Girls Touching in Korea.

Korean girls sometimes touch each other in public.

                          (Photo Source: allkpop.com)

But... it's not what you think...

Korean girls are just…a little bit more physically friendly with each other…than many Western girls (just in my experience...).

                                    (Photo Source: weheartit.com)

In Korea, Westerners might notice that Korean girls generally feel comfortable showing  physical affection with their female friends.  An example of this is when Korean females hold hands when they walk down the street.  This behavior might be confusing at first, but this is something that I have gotten used to since I moved to Korea over two years ago.  

Initially, when Korean females held my hand in public….I wasn’t sure if it was a romantic gesture… or a friendly gesture. 

                                                                 (Photo Source: snsdk.com)

I learnt rather quickly... that this is actually A VERY COMMON FRIENDLY GESTURE AMONG KOREAN WOMEN.

                       (Photo Source: afterschooldaze.wordpress.com)

I  was a little disappointed.     ㅋㅋㅋ

There is nothing sexy or even risqué about Korean girls holding hands in public.

In Australia, I don’t feel physically close to other Australian women.  I even turn around when another Australian female adjusts her stockings.  I don’t want my female friends to get the wrong idea.  Korean females generally look unphased by being naked with other females, and also look comfortable when they are being physically close with other females. I have discussed previously my feelings on being naked with Korean females when I discussed the Korean 찜질방 bathhouse.  See here; http://luiginakorea.blogspot.com/2011/08/naked-together-bathing.html#!/2011/08/naked-together-bathing.html

I think the difference (in this case) between Australian females and Korean females could be the difference in ideas relating to personal space, and also the emphasis in Korea on age-influenced relationships. 

In Korea, Koreans feel closer to others when they know the other person’s age.  For notes on age in Korea, see here; http://luiginakorea.blogspot.com/2011/08/benefits-of-korean-age.html#!/2011/08/benefits-of-korean-age.html

So, Korean females will call me 언니 (older sister) or 동생 (younger sister) to create some kind of relationship between us… even though we are not genetically related.  This creates a feeling of proximity and intimacy. 

Let me add that I do not mind if Korean females touch me at all (as long as it isn’t pushing or hair pulling… that reminds me too much of scary girls in High School).

These are the different kinds of touching that I have experienced (culturally?) with Korean girls… that I would probably never ever ever try with Australian girls;

·         Holding hands in a coffee shop

·         Walking hand in hand

·         Linking arms while walking

·         Female friend stroking my hair

·         Female friend stroking my arm/placing her hand on my leg.

These actions sound slightly sexy, but they are not at all sexy….at least between Korean females...it is a sign of 'closeness'.

There is no Korean version of ‘The L Word’ (most detailed lesbian drama of all time).  I have heard about Korean lesbians, but I have not yet met one.  I would be curious to meet one.  I have seen some Korean females (possibly lesbians?) in gay bars in Seoul, but their community seems small. 

One reason why uni-gender touching is totally acceptable between Koreans (and does not raise eyebrows at all) is that there is not an open presence of gay culture in Korea.  Many older Koreans still think that ‘gay’ is a ‘foreign problem’, and there are ‘no Korean gays’.  This is laughable.  There are many gay Koreans… they just hide it well from their parents and from society, for the most part. 

So…

Even though it is somewhat taboo in Korea for male+female couples to touch each other intimately in public (Korean couples can kiss in public…but not too much), touching between Koreans of the same gender is perfectly OK. 



It is not uncommon to see Korean males walking with their arms draped over each other’s shoulders... but this is never perceived as 'gay', just 'friendly'.

Korean Wedding.

I don't want to marry...(delay delay delay)

but... I think Weddings are AWESOME.

Actually, I am not a romantic at all…

...quite the opposite in fact...I'm quite practical...

...but I love watching how tense the bride and groom are... and I also love seeing the two new families interact awkwardly with one another.

While Australian weddings fall into 35908768374 categories, Korean weddings only fall into two categories. 

They are as follows... ;

** 1) Traditional weddings: Weddings that follow Korean cultural marital traditions...and where Korean traditional dress, ceremonies, and wedding officials are found.  A traditional Korean wedding might look like this:

and also this...

**2) Western-style weddings: Where the bride and groom wear western-style suits and dresses, and the wedding involves a father walking his daughter down the aisle.

I have seen about 2 traditional weddings in Korea, but I have seen almost 10 western-style weddings.

