So looking for some help and thoughts about what the right thing to do is. There is a growing rift in my small family that I really worry is going to go into something much bigger.
So in Korea 99% of people ware masks, I generally don't wear one outside, Inside of stores where you can't even get in without one, I'll put it on, but under my nose or chin, I really don't have much of a choice... and I wear it out of more respect to Koreans in general.
My son who is 1 year old... at some point is going to be required to wear a mask to go into places.... and it is true what my wife says it's hypocritical for us both to have masks on in a store and him not to when people ask why he doesn't have one. My wife thinks the masks don't work or do anything, BUT she still wears it because Koreans have hive minds about this shit and she's worried about what people think.... (ive tried SOOOOOO hard to change this with her.....)
So my option is to not mask my son, get away with it as long as I can until I can move back to what is left of the USA in 2 years....
Or just put a mask on him only in spaces where it's required... it makes me so sad to think about, but at some point he'll miss out on normal things, I can limit his mask wearing greatly... but I just hate doing it at all.
Idk, this shit just depresses the fuck out of me.
Korea lost their freedom when the Joseon Dynasty took over back in the 1600's. Joseon Dynasty rolled out Confucianism to strip away people's freedoms. That dynasty only fell when Japan colonized Korea, and before that the Mongols had them paying tribute for 'protection'. After WWII was over and Korea gained their independence, there was only a short time before the Korean War, and that resulted in a military dictatorship on both sides. It wasn't until Park Gunhe's daddy decided to make SK great that SK finally became a democracy.
I say all that to say that Koreans don't understand freedom or democracy. The hivemind you speak of is proudly toted as a feature of Korean society. They, sadly, got their true freedom in the 80's only to now have a communist president.
I'm half-Korean and married to a Korean lady, so I was in the same boat as you OP. The Korean people were pacified long ago, so you're in the lion's den. Personally, I made the decision to return to the states because there's no way to fight over there, or at least there wasn't for me. I don't speak the language very much so I couldn't find any like-minded people, cause as you would expect wifey's family just believe what the TV says. SK is in a pre-Erdogan Turkey state, so I would come back if I were you, but if you decide to stay then I would cut slits in your masks and continue wearing in the wrong way. There's no much else you can do as a wei gook in. God bless you and your family.