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Bullying in South Korea
To begin with, sorry for the constant disclaimers in these videos. We know the crowd of commenters here on our site are a lot more civil than different crowds on different sites, so these disclaimers aren't really relevant to you lovely people :D It seems like you here understand that we're just talking about our experiences, and not as Korea scholars. So, yay to you guise! We really like the discussions that happen on this page and really want to thank you for your contributions :D
Anyhow, on with the show: we're getting a lot of serious topics this month for our TL;DRs and today is no exception. Today's question is from eaguyao001 from San Diego, California who asks,
"have you seen bullying as bad as they make it out to be in Korea? And if so, what do teachers normally do about it?"
Now we weren't too clear on who this "they make it out to be" actually refers too, so we just assumed it meant Korean media, such as dramas, movies, and comics, aka "manhwa" 만화 in Korean or "manga" in Japanese. It's true that any avid watcher/reader of Korean or Japanese drama and comics – such as myself, Martina – will know that high school life is a very, very common theme, and within this theme of school often comes the topic of bullying. Now we all know bullying exists in all parts of the world and at all age levels, so is bullying different in Korea, and if so, how?
Well the idea of bullying being "bad" in Korea, suggests that maybe it's not as bad somewhere else, and frankly, we don't think it's possible to say one countries bullying is worst than the other, because bullying is equally terribly everywhere. So I don't think that was the intention of the question (was it?). We're thinking that the question was asking whether bullying is as prevalent in South Korean schools as it is in its depictions, which we really can't answer. We taught at one school each, and our schools were in no way the norm. So the most we can talk about here is what we noticed in bullying in South Korea.
Our main point of interest deals with the school environment itself. We feel like Japan and Korea are similar in this way since both countries have ridiculously long school hours (7am – 11pm or later, Monday – Saturday) and in turn, the classroom becomes a second home. Students pretty much live at school; they brush their teeth after each meal, change into slipper shoes, personalize their desk with colourful seat cushions, pencil holders, and bring pillows to sleep on.
This is very different from how we experienced high school, both as high school students, and as former high school teachers in Canada. Since you moved classes between every subject, your desk was just an impersonal place to sit and be used by the next student. Our lockers were the only personal part of our high school career, and those were locked up tightly and often decorated with photos of friends and/or stuff we liked.
Korean students, on the other hand, have a single homeroom class that they stay in for the whole year. It's the teachers that move between the classrooms. The students might leave that classroom once or twice a week to visit, for example, the Foreign English teacher's classroom or the music room, but most classes are taught in their homeroom class. They also have little shoebox sized lockers, but they are located inside their homeroom classroom and many students don't even bother to lock them. This environment creates a very important difference between how bullying occurs in North America and Korea. An attack by a bully in Korea can be aimed not just at you as a student, but also at all the stuff you deem important, the stuff you use to make you feel happier in your second home, the second home you study in for 16 hours, with the same students for the whole year. If you are being bullied by a classmate, there is no escape from them since you have to see them all day everyday. We've heard cases of shoes being vandalized, tacks hiding under seat cushions, or insults scribbled on desks.
We have heard stories from our Korean co-workers of students secretly fighting and bullying others in the washroom or outside the classroom for money or food, but personally, we've never seen that at our former schools. Possibly because we were at very good schools that were very focused on grades and studying, possibly also because our experiences with the students were a bit limited, since we had to teach around 22 different classes per week or so. However, even if you're at a school that caters to students who are super duper focused on grades, there are forms of silent bullying that we actually have experienced, such as certain students being made 왕따 (wang-dda) which basically means they are made a social outcast and completely ignored by EVERYONE. Even if you don't personally have a problem with this person, interacting with them will make you a wangdda and then you too will be isolated. In turn, students feel that it's best to just ignore them as well. This most frequently happens to students who don't find a social circle to fit into right away. Even if you're made wang-dda in 1st year highschool, it can continue throughout your whole three years in high school. We were told some students will move schools in an attempt to escape their wang-dda labelling. A wang-dda student can experience bullying from silent ignoring all the way up to physical fighting. It depends on the school and the type of bullies present.
So what can teachers do to prevent this from happening? It seems like not much. When we talked to our Korean co-workers about it, they said that most students will just cast their eyes to the ground and not speak during their interrogation. Whole classrooms can be scolded for their bad behaviour but everyone just remains silent. Sometimes addressing the issue can make life worse for the bullied student, so many teachers feel like ignoring it is the best method. Just one of the big problems we see with Korean school system is that there are no guidance councillors available of any sort. There is no one for the students to confine in when they are stressed out or upset, and seeing a councillor or a psychologist outside of school just isn't available and is really looked down upon.
If there's anything we missed out on, or any other stories you care to share about this topic, please do let us know in the comments below. Yeah!
Filed Under:TL;DR
I would like to know how the social security system works in korea. When you get unemployed they pay you something? you have to work at public office or so if they are paying u? how long it last how many years u have to work to have that right etc.. XD regards
That "ruining my kid's reputation" thing pisses me off SO HARD about East Asia. Too many parents think their kids' shit don't stink, and it's always those evil family enemies conspiring to make the family lose face. Sadly, I don't think this will abate anytime soon, especially when people are occupied with image over substance.
Do they really stay in school for 16h/day?! Do they have a life? When do they exercise or meet friends? It sounds like torture. It can't be accurate? You probably meant that they stay in school studying on their own after the classes are done for the day? Right? In Sweden the school day usually begin at 8.00 am and finish around 16.00. Of course you do have home works etc, but you usually do them at home. I feel so sorry for the Korean students right now. Should I or not? I must have missed something.
I just started watching a new Korean drama called "School 2013″. It definitely sparked my interest in how the Korean school system works and how bullies are handled. I know it's only television, but It's almost heartbreaking to see how difficult it is to take control of not only bullying, but also issues like stress, competition, and reputation. Lots of school systems are suffering currently, especially here in the US, but it would be interesting to see how the Korean system addresses its myriad of problems.
Hi there :D
Many thanks for this great article!
I found your site by pure hazard and I'm totally happy I did haha
I'm currently working as a french language assistant in the UK, but plan to move to South Korea and work there after becoming a teacher.
I am sure you guys are very busy, but do you have any tips on how to become a teacher in South Korea?
Many thanks in advance :)
Take care!
Wow this post was really interesting, I thought I was well-informed about schooling in Korea but obviously not.
thats crazy and really sad. :( will soon
Bullying does seem to be a very large problem…but with any problem with that kind of scope, it's hard to tell even HOW to start to help. Talking about the issue enough to make it known, though, is certainly an amazing start. Way to go on the video! Sidenote: Nu'est came out with a song "Face" which is a story about bullying…I'd suggest that everyone votes for Simon and Martina to talk about it! I'd be awesome to have it out there with so many viewers!
Bullying will never stop in Korea, as sad as it is. It's not like in America where everyone is taking a stand. People in Korea care more about their image than they do about the person's feelings.
I know this is a late comment, but I'd like to share a little story that I experienced in Korea.
I remember this one girl who always used to always wear pink dress in our class and pretty much she became a 'wangdda' as soon as everyone started to notice that she was one of the princess-y girls.This sounds terrible, but everyone went against her just because of that stereotype. There were 2 powerful girls who pretty much lead the entire class, and if you didn't befriend them, or if they didn't like your for what you wore, liked, or even stuff like academic results, they would pretty much devalue and bully you. And I mean verbally + physically, like throwing out your pencils in the bin or pushing/tripping you whenever you were in their sight.Everyone was so afraid of these two girls and it was terrible, because you just HAD to fit in with them to be the 'cool' people who were in their 'safety zones'. Now that I think about it, I just feel so horrible, because I've experienced racial discrimination here in Australia, but to experience stereotypying from another Korean is just disgusting. Back then, I didn't feel anything really. I just went with the flow. And I bloody regret it still.
From these experiences, whenever I look at Korean shows with school bullying, I just think "Who the f*** made this stupid drama?" I know it's fictional, but to actually act it out might actually trigger the bad memories of those who have actually experienced it in reality. I know some of them did for me.
I think the problem is, most of these shows' directors don't know how to represent bullying as negative thing. Rather, the audience tend to pity the protagonists who are being victimised and these bullying scenes become entertainment or the climax of the show, not a message that should be taken seriously. This is with most dramas and TV shows I've watched – I'm sure there are ones that make it a serious issue, but the majority of the famous ones don't portray it properly.