There are no bridesmaids in the Traditional Korean wedding, or the Western-style Korean wedding... which cuts out a lot of unnecessary wedding expenditure and drama.  That is just my opinion. 

After viewing a number of Korean weddings I have come to my own conclusion...on the state of Korean weddings...and this again...is just the opinion of LuiginaKorea and nobody else...

....buuuuttt....

THE TRADITIONAL STYLE KOREAN WEDDINGS ARE WAAAAAAYYYYYY BETTER. 

Here is why I think so...

* Traditional weddings go for longer... a good wedding always lasts more than 10 minutes.

* Colorful - the traditional wedding is much more colorful and thus easier to photograph because it is very vibrant.

* The traditional Korean wedding reflects Korean marital customs (white weddings are sort of borrowed from Western culture, and then shortened to 10 minutes..and there is NO dancing!)

* Traditional Korean weddings maintain some interesting and unique rituals.  For example, in the traditional Korean wedding, the husband has to balance his wife on his back to show that he can carry her and support her.

I have some ideological problems with Western style weddings... and that is one possible reason for why I feel slightly uncomfortable with white-dress weddings in Korea.

Can I give a short run-down on Western-style weddings?  (… which may reveal my very mild feminist bias, no doubt)

So… there is an aisle.  The husband-to-be stands at the start of the aisle.  Waiting.  The father-of-the-bride walks down the aisle with his daughter (this is symbolic of old times where the father gave his daughter away as a financial or business transaction).  The bride wears a white dress to symbolize her chastity and purity.  The bride promises to be faithful and submit to her husband.

While this kind of wedding is popular in Australia, it is absolutely not the ONLY kind of wedding in Australia...

Australian weddings:

I have been to over 2,000 Australian weddings (rough estimate).  I am one of those make-up-the numbers kind of guests… I am usually not particularly close with the married couple… and I am more often than not...a tag-along as somebody’s date.

Here is a list of some different styles of weddings I have attended in Australia:

·         Russian Orthodox

·         Hindu

·         Italian Catholic

·         Gothic-Christian (I have Goth-Christian friends from my politics classes at university… *niche*)

·         Protestant

·         Lebanese Christian-Orthodox

·         Secular nature-wedding (…for tree-loving hippies with nature-worship rituals...)

When I lived in America as an exchange student I attended a wedding where the wife was Muslim and the husband was Buddhist, and the wedding ceremony was a combination of Buddhist and Muslim traditions.  I think most Europeans, North Americans, and Australians can design their wedding as they please... (depending on their religion)...the weirder the better...but Koreans appear to have stricter codes when it comes to weddings.

One interesting trend in Korea that I have noticed recently is weddings where the bride is clearly 3 months pregnant. This is becoming kind of ‘cool’ in Korea, or at least somewhat common (see actor Jang Dong Gunn’s pregnant bride last year).

Behold...Jang Dong Gun 장동건 and his pregnant wife:

(Photo Source: 10.asiae.co.kr)

 In a conservative society such as South Korea it is quite unique to see this kind of situation where the wife is wearing a white dress, but is clearly going to have a baby in 3-5 months.  In Australia, if an unmarried couple realized they were going to have a baby, they might decide to move in together.  It might be more likely that they would wait till after the baby was born to decide whether to marry or not...instead of rushing to the altar...or closest wedding hall... (like Jang Dong Gun ㅋㅋ). 

So many Koreans claim that they are Christian, yet Korean Christians generally do not have Christian-style weddings.  For example, my Father's family is Christian.  My Christian cousins get married in Churches.  There is a Minister heading the ceremony.  There are religious vows.  There are readings from the Bible.  Christians commit to taking their vows, 'before God' and ...blah blah blah.  Christian weddings in Korea are quite different.  There is no Church Minister, and the weddings take place in something called a 'Wedding Hall' 웨딩홀, instead of a church.  A wedding hall is a building that is designed to house many weddings at the same time.  People usually have to marry within 10-15 minutes, and then the next couple and family rushes in to marry after them...

A Korean 'Wedding Hall' 웨딩홀 looks a bit like this;

'Unique' pre-wedding photo shots:

Koreans produce a photo portfolio BEFORE the actual wedding, called 'pre-photos'.  Koreans negotiate the themes that they want to project in their pre-wedding photos with their wedding photographer...

For example...

