I'm an English Teacher in South Korea AMA

[baudib]

My favorite dish at Korean restaurants is bibim neng myung, do you like it?

Can you comment on the materialism/obsession with wealth et al. that "Gangnam Style" speaks to?

[Jack Sawyer]

Can you comment on the materialism/obsession with wealth et al. that "Gangnam Style" speaks to?

I was like "wtf is that"? A quick goog/yout later, I can safely say that Gangnam Style is fawesome!

Even though that question was not mine to answer

[Eric]

What percentage of the people there speak English?

[BooG690]

My favorite dish at Korean restaurants is bibim neng myung, do you like it?

Can you comment on the materialism/obsession with wealth et al. that "Gangnam Style" speaks to?

I'm assuming you mean the mixed noodles with chili sauce on it. Delicious.

Gangnam style takes jabs at the materialism that is rampant in Gangnam. It's actually rampant all over Seoul. Ryan asked me what women in Korea like. The first thing they look for is money. Koreans are extremely superficial people who do what it takes to look their best and put on their best face. It's actually a big thing if you cause a Korean to 'lose face' (basically, lose rep) amongst their peers. I find it ridiculous but it is what it is.

What percentage of the people there speak English?

It's easier to answer this if you divide Koreans into two groups: 30 & older and the rest. The 30 & older crowd don't speak much English unless they travel for work. If they travel for work, they usually speak Chinese, English, and Korean. They sometimes speak Japanese.

90% of the younger group usually speaks SOME English though it's sometimes shit. I'd say about 35% of the younger group works hard enough on their English to be able to get through a basic conversation while 20% of the younger group can probably have complex conversations at a moderate pace.