Sorry for the huge rambling – I just wanted to say that Korea can be a f***ed up place to live in, if you land on the wrong school. But hey, every country is like that, except I find bullying in Korea more frequent than in Australia.
This makes me wonder. Does bullying ever occur outside of the high school age? Can adults be bullied as well? I'm still young and live in Canada so I haven't really experienced that kind of thing at work yet, but it makes me wonder. If a student is labeled as Wang-dda throughout their high school careers, will it bleed out into their adulthood? How would adults treat workplace bullying?
ah that sucks! at my school we have 5 counsellors for students of all ages to see
"eat your kimchi" is racist. these are pretty cool white people but like everybody who doesn't experience racism, including the koreans reading or whoever from a homogeneouss society, they have no idea when something is racist. every american knows you don't tell a mexican to "eat your beans" or a black person to "eat your watermelon". and you don't do it to asians either because asians are degraded in the same way. "eat your curry". "eat your sushi". in no way do i think these guys are racist but just misinformed.
But this blog is not targeted towards korean its targeted towards foreigners wanting to know more about korea.
I think the problem is that most South Korean students don't know how to be independent or leaders in high school. It's the lack of socialization and extracurricular activities. In the U.S., having a strong personality with a wide range of friends in school will often make for a great ally for the bullying victim.
The school tells us not to fight back because it brings annoyance and chaos to authorities, but American parents often tell their kids to "Never start a fight, but always end it." In South Korea, it's seen as a vice because you always have to be thinking about the 'group.' But this is fallacious thinking. How can you think of other people when you cannot even take care of yourself? And I still think it's unfortunate that standing out in the classroom is seen as a bad thing. This limits creative and independent thinking. Why suppress who you are just to please others? What kind of life is that? South Korea needs to evolve from being so dependent on the group to accepting its unique and independent citizens. I can only imagine how many talented geniuses in South Korea have been prevented from reaching their full potential just to appease the mindless masses.
wow. you're completely misinformed about america. bullying is rampant in america, just as much as it is in korea. except in korea, i don't hear about mass killings from a bullying victim like cho seung hui or columbine. whatever reasons kids get bullied in korea, add onto that institutionalized racism, extreme homophobia or fear of anything not considered "manly" and a cultural ideology that rewards physical and mental domination and you've got american bullying. american kids are like wild animals compared to korean kids. this is not an exaggeration. i actually believe korean society is much more civilized than american society. they're not quite to japan's level yet but it's getting there.
you might find things wrong with the korean school system but don't relate it to bullying which happens everywhere. and what you don't seem to know is that korea is still a young country. korea was a dirt poor country 40 years ago. but just like americans did during its industrial revolution, koreans put their heads down, work, choose jobs that are practical and don't value individuality as much as the group. but just like every other country, after they have been developed for a while and can afford to sit back and look around, that is when is koreans will have the chance to explore their individuality, become artists, musicians, whatever.
americans are known to be dumb. the school system is obviously flawed here too. the huge economy that america built, a good portion of it through exploitation of minorities and its own citizens, is stagnating while korea's economy is considered a miracle and is like the 15th largest in the world despite being so small. education and innovation are the main drivers of growth in every economy. koreans must be doing something right. don't be so quick to judge other countries.
wow weird… I only school for 7 and half hours (7 to 2:30) and then every 2 days in a week we have extracurricular class like sports or foreign languages for 1 and half hours. School is from mon-fri. In my country we dont really have issues about bullying, it's a pretty rare case actually. I myself never see bullying action in front of my eyes. It's shocking to know bullying is exist in South Korea, it's scary and inhuman. I hope government do something about this, this is a huge issue.
Now thinking about it, if i ever marry a korean guy I dont want to raise my children there, who knows what will happen to my child?
Bullying exists in your country and your school. The fact that you never saw it just means you were never the victim and/or you weren't paying that much attention. But I'd bet that bullying at your school made at least one person's life hell.
7Am to 11pm? Is this for elementary or high school students? How many classes are there in a day? How do those idols who are still in school have the time to be idols if they have schedules like that too? I just can't imagine being in school for so long, I know in some Asian places they have regular school and then afterwards it's clubs or prep classes (at another academy) but… do they do homework there too? Are teachers actually working for that long as well?
This is our topic in my class room! and acutually it's hard to deal with all the situation! but hank you guys! you help me with this info about Korea :)
<3 Love Simon and Martina
You made it sound so much more horrible by explaining how school is like a second home.. UGh! bullying makes me so sad! but even more mad. I come from a culture where its acceptable to beat the snot out of a punk kid for being a Punk Kid(not the sub-culture, rather a snarky kid who is rude and disrespectful), so seeing bullying makes me really angry, Especially when rather than putting a stop to it people join in/pretend they don't see.
Your scenarios sounded like they fell out of a movie… thats really sad… and horrible.. hopefully the rising generations will bring change with them. I read an article about suicide rates in Korea (apparently they are[or were] the highest), and it mentioned that seeking psychological help is really taboo in Korea, but slowly people are starting to realize that it's not a bad thing.
so hopefully people will remember how they hated being a wangdda and discourage it.
I enjoyed this video, it was interesting
In my school, backstabbing is very common. Someone actually made a Facebook profile just to spread gossip and lies about the students in our school. A lot of those students who get humiliated by the Facebook profile get the "wang-dda" treatment. The teachers didn't do anything about it. As a matter of fact, they even added that profile to their friends list!
I hope you guys were able to help the students who were being isolated. I always was, and still am, bullied, for many reasons that are too personal to go into here, but I never cared. The bullies didn't matter much to me. They had their own issues most likely that made them bully others. But the one thing that always bothers me is that there are people who can stop it. And yet, most never do. It especially bothers me when it comes to the teachers. The always talk about speaking up, but when it came to the students, they never cared much to help the kids who were outcasted by the rest of the class. Even when there was cases of bullying blatantly happening right in front of them, in all my years of schooling, with 4-7 different teachers per year, only one ever spoke up about it. My fifth grade teacher. And to this day, she's the best teacher I've ever had. Even if it does nothing to stop the bullying, teachers need to let the kid know they're not alone. That's the least they can do.
I feel these problems could most definitely be solved if the teachers would lend out a helping hand. My teacher realized i was having problems during my schooling days and actually gave me her phone number as well as her e-mail address. My whole life changed by realizing i had atleast one person who i knew i could talk to.
I think that the thing that bothers me most about bullying is that the parents refuse to acknowledge that their kids are either causing the problem or that they have a problem.
Mabuhay! from Manila. I may have experienced "wangdda" here in Manila…we didn't have terms for it though. What I can say is that no matter how a person's experience is as bullied, it only boils down to one: a mental suicide. Like you would ask if you did something wrong or if you don't look right…..when actually it has nothing to do with what you did or not do. You know how in the movies they would say that kids are mean….I'm beginning to think they are, haha although maybe they don't mean to….its all about social survival. Its weird now actually that one of my bullies then became my friend now. :)
i'm from the philippines and i've got to say i'm really fortunate that here in the philippines bullying is not that prevalent. maybe because respect is something that schools here strictly teach.. and also, teachers here are not that -excuse me for the term ill be using- spineless like in the western countries and in korea. in short, teachers here are very powerful in school, and they will not tolerate bullying..
although when i was in college i somehow experienced (with my bestfriends) being outcasted from the class during the last year of college. i think it also had been partly my fault, somewhat being a stand out and also being too straight forward, that sometimes i scold my classmates for their childish behaviours and everything.. so everyone was like outcasting me… but then fortunately this issue was resolved before we graduated.. this is somehow bullying in some sense, but not actually the bullying in that sense…(im not making sense right? haha)…
정확히 꿰 뚫어 보고 있네. 수많은 바보 같은 외국인들과는 다른 분들이구나.
괜히 몇년동안 한국에 있었던게 아니구나 .
멋져요 . 한국인들이 빨리 깨우쳐서 한교 교육이나 가정교육이 바껴야 할텐데 ..
한국이 선진 마인드로 갈려면 제 생각에는 40~50년은 걸릴거 같아요 .
아직은 겉으로만 으시대거나 그런척을 하는게 대부분이거든요 .ㅎㅎ
When I think of how I was bullied in Korea (I finished elementary school in Korea before moving to US) the people I'm bitterly angry at aren't the bullies. They are my teachers for turning the blind eye. All this happened before the bullying problem escalated in Korea, so I can't even imagine how bad it is for some of the kids now.
