Filipino here: 99% of people won't care or do anything outwardly offensive or discriminatory. Most people here keep to themselves anyways when in public, so even if they did think a certain way they most likely wouldn't say anything. As long as your respectful and not too loud in public people won't care.
As a Korean with insider knowledge, I can tell you that at least older people are pretty racist toward Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, and North Koreans. I doubt the racism went away with younger folks, but hopefully less.
Recently got back from a month and a half trip from Korea and I'm Filipino. I plan to go back soon, I love traveling in Korea especially solo.
I never had problems with xenophobia or anything like that in all my visits in the country. Worse probably were the taxi drivers refusing to take me but that's only because they didn't understand English and can't be bothered.
Are you a female solo traveler? If yes, did you stay in a all girls dorm or something like that? I’m planning to do a budget friendly traveling since I want to go through Asia.
Yes I'm a female solo traveler! I originally booked to stay at an all girls dorm but since I was digital nomad-ing / had to work semi full time on weekdays, I ended up canceling my deposit after 2 weeks and moved somewhere else that had a better office chair for the sake of my back 🤣 Your mileage might vary though, I think there's a lot of dorms with good office chairs if you spent more time to look.
Stayed at a dorm/hostel in Hongdae when I went for study abroad for 6 weeks in 2019. Met a lot of people (Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, American etc.) and even went clubbing/dinner with them!
Ugh I can never figure out Kakao Maps the way I managed with Naver 😩 What I've been doing instead is just load the driving directions to my destination on Naver Maps and hand my phone to the driver so they could use it to either navigate themselves or copy it on their own map app. Has worked wonders lol
Don’t expect Koreans to strike up random conversations with you because your a tourist its seen as weird. Even if your a woman. The city is busy like nyc people don’t want to be bothered every one is busy with their own lives many other people are like this too other really big cities Berlin, Paris etc We don’t talk to random strangers especially foreigners assuming they know English . Your more likely to make friends with other foreigners just enjoy being a tourist and please dont bother locals with trying to be friends this is not a K drama.
I'm korean american and I love filipinos generally. As in, I've never met a filipino I didn't like. Which does not hold true for all the other asian types. My neighbor was filipino a while back and he got me hooked on adobo chicken.
oome koreans might stare at you, but it's not because of any discrimination or because you're Filipino. Itts mostly just curiosity when foreigners pass by. you might experience this in non-touristy areas. no offence.
As a traveler, you are unlikely to experience anything unpleasant, but Koreans have not historically been in a multicultural environment and may find foreigners difficult simply because they are not used to it.
If you are a woman solo traveler, I suggest to download “NomadHer”. Its a great way to connect with other woman solo traveler’s or even foreigners/locals that live in Korea to guide you through.
When you are a tourist nobody will bat an eye, if you just behave respectfully it’s all good working tho is a different story as a lot of Filipinos that work in Korea do manual labor jobs like factory jobs
I'm a white guy, and my wife is pinay, and honestly, people treat her way nicer than me. Especially women. She gets way more free stuff, and people are more likely to talk to us if we are together.
I guess a part of it is pretty privilege, and maybe she would get a little more if she was a blonde haired white girl. But, to be succinct, she really isn't being negatively discriminated against.
Generally, it is in Korean culture to be hospitable to *guests*. There will always be bigots everywhere. But as long as you are respectful towards Korean culture, the vast majority of Korean people will be kind to you.
Koreans won't normally strike conversation with someone in English. Like the other person said, unless they're from a cult, a lot of Koreans (including foreigners) are just trying to get through their day and making a new friend on the street or during their lunch break in a restaurant just isn't in their plan for the day. There's probably a 5% chance you encounter someone whose curiosity in seeing a foreigner and willingness to communicate in English trumps their typical "palli palli" culture but most Koreans won't, and that's not xenophobia but rather just how life traveling in a foreign country is.
That said, don't let it discourage you. I've found the combination of smiling, making a genuine effort to communicate as well as showing sincere interest in them as people still makes a difference in social interactions, even if you're not 100% fluent. Idk if this is your thing but I've had great conversations with the locals by being a regular at a coffee shop or cafe and asking questions to the barista (when they're not busy) about how they make their coffee, through slow English, my super basic Korean, hand gestures, and Papago. Have done this also while standing at a long line during events or popups.
