After about a year in Korea, having learnt basic Korean, I went with one of my friends to a meeting in downtown Seoul, which was supposed to be the mayor’s open-house event. It had been arranged to listen to the voices of citizens and foreigners for improvement in governance. At the end, there was a Q&A session where I asked, “If we don’t have work visa but have experience in various fields, how can our services be utilised productively?” I did not expect a response, even though my question was duly noted along with my contact details.
After about 15 days, I got an email from the Gangnam administration office inviting me to an event. I was not sure whether I should go, since I didn’t know what it was about. Nevertheless, I took two trains and went. I was in for a big surprise! The event was to discuss how to promote tourism in Gangnam, using the K-culture experience. Much to my surprise, I was appointed as a Gangnam publicity ambassador with no prior discussion. I guess this was their response to my question at the open house. A handful of other expats were also given similar certificates.
Afterwards, an official came up to me and explained, “Sudha-ssi, remember that not only Gangnam, but the surrounding areas of Apgujeong, Garosu-gil, Apgujeong Rodeo Street, K-Star Road, Chong-dong, Sinsa-dong are your K-culture sections. You can walk around, take pictures and write articles about them in English. We will print them in our monthly newsletter, The Gangnam Gucheong News. Even though our newsletter is in Korean, we plan to start carrying articles in English on the last page. This was our intention in appointing you as publicity ambassador. Good luck with your writing.”
After a sumptuous Korean lunch, we were taken in a bus to familiarise us with the tourist sites in and around Gangnam, including Cube Studios, famous for recording K-pop songs. We were asked to take pictures in front of K-pop stars’ cut-outs, with flashy clothes and a mic in hand. To be honest, I had no idea of K-pop at the time. Walking along the famous K-Star Road and Apgujeong Rodeo Street, we could see fashionable people shopping at the beauty product stores, and sipping coffee at upmarket restaurants along the street. The coordinator, who was showing us around, said, “This is the fashion hub of Korea.”
At the tourism centre in Apgujeong, we were shown a presentation on K-beauty products as well as on cosmetic surgeries. The surgeries were said to be carried out in more than a thousand clinics in and around Gangnam. I was surprised and asked the coordinator, “A thousand clinics? What is so special? I have not heard about these beauty-enhancing surgeries.” He replied, “This is medical tourism. We are actively promoting it. Not just Koreans, many foreigners, especially from East Asia, are big fans of Korean films, series and K-pop stars, and want cosmetic surgery to look as beautiful as them. We have state-of-the-art facilities managed by skilled doctors, with easy access for patients to travel and have a comfortable stay.”
We were shown and given various types of tea to drink, containing herbs to combat stress, ageing and stomach ailments. The idea was to promote Korean health teas and ginseng in the international market. Later, we were shown shooting locations of many Korean dramas, such as Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong and Chong-dong. While studying Korean, I only knew of a few series on YouTube. Now, I started thinking and understanding K-culture in a more in-depth way, since I had to write articles for the newsletter.
The first article I wrote was about the event that I had attended and the places they showed us on the first day of my appointment as the Gangnam publicity ambassador. It was printed in the December 2014 issue of The Gangnam Gucheong News. I got a message that my article was published, along with a request for my bank account details. Within two days, I got a credit in my bank account. It was an honorarium for the article, and though it was a modest sum, I was thrilled! I informed them that I did not have a work visa but they assured me that they were a government organisation and that a small honorarium was permissible.
I started getting invitations for events in and around Gangnam, which I attended and wrote about for the newsletter. Once, I got a call at 2 pm from the newsletter’s office, asking me to submit an article by 5 pm on Dosan Garden, which had become famous during the Korean independence struggle. As it turned out, I was having lunch at a Turkish restaurant in Gangnam with an Indian friend, Panchali, who was returning to India in a few days after having lived in Korea for four years. I said yes to the assignment, and asked Panchali if she would like to join me. She agreed, and after a hasty lunch, we took a taxi to Dosan Garden in Apgujeong.
We walked around the historic garden, gathered information, took pictures and returned home by train. I quickly compiled the information and photos, and submitted the article two minutes before 5 pm. Panchali, who was watching me curiously, said, “Sudha, Korean efficiency has rubbed off on you within a year.” I told her, “Since I don’t have a work visa, I want to make the most of whatever opportunity I get.”
The next assignment I got was as a food and sanitation inspector at Gangnam. The health and sanitation department had started a new initiative by appointing some foreigners to conduct inspections of restaurants. This was a novel idea, since the restaurant staff did not expect foreigners to do government inspection work. I was allowed to take another person with me instead of going alone, to make my visit appear authentic.