That is so sad but its good to know about it in case in the future I do end up going to teach in South Korea…thanks~
폭력문제가 심각한 이유가있어.
한국의 학교와 법은 가해학생들을 거의 처벌하지않아.
기껏해야 훈방조치.
There's a serious problem because of violence.South Korea's schools and students rarely applied law does not punish.At best, warning, action.
16세 미만의 성범죄자는 감옥에 보내지도 못해
Offenders under the age of 16, not be sent to prison.
Back when I was still in school somewhere in Malaysia, the school hours are about 6/7 hours or less.. We would have extra class if needed typically finish around 4pm or less..and we were like "teachers are torturing us!!" i'm shock to know Korean hours of study!
I had experienced bully, and it shaped my personality in a bad way. I am still a loner and it's hard for me to engage a conversation other than really close ones. The awareness of bully wasn't there and all those time I thought I deserved it. Now that I know I was a victim, I wished I did something.
So the students go back home at 11PM, and go to sleep, wake up at maybe 6AM and get ready for school. That's only 7hrs of sleep. And when will they get the time to do their homework?
23:30 - home
24:00 - 02:00 - studying, sukjae
2:00 to 6:30 - Bedtime
07:00 to 23:00 - Schools
(17:00 toegyo -
Permanent School 17:00 to 23:00)
I can understand your situation there as well. I teach Korean kids here and although most of them are respectful to teachers, a lot are bullies as well. Sometimes it's really hard when it comes to class management. I experienced being hit by a chair when I came in between two students fighting. Not a nice memory. :P
I can understand your situation there as well. I teach Korean kids here and although most of them are respectful to teachers, a lot are bullies as well. Sometimes it's really hard when it comes to class management. I experienced being hit by a chair when I came in between two students fighting. Not a nice memory. :P
Mouth wide open!!! Wow. What a post. Well here in the US bullying is on the rise.. not like when I was a kid it was just minor childish jokes that last 2 days or so.. now we too are experiencing rapid suicide. I know that Lady Gaga really stands up for this issue too and we are trying to get it under control. I still plan to move and live there! <3 thats some K-love! :P
Why hasn't anyone tried to fix this before? You'd think that something that unpleasant would be at the top of everyone's list of issues over there. I personally think that the lack of measures in place to help anyone who is a victim of such a thing is a major failing of the system.
I think I should feel grateful for having attended a school that consisted of Army children when I was in Korea and other schools on military bases during my dad's time in the Army. I was almost always surrounded by kids who were the same mix as myself, other mixes, and kids of all sorts of ethnicities. In fact, I wasn't really quite sure what bullying or racism was until I started school in Chicago at the age of 7. What's sad is that the bullying came from black students who didn't appreciate me and my sister being "light skinned" and having long, natural hair. Racism within ethnic groups is such a big thing among African Americans, and I've always hated that that's how I learned about this topic.
I'm glad that attention is being brought to bullying in Korea, and I hope awareness continues to spread throughout the world and that change will come about it.
Yeah, what tipically happens in America is racism….
To be honest, that was pretty much the only time I felt people were being racist towards me in a harsh manner, and it was from people, basically, of my own ethnicity. But because I'm half Korean, they saw it as unusual or no different than other "light skinned blacks" which has a background dating back to slavery where "light skinned blacks" were treated better in society because they were usually mixed with white. We're all aware of the racism that occurs between different ethnicities, but I don't think people are fully aware that "racism within race" is very big too.
I agree with you there. I have been a victim of racism since I can remember and what's sad is that it came from my own family.
Bullying has been a big problem and receiving a lot of focus in MN, USA lately. I saw this article in today's paper and thought of your video. http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/138217529.html
I teach in an elementary school in Jeollanam-do. I was shocked by some of the bullying and by the play fighting, kids pounding the heck out of each other (boy- boy, boy-girl, girl-boy…) When I tried to stop it or challenge it my co-teachers responded that it is for the children to solve amongst themselves. They said that adults don't/ shouldn't intervene. Some of my students here get walloped on a daily basis.
i wish peeople would'nt trry to belittle others (i know i was treated the same way), i guess people don't think about how their words can hurt, i hope and pray that there will be a change someday
In college I worked as a camp counselor for a two week long English camp for Japanese middle school and high school girls, and there was an issue with one of my middle school campers being bullied by the high school campers after she accidentally spilled her tray of food on a girl. We counselors had big meeting with our middle school group to discuss it, and the fear of the one girl spread to the others and it became a mass hysteria situation. The girls weren't scared about what would happen at camp, but what would happen when they went home to Japan. Another girl talked about her own experiences being bullied and how the teachers hadn't helped her at all, which sparked consensus among all the girls that the teachers never did anything to help. It was just heartbreaking to see that they felt that had no adult authority figure they could trust at the school. And of course that kind of thing happens all over the world.
In that case, the fact that the school was a very 'good' one, was detrimental because the school officials wanted to basically sweep bullying under the rug because it messed with their reputation as a good school where bullying never happens. (This is what I was told when I discussed the issue with administrators who had been dealing with the particular school for years.)
It's about time some action was taken. There's no excuse for bullying.
Thanks for shedding light on this subject. Sad that S. Korea is just now realizing that they might be able to stop some unnecessary suicides if they would just acknowledge that this bulling thing is going on and attempt to educate EVERYONE in the process. To show "bullies" how the people that are being bullied feel and put it in perspective. I like the little disclaimer at the beginning of the video. Obviously you guys get some grief. LOL Good job! Peace!
I agree with you. Back then when I went to elementary school in Korea, Kids would steal my lunch. But I wasn't a wangdda lol. Mostly when we had a good lunch, the boys would come to the girls' table and steal the ggalbi or something.
But that was the only problem we first graders had. Back then.
in my country, if u bully, u can get suspended and ur parents become embarasssed cos of bullying and some people who got bullied end up in counselling and turn out fine in the end and gangs end up getting into boys or girls home and people stereotype students at my college and it is those who smoke and are in gangs who do that. I believe in karma that those who bully will get treated like crap later in life for what they did to others.
When I was in middle school (I'm Korean), I actually saw a Moses' Miracle. This always happened when a student who is very well known as 'wang-dda' walks across a corridor at break times. Everyone in school wants to avoid a single touch with a 'wang-dda'.
This was very sad thing, so I decided to be his friend.(Because we were in the same classroom.) But later, I realized that there were a small particular group of students which periodically bully the 'wang-dda' when they are boring. So, I decided not to be the 'wang-dda' 's friend anymore because I didn't want to be related with those groups. Yeah, I was so scared. I thought like this. 'What if they see me get along with wang-dda and bully him and me together? I don't wanna make Moses' Miracle. I don't wanna be bread-shuttle or bag-shuttle. No way! I have to quit being wang-dda's friend, so that I can live in school in peace.'
The situation happened 5 years ago. Nowadays bullying in Korea became more severe. Even I get shocked when I see the news about bullies nowadays. I wish there are no more bullies in schools.P.S. In Korea, We call the bully-er a 'ILL JJIN'. (Sort of teenage gang)(일진)
I know you guys weren't around in the 80′s when I grew up in Korea. Because of the politics between the U.S and Korea, there was a lot of racial issues for 1/2 White 1/2 Korean kids like me, so we got bullied a lot too. I'm happier it's not as bad as what it use to be now, but it seriously sucked. >-<
I grew up in Europe, and I was bullied by my childhood friends for the last two years of middle school. They isolated me, silently bullied me. I remember all the suffering that I went through because of that and how much I wrote on my diary about it, crying… I was such a social and energetic kid but after that, going into high school I had become a very closed person. I belive that few years have had a very negative impact to my life that still influences my behaviour and how I relate to others.
