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Waygook in Korea
Angering her father
by Corry Day
the Carillon
Korean girls love their geeks
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If there was a sign at the Seoul International Airport that said, “Please form two lines, ugly foreigners to the right and attractive foreigners to the left.” I can tell you one thing for sure. The line on the left would look like the largest casting call ever for The Revenge of the Nerds Part III and the one on the right would have ten Russian prostitutes and a hand full of Brazilian underwear models (if we were lucky).
Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit, but only a little bit. I don’t know why, but in general, attractive people just don’t like to take chances and travel around the world. Ugly people, on the other hand are motivated to check out greener pastures, and let me tell you, for those less-than-beautiful people out there, Korea is as green as green can get. They just seem to adore mediocre beauty and can’t seem to control themselves around those westerners who came first in their hometown science fair or worked the snack bar at the high school dances! Gangly arms and pocket calculators are aphrodisiacs to most Koreans (or so it would seem from my observations).
I do have to warn the ladies though, even though you will be approached and approached and then approached some more by every Korean male within eyeshot, Korea would still have to be considered more of a paradise for men than women. Korean women are petite, sophisticated, sexy, exotic, polite, and fragile . . . sadly enough, so are the men. Not to mention the “little” stereotype Asian men have unfortunately been labeled with, but we all know that stereotypes are not based in fact (wink wink, nudge nudge).
Yes, after two-and-a-half years in this country, I still sometimes just stand and stare in awe at some of the foreign-male, Korean-female couples I have seen on the streets of Seoul. I am not sure that I will ever understand exactly how this happens, but there are a few different schools of thought surrounding this phenomenon:
“The green card theory:” as the name would suggest, this idea is based on the fact that the lady in question is trying to marry her way out of the country and into our oh-so-sought-after country. This theory has proven to be a little outdated in Korea. But is still considered alive and well in many of the smaller and poorer Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam.
“The free English lesson theory:” this theory has had a growing fan base since the late 90s. Since that time English lesson costs have been rising and the economy slumping. Many creative Korean ladies used their charms to ignite the desperate foreigner’s libido to improve their English language skills, which would in turn lead to many international job opportunities.
And lastly, my favorite: “Dating them will piss off daddy:” Korean women are expected to marry a Korean man of proper social standing. The father of the bride scrutinizes his family and his background from every angle possible looking for any faults or flaws. Because these unfair expectations are forced upon them, some girls rebel and go find themselves a foreigner, and oh my!, Daddy snaps! In many situations, the father and daughter will take a short six-to-eight month hiatus from any and all conversations because of this situation.
So in short, if you are looking for an unconventional and slightly unhealthy relationship with an extremely sexy, exotic woman, Korea is the place to be! Come one, come all!
Is her daddy angry?
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