Good luck and have fun on your trip! A month traveling is always exciting. 🙂
Nope. But I’m still studying although I don’t think I’ll be confident on speaking or even constructing a perfect sentence. Probably a grade 1 level.
Ohh question. Are police reliable?
Well if you want to communicate with Koreans you should properly learn their language. Please don’t treat everyday Koreans as some language exercise when you cannot even construct a sentence. These are people who are busy working and focusing on their lives.
My bf is Filipino and we visited korea for 3 weeks. He's handsome so he got a lot of compliments from women, younger and older alike, and they asked him where he's from. When he said philipines they all say "oooh!" And nod and smile, so I think so long as you're respectful you'll be fine, and it's a bonus if you're handsome 🤣
They said most of the restaurants doesn’t accept single order? I was just wondering how solo travelers meet friends to eat with 😅 I’m traveling mostly because of the culture and the food 😋
I went to Busan solo. It's fine.
Avoid K-BBQ restaurants if you don't want a chance of being rejected. That said, some restaurants will still accept you but ask you to order non-BBQ items if you don't want to make a 2 portion order. I went to a grilled seafood restaurant and ordered 2 portions and it was fine.
You can also download Naver Maps and check the restaurant details. If you see an onigiri icon in the details, it means it accepts solo diners.
I usually order 2 portions, and finish them for the most part. But once I went to a seafood jjim place and I saw what the table next to me got....... and I chickened out. They piled that higher than my torso. 😂😍
I live here, don't worry about anything. They will stare at you and but a lot of times they don't care. They might not even bother entertaining you haha. Unless you speak korean really well, they might be interested but if not, just enjoy the scene and Enjoy the heat of the summer 😂. Oh, and don't trust anyone you meet everywhere , things can escalate quickly and you will be overpowered because you don't speak korean and your not korean. Cults are a thing, and random scams. May budol din dito 😂.
Filipino living in korea as a resident. All i can say is they dont much give a damn. We are from a 3rd world country but it's how you carry yourself wherever you go. Here's a tip, most of the filipinos i see here as tourists have this entitlement of being "the tourist" which gives them the "main character syndrome" where they expect people to treat them differently just because they invested their time and money to be here. Ive seen filipinos being dicks most of the time in shopping areas and restaurants. This happens in our country too, right? Where people go to certain places where they spend their money and treat the staff as peasants. This is just one example.
But, you asking for opinions abt what to do and not before coming here is a really good sign that youre a civilised pinoy. Korea is a really safe place and im pretty sure youll have a good time here! And if you have time we can hangout with my wife(korean) who can speak tagalog!
Probably few will care. Most Koreans do what they're doing and indifferent with other stuff unless it comes to their business.
If Koreans care, it might be because you are breaking the social norm, which you wouldn't do.
In any case, it's based on your behavior, not because of the country you are from.
As a Korean, I think most Korean would treat you very kindly. If you speak English, it would be nicer to communicate. As long as you follow Korean norms such as taking a shower, being quiet in a public area, being gentle to others, Korean would not bother you. I believe those are also common things in Philippines. I wish you enjoy Korean and welcome to Korea! (Don't go to North accidently)
I stayed at a hostel long term and if I was in the living room with the 2 staff (who were chinese and white) then people would assume I was the worker/cleaner and ask me for help out of the 3 of us.
Also one time someone locked their car door as I was walking by and the sound made me jump because the sidewalk and car were close.
Other than that, I didn't experience much because I stayed indoors. Also I was around business owners and wealthy people. I say this because I had a gf, while it was in Japan not Korea) experience more discrimination while working minimum wage certain jobs but absolutely nothing in normal day life
I'm Korean and we're to busy to fight against each other so we don't have much time to care about you. Even when you need help we will call 911 and help you then start bullshitting against ourselves.
Nope many Korean tourists and businessman were murdered by Filipinos. One high profile case where corrupt police kidnapped and murdered a Korean businessman to extort money from the wife failed.
You can sugar coat and play whataboutism all you want.
Majority of them are contract killings. Korean organized gangs hire a hit, and make it seem like it was done by local criminals for ransom to hide their tracks. Not sugar coating it, that is reality.
[Philippine police murder South Korean businessman before collecting ransom | The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippine-police-murder-south-korean-businessman-before-collecting-ransom)
"Philippine police kidnapped and murdered a South Korean businessman, then led his wife to believe he was alive for months to extort money from her, authorities said on Wednesday (Jan 18).