About raising awarness about bullying, JYJ and Song Ji-yoh recently filmed a campaign about it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyHVmdxJ6V4
The exact same thing happened to me. Somehow my friends from grade school became bullies in middle school. I spent 3 years without friends and being embarrassed just to show up at school. I eventually switched schools but then and even now (6 years later) I have trouble interacting with others.
we have long school hours too…for Kindergarten school starts at 7:30am to 11:30am, for Primary and Secondary schools from 7:30am to 12:30pm (plus for those who attend afternoon school – usually Muslim students – they continue school from 1:30 pm to 5:00pm) and not to forget those who attend tutions at night starts from 7:00pm up to 9:00pm ..for college we start from 8:00am to 4:30pm…Yeah…only Uni is not as crazy :)
as fr bullying in our schools, we don't get much of those, but it does happen sometimes like boys would end up punching each other and all that but these things are very rare.
living in the US, the school i went to was pretty big. i used to feel like i was lost in a huge crowd. at least i could go where i wanted and do my own thing. being an outcast in what is like your "second home" must be torture. that's really unfortunate that there's no counseling service for kids to go to.
i know bullying is one of the problems in school that is hard to stop. i had never been bullied after 15 yrs of school (16 now) so i dont really know how the victims feel like precisely. but i hate bullying. for example, i had a friend who had been through this social outcast, wangdda, thing. generally people dont like her because of her lack in studies and how she acts around boys. (yes, my country is the type that took studies important too like korea.) my friends too werent very fond of her. after two years of outcasted, she end up mixing with the wrong bunch. she started going out every weekend, got home at 1 or 3 in the morning, and didnt do her homework. instead of joining the others who outcast her, i decided to help her when in our third year of middle school, she came to me and asked me to help her study for the big exam. in the end, we graduated middle school together with flying colours. she do still went out with the wrong bunch, and wore short clothes but i feel relieved that i helped her from doing something she'll regret.
what wangdda victims needs is support from friends or close relatives. the reason it is quite hard to prevent because of the fear of getting wangdda-ed too. if there's any chance i'm able to go to a Korean school, i think i'll be a wangdda too. because i simply likes to stand out. i cant stand having anyone being better than me. and if that do happen, i dont really care. because im used to growing up succeeding on my own.
somehow, after reading this post and watching this video, i feel like going to korea and set everyone's mind back.
Hi I'm a senior high school student now in Korea :) I'm graduating this feb.I don't know if you guys have notice when you taught students at school… mostly, bullying students are sort of participating students at class(at least at middle school). Participating really highly is kind of a reason that students bully 'them'. In Korea it is not that good to stand out in class(or other society as well) so if someone always participate every single time(it doesn't matter if the class' atmosphere is participating/most of the classmates are raising their hand to answer something), students kind of see him or her really weird and yes this isn't the reason of all bullying but this is 50% bullying reason that i experienced in my school life in Korea for over 10years.Well bullying sort of declines when the kids grow old(like senior in high school or junior in high school ㅡbecause they know now to respect/they know that no one has a perfect personality, neither themselves) I know it is sad but most of the eastern culture doesn't really embraces "The stand outs" in class. I was part of those students who wasn't exactly bullying someone but ignoring(because of the fear that they might be also bullied). I know I'm so pathetic to do that and I know I bullied them also in an indirect way…..it's sad..
In my experience, I'm
from Mexico by the way.
When I was in high school, our school would have a san
valentine event for student. Where since
February first you could sent cards and
stuff to your BFF, BF, GF or whatever. This
could be anonymous because you'll put your letter in a box provided by the
school and later on in the day a teacher
would go around handing the letters classroom by classroom and so on everyday till the 14.
Then one of those days, this particular girl was crying because someone had send her a mean
letter telling her slut and all kinds of mean stuff and so it happened that the
dean of the school was walking by when she was crying and ask her what was
going on.
Then chaos occurred,
no one would have recess until the culprit was found so the teachers lined us outside
in the sun for 30 min that our recess lasted and we weren't allowed to talk or
eat just stood there like idiots .This
lasted like a week or more I don't remember.
No one was talking mainly because just like 3
people knew who was the bully. Then our teachers would take our notebooks to check
our hand writing and compare them to the letters (oh yes this person send more
than one letter to different girls).
Long story short a boy
was blamed for it so he was going to be expelled then he talked and the real culprit
was found to be…… a girl, she was popular and pretty but stupid. Then was
kicked out.. the end.
Back then I was really annoyed because I was
stupid too .. I was like what the heck girrrl if some loser tells you that you're
a slut in a paper just ignore it and I
was fu** mad at that bully girl, me and all high school students in our school
paid for what she did.
Now I'm
glad those strict methods were taken and that the dean stood up for her
Oops i forgot to say I LOVE YOU SIMON AND MARTINA!!!
That's really harsh. I would have to say bullying in the west and east is very different, probably because of the way the society works. I live in Indonesia and bullying is mostly seen through social outcast than anything else. But also something I've seen is bullying that's being passed as playful teasing which is a little scary I guess. Overall bullying isn't as prevalent in where I'm from compared to Korea or the US. It's really sad how these kids have to go through this and they can't do anything about it. Being in school for 16 hours straight is already bad enough but now they have to deal with bullying too?
I'm from the Philippines and yes, I've noticed that in Asian schools, the most prevalent way of bullying is outcasting you. I guess it's part of the culture (since Asians are, more or less, community-oriented).
i don't think i would have made it through elementary school without a guidance councilor. I was bullied because of my learning problems, like not being able to read aloud as well as the other students. my dyslexia was a constant problem for me in all of my classes.
I went to the same school from 2nd grade til i graduated high school, so i was with the same people for 10 years with only a few new students every year. Everyone knew everyone else's business whether we wanted to or not. (my graduating class was 67 students, the largest graduating class to come out of the school at the time). it was a small non-parochial school in the south in the US. because we didn't wear uniforms it was always a way to bully someone, because of their clothes and personal style.
Only until i got into high school did i become more out spoken and confident in myself. Wearing what i wanted and owning it. I fell into the arts and it became my safe haven. i was always in the art rooms with my favorite teachers. I was friends with the teaching and other staff of the school. i made friends out side of school for the first time and realized that the world was a big place with a lot of different people and different views. So if someone tried to bully me i would flat out ask them why they didn't like me. i would just avoid them as much as possible so we wouldn't have to deal with one another.
every class period we would go to a different room with a different group of kids sometimes the classes would have students from lower grades as well. And the Seniors left campus during lunch time.
my senior year was the complete opposite of that of a Korean student. i didn't start class until 9:20am and left school at 3pm. went to practice from 3:30-4-30. then went to work from 5pm til 9-11pm. on weekends i would hangout with friends. My senior year experience is not the norm for most seniors in the States, but i wouldn't have traded it for the world.
Hey guys! Realy good topic. Im from Mexico and "bullying" is a really hot topic now. Is really new here. It started like 3 years ago? something like that.But now is gettig stronger and stronger. To the point of suiciding, killing and even rape. Affortunately in my school is not a big problem but is there. I think that in public school is more severe than in private schools and also in place in the countryside.
The good thing is that there are campaings to prevent this. They are doing conferences and stuff, even THE POLICE!
NOw the bad thing is that students are ignoring all this thing. For example in my school, the first graders of middle school are like always bullying other students, IGNORING THEM, juts ike wang-dda and is really upsetting. I was bullied too so is really horrible to be a victim. I hope that government do more effective campaings.
An about the RIDICOUSLY LONG HOURS, i think is kind of stressing. Imagine, you are more thatn te half of the day in the same place with the same people, with only different teachers, for me is horrible. Maybe if they have like free time to do whatever they want like painting, dancing etc it could be fine. But not. So i think the students need to stressed out so they use "bullying" to entertaian themselves and do something different
But well i hope government and schools take ccare more about this serious problem.
Sorry for my english, if there is a mistake hehe.
Byeeebyee :D
omg wong-dda is the cheese touch!!!!!! lol (diary of a wimpy kid anybody? . . . no? anyone? . . .)
I've seen a lot of the wang-dda bullying in middle-school, too. I've seen a student sit down at a table and the other students already at the table get up and move to another table, students refuse to work in groups or pairs with the ostracized student, etc. I've tried forcing them to work together, but it always winds up with them half-heartedly doing the work while I'm standing there watching, and then immediately ignoring the student again as soon as I've turned away. My heart always goes out to those wang-dda students. Sometimes they're dorky or lack social skills, and sometimes there doesn't seem to be any reason for it at all. Forcing students to work with them doesn't help, and unfortunately the student's English skills and my Korean skills are not up to serving as a counselor for those students. All I can do is try to be friendly and encouraging toward them. I can't even be angry toward most of the students doing the ostracizing, because they're just normal kids trying to avoid being ostracized themselves.
I also live in Bucheon, by the way. *waves*
Hey guys! Great post and really great information. The fact that the wang-dda status can follow you from school to school is frightening and it really is upsetting that these kids don`t have a safe haven in the form of a person or a hotline.
This post reminded me of two things though; the episode of `Hey Arnold` when Helga goes to the school psychologist because of her bullying and this wonderful documentary that the `Passionate Eye` on the CBC aired called `Children Full of Life` about a Japanese educator. He inspired me to become an elementary school teacher mostly because of how he deals with the issue of bullying in his class. Again, great work guys!
