u/Ok_Hearing_5943

I’m the only foreign woman in my Korean company and I think I’m being pushed out.

I joined this company last year . Back then the team was completely different, but everyone eventually quit and now there’s a new team and new boss. All of them are Korean men, and I’m the only foreigner and only woman left.

My team leader barely talks to me. He doesn’t greet me, doesn’t say goodbye, and often acts like I don’t exist. The biggest issue is that he started giving all of my original responsibilities to a new male employee, even when I ask for work directly. At this point I barely have anything to do anymore.

What makes this worse is that apparently two women before me already quit because of him. So I don’t think this is just “in my head.”

I honestly feel isolated and pushed out of the team. I’ve been in Korea for 7 years already, so this isn’t just culture shock or being new to Korea.
I can’t freely leave this company either because they sponsor my visa. The CEO likes me, but my team lead is such an a-hole. Everyday at work I just sit there, doing nothing. At this point I feel like he is silently wants me to quit, therefore he is pushing to that point by bullying me. He also clearly thinks I’m stupid, based on how he speaks to me.
This is drastically different from my last team lead, who praised me all the time, even to CEO, calling me “the Brain” of our department.

Sitting and doing nothing kills me, because I wanna grow, I wanna learn, I wanna evolve and I wanna do something in this company. Now I feel like I am waiting my youth and potential. I feel like I am one stupid person who is not liked by anyone.

I’m thinking about talking to HR, but I’m scared they’ll tell my team leader directly and the atmosphere will become even more uncomfortable. I also honestly suspect there may be sexism involved.

Has anyone experienced something similar in a Korean company?
Did talking to HR help, or did it make things worse?
What would you do in my situation?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for perspective because I’m genuinely confused by what I’m experiencing at work.

This is my first job ever. I’m a foreign woman, the youngest in my department, and the only foreigner in the company. I’ve been working here for almost a year. The company sponsored my visa and contract, and I’m grateful for that.

But I keep feeling like some coworkers, including older and more experienced men, are in a kind of competition with me at work, and I don’t really understand why.

For example, when tasks are assigned, there is sometimes a clear easy vs hard split. I had a situation where a Korean male coworker (older and more experienced than me) immediately took the easier task when both of us were assigned together, without discussion or giving me time to respond.

Another issue is that tasks are often just given to me without proper explanation, almost as if I’m expected to already know everything. When I ask for clarification, I often get very short answers like “I don’t know,” but later I see the same people doing the same thing I asked them about. Meaning they knew, but decided to say they don’t know. For what?

Overall, instead of feeling guided as a very new employee, I often feel like I’m being treated in a way that feels competitive or like I’m expected to prove myself immediately, even though I’m inexperienced.

I’m struggling to understand this because in my culture, more experienced coworkers usually help and guide new employees, especially in a first job situation.

Is this a normal part of workplace in Korea?