Okay readers, let me start off by saying I AM VERY SORRY FOR MY ABSENCE. If you would like to continue reading to find out why, feel free. If not, please enjoy the comic, and I apologize once again for the lack of comics over the past month or so. I hope this one is funny enough to make up for it.

Anyways, before I give my explanation, let me explain the comic. Since I’ve come to Korea, I’ve seen so many random shirts that say the most hilarious things on them. It makes me wonder if people are even aware of what they’re getting into when they purchase and wear said clothes. What makes it even funnier is when you see the children’s clothes with very adult quotes on them. Some of my favorites include:
“I support Desert Storm.”
“Congratulations on not being pregnant!”

Really, I guess it’s not too different from when non-Chinese people get tattoos of Chinese characters on their bodies. When comparing the two situations, I think I’d rather have a silly shirt over something permanent. What are some of the funniest shirts you’ve seen during your time in Korea (or anywhere else)? Please do share!

As promised, here’s a brief explanation of what’s been going on to clear up why I’ve been missing. First off, my computer died in a very horrible way. When you have a comic that is completely done on the computer, that’s not good news. Not having the time to get it fixed right away, I had to wait until someone was able to take it to the service center to get it fixed for me. I ended up losing my hard drive, along with a lot of important stuff I had on it. I am happy to say that they were able to save the older Dear Korea files (meaning that making a book is still possible!), but it’s taken me a long time to recover all of the programs and extra files I needed to actually create the comic. Needless to say, that experience was not fun. Thank goodness for Korea’s great and affordable services!

Second, I started a new, full-time job at an animation company. Great news, right? It’s been a thrill to work at such an amazing company, but the amount of time and work I’ve been putting into it has taken a toll on everything else. Up until recently, I had mostly been working part-time at different jobs while spending most of my time doing freelance at home. As busy as all that kept me, I still had time to work on other projects (such as this comic).

The issue now is that I don’t seem to have nearly as much time to dedicate myself to things outside of work. That being said, I would hate to have to stop doing Dear Korea, especially since this comic has some of the best readers in the world. With that in mind, I am regretful to say that this will now be a bi-weekly comic. It may go back to being updated on a weekly basis if I can manage to find a better way to do things (not having internet at work has made things really difficult), but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to keep up with the old schedule at the moment. I sincerely apologize, and I hope everyone can understand that this was not an easy decision for me. What can I say? I love receiving weekly feedback ♥

Anyways, though it wasn’t as brief as I thought it would be, I hope this all explains my absence, as well as the change in schedule that will be starting from today. Thanks for reading!

There I go, complaining about the weather again. What can I say? I’m not much of an outside person.

What’s really interesting is that I never had any sort of allergy problem until I came to Korea. I guess the air in Texas was super different or something.

It’s been suggested to me that my negative reactions to these weather changes, especially during the warmer months, could be due to Yellow Dust. For the curious folks, Yellow Dust is basically dry soil particles that are carried in from China via wind during the springtime months. What makes it worse is that these particles can often contain pollutants and viruses that can do some serious damage to anyone that breathes in the dusty air. Doesn’t sound too good, right? That’s one of the reasons why so many people here in Korea (as well as other countries) can be seen wearing those face masks while they walk around outside.

Despite all that, Korea really does become a beautiful place during springtime. With everything from sea partings to cherry blossoms, there are plenty of things to see before it gets too hot to enjoy being outside.

What are your favorite activities to do during spring? Honestly speaking, if it weren’t for me feeling sick and weird during these months, I wouldn’t mind finding one of those nice little pagoda looking things to take an afternoon nap in.

Oh jeez, this is really late. I do apologize for that! I hope the not-so-cleverly censored nudity in  the second panel of this comic helps make up for it!

Anyways, a foreigner’s first visit to the 찜질방 (jjimjilbang) usually seems to be an interesting one. For those that may be unfamiliar, a 찜질방 is pretty much a gender segregated bath house that is quite popular with Koreans. For those of us without bathtubs, it’s really nice to have an affordable option to get clean and soak in a gigantic hot tub. The only awkward side of the whole thing is the part when you’re sharing said tub with a bunch of naked strangers. If you can get over that, then you can enjoy all of the other benefits of these awesome places that often include steam rooms, saunas, massages, and even a cheap place to crash for the night.

As a Korean-American, I don’t really get too much attention from anyone whenever the clothes come off. I’ve noticed that it can sometimes be a little uncomfortable for females from different ethnic backgrounds, but they seem to get over it pretty quickly. That being said, the males I know seem to have had very different experiences whenever it came time to get naked. From what I’ve been told, Korean men can get pretty darn curious, which can lead to some awkward, inappropriate staring. I guess this isn’t really a big deal in Korean culture, but I’ve come to learn that American guys don’t really like being exposed in that way, especially when everyone in the room is watching.

I actually know a couple of guys that wear swimming trunks to avoid the unwanted attention (not that it really helps). They know it’s more than likely against the rules, but what’s a shy man in need of a bath to do?

If you have any interesting 찜질방 stories, please share! It’s always fun to talk about nudity!

I don’t know if this is too common in bigger cities, but down here in Gwangju, we have more than enough mountains. As a result, mountain climbing (more like hiking uphill in some cases) is insanely popylar, especially amongst the older folks. One man I know likes to go on an eight hour climb up a mountain, get drunk off of soju, pass out, and then climb back down before nightfall. This is something he looks forward to doing each weekend. I have no idea how that’s even possible.