Dutch ( Holland) education has a reputation of being too free, too soft, and not being strict enough for students. Echo's from the roaring '60′s. While in countries around us, like Belgium or Germany, education is much more top-down.
Getting all noses pointing in the same way has advantages, it makes a group strong, But somebody who cannot for some reason is an outsider, an outcast. Creativity is not growing in a strict environment, but endless freedom does not lead to anything either.
Bullying and worse, people escaping from a too strict routine with dramatic results, like ending their lives, is happening the most in top-down countries like Korea and Japan in the East, and Germany and Austria in the West, according to statistics.
But they are strong countries…
The person who put me on the Korea-track some years ago is a good friend of us, who became a good real- life friend through an internetforum that is dedicated to a Canadian heroine created by LMM. Yes, Anne of Green Gables indeed.
For people how don't know Anne:
In the Anne books there is bullying enough in the beginning, Poor orphan-girl Anne becomes a heroine because of being creative and strong enought to stand by her own, instead of following the crowd.
Keywords are emancipation and freedom, which makes Anne an universal heroine for girls, and the boys that dare read it.
Anne has become a cult in Japan for years, and is wellknown in Korea and Taiwan too.
Because of the emancipating messages in her stories.
Our Canadian friend gave English lessons in Korea in 2009.
Because her field lies in science, not teaching, she moved on after that.
The thing that irritated her very much was indeed the bad attitude top down.
Teachers to pupils, man to women, bosses to workers etc.
She is from Chinese origine, and grew up in a liberal environment in Toronto, outside Chinatown,
In England there seems to be a move at the moment to bring back Confucius into education.
Fueled by Chinese and English teachers, to upscale the quality.
I am not a specialist on Confucius, but from what I understand, there can be advantage by having a Confucius into education.
But taken too far,it leads to excesses, people in higher ranks misbehaving to people lower, or to people not going according to the rules.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle, I think.
But having the boys read " Anne " would not hurt.
I am from Polnad. and I am also a teacher. I taught at middle school two years ago. In one class I had 5 children with social problems, from 12 kids with those in the whole school. yeah, that class was hard to teach. :(
one of them was a boy who bullied everybody, once he even wanted to scary me… he came up very close, too close [he did it all the time in fact] and made a move like he was about to hit me, but I wasn't afraid, so I didn't cringe and stood firmly, and he was so shocked that he started to be quite nice to me.
but he bullied a girl, she was rather weird. she didn't talk to anybody, didn't answer questions in front of the class, never spoke aloud. I like her though. she was obviously extremely shy.
and he punched her, and hit her, and laughed at her, he was mean to her. she had only one girl in a class that wanted to talk to her. she was rather alone then.
and I was the only one who wanted to help her. who wanted it to stop!
because that poor girl feeling frustrated and abondoned by people, by adults that should have helped her bursted from anger once in a while…
and it was the reason that even her homeroom teacher thought that she didn't deserve helping. and school counselor also told me something like that – they said that this is her own fault.
I was shocked and disguised… and tried to help her no matter what.
but yes, sometimes it only brings more trouble for the bullied student, you were right. he bullied her even more for… problems he had with me…
it was so frustrating and sad. and I was very glad when I ended working there. :(
btw, at this school students also tried to bully me… but I didn't give up! and I succeded!
I'm really lucky that my school is very open to help students in any times of need. Truely lucky. But I'm really glad you guys went into detail on this issue. Really interesting information. Sad, but thank you for doing this TL;DR
ah.. bullying… (long post, sorry xD)
In Germany we also have fixed classes, with the teachers rotating between the classrooms. My schools usually started at 8ish AM and ended between 2-4PM. In primary I didn't give a damn about what other students thought of someone and would just make friends with the people I liked. I never cared about others opinions and was friends with everyone I liked not giving a damn what others thought about it and my classmates would accept it and I was basically friends with everyone. I was always outside with old friends, or making new friends. We moved to the countryside in 1999, two month into the new school year. I wasn't from there and didn't speak quite like everyone else (the local dialect) they started making fun of me already in the morning of my first day in the bus. And it just kept getting worse and worse (so I kept acting sick just so that I didn't have to go and in the end I missed more then half of the first school year). I purposely was late every morning for the school bus just to make sure my parents would drive me to school. I stayed around school until late in the afternoon as to avoid most of the students while getting home. I stopped getting out of the house in the afternoons because all the kids in my village went to the same school with me or were even in my class. I didn't even like to go into our own garden and only did so when I absolutely had to or when my parents were with me.
We did have a teacher we could talk to at school, but it was my homeroom teacher and she knew that I didn't get along with my classmates. She tried to talk to them and they always ganged up on me and said I was the bad one and that I did stuff to them and they just defended themselves, which was never true. (well.. except for maybe one time when I had enough of them and punched one cos they were throwing things at me during break time) Well, she always believed them.
I stayed in that class until I was 16years, when I graduated (I came to that class when I was 10yrs). It never got better, it just got worse.
I never told my parents about it, they only know those bits and pieces from school, when a teacher called them about it. (I didn't tell them cos I knew that if they would show up it wouldn't help anyways and would make me have to think about it more at home then I wanted to).
So..what am I trying to say with all of that, you might wonder. Whenever my teacher started to talk to my class (even when I asked her not to) the bullying just got worse afterwards. Throwing things at me, emptying the bin over my desk or over me..
It's hard to help the students when you are an outsider (teacher) and not present 100% of the time, because you never know what is really going on.
What I wished for at that time was someone from my classmates to stand up and be like me back in primary school. Not caring what others would think and just be my friend, because that would have helped a lot more then anything the teacher would ever be able to do.
While I think it is good to have psychological help from professionals (which I never had), you have to find a way to get the students to help each other. Civil courage is one of the most important things in this world, but sadly it is not something that kids and teens think much about (and some adults too).
ah…I think I should stop now or I'll keep writing for hours..
In school based anime's they have a class rep who is in each class who seems to fight for the rights of students. Maybe that's the kind of person they need to step to the plate and fight for the bullied student.
They tried that in some schools over here to..didn't work for all. But I guess it is really up to the students and how serious they take it.
A similar thing happened to one of my classmates when I attended grammar school. He was bullied all the time and no one wanted to help him. So I stood up for him, talked with him and helped him as best as I could. The end of the story was that he got more popular with my classmates and I became the outsider. He did never help because he was happy that he was not the outsider anymore. All in all, my classmates bullied me for 5 years and no one wanted to help me. All that happened because I stood up for another person. Standing up for another person is not always the right solution if you ask me.;)
I also wish guidance counselors were provided at schools and that it wasn't such a stigma to talk to them or visit them. The kids at my school deny that bullying takes place and that they've never seen a bully or people being bullied. We had class discussions about bullying one week (I had 26 different classes a week that semester) and all of them pretty much said bullying happens a lot in Korea but they have never seen it. I asked them what would happen if they saw someone being bullied and they said they would ignore it or watch. That really disturbed me and I said, "You wouldn't do anything about it?" One student said, "If we help, we will also be bullied." So they ignore it.
In lighter news, you know, like in Kdramas there's always THAT one guy who people call "The prince" or whatever in school? I thought that was just a kdrama thing, but there was one boy in the third year class who everybody called "The King" and they all said he was incredibly handsome and had big muscles (lol). He was a really respectful student and he always did WHATEVER the teachers asked him to do. There is another boy in the first year class who is very tall and all of the girls love him and all of the boys want to be his friend. I saw one of his friends in my winter camp and I asked him if he was friends with that boy. He answer, "Yes, teacher. He is very handsome." That made me laugh.
Wow that's pretty sad tho.
I remember I was bullied in middle school. I tried being mean back to my bully, but it didn't work, so I totally switched it up and started being really bubbly and friendly around her. I would greet her in the hallways and let her borrow pencils and stuff (the cheap ones, in case she didn't give them back, of course) and magically, the bullying stopped! I'm not sure if I just confused her or if I was initially being bullied because she thought I was mean, but it did stop!
Sadly, the way it sounds from what you've said, that just can't work in the Korean school environment. It's tough being bullied; I wish those kids much luck and strength! They'll be the stronger people in the long run!
