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First Daejeon Rock Festival

I traveled to Daejeon with friends on a five hour bus ride from Busan. We went to enjoy One Drop East, Apollo 18, Burning Hepburn, Whatever That Means, Seoul City Suicides, Hwanan Gom, Ska Sucks!, Attacking Forces, G-Jay, Vidulgi Ooyoo, The Army, Dirty Gangnueng, Kickscotch, No Eazy, etc. for free.

Apparently there was supposed to be over 300 vendors from around the world selling international food, beer and wine. I could only spot about a dozen of these vendors. I enjoyed a 8,000 Won Chinese beer and extremely small 4,000 Won kabob.

I was enjoying the rock music, even if I didn’t understand the Korean bands. Then, around midnight, the show was shut down by the police because of noise complaints. Yeah, just try to piece that logic together.

After a barrage of text messages and scrambling (aka running our asses off) for a taxi, my friends and I made it to downtown Daejeon to see One Drop East bring down the house.

I took KTX back the next morning and was home within two hours. I think that will be my last trip away from Busan for a bit.

About 

Hi, I'm Stacy. I'm from Portland, Oregon, USA, and am currently living in Busan, South Korea. Check me out on: Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Lastfm, and Flickr.

 

Countering Sexual Violence in Korea (Updated)

Once again, Korea has gotten the lowest score of all high-income countries in a recent survey of gender-equality worldwide. And, at 104th out of 131 countries surveyed, it was bested by numerous much poorer countries at that.

Given that record, then it’s very easy to focus on Korea’s shortcomings when talking about gender issues. But that can mean that we can easily miss the positive developments that are occurring though, and sometimes right in front of our very noses.

Take what this humble-looking subway ad for instance, and what it ultimately represents. First, a translation:

부산 해바라기 여성 • 아동센터

Busan Sunflower Women & Children’s Center

여성 성폭력 피해자와 가정폭력 피해자, 학교폭력 피해자들을 돕고 있는 부산 원스톱 지원센터와 아동과 지적장애인 성폭력 피해자 전담센터인 부산 해바라기 아동센터가 2010년 1월 1일부터 부산 해바라기 여성 • 아동센터로 통합되었습니다.

From January 1, the Busan One-Stop Support Center, which helps female victims of sexual abuse, victims of family abuse, and victims of physical abuse at schools, and the Busan Sunflower Children’s Center, which helps children and mentally handicapped victims of sexual abuse, have joined together and become the Busan Sunflower Women & Children’s Center.

( Source )

여성부, 부산광역시, 부산지방경찰청에서 지원하고 동아대학교병원에서 수탁운영하는 여성 • 아동 폭력피해자 전담센터입니다.

With support from the Ministry of Gender Equality, the Busan Metropolitan City Council, and the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, Dong-a University Hospital has been given the responsibility of operating the center, which provides consultations for female and child victims of abuse.

가족폭력, 성매매, 학교폭력, 성폭력 피해를 입은 여성과 아동을 보호하고 지원하고 치료합니다.

Women and children who are the victims of family violence, sex trafficking, school violence, and sexual abuse can receive protection and treatment at the center.

의사, 간호사, 임상심리사, 심리치료사, 성폭력 • 가정폭력 전문상담원, 여성 경찰관 등 각 분야 전문가들이 상주하고 있어 위기상황에서 가장 전문적이고 질 높은 상담, 의료, 심리치료, 수사, 법률 서비스를 무상으로 제공합니다.

Experts in many fields such as doctors, nurses, clinical psychologists, psychological therapists, family and sexual violence consultants, and female police officers and so on will be permanently stationed at the center, and when you are in a crisis you can receive the best professional and highest quality consultations, medical treatment, psychological counseling, legal advice, and assistance with launching criminal investigations. All these services are provided free of charge. (end)

( Source )

In my experience, usually the amalgamation of two government institutions in any country is in response to cost-cutting. Fortunately however, there’s a great deal of indirect evidence to suggest that that isn’t the case here.

