"Landlord Invites to Eat, Says 'Leave' When Refused"…Female YouTuber's Australia 'Working Holiday' Experience

YouTuber 'Jageun Jeongwon' Working Holiday Story Sparks Attention
"Landlord Told Me to Leave After I Declined Lunch Invitation..."
"I Experienced That Too," "Lots of Sexual Harassment," Netizens Sympathize

A Korean woman who went to Australia on a working holiday (commonly abbreviated as WH) shared her story of having to leave her accommodation due to the obsessive behavior of her local landlord, sparking a wave of similar experiences. On the 27th, a video posted on the YouTube channel 'Jageun Jeongwon' on the 20th of last month went viral online. The YouTuber A, who went to Australia on a working holiday in October last year, shared her story in a video titled "Why I Ran Away from the Grandfather Landlord Who Was So Kind."

[Image source=YouTube channel 'Jageun Jeongwon' capture]

A said, "I had to leave the house due to trouble with the grandfather landlord. I simply couldn't tolerate it anymore. The landlord expected emotional involvement and was very obsessive. Recently, his demands have gone beyond the typical tenant-landlord relationship."

She continued, "I had a lunch appointment with a friend and declined the landlord's invitation for lunch. Then he said he wasn't used to being ignored and told me to leave the house." She added, "At that moment, I was confused and overwhelmed, so I couldn't properly assess the situation. Since I had just found the place, staying there was the best option. I wrote an apology letter while crying and tried to smooth things over."

However, from that point on, the landlord began offering alcohol and making inappropriate advances such as putting his arm around her waist. A said, "He was kind in some ways, but I felt his intentions were impure. After sensing something was off, I refused his offers of alcohol, but he pressured me by saying things like 'If you don't drink, I won't drink either,' 'I'm starving,' and 'I'm in a bad mood.' He even suddenly hugged me or grabbed my waist."

[Image source=YouTube channel 'Jageun Jeongwon' capture]

A said, "There should be a clear boundary between landlord and tenant. I wanted my independent time and space to be respected. If that wasn't the case, the house rules should have clearly stated that the landlord wanted someone to eat and talk with." She added, "I hope women coming on working holidays avoid this house. The grandfather doesn't let men stay at all. He kicked out a Japanese guy who lived in the next room and only wants female tenants."

Netizens who read the story expressed anger, saying things like, "Why on earth should you have to eat with the landlord?", "This should be reported to the police," and "It seems like sexual harassment knowing the tenant is vulnerable." One netizen empathized, saying, "I was sexually harassed and assaulted by landlords many times too. Abroad, I am an absolute minority, so situations that would have caused me to blow up in Korea just get overlooked." Another shared, "I did a homestay and was subtly sexually harassed a lot by a white landlord." Some commented, "When living abroad, I only stayed in share houses with several Koreans mixed in."