I mentioned in a post prior to leaving the states that Blue Cross was dicking with me over reimbursement for a physical I had at Soonchunhwang hospital way back in April.  This is the standard, albeit comprehensive, battery of tests that most Koreans do on an annual basis.  Apparently the adjusters at Blue Cross don’t see the value of preventative medicine.  I’m $1300+ out of pocket, so I’m not going to take it up the ass (which coincidentally was one the tests for which they have thus far refused to pay).

Anyway, I went to see the hilarious Dr. Yu who graciously provided me 8 pages of doctor’s notes/medical justification for the tests that were administered.  He did charge me W85,000 for the service.  I’m submitting a claim for reimbursement of that bill as well as a special fuck you to Blue Cross.

The next challenge was getting the documentation to Blue Cross in an expeditious manner.  I talked to a Customer Service Rep who suggested I FAX the records.  I asked if I could scan them as well and she said that would be acceptable.  I was unable to find a working scanner though, so I went to the PX on base which offers a FAX service for one dollar per page.  I followed up with a email to Blue Cross asking for confirmation that the documents did in fact arrive.  And I also berated them again for putting me through all this unnecessary hassle.  We’ll see what happens next.

There were lots of folks doing returns of unwanted Christmas gifts at the PX, so I had a goodly wait to be served.  A guy a couple of numbers ahead of me had the unique issue of having been undercharged for some items.  I was pretty impressed that he endured a long wait in line to do the right thing.  Of course, the clerk at the window didn’t have a clue about how to do a reverse refund, but a manager was called to the scene and the money did eventually change hands.

As a nice bookend to the story above, the next woman in line had a whole shopping cart of items which made me fear for my wait.  Fortunately, her problem was only with three items: white boards of various sizes.  It seems she had been charged twice for the large one, twice for the medium one, and not at all for the small one.  That took some time to sort out, but the takeaway for me was to check your receipt, something I rarely do.

Afterwards, I bought a 12-pack of Diet Coke which filled my backpack.  Then I hoofed it into Itaewon where I had a key made for a hefty W10,000.  Then I played darts and took first place prize money of W30,000.  Bought a round of drinks for my vanquished opponents which brought my bar tab to around W50,000.  Which is why it is hard to make a living playing darts.

For those of you who have been following the story of the expat teacher being held in the death of a Korean man after a bar room brawl, here’s a pretty comprehensive account from The Korea Observer.   I’m not sure how reliable a source they are (I’ve never heard of them at least), but the facts as reported do square with the stories I’ve been hearing around town.

Folks are donating to a legal defense fund with some regularity through the Facebook page set up for that purpose.  I’m hoping to get to visit Jeremy at the Nambu prison soon.  I also plan to help organize a benefit darts tournament early next year as well.  And that’s all I can think to do for him at this point.

Last night during a darts match two guys (an American and a Canadian) went after each other.  It didn’t get physical , but it certainly easily could have.  It actually pissed me off because I had just been talking to one of the guys about Jeremy’s situation earlier in the evening.  I just don’t understand why anyone would even think about getting in a bar fight knowing what the consequence could be.  Stupidity reins.

In a world of hurt

So my friend Jeremy is behind bars.  He’s being transferred today to a prison in Incheon where he will stay until his trial date, presumably in a month or so.  He’s been charged with “violence resulting in death”, which I understand is the Korean equivalent of manslaughter.

Several weeks ago Jeremy was at the Old Town Tavern in Itaewon.  He observed a young Korean man verbally and physically harassing a female friend of his.  Jeremy intervened, and a shoving match ensued (some accounts say Jeremy punched the guy). The Korean man subsequently fell to the pavement, struck his head, went into a coma, and later died from his injuries.  He was 20 years old. I’m hearing in his 30’s now, see update below.

I’m not sure how you say “screwed” in Korean, but that most certainly describes what Jeremy is. The altercation has been reported in the Korean media in terms much less favorable than those I’ve described above.  An attorney Jeremy has consulted advises that he is facing 7-10 years in prison, although that might be reduced to as little as two years, provided he makes some restitution to the deceased’s family.  The victims medical bills alone are fifty million Won.

Like many expat teachers in Korea, Jeremy is basically broke.  He was fired immediately after the incident hit the news.  He will have difficulty funding a competent lawyer, I see no possibility of him being able to pay off the family.  The Go Fund Me campaign started on his behalf had only generated several hundred dollars before it was pulled.  Go Fund Me doesn’t allow people to donate to the legal fees for individuals accused of a violent crime. So, like I said, he’s pretty much screwed.

I’ve known Jeremy for several years and I’ve never seen him be violent or aggressive.  But I knew he had been in fights before, mostly because he’s a stand-up guy who won’t back down.  As another mutual friend put it, Jeremy is a smart man who does some really stupid shit.  Now two lives have been destroyed and their ain’t a fucking thing anyone can do to change that.  It’s a nightmare for all involved.

So I offer this sad story as a cautionary tale.  Just walk away.  It’s not worth it.

UPDATE: A friend of Jeremy’s has created a Facebook page in an effort to generate some financial support for legal expenses.  I wanted to post the account of the events outlined there for clarification.  I wasn’t there and neither was he, but this is probably as close to accurate as we are going to get.

