3 Worst Things About Living in Korea 탈조선해야하는 이유 (외국인 입장에서)

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1. Judgemental people

Koreans, compared to European or Americans, have the tendency to judge people's intelligence, level of wealth, and appearace very easily. I often hear certain comments that could be considered 'rude' or 'non-of one's business'. For example, if a student in school does not receieve good grades they are often consided 'dumb' and 'lazy' by other students' parents. And those parents would not want their kids to hang around with those students. Also, there are many judgemental view regarding female beauty standards. I know that being obease is not good for one's health, but Koreans consider it more to be a beuty crisis than a health crisis. Another example is when they look at a couple walking by and try to pick who is better looking to judge if they deserve(?) each other.

Not all Koreans are like this or want to be like this but I can't deny that living in Korea would mean that you would have to deal with such things. This might even effect your personality.

2. Lack of friendliness 

Korea is one of those countries that treat friendliness without purpose as a weird or creep move. I consider saying hello in the elevator and strucking up a short conversation to be a pretty casual act. However, that was not the case for most Koreans (particulary the younger generation). Usually, people won't ignore you if you say hi to strangers but just note that it's not common. 

3. The rush of life and competitiveness

In Korea, living a competitive life is quite ideal, especially if you are a minor (Korean academic life is severly competetive). In general, being 'too chill' can easily be categorised as being lazy to certain people. However, for adults a freer life style is accepted and I believe Korea is becoming more liberal on this matter. Nonetheless, please note that people might look down on you if you are jobless for a long duration of time without a particular reason.

 

Please note that this writing is based on personal experiences as a person who have lived in Korea for 9+ years.

 

Also, I will soon upload the 'Top 3 Reasons You Should Live in Korea'.