Beards are unhygienic? Kimchi every day? What’s life like for an Indian in Korea?
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00:00After watching K-drama, I want to have a Korean boyfriend.
00:03The house in Korea is a bit different.
00:05He's always drunk with kimchi.
00:07If he vomits, kimchi comes out.
00:09That's an Uttarakhand guy pursuing his modeling career in Seoul,
00:12but internet users can't stop asking him.
00:15Can I come to Korea?
00:17Can I become an engineer?
00:19Can I become a doctor in Korea?
00:21How can I work?
00:22Please take me to Korea.
00:24I want to be a wife.
00:26I want to be a girlfriend.
00:30Hey, this is Sagar Bhandari.
00:33Sometimes Sagar shares his life in Seoul.
00:35And because the noodles are too long,
00:37they get stuck in my throat.
00:39So I have to use scissors.
00:41Sometimes, he's just like...
00:43Don't move out. Just live in your country.
00:46But how did Sagar end up in Seoul?
00:48I went to Chandigarh for my studying
00:50and one of my friends who was living in New Delhi,
00:53his name is Raj Dobrial,
00:55and he asked me to come to New Delhi
00:57and asked me to start modeling career.
00:59And I moved to New Delhi.
01:00Sagar told us how he got in touch with an agency
01:03that scouted and groomed him as a model.
01:05However, South Korea was never his first choice.
01:08A previous trip to the country a few years ago
01:11left a lasting impression
01:12and he ultimately chose it for his future career.
01:15My first choice was going to Europe
01:17and explore European market
01:18after I did a good work in India.
01:21And as other models, they are going to Europe
01:23like Paris, Milan or New York for modeling.
01:26And I was one of them.
01:29But, you know, it's a destiny.
01:30Most of the Indian restaurants in Korea
01:32are owned by Nepalese people.
01:34You will get staffs from Nepal
01:36and chefs from Nepal as well.
01:38Coming from Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal,
01:40Sagar found similarities between Paharis and Koreans.
01:44One more thing which is very similar
01:46to Pahari culture and Korean culture
01:48is the smile of the people.
01:50When they smile, it reminds me of my hometown.
01:53It reminds me of my mountain.
01:55Since my friend, they gave me a vegan kimchi
02:00and it doesn't have any seafood.
02:02And from that day, I realized that kimchi is so delicious,
02:06so nice, like it's mouth-watering now.
02:09Watering, sorry.
02:15From the hills of Uttarakhand
02:17to the fashion industry of Seoul.
02:19If I talk about Korean modeling industry,
02:21I never felt like any racism.
02:25But they mostly like to work with white people,
02:29like European people with blue eyes and white skin.
02:32But slowly, slowly, they are changing.
02:35Sagar's journey is paving the way
02:37for more Indian models in Korea.
02:39Now, I don't get to eat food cooked by my mom.
02:41Let's see if the robot has the same taste as my mom.