First, note that the ad is actually quite dated, mentioning that the amalgamation was effective from January the 1st for instance (although the center didn’t officially open until February the 9th), and in particular that the Ministry of Gender Equality has a supporting role in it, whereas the Ministry actually reconverted back to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs (여성가족부/MOGEF) back in March. Presumably then, the ad has already been posted on Busan subway trains once before, probably late last year or early this one.

Why suddenly post the same ones again in late September then? What has changed to prompt that?

As Matt at Gusts of Popular Feeling has well-documented, what has changed is the public perception that there has been a sudden and dramatic increase in the numbers of sex crimes against children, whereas in fact they have remained steady (but appallingly high) for years:

There is not a “recent series” of such sexual crimes – this is always happening. It’s just that the media has decided – as it does whenever a particular case angers people – to highlight these cases, which would usually either not be covered or covered by perhaps only one or two media outlets, and which are now linked together in articles in order to point to a great problem that exists. To be sure, there have been several laws passed since the murder of Lee Yu-ri in March (and the Yeongdeungpo case in June), and it’s great that the issue has finally gotten enough attention to get things moving (see here for a brief history of the slow pace of change since 2006). I’m not entirely sure that the solutions being offered are always the best ideas, however, and public fury (and worry) whipped up by this media coverage may be putting pressure on politicians to act first and think later.

And see past Korean Gender Reader posts for more details of those and other sexual crimes. By coincidence, one of the most notorious of those – the murder of Lee Yu-ri – also occurred in Busan, and several of my coworkers here have reported seeing rooms like that on the right pop up in Busan public schools they teach at in the months since, although unfortunately they have no information on the quality of their staffing or how often they are utilized. Have any readers also noticed them, in Busan or elsewhere?

(Note that the English translation on it may be a little misleading though: a better one would be “Consultation Room [for] Mental Anguish [caused by] Sexual Harassment or Sexual Violence”)

Regardless, the point is that given the current climate then it would be wise for the government to highlight all it is doing to prevent sexual violence, let alone to continue or even increase funding to women and children’s centers. And however cynical and reactionary the motives, this is to be applauded.

Granted, the amalgamation was decided and instituted well before the public outcry over the supposed recent spate of sexual crimes against children. But that doesn’t necessarily imply it was the result of a reduction of funding: although it may receive little if any funding from MOGEF for instance, I find it significant that the Ministry’s assumption of old responsibilities came with a big increase in staff and 4 times larger budget (albeit from a base of 0.03% of the government total), so when the plans for the change were announced late last year there was already a political climate conducive to more funding for feminist causes.  Signs of a change of heart from President Lee Myung-bak also perhaps, who originally promised to abolish it before his election, only to back down and merely considerably downsize it in response to protests afterwards?

Alas, quite the opposite: in fact, he is using MOGEF to raise the dire birth rate by – wait for it – criminalizing abortion, as I explain in detail here. But to play devils’ advocate however, perhaps this blinds us to some of the positives that it has achieved?

One is its survey of teenage entertainers in August, which – among other things – revealed that many were pressured by their managers to wear revealing costumes, and which ultimately resulted in the National Assembly’s setting up of a committee (albeit under a different ministry) to further investigate MOGEF’s findings. And which after hearing evidence from entertainment company CEOs has just laid down new regulations for the treatment of minors in the entertainment industry (see here and here also for more background).

And finally, take the recent video produced by MOGEF below, which encourages people to pay more attention to the needs of immigrant women. Granted, it’s just a video, and again it may be just be in response to the recent murder of a Vietnamese bride by her husband after only 8 days in the country (see #13 here), but then it’s not like such efforts started only recently. One thing that instantly comes to mind for instance, is the above survey that was sent to all foreign spouses in Korea in August last year (see #3 here), in an attempt to better find out their specific needs.

Any other positives readers can think of, however minor, then please pass them on!^^

Update: As per request, here is what the voiceover in the video is saying (and I’ve put the additional text in brackets as it came up):

이주여성들을 힘들게 하는건 (부부갈등 상담 8, 452건)

The things that make it difficult for migrant women… (8, 452 consultations for married couples having difficulties)

어려운 한국어와 (가정폭력 상담 4205 건 [2009년 이주여성 긴급지원센터 상담통계)

...are difficult Korean... (4205 consultations over family violence/abuse [2009 Statistics from Migrant Urgent Help & Consultation Centers])

낯선 환경, 다른 문화

…the strange environment, the different culture…

그리고 우리의 무관심입니다. (국제결혼 이주여성 16만여명)

…and our indifference. (lit. international marriage migrant women 160,000 women [James: just in 2009?])

