PS – If you are heading to Korea, you should check our our article of the best day trips from Seoul and the coolest neighborhoods in Seoul!

A few days ago, Brian in Jeollanam-do posted about a story recently published in the Chosun Ilbo bashing foreign English teachers. Hat tip to the Korea Beat, who translated the story here. Earlier today, the Korea Beat posted this little tidbit about a panel of foreign women bashing foreign guys who go for Korean girls:

On the 6th the beautiful women of KBS2’s “Chat With Beauties” spoke critically on the topic of “Indecent Foreigners Living in Korea.”

After choosing as the worst foreigners in Korea those foreigners who always speak English or their native language, never learning Korean, and easily meet Korean women they said, “most western men approach Korean women by saying they want to learn Korean.”

They also said there are many foreigners who live in Korea for many years but speak poor Korean. Among the criticisms a particularly strong one came from Japan-born Sayuri, who said, “when you go to a foreign country, learning that country’s language is proper etiquette.”

 

 

They also implicitly criticized the attitude of Korean women who get involved with “tall foreign men who speak English.”

Kenya-born Euphracia said, “in Korea it seems that if you’re tall and just speak English well, you’re treated as the king… My other Kenyan friends were so surprised when they went out with they Korean girlfriends.” Germany-born Vera said, “if a German guy is tall then everybody thinks he’s handsome in Korea… They come to Korea and start acting like Casanova.”

UK-born Eva said, “foreign men who were not popular in their home countries are treated like kings… It’s so strange that western men who of course have very plan features are always being followed by pretty girls.”

While my thoughts in both these regards are like everyone else (try publishing facts instead of stupid racist/xenophobic crap), it got me to thinking about why Korean girls might go for Western guys. There are probably more than these eight reasons, but having dated some Korean women during my stay here (and asking Korean women the same question), I’d like to think I have an idea.

1. We don’t care about S-lines, V-lines, X-lines, or any of that BS. That we don’t typically read the silly places where people make a big deal out of those makes it easier to ignore them.

2. Free English lessons. Walking English dictionary. We’re English teachers, and we have no problem helping you with your homework (as long as we don’t spend all our time on your homework!)

3. We’re more comfortable if you’re not anorexic. I’ve yet to hear a Western guy actually say to a Korean girl, ‘if only you were a little skinnier’… Most Korean women don’t get that ‘you look great the way you are’ message very often.

4. We make money, and we’re not afraid to spend it when we go out. While we don’t want to buy every round (we do like it when our women buys us a drink every now and then), we have no problem putting down manwon for your favorite imported beer. No, we’re not rich, like TI from “Whatever You Like” fame, but we’re definitely better than the Weird Al remake or the Obama remake (seriously funny).

5. Westerners are more likely to treat you as an equal. It’s not a universal concept among all Westerners yet, but it’s a concept that Westerners have had decades more practice at.

6. We offer a way out of Korea. If you’ve been looking for a way out, Western guys do offer a way.

7. We don’t really like the flower boys either. We’re a bit more manly than that. So what if our closet isn’t overflowing with tight dress shirts and polka-dot bow ties? Jeans and nice-looking shirts are all the Western guys need for going out after work is done. Also, if we get a flat tire while you’re driving, we can change the darn tire ourselves without worrying about getting our pretty shirt dirty or calling some errand man.

8. We can talk about interesting things – much more interesting than work, clothes, drinking, and that crazy boss of ours. Quite a few of us sing, dance, play an instrument, write, cook, act, and many other things.

I should go on record by stating that I’m currently dating a beautiful foreign lady, and have been enjoying my time with her thoroughly. To the foreign ladies from the show, try not to be jealous or threatened just because you’re not the popular ‘miss thing’ anymore. You might be beautiful, but if that’s all you have I’m afraid you’ll be looking for a bit longer…

Did I miss a reason why Korean girls go for Western guys? Comments are open – play nice.