That's like how I disarmed my bullies, though instead of being friendly I got into this zone and became like a emotionless robot where nothing could hurt me. I just smiled and nodded as they yelled abuse at me, the whole time keeping my shield up. It kinda worked, though it came to a climax one morning were I got punched in the head cos the bully was frustrated cos she wasn't getting any reaction out of me. We both got sent to the sick bay and we both got THE WORSE talking to by the school counsellor. It was along the lines of "now you sorry your sorry to her, and YOU say sorry to her. Now try to be friends, okay?" (yeah right lady!). The bullying started to subside after that, once the bullies figured out that physical or mental abuse wasn't going to provoke a reaction out of me.
With the Korean Drama bullying, I loved it how in Boys Over Flowers you never saw a teacher at the school and the students could do whatever they wanted. I am glad to find out this isn't true. lol
I saw all of those posts on tumblr, and some people making plot posts about it, but they were way off base. Nothing was wrong with your Trouble Maker review, some people on the internet are just way too overly sensitive. Obviously they don't share your opinions, but that doesn't give them a right to rip your opinions apart when you said nothing wrong about it. You never stated that you thought of HyunA in the way that they said you saw her, just that it's how the video perceived her to be. If someone called an American artist/The director of said American artist's MV out for doing the same exact thing, I'm sure the entire conversation would have been different. To be completely honest, what they were making seem such a big deal, really wasn't and if their not used to opinions (which certain said bloggers actually have really harsh opinions, joking or not), they really don't know how to use the internet properly.
All in all though, even if I sometimes disagree with opinions, I respect them, and take into consideration why someone would think in this way.
I think you guys should put a short disclaimer at the beginning of all your videos that says its just about your personal experiences and what not. Maybe that would help a bit :) (I'm sure you get lots of hate comments about it).
On the other topic, seriously?! Bullying is that bad? Thats horrible! If i was a teacher at one of the Korean schools i would force them to work in partners and rotate the poor kid who is being outcasted, that way EVERYONE has to be close and talk to them! :D
they did put a disclaimer in the beginning of video…. they say it like all the time
is not just happening in schools also offices and the whole korean for that fact…you boss will look down on you and make fun of you and your boss " boss" will to the same to him or her…ist a bloody chain of bulling. hierarchy stuff…it also happen to me at the police dept. i was trying to get a visa extension " which i did cuz they had to by law " but the guy was screaming and looking at me all weird for no reason whatsoever, saying shit about Chinese immigrants… oooook…..well dude i am Spanish and by your KOREAN law you have to give me ok…got it but my good he took he precious time…
i think maybe the korean pop stars could help in this case if they would make a campaign or something…
Bullying can be pretty intense. My senpai's girlfriend is from South Korea, and even though I didn't ask what her situation was since it's none of my business, he did on his own accord tell me she decided to go to school in the States from her intense bullying at home. Senpai never told me if his girlfriend ever planned to move back to Korea (where her family is; she came here by herself) but he gave me the feeling she will at least finish her degree in the States. From what he said, whatever outcast her wasn't at all that serious, but it got out of hand, or something.
I know as GETs you probably don't get much of a say in how policies are made at your schools, but perhaps you can spread word about putting in a bullying prevention program such as Olweus?(a prevention program created by a Norwegian man) I know even here in North America schools will say they have a zero tolerance bullying policy but never do anything to actually prevent the bullying from happening…so these bullying prevention programs do really help. P.S. I think you both are awesome and I love all of your videos and I one day hope to move to Korea and teach as you both do :)
Hey Michael, I just wanted to say thanks! I went to the Olweus website and it seems like a really good resource. You`re right that there really isn`t enough done toward prevention or instilling respect and love for one another but there are a lot of awareness campaigns popping up so hopefully that`ll change. It`s funny how the internet can be the greatest resource for bullying, both it proliferation but also hopefully it`s prevention.
Perhaps you should elaborate on how the students stay from 7am to 11pm – they don't literally STAY there all day (what about hagwons!) – it's more that schools have late night "voluntary-in-theory-but-actually-enforced" studying time at night, or "Yaja". So they have to return to school after hagwons and having dinner at home and whatnot.
Most schools also tend to ignore the bullying problem, but it's more of trying to preserve the SCHOOL's reputation rather than that of the kids. You always see principals flat-out denying that bullying occurs in their school, or them saying that they "didn't know" and will do something about it… but don't. They don't want their school to be known as the school where kids are picked on, and instead of addressing the issue, they choose to ignore it becuase it's easier. And of course if anyone intervenes, the bully's parents complain about it loudly enough that they'll withdraw any support.
Of course, parents of the bullies are huge problems, too. Some parents of bullies deny that their child would do horrible things, of course, but some even seem to condone it, because at least they're able to "stay proud" in school and not cower over others – at the expense of other people's sense of security and happiness! Those people are uncommon, but they are horrible people, of course.
from 7am to 11pm? seriously? wat do they learn and how can they bear to sit and study the whole time? how come the school makes them stay so late?
Reminds me of this Japanese dorama called LIFE (Its a really great drama about bullying, bullies, and things that come with it) where the teacher wanted to address the bullying to the main bully girl but the girl (her father was a big invester for that school) didnt care at all and just slapped her for saying she was a bully. Just watch the drama, its amazing.
On a sidenote: It may be because I watched this in HD, but you two look incredibly pretty and handsome in this video ;]
I saw life as well. It was pretty intense. But it seems like the same thing arises in Korea, probably no where near as intense as in life. But I'm a new teacher and will be teaching in Korea this March. I hope that I can handle bullying well.
whats life like as a korean teacher i wanna grow up and be a english teacher there and you guys look like you have a good time teaching there are they like anything like the schools in the states?
the school environment is so similar to singapore's. we have lockers in/just outside our class and we have long school hours at times, but not as long as korea's, like from 7am-6pm. bullying is also apparent in singapore and we tend to see students/ my peers cutting their arms in depression. But over here, each school has a school counselor and is kinda active in looking out for kids with these problems. however i dont think it is as bad as korea's bullying. thanks for sharing, guys!
I wonder if the same thing happens other countries as well? Especially the nearby Asian countries where people go to school for similar number of hours.
My elementary school in Ontario had a girl with a mild mental disability that was obvious with the way she slurred her speech. We were also spending each school day of all year with the same class. Though it never escalated to physical violence, many people pretended (or convinced themselves) that this girl smelled so that they didn't have to stand next to her in line. No one wanted to talk with her.
I guess the difference with Western countries is that reputation not as fragile here. Eventually a new girl transferred into 8th grade. She shot up the social ladder and spoke with everyone, including the girl with slurred speech. Since the class liked her, they naturally just followed her example and started to be kinder to the strange girl.
If a popular student tried to include the ostracized classmate in Korea, I wonder if that person would lose their previous established group of friends? If the popular kid can somehow include the wang-dda without being wang-dda themselves, perhaps this may be a way solve some of the bullying problems. Afterall, it may be easier to convince a few nice kids than a whole classroom at once.
yes, it does happen to other country. for example–me. I'm from Indonesia, previously lived in a big city but then moved to a small city which is fucking foreign to me. I moved to there when I was in 8th grade. I kind of oblivious to the language and custom (they use traditional language when speaking w/ each other).
I've been thinking about homeschooling since my 7th grade's experience isn't that great–peer pressure everywhere and throws me to public school is the w o r s t i d e a ever but my parents are so stubborn, saying that "homeschooling is expensive", "you need to socialise more", and yada yada yada. Yeah, in the end they dump my ass in the public school.
My first week there were painfully awkward. People speaking quickly in strange language which I have a little bit grasp on. They looked at me like I was an alien–I have pixie cut hair and wears glasses that's kinda uncommon here. There were 2 or 3 kids who speak to me but in the end they just leave me alone.
And then it's getting worse. No one wanted to sit with me and they starting to call me names and giving me disgusted looks. Not only my classmates but also another kids from another class whom I don't even know the name.
I often don't get mates for group task, and I when got it, I ended up doing the work while other kids just chatting and pretend I wasn't there. My things were either getting stolen or being thrown to other side of the class. My desk also got scandalised by them; they wrote awful things like 'stop acts all-pretty', 'stuck-up kids', etc.
There were teachers who scold me for being 'socially inept and refused to adapt', being different from others, and heck, they even scold me just because my hair isn't as longer as the others! And there's this one teacher too, who successfully made me cry in her class. Oh also, there's one teacher who practically eye-rape me/touch my shoulder in too intimate way.
This is sucks man.
OMG..that really sucks :( where do you live now? I'm Indonesian too and currently living in jogja and school here is so lovely.