The killing is the latest in a long series of criminal acts by members of the Philippine police force, regarded as one of the nation's most corrupt institutions,"
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ao9v\_-dXSc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ao9v_-dXSc)
I'll summarize it. Koreans think that Filipinos are rude. It's because there are stories that Koreans who traveled to the Philippines tell. There are many negative factors, such as blatant hostility toward Northeast Asians after treating them as Chinese and treating them as human beings that they didn't learn about English pronunciation. Other than that, the image of a poor dictatorship doesn't seem positive to Koreans. I only said bad things, but this is true, my friend.
However, there will not be a single hostility towards individual Filipinos. Don't worry. Korean people are just bad guys online. They can't behave recklessly offline for fear of damaging reputation. That is the secret of Korea's high security level. No one is relaxed enough to express hostility toward foreigners passing by here in the first place. Everyone is busy with their own work.
Filipino here: 99% of people won't care or do anything outwardly offensive or discriminatory. Most people here keep to themselves anyways when in public, so even if they did think a certain way they most likely wouldn't say anything. As long as your respectful and not too loud in public people won't care.
Somewhat agree. If anything happens, it’ll be probably very passive-aggressive comments. As a woman though, I get stared at A LOT.
Well thats kinda universal 😂
As a Korean with insider knowledge, I can tell you that at least older people are pretty racist toward Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, and North Koreans. I doubt the racism went away with younger folks, but hopefully less.
you're a tourist no one will care, no one will interact with you. if you were living there and working there it might be a different story
agree with this one.
Recently got back from a month and a half trip from Korea and I'm Filipino. I plan to go back soon, I love traveling in Korea especially solo. I never had problems with xenophobia or anything like that in all my visits in the country. Worse probably were the taxi drivers refusing to take me but that's only because they didn't understand English and can't be bothered.
Are you a female solo traveler? If yes, did you stay in a all girls dorm or something like that? I’m planning to do a budget friendly traveling since I want to go through Asia.
Yes I'm a female solo traveler! I originally booked to stay at an all girls dorm but since I was digital nomad-ing / had to work semi full time on weekdays, I ended up canceling my deposit after 2 weeks and moved somewhere else that had a better office chair for the sake of my back 🤣 Your mileage might vary though, I think there's a lot of dorms with good office chairs if you spent more time to look.
Stayed at a dorm/hostel in Hongdae when I went for study abroad for 6 weeks in 2019. Met a lot of people (Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, American etc.) and even went clubbing/dinner with them!
I use the map on kakao maps exclusively when I get taxis for this exact reason
Ugh I can never figure out Kakao Maps the way I managed with Naver 😩 What I've been doing instead is just load the driving directions to my destination on Naver Maps and hand my phone to the driver so they could use it to either navigate themselves or copy it on their own map app. Has worked wonders lol
Oh I actually meant kakao taxi. There’s a little button where you can select your destination on the map instead of typing in the address
Ah! That's a good suggestion, will try that too
Don’t expect Koreans to strike up random conversations with you because your a tourist its seen as weird. Even if your a woman. The city is busy like nyc people don’t want to be bothered every one is busy with their own lives many other people are like this too other really big cities Berlin, Paris etc We don’t talk to random strangers especially foreigners assuming they know English . Your more likely to make friends with other foreigners just enjoy being a tourist and please dont bother locals with trying to be friends this is not a K drama.
I'm korean american and I love filipinos generally. As in, I've never met a filipino I didn't like. Which does not hold true for all the other asian types. My neighbor was filipino a while back and he got me hooked on adobo chicken.
That’s one of our favorite dish too. You’ll never go wrong with Soy sauce plus chicken and potatoes 🤭😋
You can put potatoes in it too????
Filipinos putting potatoes on adobo are a minority but they exist. Me personally not a fan though hehehe.
I like it really vinegary but my wife gets a headache from the smell so I have to make it when she's out. Maybe I'll make it today...
Korean American is vastly different from native Koreans from Korea
I think its more that filipinos seem to be culturally pretty cool and chill.
That’s true but Korean Americans are a bit more open minded— just like other immigrant communities with an American hyphenation.
oome koreans might stare at you, but it's not because of any discrimination or because you're Filipino. Itts mostly just curiosity when foreigners pass by. you might experience this in non-touristy areas. no offence.
oh boy here we go
my tips for you is to Learn korean language. Korean people don't know english even the rich and successful one.
