂
I'm surprised anybody even got through that one😂
@@Gurza_girl oh wow I wonder if it's because they don't feel confident with speaking English or they probably assumed that Russians do not speak English or the chinese language.As a black woman, I also have to factor in racism so my social experience is a bit different
Ngl number 5 made me so sad. The presidents job is to be a public servant and in America it is seen as he works for us and should be expected to care about all workers in America. It's very common to critique politicians so it is in their best interest to be nice to everyone so in America pictures like that are quite common.
Obama did a really good job of connecting with people who were open to it. Our politicians are pretty trash across the board, but I did like Obama.
Having lived here for 20 years. I have seen a huge change in the openness of Koreans, especially since I first arrived here. On the whole, I feel that Koreans today are more open and willing to engage in conversation. I also find those outside of Seoul are very kind and friendly. But I did experience some closed mindedness when I first arrived, but that was because Korea had hardly any foreigners way back then.
There's definitely a big city issue. When I was Tokyo, no one talked to me. When I was in Kyoto (somewhat big but not that big) people were more open and friendly.
I found them to be friendly
I stayed in Korea from 2014-2015. I studied some Korean before going and I also wasn't in Seoul. But instead in a small country town ( 시골) Jillyang (진량) I think amongst college areas and stuff you will come across a lot of Koreans who are intrigued by foreigners and want to improve their English. And a way foreigners can get into those groups are by hanging out with open minded Koreans. But I do agree there can be instances where they avoid English speaking foreigners. Though I had great experiences being a black man in South Korea with elders who were so excited to meet international people, dating was a whole different beast.
Many times I would be called the n word, ignored, or blocked for little to no reasons. Knowing some Korean can help for sure, but being 100% in the dark will prove a disadvantage.
I reckon that even if a foreigner learned how to speak Korean fluently and even adopted many social customs from S.Korea, they would still be "the odd one" just because they look different.
So one has to wonder...is it even worthy to try this if no matter what you do you still will be excluded?
Trust me, everyone will view you as a higher up in society…
Some will avoid talking to you bc of that… but if you speak really good Korean, good manners, and are kind you’ll be just fine
i never understand why someone would want to do this anyway? Be proud of where youre from instead of being something else, especially when they dont even like you to begin with.
@@stuka80 What?
What you mean with "being something else"?Not everyone that wants to live in another country and adopts their customs do it to "be someone else".
They do it for the experience, and to try to see the world through the views of that country/culture.This is what globalization is about, sharing experiences.
@@BeastChaeng ermmmm... its probably becuz u dont have a 'best friend forever'. Even Koreans ourselves dont get to have the 'insider' status easily. U gotta know that.
@@lololol6614 are jobs well paid there
OMG all what you say in this video is absolute truth and facts, you must be such an empathic person for being able to catch all that. My life in Korea is lonely and sad and I can’t wait the pandemic to finish so I can go somewhere else to live. I came here from Italy, loving this country and his culture, but I’ll leave hating it poisoned by the discrimination and mistreatment that most Koreans gave me since the first day.
That is very sad
Come here in the Philippines then. 🥺🥺
Oh boy, you're Italian and went to Korea ehh. They are a cold people and they don't even care for other Koreans. I find that interesting in general about a lot of Asians they're insular but don't care about each other.
Italy has the most warmest of cultures. By now people should be aware of how Koreans are and people like you should not go to Korea. I am Slavic and my culture is much less warm, I think someone from my culture would be able to handle solitary life much better.
