The first issue of The Expatriate hit the stands in November of 1996. Since that time, The Expatriate staff has given the Pusan area English-speaking community a pleasurable mix of entertainment, teaching tips and information about Korea. As a celebration of our first birthday, we decided to outline the history of this publication.
The Expatriate was the brainchild of John "Big John" Malcomson who has a BA in Asian Studies and lived for nearly a year at the Pomosa Temple while studying Buddhism. John had a genuine affection for Korean culture, and was therefore constantly frustrated by English speakers who spent their time complaining about life in Pusan. He wanted to find a way to combat the stubborn, negative attitudes in the community by celebrating Korean traditions and exposing foreigners to positive experiences. Thus, The Expatriate was born.
In the first few months of publication, The Expatriate's success snowballed. Several other publications for expatriates existed at that time, but slowly were merged into "The Expatriate." Moira Walsh, and Gabriel (unfortunately Gabriel�s last name has been lost to us) produced a hand-written a 4-page newsletter for PALT (Pusan Association of Language Teachers). John and Gabriel decided to work together, resulting in a loose association of the two publications. The Expatriate continued to gather momentum by absorbing other newsletters like "The Underground" and "The Yukyo Yacker" (ed�s note: published by Leland Ackerson).
The April edition heralded two big changes. The first was the opening of our own web site. Managed by Russell J. Dew. Since its inception, the website has been a valuable source of information for English speakers in Korea and friends overseas. The other major change involved "Big John" stepping down as editor as he prepared to return to the United States. This meant that, in order for The Expatriate to continue to continue to exist, a new editor would have to step forward at the May planning meeting.
Those of us on staff were quite anxious, knowing that holding down a full-time job and editing the paper would not be an easy task. On the day of the meeting, John presented the issue to a packed crowd at the ESS building in Nampodong. The response was deafening silence. Faced with what we perceived to be the end of "The Expatriate", we did what any good-natured crowd would do: we broke out the refreshments and had a party. As things were winding down, a stranger appeared on the scene and asked who would be the new editor. When "Big John" told him the news, the stranger refused to accept the demise of the paper. This man, Jon Marshall, shocked us all by volunteering to be the new editor. The party started up again and we all celebrated the continuation of "The Expatriate."
The Expatriate staff is proud to serve the Pusan English-speaking community. We will continue to improve with your help and suggestions. We hope you join in the festivities of our first birthday celebration as a writer, staff member, or loyal reader. Happy Birthday to "The Expatriate!"