International Couple YouTuber Shares Experience of Hearing Swear Words in Seoul
"Korean Women Still Have to Endure Hate in Their Own Country"
International couple YouTubers 'JoyChani,' who have about 260,000 subscribers, recently revealed a story about being verbally abused at a snack bar in Seoul. They also emphasized that discriminatory views toward international couples are still widespread.
The YouTube channel 'JoyChani' previously uploaded a video in January showing their visit to a street food stall in Gangnam, Seoul. Joy is a Korean wife, and her husband Chani is British; they recently held their wedding in Korea. At the time the video was posted in January, the couple had just finished their wedding photoshoot and stopped by a street food stall near Seolleung Station in Gangnam.
However, the couple was taken aback by the indifferent reaction of the restaurant owner. Joy explained, "(The street food stall) was a place I suggested going to," and added, "(The owner, an elderly woman) didn’t even greet us and remained silent." She continued, "When I asked how many pieces were in one serving of fried food, the grandmother bluntly said, 'What does it matter how many pieces a crazy b***h wants? Just eat what you get.' She cursed so extensively that I was too shocked to remember it clearly."
She added, "I thought maybe I had come to a 'cursing grandmother’s street stall,' so I ordered as usual," but "she didn’t act like that toward other customers. She greeted them politely and asked, 'What would you like?'"
Joy said, "Both Chani and I felt bad and decided not to eat. When I asked how much it cost, she replied, 'A crazy b***h, it’s 6,000 won, can’t you see?' The price wasn’t listed, so I asked, but she kept mumbling curses." Her husband Chani also recalled, "When I followed Joy into the street stall, the grandmother glared at me. All Koreans have been kind to me so far, but she was the only one who wasn’t."
The video resurfaced recently among some netizens after more than six months since its upload. Netizens reacted with comments such as "There are still many people who discriminate against foreigners," "I’m ashamed as a fellow Korean," and "It seems like they feel inferior."
Amid growing controversy, Joy herself commented on the video on the 25th, saying, "I see and hear hateful comments every day that are no different. I can’t respond to all of them every time," and added, "The grandmother’s words have no impact on me." She further stated, "What I wanted to convey is that many Korean women still endure this kind of hatred in their own country." It is reported that JoyChani has previously been exposed to hateful comments and discriminatory remarks directed at international couples while running their YouTube channel.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
