Foreigner Abroad in Korea, The Good and Bad part 2

So....

In part one I talked about some of the things I love about living in South Korea. In this post I'll be talking about some of the things that turn me off and make me want to start packing for greener pastures.

Elevator and Subway Courtesy (Me before you)
One of my biggest pet peeves about living in Korea is whenever I am getting off the subway or out of an elevator, people stand right in front of the door and try to come in before I get off. I really don't understand this concept. Let people off before you attempt to get on, plain and simple. I can't count how many times I have been ready to get off the subway and there are several people standing right in front of the door trying to push their way on to get a seat. WAIT!!!!

Obsessive Never ending Honking
I have never heard so many drivers honk their horns in any other country. In Western culture we use the horn to avoid accidents or other major emergencies, but in Korea, drivers use their horns for just about anything. Saying hi to their friends on the street, wanting the next car to pull up so they can make a right hand turn, waiting at an intersection or maybe because its just a sunny day, the honking never ceases.

Xenophobia
Racism exists to some extent wherever you go, some places are more overt than others. I understand Korea has been a very closed society until recently and that 99% of the population are Korean citizens. However, coming from Canada and having been raised and educated the way I was, it really shocks me to see how rude and racist some people can be. Especially to other South East Asian and African cultures. Racism doesn't do any good for anyone, anywhere. There have been commercials and stores names that are very offensive and ignorant and this is sad to see.

Great store name

회식 (Company dinners)
I know Korean culture has its roots in Confucianism and the group plays a big role in society and this has lead to many companies having group dinners weekly or biweekly. I am not against going out with your coworkers, having a meal together and getting to know one another, but when it becomes a weekly thing that is mandatory, after a long days work, then hell no. On top of that, Koreans Love (with a capital L) to drink, so usually these dinners include several alcoholic beverages, which for some is a blessing but others not so much.

반말 하고 존댓말(spelling) Formal and Informal language
In Korean there are 3 forms of speaking which all pertain to the ending of a sentence, the impolite form of which is used between friends or older people talking to younger people. The other two more polite forms are when talking to strangers, when a subordinate is talking to someone with higher ranking or younger people are talking to older people.

The problem that I have with this is that it creates and inequality between the two parties who are speaking, one is considered higher and the other lower. I really believe that you should treat everyone equal and this system is not set up for that. I have seen a copious amount of times where an older man is speaking disrespectfully to anyone younger than him just because of his age. In my opinion age should not determine whether you respect or disrespect someone, that is determined on how you treat others. I try to go into every conversation with a respectful attitude no matter who I am talking to.

Okay, enough of my rant about the bad things in Korea for one day. If you have any other things that you have experienced while in Korea, feel free to share them in the comments section.