Handing a wedding invitation to a teddy bear;

Sitting next to a gigantic swan;

Sitting on a giant swing;

While some might say that the Korean pre-wedding shoot is 'artistic' or even 'creative', I find it a little confusing. 

Does that teddy bear need an invitation?

Is the giant swan going to consume the bride?

Will the bride fall off the swing and muddy her dress?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.... on another front... Korean wedding buffet food is always interesting, and there are always more than enough bottles of soju and beer on the table;

Some other points on Korean weddings;

* Western weddings generally have a lot of speeches (some of which are funny, some can be boring), but Korean weddings generally don't seem to have any speeches...Korean weddings also don't have any dancing (*sad face*).

* When you go to a Korean wedding you have to prepare an envelope with cash in it, and then there will be a table for the groom and a table for the bride, and you can give the money envelope to the table you prefer (go to the groom's table if you are friends with the groom, and vice versa).  If you don't bring a money envelope, you are not allowed to eat at the wedding (you are given a food ticket when you hand over the money envelope).

* Some Korean grooms have to wear thick make-up at their weddings and pre-wedding photo shoots.  This is because their brides may be concerned about their grooms being non-photogenic.  Hehehehe. ㅋㅋㅋ

Vietnamese Embassy VS. Australian Embassy

Embassies. *YAWN*

Not my idea of FUN...

If you are a foreigner in Seoul, you will have to visit your Embassy at some time to...;

a) Submit your vote in your home country's elections (I think I have so far voted in one state and one federal election for Australia...I think...so far...).  I don't have a choice in this as Australia has a compulsory voting system. This means my parents pay a fine in Australia if I do not place my vote from Seoul...

b) Ask about the taxes you are paying in South Korea (check if you are paying enough or too much tax), ask about visas, ask about residency/citizenship blah blah blah.

c) Register for some kind of 'Put me on that helicopter' list...  (this is my own personal colloquial term for this list...)

Some Americans I know have registered their names on the 'Put me on that helicopter' list at the US Embassy.  It is basically a First-class evacuation list for those foreigners that want to have priority-seating to be airlifted out of South Korea by helicopter if tensions between North and South Korea increase. 

I don't know if these Americans in Seoul are uber-sensitive, or if they are just being practical and really like helicopters... but I have been in Seoul for more than 2 years and I have completely neglected to register for the 'Put me on that helicopter' evacuation list at the Australian Embassy....  if war broke out in South Korea my plan is to swim to Manila in the Philippines, or Shanghai China (more likely...it is closer).  I am an OK swimmer... I can do it... (on another note, in the event of full-scale war, doesn't anyone feel obliged to airlift out tiny Korean children before we start airlifting out those lumbering American tourists?... just a thought for my friends at the US Embassy...).

So...if you are a foreigner living in any country... look up your Embassy ASAP.  You'll be heading there shortly for one of the three reasons mentioned above.

So... over the past year I have been visiting the Australian Embassy in Jongno 종로, not far from Seoul City Hall.  The Australian Embassy is on the 19th floor of a very centrally located and modern-looking building.  It is inside the Kyobo Building, across from the giant King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun 광화문.  The Australian Embassy, although not so large, is very swanky.  The view from the Embassy is tops.  The location is also top notch for an Embassy.  The British Embassy is down the road. 

When I came to Seoul, I considered taking the Korean language exams and Consulate exams to work at the Australian Embassy.  However, this was a bit naive.  As I have mentioned previously...there are pretty much NO AUSTRALIANS in Korea.  As far as I know, I am the only Australian living in South Korea.  (ok, this not an accurate estimate... I met one Australian dude who is on Exchange at Yonsei...but that's it...).  There is hardly anyone even in the Australian Embassy.  There are no Australians to service.

My experiences in the Australian Embassy, Seoul, have not been good...

In fact, I have to wonder what that facility is actually used for.  On the flipside, I have had good experiences with officials working in the Korean Embassy in Sydney.  I worked with Korean Embassy officials in Australia as they were putting together a program on Korean studies in Sydney.  I was familiar with a few Consulate officers.  They were friendly.  Polite.

