'Korean women expect to be treated like princesses': Julien Kang weighs in on dating culture

Actor Julien Kang, 44, has shared his thoughts on dating culture in Korea.

A video titled "What do foreigners think about Korean dating culture? What do they find attractive about Koreans?" was recently posted to his YouTube channel, "Julien Kang Enkang-i Hyeong."

In the video, Kang sat down with Alp, a university student from Turkey studying in Korea, to discuss Korean culture through the eyes of an outsider.

Kang asked Alp, who said he had dated a Korean woman, what differences he had noticed compared to Turkish women.

"Compared to Turkish girls, there are a lot of differences," Alp said. "Korean women have high expectations. I have to treat them like a princess."

When pressed for specifics, Alp hesitated, saying it might come across as offensive. Kang put him at ease, saying he would edit out anything too harsh.

Julien Kang in conversation with Alp, a Turkish exchange student [YouTube channel "Julien Kang Enkang-i Hyeong"]

Alp explained that a woman he had previously dated always expected him to pay for dinner. "As her boyfriend I can pay, but in other countries — especially in Europe — if one person pays on the first date, the next time it's like, 'I'll get dinner, you get coffee,'" he said.

Kang sympathized with the financial strain, noting that being a student made it harder. He then asked how Alp handled the situation — whether he said directly that she should pay, or dropped hints.

Alp replied that he would go to the bathroom, prompting Kang to burst out laughing. "You use the famous 'bathroom trick'?" Kang said, then advised, "In that case, don't pay — just wait."

"I don't want to be rude, so I always ended up paying. That's fine. But sometimes it's a bit of a burden," Alp said candidly.

Kang said neither side is superior. "There's no one who's better than the other — we're just different," he said. "There are things women do better than us, and things we do better. That doesn't mean one is more important. The moment you say one side is superior, you're putting the other down, and that's simply not true. I think both are equally important."

He added that abilities can differ — some things come naturally to men, and there are things women do better than men. "Korean people are a bit different from Western culture," he said. "Not just in dating, but across the board."

Kang was born to a Korean father and a French-Canadian mother and holds dual French and Canadian citizenship.

paq@heraldcorp.com