When I was 16 years old I moved to Argentina (I’m Italian) and from the get go, and by that I mean from the very first day, my classmates at school and everyone in general made me feel SO loved. They made me feel part of the country, after a while they would tell me “you’re more Argentinian than us”. Of course we are talking about very different cultures here, but that was amazing, I still, to this day, feel a bit Argentinian. However, I do feel like it is also due to MY behaviour. Of course people there were super friendly to other foreigners too, but with me it was almost like I really was Argentinian, born and raised. But that is because I was so into their culture, I would pick up every word, I would constantly ask about things, I would read and watch whatever I could about politics, history, culture in general. I would know facts about Argentinian history that even my classmates didn’t know (although it was basic historical information that they should have known hahah) 😅
After a little while I was 100% bilingual so of course the language barrier was out of the way. My point is, I do believe that making friends in Korea and being accepted into society is definitely harder, but I also think that it also depends on the foreigner’s mindset. I know that Korean is very difficult for us Westerners, I know that pretty well since I study it too. But when Kelsey says “my English speaking foreigner friends”, I think that explains everything. Why are u even there if you are not willing to pick up the language and study it a bit? In Italy it’s the same, when I was living in Milan my best friend was Canadian. Of course we clicked immediately, and we just spoke English with each other. We used to play football in the same team, and I would notice how our Italian teammates wouldn’t talk to her much, they were friendly, but just that. They would greet her either in Italian or English, and that’s it. They felt like they couldn’t get close to her because she didn’t speak Italian, and they felt like they were not good enough at English, and in Italy as well so many people are embarrassed at the mere thought of even trying to say a few things in English. My point is, how can you have the desire to discover a foreign country and culture without learning the language? It’s hard, and it takes time, but I think every non English speaking country is like that to an extent. Even here in Italy, if you speak English with a thick Italian accent, well that’s the norm and it is completely fine. If you, however, have lived abroad and have a proper English/American/Australian accent people look down on you, and treat you as if you are just “showing off” your skills on their faces. It’s just stupid, and I guarantee you that it’s not just Korea.
Honestly this was a refreshing take.
I’m Ghanaian (Ghana), just well read and arguably well traveled and I feel very similar to you, living in my own country.
I have lived in korea and not that fluent in korean yet, but I have some korean native friends (who are not fluent in english) and they are very welcoming and very interested to be friend with me. I think they are the young generation who are open-minded. They are kind to me as well despite of the language barrier. Tho we communicate with body language and google translate, we can still manage to socialize hahah
Awesome to hear that!! Makes me hopeful that Korea will change soon :)
@@KelseytheKorean Korea already have changed god damn it
Yeah I'm Australian and I got it when you said janitors/cleaners are invited to events and stuff. They are respected. My mother did alot of cleaning, cooking and public service jobs (council worker) and I would never imagine someone not being polite and talking to her because of it. She usually was great friends with her boss of the hotel or restaurant that she. was working at, I even remember some of her bosses coming over our place to chat and cup of tea with mum as friends.
to be honest, korean students when they visit my country also didn't try to fit in or hang out with the locals or other foreigners, they just hang out with fellow koreans. out of 10 people, there'll be 1 or 2 at most who wants to make friends with locals. other foreign students were having fun hanging out with local students and forming lasting friendships etc even if they still hang out with the group from their country or isn't good at english. idk why these korean students go on an exchange program in the first place if they just wanna be in their bubble. this is my personal experience in my university back then. i can imagine what foreigners go through in korea itself... i know it's not out of malice or anything, but there's definitely that "exclusive" feeling
The thing about forgetting some words in your language and remember them in English or another language happens in every language in the world. I am Greek and i can assure you !!
Me around other Americans: I’m fluent in Korean! 😁
Me around Koreans: I’m no longer fluent 😄
Yeah, everything is relative, but keep going!😁
so if you are proficient in korean as a foreigner do you feel like foreigners have a better chance at making decent korean friendships?
Yes absolutely! Koreans would appreciate it tons
Yup! Why wait for them to learn English or your native language when you can learn their's instead?
@@kensha1643 I agree. The fact that you can make friends in Korea without speaking the language is pretty incredible. In most English speaking countries the expectation is always that the foreigner should learn and speak English. It would be extremely difficult to make any friends without speaking English.
It makes sense to learn the language of the the country one plans to go to. The longer the stay, the more of the language one needs to be learn.
Definitely! I’ve lived here almost 5 years and speak upper-intermediate Korean and it’s SO much easier to make Korean friends!
Wow!!! Your videos really made me think and see Korean culture and mindset in a whole new light. But let me just say that I still would loooovvveeee to one day visit your country and I hope by then I will be able to learn the language. Thank you!!
As a foreigner living in Korea this is true. I didn't think itd be easy but I hoped it wouldnt be this hard. I'm learning and can hold very simple conversations but I've had people just literally run away. Like I'm willing to jump through hoops to talk to you. I have a Gyopo friends and her friends are always like "Wow you have so many foreign friends that's so cool" but arent willing to try to talk to us. or that we try to talk with her boyfriend and her wont talk to us. I also feel what you said about education. I teach and my absolute hate the Korean style. We get hired for our American style but get bogged down with the priority on books and memorizing instead of competency.