Here are my dissatisfactions with the Australian Embassy in Seoul;

* Inefficient - no one is ever at the front desk.  There is a huge glass to 'protect the embassy officials from the civilians', and I just have to wait in front of it...and I usually have to wait for 10-15 minutes for someone in the back of the office to notice I am there.  Considering it is a barren space with no people, I think it is not difficult to talk to me promptly... this kind of snail-service is unheard of in efficiency-hyped-South Korea.  I can only experience this from Australians, it would seem.... (I can make a joke about Australians being slow...only by virtue of being an Australian myself...).

* Paranoid - Security measures are necessary at the US Embassy.  I understand why.  I think it is probably necessary.  The same goes for the Israeli Embassy.  I understand that, too.  But, as I will mention later on... there was NO SECURITY when I went to the Vietnamese Embassy.  None.  I walked straight in.  At the Australian Embassy, however, two security guards are always stationed at the entrance.  One demands my handbag, opens it up, and picks through it with some kind of stick.  The second security guard asks me to pass through a metal detector.  He gives me a 'pat down', that is... rubs his hands up and down my sides to check for guns, machetes, grenades...whatever.  Then, they ask me 8 questions; 'What is your nationality?', 'What is your purpose for coming here?', 'Please show some identification'... blah blah.  Finally, they seem to give up and let me through. They did not want to let me pass.

Since I am ALMOST THE ONLY AUSTRALIAN IN KOREA... can't I demand a more polite entry into my own Embassy? 

Shouldn't they at least greet me kindly with a thumbs-up and offer me some grape juice?

Am I being impractical ?!

Are there any delicate political issues between Koreans and Australians that would warrant me being so rigorously interrogated at my own Embassy?  What am I missing?  I felt like I was back in Tel Aviv airport again, being interrogated by Israeli airport security.  ... is this normal protocol in all Australian Embassies?  Australian Embassies must be damn unpopular...

* Impolite -  ... here is a recent conversation between myself and a recent consulate officer that really made my skin itch with frustration...;

Luigina; 'Excuse me... I wanted to ask about my student visa...and changing my visa again...I'm an Australian national...'

Australian Embassy Officer; '...We don't deal with Australian citizens...go to Immigration or call the Korean Embassy in Sydney'.

Luigina; '.....whaaaaaaat?  Do you have information on changing your visa in Korea'

Australian Embassy Officer; '...No. We only deal with Korean nationals trying to immigrate to Australia in this Embassy...'

I can only say that this dialogue bothered me.  To no end. 

Clearly I may need to look into walking down to the New Zealand Embassy to change over my passport and citizenship (...there are a surprisingly large number of New Zealanders in Korea...) .

* Unaware: So as the above conversation demonstrates, the Australian Embassy does not seem to share information, nor does it attempt to equip Australian citizens with information about living in Korea.  This is even more apparent when we take a look at how detailed and exciting the US Embassy website looks;

(See here;) http://seoul.usembassy.gov/

... and then let's look at how outdated and mouldy the Australian Embassy website looks;

(See here;) http://www.southkorea.embassy.gov.au/seol/home.html

If I need legal information about immigration or visas, the Australian Embassy website basically gives nothing.  The US Embassy website it updated daily.  The Australian Embassy website, perhaps every 4 years or so...

I don't know who pays for these fancy Embassies in foreign countries, but I am betting it might be the AUSTRALIAN TAX PAYER.  I think I might still be paying some tax in Australia right now, or at least my parents are.  As such, I am disappointed to see that the Australian Embassy has services or resources that it does not use for the benefit of Australians in Seoul... EVEN THOUGH THIS SITUATION COULD BE EASILY REMEDIED...

  I really don't think my Australian Embassy can advise or represent me in any delicate matters related to living as an expat in South Korea.  I doubt they care about Australian nationals living in South Korea at all... the Australian Embassy in Korea never even issued any notices to me about following the law in Korea.  Am I even following the law in Korea?  I hope so...

So.... now that I have substantially banged on about why I think the Australian Embassy is a box of unfriendly and inefficient resources... I would like to move on to another experience I had at....

...the Vietnamese Embassy....

I visited the Vietnamese Consulate this week. I was rather shocked at what I saw.  There are an estimated 30,000 Vietnamese living and working in South Korea.  In manufacturing, in dangerous industries, and many female Vietnamese have also been brought over to Korea as mail-order-brides by illegal marriage brokers.  These are serious issues.  I was a little alarmed to see that the Embassy is not in fact a building.  It looks like a small house on the outside.  On the inside, it is small shed with no windows.  There are no resources.  There is no security. 

