EVERYBODY’S experiences travelling abroad varies with each individual however, we cannot deny the negative experiences that may sour the perception of said country to the point one would not want to book a second trip.
A Malaysian content creator recently shared his misfortune experiencing alleged ill-treatment by two South Korean individuals back in 2015.
@pastu_anep on TikTok felt compelled to speak up about his time venturing South Korea after coming across another video of someone else’s experience in the country stating the alleged stereotyping and skeptical attitudes of the older generation towards Malaysians.
“The first incident took place in 2015 when I was on the subway. There was an ahjussi (older man) in the same subway as I was and he was intoxicated.
“This drunken ahjussi looks at my face and suddenly gets angry like I offended him and starts angrily ranting at me,” Anep said in his video, adding that he was flustered, wondering what he had done to deserve such treatment.
In the midst of the older man’s tirade, a young woman approached the now frozen Anep and the angry older man.
“I was standing still, frozen at the spot, being scolded by him so she approached me and goes to calm the older man down first and she then tells me why was the older man so mad at me,” he added, saying that he was amused by the woman’s explanation.
“So the older man was mad at me just because I look like Obama,” Anep said, confused at what he just heard.
Anep was just gobsmacked at the woman’s explanation, wondering why he was treated in a such a manner over something he cannot control.
He then alighted the subway since he did not want to stick around listening to the old man’s angry rants.
Unfortunately for Anep, he also allegedly encountered another rude South Korean individual in the Myeongdong area.
Anep decided to take advantage and search for a particular bag since the area was well-known as a shopping hub.
“In Myeongdong, I found a shop selling the bag I was looking for and I went up to the shopkeeper to ask about the bag in English since I am not so fluent in Korean
“As I was trying to make conversation with the shopkeeper, asking about the bag, he got mad at me asking these questions. I do not know the reason why. Maybe he was not very good in English.
“After that, he snatched the bag and put it back. After he put it back, he told this, ‘Go back to your country!” I did not plan to stay in that shop so I left,” he recounted.
Anep also wondered how come the shopkeeper managed to communicate to him in English, albeit rudely, but refused to say anything when he was asking questions about a product sold in his shop.
These experiences threw Anep off, prompting him to swear off travelling to the country ever again.
“But I do agree that not everyone will experience what I did as each person’s luck is different however this is based on my real experience in South Korea and I really am never going back there ever again,” he concluded in his video.
Netizens were not so quick to agree with Anep’s sentiments as a lot of them had a pleasant stay in the country but there were others who have recounted similar incidents during their stay and even advised that they “prefer those who are fluent in Korean”.
