So, "what's the deal with this page?" your wondering...

Well, it's simple. I want to express some observations I've made about
the highly publicized and frequently disparaged phenomenon of "Korean xenophobia."  Before arriving in Korea, I had read vast amounts of information about Korean people and their culture. Most of that information (as found on such popular websites "Dave's ESL Cafe") decries the Korean people as being "afraid and mistrustful of westerners" like me. A lot of what is posted on the internet claims that Korean people are "opportunistic, unscrupulous, afraid of direct communication, motivated by their fear of foreigners and, therefore, not to be trusted."

Ironically, from all that I've experienced and observed here, it seems that, in reality, many of those who are opportunistic, unscrupulous, paranoid,  uncommunicative, and untrustworthy are those very folks who make such arrogant charges against the Korean people! It also seems those western xenophobes are the kind of people who are never happy--wherever they may be. They came to Korea, hoping to escape whatever problems they couldn't deal with back home and, because they're chronic malcontents, they do little but grumble and complain about the people hosting them here in Asia. To echo the sentiments of most astute Koreans, perhaps they should just go home--and keep their misery confined to their own country.

On the other hand, the xenophobia phenomenon is not the exclusive domain of foreigners. Indeed, there are also plenty of xenophobic Koreans on this peninsula. For me, perhaps the most emphatic reminder of that are the occasional stares that Kyung Hye and I get--usually from older, conservative looking Koreans--when we hold hands in public. For some reason, some of these folks are just not comfortable with the idea of a white guy and a Korean woman holding hands. Thankfully, however, the vast majority of local residents are perfectly okay with it and they show no notice of us, whatsoever.

To sum up my impressions of xenophobia in Korea, I've compiled a short list that outlines the reciprocal nature of this double-edged phenomena. 

Top ten signs that the Asian/Caucasian people around you may be xenophobic:

10. They talk about how "those Koreans" are so opportunistic, unscrupulous, uncommunicative, paranoid, and untrustworthy.

9. You're waiting on a subway platform which is gradually filling up with people--but there's not one Asian person standing near you, the only white guy, within a 15 foot radius.

8. The crowded bus has only one seat available--it's right beside you--and none of the 8 Korean standees will sit in it.

7. The Caucasian teachers all go for lunch together; the Asian teachers all go for lunch together; and both groups end up at the same restaurant--sitting at separate tables.

6. While making your way down a crowded sidewalk and past some lively Korean music, you hear a group of English speaking westerners loudly scoffing about Asian music being "so predictable" and "melodramatic." 

5. A taxi stops nearby, empties out its Korean customer(s), then allows some other locals to push in front of you and steal the ride.

4. Boisterous, arrogant, and green American voices, asserting their manhood and all-around superiority in the army town of Itaewon.

3. After you point out Sinchon subway station on your Seoul subway map, the taxi driver takes you to Sinchon train station, then plays dumb when you indicate that it's the wrong station.

2. Foreigners who defiantly proclaim that they don't know the Korean language and that they don't want to know any of the language.

1. You ask your Caucasian friend if he'd like to join you for dinner but he says he can't because he's got to get on-line right away and catch up with the latest Korea-bashing on the internet.