I am usually not one to worry about what strangers think of me, but I was a little concerned before moving here about how Koreans would respond to my presence. I had heard a variety of stories about how Koreans treat the foreign population. Some stories portrayed Koreans as extremely hospitable people who will go out of their way to make sure foreigners have a positive experience in their own country. On the other hand, there were stories that characterized Koreans as unwelcoming towards foreigners and in some cases, hostile. I was not naive enough to believe that either of these examples are typical of the average Korean, and assumed that the norm would be somewhere in-between. Nevertheless, as I was about to move halfway around the world to a place where I didn't know a soul (no pun intended...Seoul, get it?), I was curious and a little bit anxious about how I would be treated.
My assumption that the scenarios I mentioned above were outliers was correct. For the most part, I have been largely ignored by the locals as I have gone about my life. If there has been any reaction to my presence, negative or otherwise, the people have kept it to themselves and not made it known to me. This may be largely due to the tendency of Koreans to be shy, but I also assume that most people in Changwon have seen enough foreigners and are indifferent towards my existence.
Most of the interactions I have had with Koreans up to this point have been positive. For example, I've met a few locals at the expat bar here in Changwon and have chatted with them over a few beers. Just the other night, I spent a couple hours talking with a friendly Korean guy. Afterward, we stumbled to a late night restaurant to eat some gukbap before we parted ways. (Note to self: The gukbap was a better post-drinking meal than McDonald's or Taco Bell. The bottle of soju, on the other hand, probably defeated the purpose of eating following a night of drinking!)
On Christmas, my boss invited me and a couple coworkers to his church for Christmas mass. Over the lunch that followed, we met the pastor and his wife. Besides being friendly, they gave us each a 3-pack of tissues as a Christmas gift. It doesn't sound like much, but it is the thought behind the gesture that counts. Besides, at the time, I had tissues on my shopping list! We also met another member of the church who spoke English very well. He gave us his business card and told us we could contact him if we needed any help.
A couple weeks ago, I was walking back to my apartment when a Korean woman stopped me and asked if I could shake her son's hand warmers to heat them up for him. I was told I looked strong enough to do so. We spent a couple minutes engaging in small-talk and she wound up telling me I have nice looking gums! I am going to file that away as one of the stranger compliments I have received but it is a compliment nonetheless.
Besides that example, my interaction on the streets has been mostly limited to Korean youth. While Koreans tend to be shy, the children will be more brave when in groups, especially the boys. When this is the case, one member of the group will usually say hello and ask where I am from. Sometimes, this is preceded or followed by a comment along the lines of, "Wow! You very tall!" The girls tend to be more bashful and are often too afraid to talk to foreigners. Every now and then, if I pass a group of girls on the street, one or more will smile and wave and occasionally say hello but will not interact as much as the boys.
While I am obviously a minority in an otherwise homogeneous population, I do not feel as if I am unwelcome. I'm sure at some point, I will encounter a Korean (or group of Koreans) who will say something negative or provocative towards me. There is a good chance that he/they will be drunk when it happens. I am confident that, based on my positive encounters, I will not let such an occurrence taint my view of Korean people as a whole.
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