‘You just gotta get on’ — how foreigners in South Korea balance daily life, fears over military tensions

By Jack Kim
GSS Correspondent

SONGDO, South Korea — A series of nuclear tests by North Korea over the past year — including its sixth and largest test of a hydrogen bomb on Sept. 3, which prompted UN sanctions —  have spiked worry among South Korean citizens.

But according to government data reported by the Korea Herald, more than 2.1 million foreigners also were living in South Korea as of last June, a number that has doubled over the past decade. Like most South Koreans, they have no choice but to go on with their daily lives, though they are also aware that conditions could change rapidly.

We spoke to three teachers at Chadwick International School in Songdo about how they are dealing with their fears, their jobs and the concerns of loved ones back home.

Michael Hawkes, history teacher
Home country: Canada

GSS: Do you think that the situation/crisis has become more serious compared to before or is this just as normal as before?

Answer: I think it is a little more serious. I came here at 1999 and at that point George W. Bush had declared North Korea as part of the axis of evil. I was a bit worried then because I had no background knowledge of Korea. But over the years, I have studied their relationship in great detail, this is the first time it has become a nuclear threat which increases the severity of it. So I would say this is probably the most tense since I have lived here.

How do people of your homeland generally react? Does your family show any concerns?

Not as much anymore. They used to. But now that I have told them year after year, they have kind of backed off. But my mother who is in Korea right now still feels concerns over radiation. My friends email me “Why don’t you move back home?”, “You shouldn’t live in Korea.” but I email them back saying it is fine.

What is your opinion about the controversy over the Terminal High Altitude Missile Defense system, which has caused conflicts between the U.S. and South Korea?

I think South Korea has every right to choose if it wants to defend itself through that system. I understand that there is disagreement among South Koreans whether or not it should be here or not, but I think if people agree that it is a way to protect themselves, they have every right to do so. The deployment of THAAD doesn’t necessarily assure me because in case of a war that would help but I think things will be bad real fast. Like “real bad”. And because it would be so devastating, I think it would keep a war from actually breaking out.

Many say that so far the response by South Korean citizens to threats from the North has been surprisingly low-key. Do you agree?

Yes, and this made me feel assured as well. It was surprising at first but now I have become used to going on with my daily lives.

Mark Lower, English teacher
Home country: New Zealand

GSS: This is your first year living as a teacher in South Korea. What concerns did you have before you arrived?

Answer: I was given assurance(s) … that here on the ground in Korea, people are not as concerned as this threat. They said that Koreans are not as concerned as what the media suggests. I was aware of the fact that the portrayal of the current situation in the Western media was greater than the threat itself. Often what’s not mentioned on the Western media is that most Koreans want reunification even if this will be a painful process. I was able to analyze the language being used by both leaders and it became clear to me that actually what was happening was an attempt to demonstrate might through word and that the likelihood of a full scale war happening was extremely rare.

I’ve come to realize that we can’t live our lives with fear and that the chance of these things happening aren’t good as made out. As a New Zealander myself, I live in the threat of earthquakes. You just gotta get on with your lives.

What does your family back home think?
My family back at New Zealand are quite worried. They are a lot more fearful because they cannot see for themselves that people in Korea are just going on with their lives. The media has a way of only emphasizing the very worst things that are happening. The good attempts that the South Korean government has done are not always as well reported as some of the bellicose rhetoric by Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

How are ordinary citizens in South Korea handling the situation, in your opinion?
I was a little surprised of just how comfortable everyone is. South Koreans had been living their lives with this supposed threat since the Korean War and therefore would be more equipped with it. I was surprised but I knew that this was part of a normal life for all Koreans.

What steps have you taken as a citizen of New Zealand living here?
(We) foreigners are advised to register with the embassy. The embassy send us updates if they feel that the risk has increased. As a result of a recent hydrogen bomb test in North Korea, we received an email saying that the threat of military escalation has increased. But not enough to require us to depart (South) Korea. If missiles were to start be fired, the U.S. military would do it’s necessary measures to keep their citizens safe.

Emily Thomas, English teacher
Home country: United States

What’s your take on the current state of tension between North and South Korea?
The current situation is more worrisome than it has ever been in the time I have been living in Korea; however, as we all know well, it is impossible to live in a constant state of worry. There are so many benefits and positives to celebrate about our current living situation in Korea. I choose to focus on those positives and to go on living my life without worry. Of course, the rhetoric coming out of Washington now is concerning and, to my mind, very unhelpful. But again, there isn’t much any of us can do except hope that checks and balances are in place to prevent even the most impetuous world leaders from making rash decisions regarding North Korea. We feel more aware of the possible dangers of the North Korea situation right now, but my day-to-day life, as of now, has been largely unaffected.

How are your friends and family back home reacting?
I got on Skype the other day to join in my niece’s third birthday party. Each time I greeted another aunt or uncle through my iPhone screen, each one asked right away about North Korea, about my safety, and about my take on the issue. The press in the U.S. is very focused and frankly, very fearmongering, at the moment. The relatives who worry about us far less are those who have actually been here to Korea to visit. They have walked the streets of Seoul and Songdo with us and they are more in tune with how it feels to be a resident here. Those who have never visited have less of a connection to our daily lives and, therefore, are more impacted by what they hear on the news.

What have you noticed about how South Koreans are reacting to what’s going on?
When I go about my work, and even when I’m out and about in my neighborhood here, I sense very little panic or anxiety related to the threat of a conflict with North Korea. I will say, though, that this is in large part due to the fact that my Korean language skills, basic as they are, do not allow me to access Korean media on the ground. I don’t watch television, nor do I read Korean newspapers, and thus, in many ways, I am unable to give an accurate picture of how alarmed citizens and experts are at this point. Foreigners in Korea, unless they are highly proficient in Korean, are not really in a position to assess the situation accurately for the reasons I’ve stated. Having said all of that, from my perspective, people here seem nonchalant about the threat of a North Korean attack or a war breaking out. To me, it seems like everyone is just going about their business: getting groceries, chatting at coffee shops, etc.

Featured photo: Prayer flags at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea in October 2015. President Donald Trump is set to visit five Asian countries including South Korea during a visit to the region Nov. 3 to Nov. 14. Voice of America reported Monday that President Trump told reporters that “I’ll take a look” at visiting the DMZ during his trip but Japan’s Asahi Shimbun quoted sources Tuesday saying that concerns over Trump’s security make the visit unlikely. Photo by Kiran Dwivedi/GSS correspondent.