7.001

6 (Wed) January 2016

Sizzling Stuff Tofu

1.5

at Tao Yuan

-Malate, Manila-

with MJK and RK

Koreans – Koreans in Korea – believe that the Philippines is the most dangerous place in the world — dangerous to Koreans.  In mid-2014, a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed that 780 crimes had been committed in 2013 against Korean nationals in the Philippines, more than anywhere in the world, less than 589 crimes in runner-up China.  Conclusion : Koreans are being “targeted.”  Quickly and warmly embraced as a perverse point of pride, because Koreans just love being first in anything on the global stage.

The logic is weak.  If, for example, more crimes had been committed in the Philippines against another expat group.  Or if more crimes had been committed against ethnic Koreans in another country.  Or if more crimes had been committed in another country against Korean nationals per capita.  Haven’t been able to find figures to back this up, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Moreover, though news reports never discuss details, the consensus among Koreans who actually live here is that the crimes are perpetrated by fellow Koreans, perhaps rival business owners, disgruntled employees, loan sharks, pimps.  And few incidents in Manila, most reported in small shady provincial towns.

No updated report was released in 2015, but occasional news stories every month or so perpetrate the belief.

We just got a new Korean staff member MJK who’s a firm believer.   Holed up in the Pan Pacific for the past couple weeks while looking for secured housing in a “better” part of town, she has yet to walk the streets, taking the hotel shuttle to and from work every day, eating dinner inside the hotel every night.   Trying to assure her that Manila is safer than most major cities in the world, RK and I took her on a reckless adventure to Tao Yuan across the street.  She seemed nervous the whole time.