A good friend of mine, Jeremy Frye, was recently arrested on charges that could put him in prison for a long time. Because I wasn’t there at the time of the incident I can only relay the story according to Jeremy and a couple of other friends who were at the scene. I will try to simplify it. Here goes:

On Nov. 30th, Jeremy was at a local bar with his friends in the early morning. A Korean man in his 30’s sexually assaulted one of Jeremy’s Korean female friends by grabbing her inappropriately. The Korean man was removed from the bar by the security later to come back inside. The Korean guy pursued to apologize but instead tried to become physical with one of Jeremy’s mates. The Korean guy then left the building only to harass another one of Jeremy’s female friends and physically trying to harm her. Jeremy stepped in and removed the Korean guy which resulted in a scuffle. When this happened, he was almost immediately pulled away by the bar owner and security guard and went back inside. Several minutes later the paramedics arrived on scene because the Korean guy fell unconscious. When the police came, the Korean guy’s friend pointed at Jeremy. They questioned him and then let him go home. Later in the day, the police arrived at Jeremy’s apartment and arrested him for more questioning. He was held overnight and released again. The police told him the Korean guy was in a coma. About a week later the Korean guy died in the hospital. Jeremy is now in prison and awaiting his trial, which could be in a month.

If you feel like giving Jeremy the proper legal assistance, you can transfer funds to a bank account I have set up for him. I will try my best to keep everyone updated on his situation on this page. It will be difficult to contact individually.

KEB
620-237511-243
Murphy

Today I successfully completed all the requirements necessary for issuance of an identification card that allows me access to the various facilities on U.S. military installations in the Republic of Korea.

Tomorrow I’ll head over to the Korean Immigration Service to secure a SOFA visa.

Tonight I dined on galbi.

Life is good in Korea. And so is the galbi.

Went to bed at 0600 hundred this morning and woke up at 0900.  I’m running on fumes right now but I’m trying my hardest to stay awake until at least 2200.  Hopefully a full night’s sleep will get me back on a more normal sleep cycle.

Stay tuned.  More news tomorrow!

Back in our humble apartment in Gireum-dong.  33 hours door-to-door.

Began the day at 0400 in order to catch my 0700 flight out of Columbia.  Arrived in Atlanta at 0800 with 4 hours to kill before my departure to Seoul via Korean Air.  Had a sausage, cheese and egg biscuit from McDonalds, then parked myself in the smoking lounge where I enjoyed free airport WiFi, a rare treat in the USofA.

The appointed departure time came and went, and then came the announcement of some unspecified “mechanical problems” with our A-380 aircraft.  They estimated the fix time to be three hours, and gave us all a ten dollar lunch voucher.  So, I scored me some Arby’s and headed back to the smoking lounge to wait out the delay.

Three hours go by and the repair is still not complete.  Then another hour.  Then Korean Air rolled out a couple of carts filled with snacks, soft drinks, and water with the promise the problem would be resolved “soon”.  We finally boarded at 6:30 and then sat at the gate for the better part of an hour.  I set my watch for Seoul time and resolved to not worry about those things I can’t control.

About halfway into the flight, I hear a woman screaming in Korean.  I figured maybe a fight had broken out.  Shortly thereafter the flight attendant took to the P.A. to ask if there was a doctor on board.  After a few more minutes she came back on to ask if there was anyone with medical skills available to help.  I asked the flight attendant what was going on and she said, we have to get a sick passenger to the hospital.  I said “A hospital, what is it?”  She said “it’s a big building paitents, but that’s not important right now!”.  Alright, of course that last part didn’t happen, but I couldn’t resist the “Airplane!” reference.

Anyway, they moved the ill person up front and things quieted down   I watched three forgettable movies (2 American, 1 Korean) and in between actually managed to sleep a few hours.  Which might explain why I’m still up right now.

We landed at Incheon at 0100 local time.  As we deplaned, a Korean Air employee gave us each an envelope with seven W10,000 coupons good for future travel with the airline.  An unexpected and nice touch. I sailed through immigration and customs, although one of my bags got destroyed somewhere between Columbia and Korea.  It was the last bag to come down the carousel.  I had packed that sucker jam full and had a hard time getting it zippered up.  I knew if TSA or Korean customs attempted to open it they’d never get it closed again.  It arrived back in my possession with a burst zipper and haphazardly held together with packing tape.  All the contents seemed to be intact however, so I’m grateful for that.

I was happy to see a currency exchange kiosk still open, so I exchanged $200 for Won as I anticipated an expensive taxi ride from Incheon to Gireum.  Instead, another Korean Air employee met me as I exited the airport and directed me to a bus that would take me to Seoul City Hall, paid for by the airline.  That suited me just fine.  I was the only passenger on said bus, and in broken English the driver asked where I was going.  I told him Gireum station.  He had a suggestion: He would take me to Gimpo Airport where his car was parked, and then he drive me to Gireum himself.  I caught on that the guy was ready to get home, and this plan likely would have shaved a couple of hours off his night.  I readily agreed, but alas, another passenger arrived and foiled our plan.  Still, there was a cab waiting at the City Hall bus stop and he carried me to my destination for W12,000 including tip.

Jee Yeun greeted me at the door with a smile and a kiss and I knew at long last my journey was over.  It’s good to be home.