How to Avoid Being Beaten Up in Korea

Ahhhh...You want to go to Korea. You want to go there ever since you started watching their melodramatic soap operas. You save money and have finished all the necessary documents. But before jumping into that country here are some tips that will be useful if you are in Korea.

I read so many blog entries commenting about Koreans being xenophobic but this blog article really disturbed me. It seems foreigners could get randomly beaten up in Korea! Yes, even when you are just sightseeing - someone might not like your race and physically assault you. Worse if you fight back the Korean police will arrest you instead of the perpetrators! Unbelievable.

Here's the article from the Metropolitician:

I'm serious. I've had enough experience with this, as have my many foreign friends, with being verbally and physically assaulted in Korea without provocation. To help those new to Korea, especially non-Korean Americans, I've compiled a list of little things to do to help reduce your chance of being attacked.

Because the police will likely not help you, since you are a foreigner, and might even arrest YOU if any Korean simply accuses you of being the instigator, even if you were the victim. And also included are some tips to avoid sexual harrassment and attacks on foreign women as well, at least from what I have seen and heard as a man.

There will necessarily be generalizations made here, not so much about people, but about probabilities that things will happen. But I think it's like wearing a seatbelt: it only helps if you do it consistently, not once-in-a-while. So, in order to prevent bad things from occurring, you have to just avoid doing certain things, or condition yourself to behave in slightly different ways in certain situations.

"HIGH-RISK" FOR BEING HARASSED OR ASSAULTED
--- Foreign men, specifically men who do not look like they may be migrant or factory workers. Those people are generally socially invisible, which is another problem and issue, but not what we're discussing here.
--- If you are or look like an American GI.
--- If you are part of a foreign male/Korean female couple. If you and/or your female companion would be considered more attractive than usual by Korean standards, you have an even higher likelihood of being harrassed.
--- If you are in a group of foreigners, especially speaking English loudly.
--- In certain areas, just being foreign.

View the full post here

So, you could get beaten up even if you're not dating Korean women. The only foreigners less likely to get assaulted are the physically imposing which shows you the nature of the attackers - cowards. Getting attacked or physically assaulted could happen to any foreigner in any country so it pays to be careful and mindful of your surroundings whenever you are abroad.

Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya Rant

Manny Pacquiao

This is the prize Manny Pacquiao will get once he defeats Oscar De La Hoya come December 7 - very few people are giving Manny the chance of beating De La Hoya. I'm glad boxing is not a popularity contest. Besides, most of these so-called experts are nothing but quacks anyway. In boxing anything can happen. No one can be 100% sure. Though the match up is far from ideal (why do you think Oscar agreed to this?) I know I will support Manny - win or lose.

The Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya match up was the brainchild of HBO commentator Larry Merchant and no one took it seriously until several months ago. Only when the De La Hoya camp conceded that Manny agreed to this fight. Pacquiao initially rejected it as he didn't like the terms - the guy had nothing to lose anyway while the aging Oscar needs a fight that can restore some of his credibility as a boxer. He doesn't want to fight boxers his size like Trinidad, Margarito or Cotto (it is this cynical attitude Oscar brings to boxing that pisses me off I. I have nothing against him in fact I prefer him to fight either Margarito or Cotto - a much balanced match up for him to say the least). Of course, no boxer would like to end his career with a loss or worse a knock out which would likely happen if Oscar De La Hoya fights those pugs. So in August, the boxers agreed to fight - much to my surprise and chagrin. So it will happen...what was Pacquiao thinking? Why would he fight a guy six inches taller than him? For me it was an obvious mismatch. But what I think doesn't matter anyway. The match was set and all I have to do is to support him.

I wish Manny the best and that he'll be safe come fight night and not do the chicken dance as infantile blogger Ricardo Lois delightfully wished. What bothers me beside Oscar De La Hoya allegedly wearing lingerie (joke) is his six-inch advantage against Manny Pacquiao. How will Manny overcome that? For weeks, reports have been surfacing on how Manny will surmount the problems presented by Oscar. Things are easier said than done.

Many questions will be answered come December 7. Will Manny Pacquiao handle De La Hoya's power and his vaunted left hook? Will the weight loss adversely affect Oscar? Will Manny's speed and power retained as he moved up in weight? Experts have answered these questions but we will all know the answer this Sunday.

This blog has been covering Manny Pacquiao for months already (and for years in my Journal) and I'm glad I get to chronicle the career of the best Filipino boxer at the moment. I'm hoping for the best and I want to see history. Oscar De La Hoya will get nothing if he wins the Dream Match other than prove to the world that he is a bully and probably get some needed ego-boost by beating a small boxer.

Good luck Manny! In taking the challenge of the bigger man, Manny Pacquiao is the only warrior in the ring come fight night.


Note: please excuse this post if it has some grammatical errors as I have no time to review it. Once I review it - the note will be removed. Thank you for your patience and understanding.