These streets were made for walking…
“Are you Russian?”
I am waiting for the light to change while walking to my job as an elementary school English teacher when a young Korean man rolls down his window and yells this seemingly innocuous question. Immediately I am furious.
I’ve been told before that sometimes men in Korea will ask white women if they are Russian, which is an informal way of asking if they are a prostitute because there are so many Eastern European women in the sex industry here. But I’m in a smallish town, I’m dressed professionally, and I’m carrying my lunch. I really don’t think my appearance screams “prostitute!” But maybe I’m wrong…I mean, even prostitutes need to eat lunch. I glare at the man, and walk away, brushing off the incident as a one-time insult by an ignorant man.
A few months later, I am waiting at a bus station while Matt is in the bathroom. As I sit there playing with my phone, a middle Eastern man approaches me and asks me “Are you Russian?”
This time I just look at him and say “No.” I try to ignore him and go back to my phone, but he asks 2 or 3 more times. I repeat “no,” saying it in both English and Korean. I think he’s finally gotten the point, because then he walks away.
However, less than a minute later he returns with a friend and they eagerly asked me again “Are you Russian?” I say no again, and they switch tactics. “Are you Ukrainian?”
Getting frustrated I finally say “No! I’m American.”
“Oh, American.” They look disappointed. And then they walk away, which further proves my theory that they were not just interested in discussing my nationality. I was currently wearing a sweatshirt and sneakers, hadn’t showered that day (which I know is unbelievably sexy), plus I always wear my wedding ring, and yet somehow I was giving off the prostitute vibe. I’m not sure whether to be flattered or offended…
Do I look like a prostitute?
Have you ever been mistaken as a lady of the night or propositioned while traveling? I got the idea to write about this because of this post by a fellow traveler, so I know I’m not the only one. Right? Right? Guys, is this thing on?
Can’t say that’s ever happened to me but I can imagine how embarrassing and frustrating it must’ve been. Has anyone approached you while you were with Matt? I can’t imagine how women travel alone..I’d be so frightened. -Jo
Both times I was alone…but honestly, I didn’t feel unsafe either time, just annoyed. Both times were fully out in public, where there were lot’s of bystanders. I just laughed it off as a crazy quirk of Korea…but Matt was pissed, especially the second time!
Yikes! You didn’t tell us this story!!!
It’s actually super common here…almost every white woman has a similar story. But it’s less scary than it sounds, it was just irritating mostly
Just people being ignorant!
Hi Andrea! This post cracked me up because a very similar thing happened to me once in Long Beach, CA. I was walking down the street on my way to teach English to Cambodian refugees (dressed very conservatively!) and a grandpa in a pickup truck pulled alongside and asked me if I wanted to go for a ride. At first I thought he was just being nice, but then he said “I have fifty dollars!” Oh my gosh it makes me laugh now but at the time I thought “You think you can get *this* for fifty bucks, old man?” (Also, this happened 900 years ago, when $50 was worth more than it is now. Ahem.)
Glad to know it’s not just men in Korea…I guess glad isn’t really the right word though, as much as I laugh and make jokes, it really does irritate me that men make those assumptions! Also, you should have told him to tack on another zero and you’d think about it and see what kind of reaction he had then!
Hasn’t happened yet for me, though I’ve been sort of braced for it. Some of my friends have had this unfortunate experience. I hear they pick on blondes most.
Yah, my co-teachers said the fact that I’m tall probably doesn’t help since a lot of Korean people think of Russian girls as tall and fair haired.
Nice hoodie. I hear that it’s the height of comfort.
You know it!
Luckily it hasn’t never happened to me as I would be very frustrated. I can not understand why we can not walking peacefully without being annoyed by men.
Yah that was probably the most annoying part…I should be able to take a walk or sit at a bus stop without being bothered by a creepy man!!!
Luckily I’ve never experienced something like that and can imagine how frustrated you shouls have been. I really donìt know why girls have to bear such annoying things!
I am mistaken for a lady of the night regularly. My best tactic is to just repeat the question and keep walking,or just keep saying “What?” like you can’t hear them.
Haha I bet you do get that a lot on the hill…:)
Story of my life. Glad you could get a taste of the struggles of my life.
HAHA! I’m actually surprised this doesn’t happen to you all the time, given all the weirdness you’ve experience on public transit and/or just walking around.
This has not happened to me…yet! But, at least now I will be better prepared thanks to this post
Yah, I’ve heard it’s pretty common. It’s pretty ridiculous though to assume all white girls are prostitutes, I wish I knew some more Korean so I could tell those men off!
I’ve only heard of this happening to my Filipino friends when they travel abroad but I can see why this would happen to you in Asia. There are a lot of Eastern Europeans flocking to Asia and I suppose many of them may be involved in the sex industry and criminal underworld. My advice, tell them you are US military and I bet they quickly run away, lol.
Haha, that’s a good idea! I’ve also heard if I tell them in Korean I’m a school teacher they will probably leave me alone (because that is a respected position), but I can’t ever remember how to say it…
lets just say you look like you know how to work it
Haha, I’m pretty sure that is NOT a compliment!