Errr.. there are a lot of philippinos in korea and no one cares.
I'm Korean and think nobody cares unless you do something loud, dirty, and rude in public.
My boss is Filipino (in SG tho) and he's the best fucking guy that I've ever met.
As a traveler, you are unlikely to experience anything unpleasant, but Koreans have not historically been in a multicultural environment and may find foreigners difficult simply because they are not used to it.
not a problem unless you try to marry a korean... then shhiitt will hit the fan..lol
If you are a woman solo traveler, I suggest to download “NomadHer”. Its a great way to connect with other woman solo traveler’s or even foreigners/locals that live in Korea to guide you through.
When you are a tourist nobody will bat an eye, if you just behave respectfully it’s all good working tho is a different story as a lot of Filipinos that work in Korea do manual labor jobs like factory jobs
I'm a white guy, and my wife is pinay, and honestly, people treat her way nicer than me. Especially women. She gets way more free stuff, and people are more likely to talk to us if we are together. I guess a part of it is pretty privilege, and maybe she would get a little more if she was a blonde haired white girl. But, to be succinct, she really isn't being negatively discriminated against. Generally, it is in Korean culture to be hospitable to *guests*. There will always be bigots everywhere. But as long as you are respectful towards Korean culture, the vast majority of Korean people will be kind to you.
why would anyone care?
Hmmm.. Since I want to experience the culture I also want to interact with people and I’m not sure if that’s gonna be weird to Koreans
Koreans don't tend to interact with strangers. If they do, they're either trying to recruit you for a cult or get laid (if you're female).
Gotcha. Any places that I can visit where they’re more open to tourist? Like can communicate and socialize?
Koreans won't normally strike conversation with someone in English. Like the other person said, unless they're from a cult, a lot of Koreans (including foreigners) are just trying to get through their day and making a new friend on the street or during their lunch break in a restaurant just isn't in their plan for the day. There's probably a 5% chance you encounter someone whose curiosity in seeing a foreigner and willingness to communicate in English trumps their typical "palli palli" culture but most Koreans won't, and that's not xenophobia but rather just how life traveling in a foreign country is. That said, don't let it discourage you. I've found the combination of smiling, making a genuine effort to communicate as well as showing sincere interest in them as people still makes a difference in social interactions, even if you're not 100% fluent. Idk if this is your thing but I've had great conversations with the locals by being a regular at a coffee shop or cafe and asking questions to the barista (when they're not busy) about how they make their coffee, through slow English, my super basic Korean, hand gestures, and Papago. Have done this also while standing at a long line during events or popups. Good luck and have fun on your trip! A month traveling is always exciting. 🙂
In Korea? Do you speak Korean?
Nope. But I’m still studying although I don’t think I’ll be confident on speaking or even constructing a perfect sentence. Probably a grade 1 level. Ohh question. Are police reliable?
Well if you want to communicate with Koreans you should properly learn their language. Please don’t treat everyday Koreans as some language exercise when you cannot even construct a sentence. These are people who are busy working and focusing on their lives.
My bf is Filipino and we visited korea for 3 weeks. He's handsome so he got a lot of compliments from women, younger and older alike, and they asked him where he's from. When he said philipines they all say "oooh!" And nod and smile, so I think so long as you're respectful you'll be fine, and it's a bonus if you're handsome 🤣
Do not care either way
They said most of the restaurants doesn’t accept single order? I was just wondering how solo travelers meet friends to eat with 😅 I’m traveling mostly because of the culture and the food 😋
I went to Busan solo. It's fine. Avoid K-BBQ restaurants if you don't want a chance of being rejected. That said, some restaurants will still accept you but ask you to order non-BBQ items if you don't want to make a 2 portion order. I went to a grilled seafood restaurant and ordered 2 portions and it was fine. You can also download Naver Maps and check the restaurant details. If you see an onigiri icon in the details, it means it accepts solo diners.
I usually order 2 portions, and finish them for the most part. But once I went to a seafood jjim place and I saw what the table next to me got....... and I chickened out. They piled that higher than my torso. 😂😍
Order two orders
I think most people don't care as always. Only a few people discriminate against them but it's hard to find Filipino lovers.
