Wales, snails, and date rape

By David Tizzard

A rather peculiar report appeared last week in the BBC claiming that whelks ― a type of sea-snail and known here in Korea as golbaengi ― were being shipped en masse from the coast of Wales and arriving here in Korea where they served a rather idiosyncratic purpose.

While those native to the United Kingdom don't eat them any great degree ― I can vaguely remember a 'cockles and whelks' man coming round the country pub gardens as a young boy ― the article said that in South Korea they were more than just a delicacy. They were a lifestyle.

A “South Korean aphrodisiac” the article claimed of these aqueous invertebrate. Puzzling initially, but at first glance not entirely surprising as an evening drinking in the company of some seasoned ajjoshis will leave most people believing that all sorts of foods and consumables are good for one's (ahem) stamina.

There was however a rather more sinister turn to this story than initially met the eye.

It soon became apparent that something was amiss with the article's later claims that for “the eligible South Korean bachelor, no date is complete without a bowl of whelks” and that these were “all the rage in Seoul” putting “the heart” into a night out.

Strange, to say the least. Despite reading like something between a Butlins advertisement and a Mills and Boon story.

There is soju, most likely. And these days, eye-liner and a selfie stick, perhaps.

Nevertheless a bowl of golbaengi seems a rather curious thing to claim that young bachelors were eating on a Friday night out in Seoul to provide them with the virility and vigor that youth itself should be providing.

Of course, the BBC writer Neil Prior ― a self-confessed “luddite” and blind since the age of 13 ― may have simply heard one story online or from a colleague and decided in journalistic fashion to apply the characteristics of the individual to an entire population for the sake of a click. My own headline above demonstrates that I am no stranger to the ways of modern media and journalism.

However, a little digging reveals that words of course carrying meaning and these are heavily dependent on their spatial and temporal context. So what does the word 'golbaengi' really mean here in South Korea?

Yes, it is a food. But media reports have also shown that it is a derogatory term used to describe females (predominantly, though it may also apply to males) who are under the influence of a date-rape drug.

One South Korean professor told the Kukmin Ilbo that the term was used because it is believed by some that eating a large amount of shellfish can cause people to mishear or misapprehend situations somewhat akin to being under a narcotic influence.

It is a term that many of us here in respectable society would likely not have come across were it not for the Burning Sun nightclub scandal that enraged many citizens late last month.

On January 28th, MBC News Desk reported on an incident by showing video footage of a man allegedly being assaulted for trying to help a woman who had been sexually harassed at the club.

What followed was a series of accusations and claims that date-rape drugs and forced coercion were prevalent at the venue also known as 'Seungri Club', the name of K-pop idol star and BIGBANG member.

While Seungri has since resigned from his position and denied any charges of being involved in the club's management, he now jets off on a solo Asian music tour.

Ultimately, story brings to light a couple of important issues: sex in South Korea and on-site reporting.

South Korea's powerful and inspiring democratization has also brought the subject of sex into the mainstream media and public consciousness. The brave molka (spy-cam) protestors and gay rights advocates have rightly championed a morality more in-keeping with that which should be expected of an advanced nation such as South Korea.

This has also led to the closure of many adult websites and, more recently, talks of pornographic sites being banned entirely with those trying to access them having their data recorded. The telecommunications company KT, rather than the government, are leading this charge to prevent access which could be previously circumnavigated by simply adding the letter 's' to a website address.

Secondly, as was demonstrated by a simple misunderstanding of local language and culture, it is important that we as citizens of the world provide each other with as much genuine access and knowledge as possible.

It is easy, of course, to sit and pontificate and debate issues surrounding nations of which we have never visited or perhaps not lived in for many years. Nevertheless, reality ― the experience of consciousness - is one of the things that unites all humans. We should be more adjusted to listening to other people's reality, particularly when there are thousands of miles between us, geographically as well as politically.

So, in a seashell, let us hope that reports on South Korea continue to deal with the reality of the situation as experienced by the citizens and that those here continue on the august path and transcend historical stereotypes which have previously placed it as a shrimp between whales. With an 'h'.

David Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) is an assistant professor at Seoul Women's University.