The Vietnamese woman that I spoke to was very pretty.  I felt sad that she was trapped in this shed to issue visas all day.  She spoke Vietnamese, Korean, and English.  She probably speaks Chinese too, but I didn't ask.  She took two minutes to help me apply for my Vietnamese visa.  She smiled.

I am picking my visa up on Friday, that is....today.  They have a short processing time.  *bonus points* 

So I can't believe that MY AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY is sitting in its nice location... overly pimped with silver name-plates...with clearly no matters to process... while the Vietnamese Embassy has A LOT OF COMPLEX MATTERS TO DEAL WITH...and yet and they are operating in a (basically) dirty shed. 

This inequality irks me.

In South Korea, the largest immigrant group is the Chinese.  There might be 500,000 or 600,000 Chinese living in South Korea, we don't know exactly.  Many Chinese arrive and choose not to register with any immigration office because it is (relatively) easier for them to find employment and find networks, and China is of course just over the West Sea. 

The second biggest immigrant group in South Korea is the Vietnamese.  Particularly in rural areas in Korea, the Vietnamese population appears to be rising markedly. So... this has spawned a few issues, as the Vietnamese hope to achieve more rights for themselves as a very large minority in Korea.  Particularly in the case of Vietnamese women who are brought to Korea as 'mail-order-brides', the Korean government and the Vietnamese Embassy should be working together to protect these women and check their living situations, as a few Vietnamese wives have been murdered by their Korean husbands over the past 5 years.

Here are some of my thoughts on the Vietnamese Embassy;

1) Location: This Embassy is not accessible by subway, bus, donkey, mule, or helicopter.  It is in a hilly area that is not really near anything.  You need to take a taxi ride for 20 minutes from Anguk 안국 station.  Considering that the Vietnamese are the second biggest immigrant group in Korea, I think that they should get a more accessible location than the Australian Embassy (because nobody needs to visit the Australian Embassy..for reasons I mentioned above...). 

2) Security: It is interesting that so many people pass in and out of the Vietnamese Embassy, yet there is NO METAL DETECTOR, NO SECURITY GUARDS, NO FRISKING, and NO ID CHECKS.  Considering that I am not a citizen of Vietnam, I was surprised that I was welcomed so swiftly into their Embassy... while the Australian Embassy almost didn't let me in.

3) Facilities: When I arrived at the Embassy there was a line of Vietnamese women carrying babies, waiting to receive counselling regarding their living situation in Korea (I'm taking a guess that that is why they were visiting their Embassy).  The building is too small to accomodate more than 8 people, so everybody had to line up OUTSIDE.  This really looked shoddy because, again, Vietnamese are the second largest immigrant group in South Korea, yet their Embassy looks like a small shed used for housing chickens.  The Vietnamese Embassy looked very underfunded.  Almost no computers, the rooms are far too small to process so many people coming in and out, no security, no information, not clean, not easy to navigate. 

Usually foreign countries buy the land on which their Embassy stands, and they pay for the building and the infrastructure, as well as the employees.  I feel sad that the Korean government is not interested in helping the Vietnamese to develop their facilities, considering all of the discrimination and living difficulties that the Vietnamese face here Korea (including low wages, violent bosses, exploitation...).

Anyway... my point is... Embassies have issues.  The Australian Embassy should share its ample funding with the Vietnamese Embassy, where serious immigrant issues need to be addressed.

Cheating.

I'm a cheater.

At least, for today...

I go to Dongdaemun 동대문 a lot because it sort of connects me between the northern part of Seoul and the central and southern parts of Seoul.  I had a lot of waiting to do today because the Vietnamese Embassy near Anguk 안국 was closed for 3 hours over lunch (*sigh*), so I headed to Dongdaemun for shopping.

As many of you may know, Dongdaemun is kind of a FAKERS PARADISE...

Fake Vuitton
Fake Gucci
Fake Marc Jacobs
Fake D&G
Fake Burberry
Fake Celine

I'd like to point out that Dongdaemun is also famous for being the launching pad for new Korean designers and there are also many original designers working and selling their wares in Dongdaemun.  I don't want to paint a bleak picture of everything being fake, although it seems like a lot of areas are dominated by fakes (...also Myeongdong! 명동). 

People with money in Seoul tend to shop in Apkujeong 압구정 and in Sinsa 신사동.  But I am an immigrant female with very little interest in luxury products and a low budget, so I generally shop in Dongdaemun 동대문 or Yeoungdungpo 영등포. 