이주여성들에게 작은 관심은 큰 힘이 됩니다.

Just a little help and support helps migrant women a great deal (same in the text)

이주여성들의 힘이 되어주세요.

Please be strong and supportive to them.

이캠폐인은 여성가족부와 복권위원회가 함께 합니다. (이주여성긴급지원센터, 1577-1336)

This campaign is brought to you by MOGEF and The Lottery Commission. (Migrant Women’s Urgent Help & Consultation Centers: 1577-1366)

And by coincidence, something else positive that MOGEF has some role in: a seminar about women’s career development at my university tomorrow (stalkers, take note of which one). Things like this seem to go on there at least once a month or so.

Maybe this has something to do with that, which I only just noticed today:

Please let me know if anyone would like a translation of the first poster. Meanwhile, do any other Korea-based readers have anything similar at their own universities?

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Filed under: Busan, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, East Asia, Interracial Relationships, Korean Children and Teenagers, Korean Demographics, Korean Families, Korean Feminism, Korean Sexuality, Rape, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Women's Groups Tagged: 여성가족부, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Affairs, MOGEF
  

 

The Weekend Out!

This past weekend, Jo and I ventured out of Dongtan with a few Korean friends. We drove about an hour away to the seaside island of Jebu. It's right on the water and known for its fishing industry. After lunch (and coffee), we drove to Yong-in and experienced the local folk village.

Kimchi Shortage?! NOOOOO!

Can there really be a worldwide shortage of kimchi?!  The food staple that defines Korean food may not be on your table with the rest of the banchan.  Ok that’s being a bit dramatic, but it’s quite possible because the price of kimchi has skyrocketed because of a shortage in cabbage.  Some restaurants in Korea are charging for kimchi; That’s almost heresy.  One newspaper’s editorial claimed this kimchi crisis as a once in a century situation!  Holy cannoli Batman!  Will there soon be a black market for kimchi where ajumas will meet secretly in back lots and alleyways to sell their pungent creations?  Will South Korea have to open trade with North Korea because the North may actually have enough cabbage?  Just like the global economic recession, it’s a kimchi recession and we’ll get out of this in one piece.  But it might be a good idea for your mother’s who make their own kimchi to perhaps hoard it in the backyard just in case the futures market on kimchi gets rocked.  I’m going to go get my kimchi on!

Source: New York Times

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Seoul Mayor Trying to Make Korea Women-Friendly

Now we all know that South Korea as a whole is very male dominated.  We have female friends who live in South Korea and they’ll naturally mention the inequality between men and women in the work force.  But in politics, it might be more glaring.  Old habits are hard to break, especially in the world of politics but the re-elected mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-Hoon, is trying to make a paradigm shift towards gender sensitivity.   Newsweek interviewed the mayor to ask him about his women-friendly initiative, which includes expanding women’s restrooms and making them safer and accessible.  Restrooms you say?!  How does that have any importance in making Korea more women sensitive?  Well it may not sound much, but as you read the short interview, you’ll see that it’s these little things to start the shift going.  You be the judge.

Source: Newsweek

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for those looking for a Halloween store in Busan

Found one in Nampodong! It's right off of Art Street near the end of the road.




It had decorations and a small amount of costumes for adults and kids. Oh, I got so giddy when I went inside. Last year I worked in a Halloween store and that was the best job I've ever had. I've finished my costume but I picked up some things to decorate my apartment with.

Happiness!!!!!

Should you teach English in Korea? A 10 question quiz to help you find out

Author's note: this post is dedicated to the wonderful readers that aren't in Korea yet, but have been thinking about coming to teach English in Asia. For those readers already in Korea, do the time warp back to before you came to Korea - I'd be interested in hearing your scores as well.