Yes, I am pretty pathetic when it comes to climbing ANYTHING. I’m sure much of my failure when it comes to mountain climbing is due to my sedentary lifestyle on very flat land, but it’s still insane to see people half my size scaling up jagged, slippery rocks like nothing. Seriously, I’m convinced that some of these people are mountain goats.

Oh, and to translate panel three…

할머니! 빨리 오세요! = Grandma! Hurry up and come here!

I really should start exercising out there, but I don’t think mountain climbing will ever be my thing. What can I say? I’m afraid of heights. Here’s hoping everyone else can enjoy the convenience of having mountains to climb nearby while I continue to take advantage of the more technological aspects this country has to offer.

EDIT: Major thanks to Yoon_hyeran for pointing out an error I made. It should be fixed now!

This one took a little longer than usual to finish, which is why it’s a few hours late. On the bright side, I’m actually okay with how it came out. Gasp! Shock! Awe! Who knows how long that will last?

어머나! = It’s kind of like the Korean version of “Oh my gosh!”

So this seems to be a problem whenever a group of women (usually at work) find out that someone’s getting married. Congratulations are still in order, but a proposal to one woman is apparently one of those slap in the face reminders of what others don’t have. If the mothers of these women are anything like how my aunt is with her daughters (pushy), then I can understand where that feeling of failure comes from. I guess it all ties in together with the high number of single females. Seriously, where are all the men at?

Anyways, if you have a friend who’s getting married, don’t be that person. Be happy for them, and ignore any negative feelings that may try to seep in. Don’t be a hater.

I love the cold much more than I should. When you take into consideration that I’m from Texas, it makes even less sense. That being said, I think I’m kind of ready for winter to be over now.

Spring in Korea is quite lovely, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say that it needs to hurry up. Yes, its arrival will probably lead to my allergies acting up like they never have before (they only act up when I’m in an Asian country), but at least I won’t have to wear my jacket anymore. I’m even willing to take hoodie weather at this point.

At least the chill in the air means that the fish bread carts will be out for a few more days. I’ll be sad to see them go.

If you’ve ever seen any photographs of Koreans ANYWHERE, this comic should be nothing new to you. It’s no secret. Koreans (as well as many other Asians) love to pose for the camera. It’s gotten so out of control that there are multiple websites and videos out there dedicated to these strange, yet fun poses.

The very last pose is one I never really saw until I came to Korea. Someone said it was supposed to be like cat paws, but who knows? The panel and pose were largely inspired by this hilarious YouTube video featuring a friend of mine. I suggest you go watch it now for a good laugh.

Speaking of which, I’m not really sure if 뿌잉 뿌잉 actually means anything, so I’m sorry for the lack of the translations. If anyone could clear that up for me, it would be greatly appreciated.

Anyways, question time!

What’s your favorite super Korean pose? Which pose do you catch yourself using the most? Hrm, maybe I could turn this into a contest to trick people into sending embarrassing photos of themselves…

We shall see. Until next time!

By the way, anyone knows where the shirt from the third panel is from is automatically on my cool list.

To any readers out there that enjoy wearing skinny jeans, I sincerely apologize if this strip offends you. While I will admit that some people out there look pretty darn good in skinny jeans/leggings/anything not baggy, I am not one of those people. I am also not one of those people that really enjoys seeing really tight pants on most other people, especially guys. What can I say? I like my men with some meat on ‘em. Maybe I’m just jealous of the average Korean guy’s super slender legs.

While I don’t think there should be any sort of ban on skinny jeans (well, maybe a small part of me feels that way), a little variety here in Korea wouldn’t be the worst idea. I don’t really shop here much for clothes (as Korean girl clothes often come in itty bitty sizeS), a number of guys I’ve known have often expressed their frustrations with not being able to find non-constricting jeans. If you have big calves, you’re apparently kind of screwed. This goes double for anyone that likes to wear baggy clothes (like me).

I think I’ll stop ranting about clothes through my comics, at least for now. After all, I do have the fashion sense of a blind toddler. Let’s just all go back to ignoring the fact that I seriously dislike drawing feet.

Oh look, another comic about pretty Korean women. To be fair, there are more than enough of those in the country to justify this strip.

Anyways, I’ve learned during my time here that there are so many single women in the country. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with single, but when you see groups of beautiful people that are actively looking for someone to love, you can’t help but question why.

Other Koreans that I’ve talked to about this have been quick to say that these single people aren’t very attractive or special, but I guess my standards are a little different. I can see these “not so attractive” ladies getting snatched up real quick back where I come from, and so many of them are smart, funny people. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a single man, as I probably wouldn’t be one for very long in this country.

This one’s for all the single ladies out there. You’re beautiful, no matter what anyone says!

Call me a wuss, but Korea has been pretty cold during the past few weeks or so. I mean, I prefer the cold over the heat (not looking forward to summer), but the extremes of either make me not want to go outside for anything.

One thing about women’s fashion that has always confused me is how impractical it can be. Korean fashion is pretty guilty of this, especially during the winter. I guess wearing a lot on the top with little on the bottom is popular right now. I can’t say for sure, as my knowledge in fashion is pretty darn limited. The fact that I can dress myself in the morning is a miracle.

To be fair, this seems to be an issue no matter where in the world I go. I do see girls wearing leggings, but I can’t help but question how warm those things actually get. I just know seeing groups of Korean girls outside while complaining how cold it is tends to leave my male friends and I scratching our heads. At least they look good doing it.

Speaking of which! Here’s a translation!

너무 추워!! = It’s so cold!!

Any of you teachers that are unfortunate enough to work in non-heated classrooms may be quite familiar with this phrase.