Sooooo....

I have really been thinking about these Prada platform lace-ups for many months...

It's like a school shoe with a DISCO PLATFORM attached...

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It also looks like a practical shoe for mountain hiking. Neat.

I think they were from a Prada Spring collection ... maybe shown in November 2010...

(Photo Source: www.bitchylittlecritiques.blogspot.com)

Anyway, I tried to find them in London in June. They retailed at around 510 pounds... eeeeek. I didn't really have enough interest at that time to warrant handing over my entire wallet, keys, bag, glasses, and book collection just for one pair of brown and orange platforms.

(Photo Source: www.bitchylittlecritiques.blogspot.com)

So... I waited... and waited... and then I forgot about them...

and then... I saw this in Dongdaemun...

I know...it's hardly the same.  Hardly a close copy... but.. but...

You can bargain down the price in Dongdaemun.  I bargained down a little.

좀깎아주세요....

This looks like a clear infringment of copyrite...

I can't recall exactly what I learned in Law about copyrite... but I believe that even if a product vaguely resembles the design of an original... that could be classed as copyrite. 

These shoes are symbolic of a great consumer problem in East Asia. 

I can't confirm it...but they may be imported from China... and that 'MADE IN CHINA' tag carries so much stigma...even though China's economy looks like magical candy right now... (...and we'll all be speaking Chinese pretty soon...as I see it...)

Can I explain my reasons for buying these fakes?

(...my excuses...)

1) These shoes are out of season.  Prada won't stock them any more.

2) I could buy them on Ebay or Etsy, but I am unsure of the sizing, and they could be scuffed up.

3) The retail price is exponential, and I don't think I will get too much wear out of them anyway... considering I will have to purchase snow boots soon for the Korean winter...

In China and Korea I stay away from fakes...even though many tourists like to pick up fake handbags, fake watches, fake 'luxury' sunglasses...  in Myeongdong 명동, Dongdaemun 동대무, Hong Kong, Beijing...

When I travelled to Shanghai a few years ago, a friend wrote down some kind of code/serial number and asked me to pick up a fake rolex with that particular number.  He said; 'China makes the best fake rolex'...  *grooan*

Some Chinese men in long trench coats approproached me and I was sure they were going to try to reveal themselves to me...

...and when they opened their trenches...

...they revealed things that were large and shiny.  Many many many fake rolexes. I quickly showed them the serial number, bought the fake rolex, and ran away.  It was not a transaction I would like to remember...

I felt somewhat unclean ... participating in this kind of shady, illegal activity... even though I know that many do this in China.  China is a haven for all things reconstructed and copied...

Firstly, I would like to insist that I actually do have respect for artists, and for designers, and generally for people who put a lot of time and effort into creating something original and functionally unique. 

To clarify, I don't have any Monet knock-offs hanging in my apartment.  I know plenty of people who do.  But I suppose Monet is not suing anyone for copyrite these days...and production of artistic prints may be another area altogether...hmm...

So I am wondering about a few things:

* Korea is one of the world's highest per-capita purchasers of luxury products (maybe the largest?).  Do luxury brands even care about the fakes, considering the fact that they are clearly already making a killing in Korea?  Fakes are not taking competition away from the real products, it seems...

* Can you actually guilt people into NOT buying fakes?

* You can tell that my lace-ups are clearly FAKE Prada lace-ups... but how can you judge if other products are fake?  (...particularly in the case of someone else wearing them...?)

* Should we feel guilty about wearing fakes?  (I do feel guilty, so I don't wear fakes... but my new fake-Prada lace-ups say otherwise...)

 

I also noticed that Dongdaemun was selling a lot of knock-offs of a McQueen tuxedo shoe about a year and a half ago;

(Photo Source: chrysoula411)

I noticed in Italy five years ago (where there is a huge industry of fakes), that there was a campaign (sponsored by Italian luxury brands) that went something like this;

'Buying fakes supports terrorism'.

and...

'Buying fakes sends money directly to criminal organisations'.

To me this seems a little extreme...but I haven't read enough about the production/selling of fakes to verify if it is try or not.  But to me, it sounds a little like luxury houses are trying to instill fear in people to make them buy a $3 000 handbag.  That's sneaky.

Anyway... whether you are a cheater, a faker or not... ethical implications abound...