OK, admit it. You've been on the fence for awhile now, and you've thought that teaching English in a foreign country might be kind of fun. Still a job, but fun. Take it from a guy that's doing it - there's a lot more to it than being an Education major or being good with kids. Your entire lifestyle will change, pure and simple. To see if you're ready for those changes - and to see if you're cut out for this line of work - take the quiz.

Find a pen and paper - or just open up Notepad on your computer. Without further ado:

1: It's a Friday night. You've been visiting a friend in a city about two hours away from where you live, and the night is young. What are you doing with him/her?

A - exploring the nightlife, one bar or club after another
B - updating your Facebook on a borrowed WiFi connection
C - going to a restaurant your friend has heard about
D - calling other friends to see if they can come
E - looking for the new Italian restaurant you read about

2: You just won a free round-trip plane ticket to anywhere in the world - but you have to use it this weekend. The prize is void after that. What is the first thought that enters your head?

A - "I've already wanted to go to Europe..."
B - "If I combine this with my frequent flier miles..."
C - "But I have to work this weekend..."
D - "Is this transferable to another person?"
E - "I've been meaning to catch up with my grandfather..."

3: You just won a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world - but you have to use it this weekend. You had made plans to go out with your three best friends. What do you do?

A - tell your best friends you'll catch up next weekend
B - see if your best friends want to come along
C - sell the ticket on craigslist - friends come first
D - "I've been meaning to catch up with my grandfather..."

4: You find yourself trapped in an elevator with five kids, aged 5 to 14 years old. Their mother profusely apologizes because she can't keep them quiet. It's going to be at least half an hour to get rescued. What do you do?

A - Stare at your watch for the next 1,800 seconds
B - Find that pair of earplugs in the bottom of your bag
C - Try to entertain the kids using whatever you have around you
D - Pull out your iPod Touch / iPhone and let them play with that
E - Claw at the doors and breathe heavily, feigning claustrophobia

5: Your greatest wish in life is...

A - To help people
B - To make lots of money
C - To enjoy life
D - To cure cancer
E - To travel
F - Assistant manager at McDonald's

6: A recruiter has responded to an e-mail you sent about a teaching position you found interesting. The school director will call you in two days for an interview, and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the job. What is first question you ask the school director?

A - How much does this job pay?
B - How many hours a week do the teachers work?
C - What are the students like?
D - Is it OK that I don't have a TOEFL certification?
E - Where exactly is the school?

7: Two suitcases and a carry-on is what you'll take with you. What are you packing?

A - my entire wardrobe
B - a slightly pared-down version of my wardrobe
C - about as much that will fit under the weight limit
D - a few pairs of pants, a few shirts...
E - the clothes on my back - I can buy everything there!

8: You're already late to a meeting with your friends when you come across a couple that obviously isn't from around here. Their English leaves a lot to be desired, but you think they're trying to find a local tourist attraction. It's only a 10 minute walk from where you are. What do you do?

A: Hurriedly give some directions to the tourist attraction and get on your way.
B: Find the nearest city map and point to the place.
C: Call / hail them a taxi and tell the driver where to go.
D: Offer to take them there.
E: Act as though you're a tourist as well.


9: One of your college buddies, an international student, invites you to enjoy some homemade delicacies from their home country. You accept, and upon arriving your plate holds a strange black vegetable that looks like it's still moving, some shredded spicy-looking red things, and a mushy purple stew. It looks about as appetizing as last month's leftovers, and smells even worse. Your host has already started digging in. You:

A - Choke it down ever-so-politely, silently vowing never to return
B - Jokingly ask what the heck this stuff is
C - Claim to be a vegetarian and ask if he has any fruit
D - Give the strange stuff a chance
E - Push it around and make it look like you've tried it


10: Foreign language classes in high school and / or college - how did you do?

A - Not my favorite class(es), but I passed them
B - Did great in them, but don't remember much from them
C - I actually never used it outside of class
D - One of my favorite classes
E - I can still remember some of the lectures

__________________

Don't look below until you've answered all the questions.