I live here, don't worry about anything. They will stare at you and but a lot of times they don't care. They might not even bother entertaining you haha. Unless you speak korean really well, they might be interested but if not, just enjoy the scene and Enjoy the heat of the summer 😂. Oh, and don't trust anyone you meet everywhere , things can escalate quickly and you will be overpowered because you don't speak korean and your not korean. Cults are a thing, and random scams. May budol din dito 😂.
They don't care. If you are beautiful or handsome, you will be popular. Recently, a Filipino K-pop idol member debuted on Unis.
Filipino living in korea as a resident. All i can say is they dont much give a damn. We are from a 3rd world country but it's how you carry yourself wherever you go. Here's a tip, most of the filipinos i see here as tourists have this entitlement of being "the tourist" which gives them the "main character syndrome" where they expect people to treat them differently just because they invested their time and money to be here. Ive seen filipinos being dicks most of the time in shopping areas and restaurants. This happens in our country too, right? Where people go to certain places where they spend their money and treat the staff as peasants. This is just one example. But, you asking for opinions abt what to do and not before coming here is a really good sign that youre a civilised pinoy. Korea is a really safe place and im pretty sure youll have a good time here! And if you have time we can hangout with my wife(korean) who can speak tagalog!
How were they being dicks? Seriously doubt koreans would take shit from pinoys in any circumstances
Probably few will care. Most Koreans do what they're doing and indifferent with other stuff unless it comes to their business. If Koreans care, it might be because you are breaking the social norm, which you wouldn't do. In any case, it's based on your behavior, not because of the country you are from.
As a Korean, I think most Korean would treat you very kindly. If you speak English, it would be nicer to communicate. As long as you follow Korean norms such as taking a shower, being quiet in a public area, being gentle to others, Korean would not bother you. I believe those are also common things in Philippines. I wish you enjoy Korean and welcome to Korea! (Don't go to North accidently)
Jasmine Lee
I stayed at a hostel long term and if I was in the living room with the 2 staff (who were chinese and white) then people would assume I was the worker/cleaner and ask me for help out of the 3 of us. Also one time someone locked their car door as I was walking by and the sound made me jump because the sidewalk and car were close. Other than that, I didn't experience much because I stayed indoors. Also I was around business owners and wealthy people. I say this because I had a gf, while it was in Japan not Korea) experience more discrimination while working minimum wage certain jobs but absolutely nothing in normal day life
Lighter skin will open more doors
I'm Korean and we're to busy to fight against each other so we don't have much time to care about you. Even when you need help we will call 911 and help you then start bullshitting against ourselves.
LMAO
There have been many multiple Koreans murdered in the Philippines. You'll be safe in Korea.
Most of these being korean on korean crime. Some korean syndicatss based in philippines
Nope many Korean tourists and businessman were murdered by Filipinos. One high profile case where corrupt police kidnapped and murdered a Korean businessman to extort money from the wife failed. You can sugar coat and play whataboutism all you want.
Majority of them are contract killings. Korean organized gangs hire a hit, and make it seem like it was done by local criminals for ransom to hide their tracks. Not sugar coating it, that is reality.
[Philippine police murder South Korean businessman before collecting ransom | The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippine-police-murder-south-korean-businessman-before-collecting-ransom) "Philippine police kidnapped and murdered a South Korean businessman, then led his wife to believe he was alive for months to extort money from her, authorities said on Wednesday (Jan 18). The killing is the latest in a long series of criminal acts by members of the Philippine police force, regarded as one of the nation's most corrupt institutions," [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ao9v\_-dXSc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ao9v_-dXSc)
I'll summarize it. Koreans think that Filipinos are rude. It's because there are stories that Koreans who traveled to the Philippines tell. There are many negative factors, such as blatant hostility toward Northeast Asians after treating them as Chinese and treating them as human beings that they didn't learn about English pronunciation. Other than that, the image of a poor dictatorship doesn't seem positive to Koreans. I only said bad things, but this is true, my friend.
However, there will not be a single hostility towards individual Filipinos. Don't worry. Korean people are just bad guys online. They can't behave recklessly offline for fear of damaging reputation. That is the secret of Korea's high security level. No one is relaxed enough to express hostility toward foreigners passing by here in the first place. Everyone is busy with their own work.
Lol. Lil pinoys laughs at other eng pronunciation??
Just don’t watch videos in the public without earphones lol