As a psychology student, I would hope that counselors and getting psychological help would be more accepted and embraced in South Korea, especially considering that, I think, it's currently the country with the biggest suicide rates. I think while bullying is seen here in the states it's not as, visibly at least, prevalent and perhaps not as bad, because there are many outlets in to which those who are victims of bullying can get help from. I was thinking of going to South Korea for grad school ( I believe there is one school in Seoul there where classes are in English) maybe I'll think about it more seriously and go there and try to set up a hotline or something.
Hi Samantha, I'm a fellow Psychology major too! You'd think that such services should be recognized around the world already, but it's still not as developed in Asian countries. The culture as a whole, tends to internalize issues which makes it harder for students to even seek help. On the other hand, I love your idea of starting something at the community level to spread awareness!
There's also your or your families reputation to uphold. When you see someone for help it's not seen as you going to seek help for your mental health (akin to going to a GP), rather it's seen as you being a weak person or there being something wrong (abnormal, as my family in the Philippines would say) with you/your family.
I'm bipolar and when I first went to see a psychiatrist to try to figure out whether it was clinical depression, bipolar disorder or just me, the Dr. asked me to try and find out if there was anyone with similar symptoms in the family history. That was an easy thing to find out on my dads side of the family, but my mom, whose Filipino, didn't even want to acknowledge that there was a problem in the first place, let alone trying to admit that I might have inherited it from her side of the family. Even the fact that she's a nurse really didn't effect her long held habit of keeping a front that Asian cultures tend to have.
Reputation comes before everything and with the brain, where it's not really widely understood with the public or even acknowledged as being fallible, reputation will come before someones mental health in a lot of these cases. If they want to make a dent in their suicide rates they have to understand that if a body gets hurt and its acceptable to go to a doctor it should be equally acceptable for someone to seek help when their thoughts are damaged.
I agree someone has to take a stand and not be afraid of what other people think. I blame the public and the Asain mentality of how they think, i love Asain people (Korea, Japan, etc) but i don't agree with some of the things they do and this is an example.
No wonder korean netizens are crazy.
I remember about twice there were times where bullying had started/gotten extremely out of hand. A few teachers spent the the whole class time addressing previous incidents where students would either commit suicide or went to school carrying a gun and shooting the person(s) antagonizing them.
Maybe korean schools should also have a day addressing the issue with the same incidents from other countries.
That's a good point abt Korean netizens. Maybe the trolling is releasing pent-up frustration.
But even then, they shouldn't be trolling others who they don't even know nor did anything to them. By them harassing others they become equally guilty as their offenders. If they want to release some frustration, all they gotta do is punch a punching bag (or a wall, like a boss.) They could even using their experience to educate people and create prevention programs or hotlines.
We've been told that cyber bullying is a big part of the bullying cycle as well.
I would agree with that. At my old hagwon, I had one student who was so badly bullied on the net by other students that she left. They would leave really awful messages on her page etc. She just used to cry whenever she came to the school.
This was in
it's so sad when you hear about bullying situations like this where people know it's there but not enough is done about it. It really amplifies the whole korean culture influence of where there is this "hierarchy" of "rich/influential" people that can get away with a lot and not just in relations to school students but also in the work environment. In a lot of asian countries the idea of having a "certain image" or "having face" triumphs over what is morally right.. hopefully with the influence of western countries that are addressing bullying as a problem, korea will make a change to this issue.
In Canada, I myself have had some REEEEEAAAALLY bad experiences with bullying. Like, really bad. But the principle at my school would only TALK about things she'll do to help and honestly nothing ever changed. I ended up having to wang-da myself just to survive the taunting. I think that since Korean students spend so much time in school, the school system should step up and adress the issue instead of concentrating on reutation and stuff. If bullying is really bad in North America WITH initiatives (and we really aren't in school that much), I can't imagine how difficult it would be for a student who practically lives at school where there is no initiative.
So the whole "BULLY ONE STUDENT" thing from BOF was real……hm….. that's kinda sad.
And then the teacher tries to be helpful, and then the teacher also becomes a victim.
FUDGE to that.
But the BOF drama thing was extremely exaggerated because the teachers were super cowards that pretended things didn't happen due to money bribes from the rich families. If any teacher caught what was happening to Jandi in REAL LIF, they would call the cops and/or run down to break it up. Teachers in Korea always make an effort to break up fighting, the questions is if they SEE it happening.
bullying is such a sad topic.. not just in S.korea.. I have seen people beeing outcasted and was so myself so i can say it is pretty hard to do something against it.. my teachers just ignored it because they would rather give attention to the trobelmakers than to the victim…what I was pretty shocked about that even schooltransfers wouldn't stop it… reputation sure is scary…
I'm not surprised to hear that there aren't guidance counselors in the schools. What I have learned is that the East Asian countries handle mental needs differently then North America.
this is just sad , do they just pick someone randomly to pick on?
yea…i know that this is a hot topic in korea but i expected that the bullying will be strictly monitored…..its kinda sad…..T.T dont the teacherzs give some puneshments to the students to realise that this is horrable??? something like push ups or a hit ( in korea hitting students is allowed…:( ) ?????? i hope that tey will make a blog or a phone line where students/ people can share thair bulling experiences and can take advice !!!!!!!
But since the physical punishments can exist for anything: being late, not doing homework, and so on, students just get desensitized to it. "Oh, more squats, who cares."
I had one guy in my class bully a boy in one lower grade and he got caned in front of the entire school hall and I think the parents probably felt so embarassed
I liked this very much. I was really shocked when I read the students in S.korea have school from 7AM to 11 Pm! they really are som fighters. Impressive to put up with that.
I guess what people find surprising is the reasons that the bullying starts, i guess?
Cause I remember watching an episode of Happy Together with Lee Hyori, and she actually said that older girls would pull her hair and hit her cause she was pretty and the others agreed that it was common.
I had an assignment for one of my classes where I wanted them to rant about whatever was bothering them. They were to write it in essay form and only I would see it. A lot of the frustrations were centered around some girl or guy who was very beautiful and they were very jealous. Or their parents and their grades.
It's very weird. If you're very attractive or considered attractive, you either get ostracized and bullied or you're loved and put on a pedestal. There's no middle ground and it's extreme on both ends.
I heard one line that said jealousy makes people do stupid things. Comparing yourself to others and degrading them is only degrading yourself as a low life idiot. just be yourself and stop thinking that you want to be like that pretty girl,everyone is born in a different way and not everyone is gonna be born pretty,have a pretty heart and people will like you
It's one of my missions as a teacher here to help remind the kids just that.
Wow that is weird.


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Anonymous on 07/05/2012
Just wanted to let the last person who reported here for 1307 Harwood that I am sure they are not responsible for bringing the bugs into that building. I had the same problem at the end of last year. It cost me a lot of money too and I have since moved out. Hope you have managed to resolve your problem.
Anonymous on 04/17/2012
First off let me start of by saying the property manager at this building is VERY helpful and they are trying to resolve the issue. Very good landlord at this building.
So two weeks, after being bit on my body, I found a bed bug. I called the landlord and they called the pest control company right away and my unit was sprayed. The guy who did it seemed to NOT do a very good job though. He did not spray behind the closet, etc . . .
After the spray, I washed and dried ALL my clothing, bough
t a bed bug cover for my bed and mattress, bought new pillows, sheets etc etc etc . . . . . bought a new canister vacuum. Over all spent $800!
Just yesterday, I found a bite on my back :( now I have to contact the landlord for another spray.
I thought of moving, but most places I check in the west end through this site have bed bugs. :(
It is such a nightmare we are going through!
I am pretty sure the bug traveled from another suite within the building, because I am very well aware of bed bugs and always take measures to minimize the risk, and i haven't traveled in a year, so I am sure I did NOT bring these into my home.
Anyhow, just thought I'd let people know. These little devil spans have made our life hell!!!!!!! I HATE BEDBUGS!!!!!
Anonymous on 09/17/2011
September 16, 2011 - Infestation confirmed.
No nearby bug reports

subset: commoncrawl


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A Whole9 guest post by James Murphy, a self-described nature-loving-hippie who loves to play outside. When was the last time you went outside? No, not just to walk to the mailbox… really went outside, on purpose, for the pure enjoyment of it? Many people probably couldn't answer that question with any recent date. In this day and age, many of us think of the "great outdoors" as something that's nice to think about or view from afar, but to actually participate in getting outside? Some … [Read more...]
