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Choi Hui-seon Gets the Trifecta | The Marmot's Hole
There are times when the nice Koreans sure get overshadowed by the asshats.
http://www.koreanmediawatch.com/documents/gamble.mp3
Choi Hui-seon Gets the Trifecta | The Marmot's Hole
There are times when the nice Koreans sure get overshadowed by the asshats.
Yeah, gotta agree. There are a small minority of Koreans who really do have a problem with whitey. These reports really do help to sell newspapers/raise audience figures. It is mostly sensationalism written by a minority of bigots. The nationalistic/xenophobic mentality of the nation doesn't really help. But, as I have said before, Koreans on an individual level are some of the nicest, helpful, welcoming and polite folks I have ever met.
Having said that, the people who were running this 'friends' (and drug 'free') only poker party were certainly skating on thin ice. They were treading a fine line between legal and illegal. How they got the information for the bust would be interesting. I do doubt that it was a friends only game - who has poker nicknames (on their chips!), posters etc. for friendly games?
By the sounds of it these guys were real poker enthusiasts. Korea's gaming laws are a bit strange. There are a few casinos in Korea but they're for *foreigners only*. A while back a group of Koreans, including a doctor, got arrested at one for pretending to be Korean-Americans. So it's fine for foreigners to do it at the casino. What's the big deal then about doing it at a private residence?
BTW, some of my Korean co-workers play poker from time to time, with winnings and losings in the $50-200 range. Should our school workshops be labelled a 'gambling ring'?
^You better watch out, your school may have hidden cameras and you may be the next to go.
Xenophobia exists here everyday, although not every Korean is xenophobic.
I don't think this should have been made a big issue. If you are inside your own residence than what is the big deal. I know of casinos that are for Koreans only. There is a big one in Gangnam area. They had a few special foreigner nights last year, where foreigners were allowed in.
Thank you
With all due respect, no you don't. It is illegal in Korea - unless you are talking about illegal gambling dens (of which there are loads and they let foreigners in all the time).Originally Posted by phuketbound
LOL - they just started installing CCTV in my school yesterday. It should save the old fart who sits in the 아내실 a lot of walking around.^You better watch out, your school may have hidden cameras and you may be the next to go.
Yes, I do believe there are in fact no casinos for Koreans in Korea.
Last edited by bcqcboy; 4th July 2009 at 09:17. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Hmm, well the casino that I went to last year, I thought it was just for Koreans, because I was told at the time, that it was just that night they were letting foreigners in for a special show. They also let us go gambling downstairs, but I thought it was usually for Koreans. I'm really curious now to find out what that place was. It was next to a large hotel in Gangnam.
Thank you
^^ That'll be Lucky 7 at the Hilton.
Koreans can presently use one legal casino (in Gangwon), but they have to pay an entrance fee while it's free for foreigners. A rather bizarre role reversal of the usual asian theme.
Obviously. I think it would be more accurate to say that most Koreans are xenophobic. It all depends upon where specifically you live as regards its intensity. The media agenda does nothing to improve relations, and frankly a lot of the EFL teachers over here really don't seem the best suited to living overseas.
Last edited by ellroy; 14th July 2009 at 10:50. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
If you take the word 'xenophobic' literally - fear of foreigners - yes, I think most are. At least the vast majority feel ill at ease, awkward, or shy at dealing with a foreigner in the same way they'd deal with a Korean. But if you define xenophobia as hating foreigers on the whole, then no, the vast majority wish us no ill will.
I meant xenophobia not racism in this instance, although I think it is reasonable to suggest that the braoder definition of xenophobia you outline is also not uncommon.
Last edited by ellroy; 15th July 2009 at 12:54.
Why all, but one casino open to foreigners only? To vacuum in foreign monies in the great ambition fueling a national pride surrounding making Korea richer. The country operates in a collective fashion of everyone working to make Korea wealthier instead of working to be your own individual though many corrupt shiny sparkling suits are all about lining their pockets for personal gain. You can gamble, but I wouldn't expect to hit it big knowing the only reason you are specially invited to legally gamble is to add value to Korea. Do expect too much attention drawn to you even though you are not the one wearing a pink shirt and carrying a purse.
There is no difference between xenophobia and racism. So cut the politically correct crap out.
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Koreans in general are racist, ethnocentric, and xenophobic. I think many Koreans will even agree with this assessment. But individual Koreans can also be absolutely fantastic people. And they are often ashamed of the minority of extremists in their midst.
And I can also honestly say that I don't think the middle mass of Koreans care or think too much of foreigners, one way or another. They are busy with their lives and own problems...
And Korea can be a grim shithole or something bordering on an "oasis". I have felt and commented on both extremes. Live here long enough and you will probably find yourself in a more moderate (or "halfway) assessment of the place.
Often it comes down to your personal situation. And if you can't improve your situation here over a period of years...you have to ask yourself what you are doing wrong. Or just accept that the place is not your cup of tea and move on. There are plenty of people how think like this...and do so.
$5,000 USD a month, ample opportunities with women... and travel is still not enough to make Korea bearable for some people. Fair enough, to them.
IA
Only casino I've been to in Korea was in Busan. I was on a frickin' winning streak until my estranged gf was questioning me about Texas street(?). For 3 1/2 years I lived in Seoul and I found that best possible way for me to exist there was to never try to be happy because you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. It worked for me. Many beautiful times in the land of the Irish of Asia were had.
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"There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass" (Charles Kuralt).
‘Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.' - Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Once you get to know people anywhere they treat you as an equal, the only attention I get in Thailand is people saying hi. Would be the same in Korea no doubt
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