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1: A: 3 B: -3 C: 3 D: -1 E: 5

A and C are both good choices - going out and enjoying the scenery is a sign you'll make a good
expat. You could update your Facebook at home, however (B), and waiting too long for friends (D) may take away from having fun with whomever you're with. E assumes a personal responsibility for the trip - you're proactively planning yourself, not pawning the planning off on your friend.

2: A: 3 B: 5 C: -1 D: 3 E: 3

You'll be amazed how often your plans will change while abroad. While C shows you're responsible, opportunities and prizes like that don't come along very often. A, D, E are all opportunistic responses, but B combines the opportunity with your personal resources.

3: A: 2 B: 5 C: 3 D: 0

Inviting your friends (B) is better than losing an opportunity (C) or abandoning them (A). Choosing your grandfather over your three best friends (D) just because you got a free plane ticket? Not the best use of the opportunity - or the best treatment of your friends.

4: A: -2 B: -2 C: 5 D: 3 E: -5

This is a sneaky way of asking how you deal with kids. Both A and B do nothing to help the situation, while E only makes things worse. Surprisingly, C is what you'll find yourself doing on a regular basis as a teacher; D is a decent, but somewhat hands-off approach.

5: A: 4 B: 2 C: 4 D: 2 E: 4 F:-10

There's really no wrong answer here, except F. If that's your greatest wish in life, stop right now and go back to flipping burgers. For the rest of you, A, C, and E got more points because those are the things you're likely to do as an English teacher. Want to make lots of money (B) or cure cancer (D)? You'll make better use of your time doing something else - teaching English probably won't help those ambitions much.

6: A: 2 B: 2 C: 5 D: -2 E: 2

Both A and B were presumably part of the original job description. If they weren't, it's better to review the description or ask the recruiter than during an interview. C gives the school director a chance to brag a bit, and shows you care about that element of the job. D may raise doubt about your ability to do the job, while E can also be answered by the recruiter.

7: A: -5 B: 3 C: 5 D: 2 E: -5

Either extreme (A or E) is a bad move. Packing a bit more or bit less (B or D) is better, but erring on the side of 'too much' (C) is better than not enough. This goes double if you're differently-sized than the locals - some things may be hard or impossible to find. Men, if you're larger than a 36 waist, stock up before coming; Ladies, bring bras if your cup size starts with C, D, or anything larger.

8: A: 3 B: 2 C: 4 D: 5 E: 0

Kindness and karma go a long way.

9: A: 2 B: 1 C: -3 D: 5 E: -1

There is plenty of weird food in Korea - while your hosts may understand your hesitance, being gracious of whatever is offered the best approach almost anywhere in the world. Assume that if the locals are eating it (and they look reasonably healthy) it probably won't kill you. There's something different to be said about the tap water across the world, but Korea's water won't kill you either.

10: A: 2 B: 2 C: 0 D: 4 E: 5

Learning Korean isn't required for teaching English in Korea - but it's a different story when you're not at work. If you didn't like learning them in school, you might like learning them now that you'll really need it. Necessity is often the reason for really learning a new language.

OK, time to total up your points:

Below 0: enjoy the pictures and live vicariously through the blog, because teaching English is probably not in your future.

1-10 points: it sounds like you're interested in getting out of your current situation, but you need some more worldly practice or experience. Consider getting out there more and enjoying everything this world has to offer.

11-25 points: An average score - you could probably make it work, but keep learning before sending off those resumes.

26-35 points: Sounds like you're on the right track - if you haven't submitted your applications yet, get started. Check out your local Korean restaurant when you get the chance and take a look at hangeul when you get the chance.

36-49 points: You can handle new situations on the fly and have probably already tried kimchi - you're ready to go. Buy you a beer when you get here :)

50 points: You're lying - there's only 49 points maximum. Go back and re-total, you over-achiever.

Teach English in Korea requires more than just the ability to speak English. It's not even about teaching experience, either. Being open-minded, willing to try new things, and being able to make stuff up as you go are just as important. Being able to adjust and adapt to what life may throw at you is as important as the social graces and diplomacy needed to handle the rougher spots.


Creative Commons License ⓒ Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog,Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.


 

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