It Starts With Food Gets a Makeover
We have another big announcement in preparation for our Whole9-sponsored Whole30 program starting August 1st. (Did you miss our first big announcement? In summary, yay, spuds!) Our second announcement is related to the new Whole30 program rules, and features our New York Times bestselling book, It Starts With Food. It Starts With Food has a spiffy new redesign, and one important update. Don't panic—95% of the book is exactly the same. (And red wine, chocolate, and pancakes are still … [Read more...]
Tips for Keeping Exercise Short, Simple & Effective
Note: Today we're featuring a guest post by Eva T., a two time Olympian in Alpine Skiing and a 12 year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team. Hundreds of people from all walks of life have benefited from her popular, personal and online coaching and health orientated recommendations. Intention, Missed Workouts & Support With our busy lifestyles and the abundance of incoming stimuli, it often seems that our intention to workout is there, but suddenly the day is over and we are left with regret that … [Read more...]
Ask Whole9 Canada: Can You Be Too Stressed To Work Out?
Welcome to Ask Whole9 Canada, where Summer Innanen and Sarah Ramsden answer all of your health and nutrition questions. In this week's episode, Summer and Sarah talk about how to know whether you are too stressed to work out. In the case of exercise, more is not always better. As outlined in the Whole9 Health Equation, it's imperative to take care of your health balance and look at the big picture to make sure you have more deposits going into your health bank than withdrawals. In the face … [Read more...]
Ask Whole9 Canada: How To Deal With Unsupportive People
Welcome to Ask Whole9 Canada, where Summer Innanen and Sarah Ramsden answer all of your health and nutrition questions. In this week's episode, Summer and Sarah talk about how to deal with unsupportive people. Starting a Whole30 or making any big changes in your nutrition or lifestyle to improve your health can be made difficult when you don't have a good support system. We often hear stories from our clients that range from subtle comments from friends such as, "Can't you just have one … [Read more...]
Ask Whole9: Making Weight the Healthy Way
Welcome to the very first installment of Ask Whole9. In this series, we offer our readers expert advice about our 9 Factors, including nutrition, healthy movement, sleep, stress management, socialization, natural environment, fun and play, personal growth, and temperance. Today, we're talking about how to "make weight" for an athletic competition in a way that won't damage your metabolism or your health. Dear Whole9, I have a question that stems from being part of a sport where I … [Read more...]
You're Never Too Old To Eat Good Food
Note: Today we're featuring a guest post by Deane Alban from BeBrainFit.com. Deane has focused her life's work on helping to keep folks sharp and healthy into their later years. Here she discusses why those in their 40's, 50's, 60's (and so on) should consider a real food diet. Good Food: It's Not Just For Kids Anymore An informal survey of 6,000 paleo followers found the majority were in their 20's and 30's with a mere 3% over age 60. Well, folks, this has got to change. Bad eating … [Read more...]
Weight Gain 201
In our last article, we talked about dietary factors related to building muscle. Now let's talk about the myriad of factors that influence muscle growth other than what you eat. While food is undoubtedly a significant influence on one's ability to build muscle mass, we see at least as many people with non-food roadblocks to muscle growth as those that are simply not eating, digesting and absorbing enough nutritious food. In most cases, these non-food issues all orbit around the concept of … [Read more...]
Weight Gain 101
or, Why You're Still Skinny Skinny. Scrawny. Underweight. Lanky. Hard-gainer. Ectomorph. These are all different (and not typically complimentary) terms for people who are naturally predisposed to a leaner body type with less muscle mass compared to people who gain (and maintain) both muscle and fat more easily. I'm sure you know someone who fits each of these types: the friend who can eat anything she wants (pizza! brownies! ice cream!) and still keep her stomach just as ripped as ever, and … [Read more...]
Ask Whole9 Canada: Are Smoothies Healthy?
Welcome to Ask Whole9 Canada, where Summer Innanen and Sarah Ramsden answer all of your health and nutrition questions. In this week's episode, Amy asks, "Are smoothies a healthy choice?" People ask us about smoothies in our workshops and in our everyday consulting all the time. The media will have you believe that starting your day with a big tall glass of liquid food is the epitome of health. However, we tend to disagree. In this episode of S&STV, we discuss the research around … [Read more...]
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More Articles for Kickapoo Sand and Gravel
Illinois aggregate producers given safety awards
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Posted by Web Staff - email | Facebook | Twitter
GRAPHIC PHOTO: CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - A contagious criminal on the loose in Cleveland.
A woman infected with MRSA - a staph infection - threatened people with her disease while stealing items from an Eastside gas station.
It happened at the BP on East 152nd and Shoreway, when workers noticed the woman stuffing items from the candy rack into her coat. She warned workers to get away or else she'd infect them.
A picture from the store's security video shows why police are concerned. The suspect showed a series of horrific open sores on her arms and neck.
Cops think they know the identity of the suspect - a known heroin addict - convicted of drug possession in 2006. She also went through city court on traffic charges in July, but no mention of her as a walking health hazard until now. Records list an address in Chesterland and two phone numbers, both of which are disconnected.
What's worse, a man with the infected woman had bleeding on his arms, and also stole goods from the gas station.
Crime stoppers is now involved. They have put up reward money to find her.
If you know who or where she is give them a call.
©2010 WOIO. All rights reserved.
1717 East 12th Street
Cleveland, OH 44114
FCC Public File
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


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Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler will return to the lineup against the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night, according to head coach Alain Vigneault.
Kesler has missed 19 games due to a broken bone in his foot. The injury was originally sustained while blocking a shot against the Dallas Stars on Feb. 15. Coincidentally, the game was Kesler's first of the 2013 season as he had missed the start of the year while recovering from offseason shoulder and wrist surgeries.
Despite being injured in his first game back, Kesler managed to play in seven games and recorded five points (goal and four assists).
During practice on Monday, Kesler was skating with Mason Raymond and Zack Kassian. Vigneault stated that he didn't know what to expect and that he doesn't plan to use him on special teams. Kesler stated that his foot feels fine and that he will get himself back into game shape by playing in games.
More in the NHL:
• Complete Frozen Four coverage
• An NHL rink broken down: Sens edition
• Eric Wellwood's horrifying injury


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Disclosure of Mortgage Information to Consumers
A panel discussion was held on the disclosure of information to the consumers of mortgages. Topics included what consumers look for… read more
A panel discussion was held on the disclosure of information to the consumers of mortgages. Topics included what consumers look for versus what they should look for and what the purpose of a disclosure document is, i.e., to inform, warn, or educate). Susan Woodward talked about the results of a study that measured the benefits of the worst-informed of those who get a mortgage being as informed as the best-informed of people who get a mortgage.
"Developing Disclosures for Real Consumers to Help Prevent Deception, Delinquency, and Foreclosure - Where Should Policymakers Go From Here?" was a panel of the afternoon session of the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Economics conference "Consumer Information and the Mortgage Market: An Economic Assessment of Information Regulation, Mortgage Choice, and Mortgage Outcomes." close
*The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.
People in this video
- Agarwal, Sumit Financial Economist Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
- Hogarth, Jeanne Manager Federal Reserve->Consumer Education
- Kleimann, Susan President Kleimann Communication Group
- Leary, Jesse Assistant Director Federal Trade Commission->Bureau of Consumer Protection
- Lusardi, Annamaria Professor Dartmouth College->Economics Department
- Pappalardo, Janis Economist Federal Trade Commission
- Perry, Vanessa Professor George Washington University->Marketing
- Woodward, Susan Founder Sand Hill Econometrics
Hosting Organization
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Collapsed man flown to hospital (From Braintree and Witham Times)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting BWT to 80360 or you can email us »
Collapsed man flown to hospital
9:00am Wednesday 28th May 2014 in News
A collapsed man was airlifted to hospital on Bank Holiday Monday.
An ambulance was called at 7.45am after a man in his 60s collapsed near the A131.
He was flown to Queen's Hospital, London by the Essex Air Ambulance.
A spokesperson from the ambulance service said: "He is still in a serious condition.
"It is not known what caused him to collapse but further tests will be carried out in hospital."
Comments (2)
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10:14am Wed 28 May 14
OMPITA [Intl] says...
That's not exactly very informative is it?
Why oh why oh why can't we have journalists with just a vestige of initiative and enthusiasm who might be minded to engage their grey matter in some lateral thinking process and so craft their submissions in a manner that creates a little more local interest than this fine example for instance.
Appalling stuff. So dry, banal and boring. What a yawn!
10:35am Wed 28 May 14
pierre-pierre says...
Comments are closed on this article.