Over the next three months, I covered about 20 restaurants in Gangnam with either Vasudev or one of my friends. My role was to observe the hygiene level, the quality of the food served and the way the staff treated customers, especially foreigners. I then had to submit a report written in Korean to the sanitation department. I went to various Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, Italian and Indian restaurants, and at none of these places did the staff suspect that I was an inspector! In most cases, all the standards were met, and in some cases, where a deficiency was reported, I understand that action was initiated.
This was an enriching experience for me, where I could try out different cuisines and received an honorarium for it too. It was quite an interesting way for Korean authorities to utilise the services of foreigners who did not have a work visa.
Language is an issue for foreigners in Korea. The authorities are aware of it and try to take steps to make life easier for them. This was part of the reason why the Seoul Namdaemun Police appointed a few foreigners as volunteers. Due to my activities in Gangnam, somebody I had met recommended my name as a police volunteer with Seoul Namdaemun Police, since I had become fairly proficient in Korean by then.
The purpose of having foreigners as police volunteers was to overcome the language barrier, understand the cultural differences and to help foreigners navigate life in Korea with greater confidence. I started attending meetings at the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station, where they briefed us volunteers about Korean laws as well as the issues foreigners face and how to resolve them. These fortnightly meetings in Korean were followed by a team dinner, where I got to know my colleagues and the cases they had worked on.
I had the privilege to witness the signing of an important MoU between Seoul police and a reputed law firm, which was a landmark scheme for the safety of foreign nationals. I was the only foreigner in this meeting. I was wearing a saree and was introduced as an Indian; people looked at me curiously.
I would often get calls from the police headquarters to deal with the problems of foreign citizens. These included domestic disputes between non-Korean women and their Korean husbands, often caused by cultural differences. These were reported to the police department either directly or through lawyers or respective embassies. Many such issues were resolved with counselling, which gave me a lot of personal satisfaction.
The police department had created a commendable campaign called “Make a Wish”, aimed at senior citizens living solitary lives. They were asked to make a wish and the police department would fulfil that wish, if it was possible to do so. An elderly woman who lived alone was fond of watching TV series. She expressed a wish to a police volunteer that she wanted to watch her favourite actors on a bigger screen. I went with our team to her house and we installed a big Samsung TV, much to her delight. I was touched to see her in tears that her wish for a big TV had come true, and that she could now watch her favourite actor, Lee Min-ho, clearly. She then noticed me, and seeing my Indian dress, she started feeling the fabric and my ornaments, and was curious to know about India. We soon became friendly.
Another unforgettable incident was when we visited a very senior citizen, born in 1930, who lived in a small, ancient house up a hill in Seoul. When one of our police volunteers asked him to make a wish, he mentioned his desire to try new medicinal tonics.
I trudged along with my team members up the steep slope, carrying a box of tonics and household articles, and reached his place only to find that he had gone down to fetch a newspaper. Since the house was open, we peeped inside. The tiny house was filled with old gadgets and newspapers. What struck me was how well-maintained everything looked, despite the fact that the space wasn’t large and everything was quite old. Soon, the 88-year-old gentleman came walking with sprightly steps, up the same slope that had left us huffing and puffing. He was surprised to see us waiting.
When he got to know the purpose of our visit, he was quite surprised and said, “I had only mentioned the tonics but I had not asked for them. You have misunderstood. I get a government pension and free medical treatment. Please give these tonics to an elderly person who really needs them instead of me. I have bequeathed my property to go to the nation after my death. I do not need any help from my country. Please take this back and give to someone else or to a charitable organisation.” Saying this, he bowed and went into his house.
I admired his self-respect and love for his country, and did not want to leave without speaking to him. I entered his house and said, “Uncle, you are my father’s age. I have come all the way from India. I would like to have a chat, a cup of tea and take a picture with you.” The gentleman did not disappoint us and came down the hill with our team, had a cup of tea with us and posed for a picture.
During our conversation, I came to know that he had been a newspaper editor, was well read and knew quite a few things about India, like the Taj Mahal and places like Bodhgaya and Ayodhya. We also spoke about India’s development and democracy. Later, we bid goodbye and saw him climb back up the hill to his house.
Once, I got the opportunity to go to the border dividing North and South Korea with my police colleagues. I had been there quite a few times with Indian guests, but this time it was different, since I was attending an event covered by the media. A Korean TV journalist asked me my opinion as an Indian citizen, and I said in Korean, “Any division is terrible and we are seeing its consequences. I hope both Koreas will be united someday.” I was in India when this was shown on TV, and one of my Korean friends had been kind enough to send me a video clip of my moment of fame.
Excerpted with permission from Seoulmates: Korea Through Indian Eyes, Sudha Huzurbazar Tumbe and Vasudev Tumbe, Juggernaut.