OMG I have had this happen numerous times. A man tried to kidnap me in a sculpture park and I forcibly removed myself and tried to wander off in the crowd and this dude followed me for ages. Then there was the time I was hiking a mountain and on the way home this guy runs up behind me and says he’s been following me for half an hour trying to catch up with me since he saw me climbing down the mountain. Why did he follow me? To ask me where I was from. I assured him I am an English teacher from Australia and he still asked me to go back to his place with him. FFS. And then all the subway incidences which are super humiliating cos then the whole train carriage thinks you’re a slut. Urgh. Next time it happens I’m gonna kick him in the nuts.
How scary! Your situations definitely sound worse than mine. It’s such an odd assumption, that just cause we’re white females we MUST be prostitutes…
I took a trip to China with my school while I was a junior in college. A couple of friends and I had stopped at a mom and pop restaurent for dinner. I was completely covered, head to toe. Anyway, there was a group of 6 or 7 drunk middle aged Chinese men in a corner that kept trying to get my attention, but I ignored them. Finally towards the end of dinner, while my friends and I were talking, one of the men got up and put a piece of paper down on the table. It had 65 yuan written on it. Which made it immediately clear to me what they thought I was. So I started saying the only Chinese word that I knew, which luckily meant no. The guys all cracked up laughing at me. One of my friends, who could speak Chinese, put the paper back on their table and told them “I think you dropped this” in Chinese when we left. Later on, I figured out that with the exchange rate, they’d basically offered less than 10 bucks for me.
That is insane! I would have been so offended, on so many levels! At times like that it’s nice to have a native speaker around, at least your friend could express some of your displeasure with them! I often wish I knew how to chew people out in Korean…
R u Russian
????
As a korean, I’m sorry on behalf of rude people in Korea.
Korea is not a bad, rude country… I hope you do not have a bad impression about Korea
I guess it is because many Russian women come to korea as a prostitute or strip dancers.
Even if that is the case, the people you had encountered were very rude and once again I would like to apologize.
Thanks for your sweet words, but you do not need to apologize! We met lots of people in our year in Korea, and most everyone was very nice.
Thanks for reading!
I lived in suwon for two years and was asked that question several times. A taxi driver asked me where I was from once, his English was poor and he didn’t seem to understand me. So he proceeded to ask me how much. I thought he was talking about cab fare! So I angrily told him “meter”. He kept asking and then asked about my work. Ohhhh, English teacher, American. He was very annoyed and I was just bewildered as I realised what he was asking about!
So infuriating! I would have gotten out of the cab!
Prostitutes are usually nasty-looking. You’d be an extremely high-quality prostitute.
Thanks…I think? Haha!
Well, if you think about it a little….
Usually people from poor country emigrates to rich country not the other way around. (usuualy, white dominant countries are richer than asian country)
poor country have low education rate.
prostitution doesn’t require skill, degree or licence; All it requires is looks.
prostitution pays a lot
prostitution is considered as dirty job; only ones who are desperate for money will do it.
I am from South Korea. So, I know how bad it is there hahaha
I feel bad for you.
By the way you look cute and innocent
Thank you for the compliment! I think part of it is because there aren’t as many tourists in South Korea as in other Asian countries, so maybe some people (especially in rural areas) are less likely to see white women unless they are prostitutes. I understand it, but it still made me angry!
I don’t know about so many Russian women being in the sex trade? I think the percentage of Russian women in the sex trade is not much different than in any other country. Most of the women I met in Russia were highly educated and mostly held skilled jobs. Anyway, you definitely don’t look like any prostitute I’ve ever seen, but then again, I have only seen them out of a bus window on 42nd st in NYC.
im german/russian , and it hurts a lot !! because most of the russians arn’t prostitutes. the major of parents are very strict with their children,and they are well educated . i just don’t undertand it. Just because of some stupid women , all russians are pictured as prostitutes
it realy realy hurts
Yah, stereotypes can be pretty nasty. I think most people know that this is not the case (my co-teachers were horrified when they heard about my experiences), but there are always going to be ignorant people in every society.
Yeah, but are you Russian??
Hey, this is mostly hearsay but i’ve heard that the “are you Russian?” question is far more common in the south of SK. Busan and the surrounds are supposed to have quite a large Russian and Eastern European “Mafia” presence and that could explain why so many old Korean men think of tall blonde foreigners as “ladies of the night”. Now i live in Cheonan and haven’t heard anyone complain about it but it happened to a friend of mine when i lived in Andong, which is about level with Deagu.
I had the opposite experience myself: while stumbling home after an enjoyable evening in Andong (very country, very conservative) i was listening to music and two women on a street corner asked me something. I removed my headphones and started to explain in Korean that i couldn’t speak korean well when i realised they were offering me a GOOD TIME for 50,000 ($50). They must have been in their fifties or sixties! a very embarrassed me thanked them (in polite form!) and declined and continued on my way with them shouting “why not?! why not?!”. I was kinda in shock at the time because i had assumed they wanted directions or something, kind little old ladies in Korea don’t throw themselves at you on street corners! Anyway, by the time i had got home it was just another crazy story to add to the collection ^^
That is a crazy story! I would have been so shocked! I have also heard that Busan is much more of a prostitution hub, and some friends of mine said they stumbled into a neighborhood where there were clearly a lot of European prostitutes. So I guess it would make more sense if I was asked that in Busan, not in my small town near Seoul!