SARAHBELLE !!! ... Korea must be amazing ... Talk to me.

[ilovesound]

So Many People Out Here Know SarahBelle

... We all miss her. We all miss you Sarah.

... This gives us all a place to talk.

... Tell us all

[timouse]

from today's Globe and Mail... i hope sarahbelle's well over there. i heard this on the news today and though about folks i knew that were over there teaching...

Nearly 50 English teachers from Canada have been detained, deported or investigated on allegations of visa fraud in South Korea, a country seeking to purge itself of young Westerners increasingly regarded as unqualified, unruly and unwelcome.

Long a magnet for foreigners drawn to working overseas, Korea has arrested hundreds of them in the past couple of weeks. Immigration officials have been rounding up dozens of teachers at their homes, work, or at the airports.

While as many as 10,000 foreigners legally teach the language at private English schools in Korea, the nation's media have been full of exposés about teachers with dubious credentials.

Many of the foreign teachers, if not most, are Canadian.

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Many teachers say Korean officials and unscrupulous recruiters have long tolerated, even encouraged, the illegal activity.

Some Canadian teachers are worried that they, too, could end up in prison.

"I wish we could tell exactly how much trouble we are in," a 30-year-old Canadian teacher said in a phone interview from Kwangju, Korea, on Friday. "The idea of me being locked up and handcuffed and fed grog is ridiculous. They say what we're doing is criminal, but it doesn't feel that way."

The woman, who is from B.C., said she arrived on a spousal visa, but was enticed into teaching English illegally to supplement her husband's income.

Her husband, a legal instructor, said Korea's response is out of proportion to the situation. "We are all teaching children how to sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and ABC," hesaid, adding that he believes more than 150 Canadians doing this type of work have been arrested.

The couple -- who, like several other Canadians interviewed, asked not to be identified -- say they are contemplating a "midnight run" out of Korea, and complain that the local embassy has not done enough for jailed friends.

"The whole situation is totally inhumane -- I've heard of 70 [foreign teachers] being put in a room with capacity for only 30 or 40," the wife said. "It's not like they were dealing drugs or running guns."

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department says there are limitations to what it can do. It has officially logged about 50 English-teacher cases in the past two weeks: 35 have been deported, five are awaiting deportation and the rest under investigation.

"It's clear that the South Koreans are enforcing their laws in a recent wave that began as little as two weeks ago," the Foreign Affairs parliamentary secretary, Dan McTeague, said from Ottawa.

The Liberal MP warned Canadians in Korea to "make sure their credentials conform to the rigours of the law. If they don't, they are strongly advised to rethink continuing in that setting."

Many of the arrests of foreigners have followed that of a Korean man who is accused of selling fake diplomas. Many Canadians who tried to establish teaching credentials by buying fake university degrees are worried that their names have been handed over to the authorities.

One Canadian, who has taught legally in Korea for nine years and helps run an Internet message board for expatriates, is telling affected colleagues that the wisest course of action is to surrender.

"There are some people that freak out and say, 'I better get out of Dodge' -- and then they get nailed at the airport," he said.

Given that Korean authorities are believed to have an inch-thick dossier on illegal English teachers, he urged his compatriots to go a different route. "If you turn yourself in, immigration tends to take a more lenient thinking."

Like many Canadians interviewed, he said that Koreans have an innate xenophobia that has hardened of late. "There has been a definite change in the way we're being perceived in the last nine or 10 months," he said. "Before, it was, 'Please speak me English.' Now, it's 'Get out of my country, white devils.' "

Visa frauds go on in just about every country, but Korea's clampdown has been lent a sense of urgency by highly publicized accounts of immorality by young foreigners. Reports of marijuana and cocaine busts have long tended to feature Westerners -- including five Canadian teachers who were arrested two years ago.

But more recent events have led to a furor. An unknown English teacher in Korea used the Internet to post what amounted to a how-to guide for seducing Korean women. Then, two English teachers from Cape Breton, N.S., made the headlines for breaking a local man's jaw in a bar brawl. They spent 40 days in jail and were ordered to pay $30,000 (U.S.) in a form of restitution known locally as "blood money."

And lately, Korean TV has aired segments painting English teachers as inept, unqualified foreigners who frequently lie about their credentials.

"People basically think all foreign teachers are drunks and molesters who can't get a job back home," said the teacher who helps run the Internet board for expats.

Edited October 15, 2005 by Guest

[ilovesound]

Sarah I hope you are n't one of those people ... I recived an e-mail today so i figure your OK.

[scottieking]

Wow! This one hits home for sure. When I was in Korea, I had a friend get chased by immigration into my apartment. They made the mistake of taking 5 minutes to go grab an officer to arrest her and she dumped all her stuff on me and ran into the mountains behind my apt. Actually I had two run-ins with immigration there. The second was over my band being an illegial second job.

As well, I was there during the IMF crisis in 1997-98. Trust me. If the climate is changing back to the anti way-guk-saram (or mi-guk) then it is going to be a rough ride. I got spit on in a subway during this time. And it was the complete opposite when I arrived. This sounds scary as I'd say 75% of teachers in the country teach privates and the like.

Be safe all you Canada-sarams!

[TimmyB]

Wow that's interesting scottieking. The whole subject interests me greatly as I have a few friends (including Sarah) over there right now.

I would love to read what my good friend hamilton feels on the subject. His perspective much like scottieking's would be very eye opening I'm sure.

Tim

[phorbesie]

"People basically think all foreign teachers are drunks and molesters who can't get a job back home," said the teacher who helps run the Internet board for expats.

LOL...sorry but that part is really funny to me.

Seriously though, hey, if you are gonna work illegally in a country, what do you expect than to get thrown out or arrested?

Hope our peeps are all good.

[DevO]

that article is sensationalist b-s... i'm here, i'm out and about all day every day, and i haven't experienced any discrimination based on my occupation. must have been a slow day for news at the globe last monday or whenever.

[timouse]

that article is sensationalist b-s... i'm here, i'm out and about all day every day, and i haven't experienced any discrimination based on my occupation. must have been a slow day for news at the globe last monday or whenever.

that's very reassuring...there was a piece on the CBC, then the Globe article the next day...sure made me nervous for all the canadoian folks over there teaching.

thanks for weighing in, kev...so you find none of the "problems" that the globe referenced??

[Sarahbelle]

well hay everyone!

I'm doin great! Korea sure is fun times!

I really don't know anything about that article expect for the article itself. . .I'm ok cause I have my visa etc... I guess peopel are a bit crazy to get here. I also think that's pretty stupid to come here illegally!! But, for the 'get out white devils' part is a bit exagerated cause most people here are really welcomeing and lovely.. so don't base your opinions of koreans on that article

ANYWAYS.....

this is a link to some pictures of me at a buddhist temple in Korea

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeCOG7hs0ZOXBg

see ya!

Sarah

[kaytebrACEletrock]

sarah....hello my lovely fairy. how are you doing??? eating lots of kimchi i hope. i was in the hammer last weekend and saw farid, he looks spic and span i tell you...no sign of young truman though!

[MarcO]

I love those photos Sarah! so nice to see your smiling face!

glad you are keeping in contact with us - alright.

[Sarahbelle]

thanks guys.. I miss you all a lot