Foreigners' Perception of Korea

Having lived in Korea for a year, I can relate to some foreigners' perception of the country.

Such as Monica Montero Lim - a half-Korean who had lived outside of Korea all her life - who noted that Korea is "a society that's so old and set." It is also a country where thought and behavioral patterns are very clearly defined, whether it is the way Koreans worked, or the way they dated each other.

As Lim added: "(But) if you touch a Korean's heart, they'll move the world for you. It amazes me how Koreans are moved by emotions like love and hate - and they love to cry!"

Korean adoptee Julie Kim - also qualifies as a foreigner! - remembered thinking to herself when she was in Korea: "God, this place is so cosmetic! They're so vain. The women are so concerned with how they look , their clothes. They're so materialistic."

William, a teacher from the U.K. was exactly right when he noted that English is not learnt in Korea "for joy or pleasure." Rather, the language is seen as a weapon, "giving a competitive advantage to those who have it over those who do not."

He added: "Koreans have no appreciation of the culture behind the English language. They regard English as a skill, like playing the piano or riding a horse."

University instructor Ted Gray recalled his first impression when he first landed in Korea in 1995.

"Everything seemed organized, though imperfect in some ways. It was kind of like Japan, minus 25 percent."

These accounts and more were found in Richard Harris' Faces of Korea, The Foreign Experience in the Land of the Morning Calm (Hollym International, 2004).

But the observation that had the strongest hold on me was when Gray noted that Korea "can break your heart", but yet it "can also put you on top of the highest mountain."