A scary moment ....

Before I begin I would like to stress that up until today my experiences here have been nothing but positive. I have met all sorts of Korean people. Some of them have been over friendly and helpful, going out of their way to make sure that I am happy and comfortable. Others have been curious, from a distance, watching me on the bus or walk down the street while others have been indifferent to my presence. One thing they have in common, they have been non-threatening. Before I left Canada I knew that there was a small fraction of people in Korea who do not like white people and resent us being here. I knew that at some point I would encounter one of these people but when it happened I was left shocked and shaken.
This morning, as I do every morning, I boarded the bus to go to school. When I got on this morning the bus was 3/4 full but there were some empty seats towards the back. I noticed a man standing in the aisle at the back but I didn't pay him much attention as it is common for people to stand on the bus, especially if their stop is soon. I sit down and immediately the man comes and stands beside my seat. For the next 5 minutes I can feel him staring at me, now I have gotten used to being stared at, but in this case it felt really uncomfortable. I tried not to let it bother me and I certainly refused to awknowledge him looking at me. I just stared out the window hoping that he would either go away or get off the bus. Suddenly he lifts one of his feet up and places it on the seat beside me, partly on my leg. I move over because the last thing I want is his dirty feet on my black pants. After another few minutes he moves his foot under the seat and up tight against mine and then partly on top of mine so that I can't move my foot. I manage to get my foot out from under his and move over a little bit more. This entire time I refuse to look at him and sit there calmly, although my mind is racing trying to decide what I should do. Suddenly he lifts his leg again and places it on my arm and starts running it against my jacket, getting close to my face.
At this point I am starting to get a little scared and decide to move from my seat to the front of the bus, closer to the driver. I get up from my seat and he puts his leg out so that I can't get by. I am half standing in the aisle and he has his two legs on either side of me so that I can't move. I try pushing past but he won't budge. I was verytempted to give him a swift kick but didn't want to risk making him angry or cause a scene. At this point I see other people on the bus watching, they all looked shocked and unsure what to do, but nobody offers to help. Somehow I manage to get over his legs and move to the front of the bus, where I stand in the aisle. After a few minutes he follows me there and starts standing close beside me pushing me against the seat. This entire time I refuse to look at him or give the appearance of being anything but calm, although inside I was shaking. I'm sure this infuriated him more.
I still have a long way to my stop but decide that I have had enough so I push the button to get off the bus. I make my way to the back doors and wait for the stop. The man follows and precedes to stand almost on top of me, practically pushing me down the stairs. I am starting to think wildly about what I will do if he gets off the bus too, but luckily the bus stops, I run off and he stays on. I managed to stay calm the entire ride but now I start shaking, both out of fear and and anger. I sit down on the bench in the bus shelter, still shaking when this ajuma (old Korean lady) comes over and sits down, giving me the warmest and friendliest smile that I have seen in a long time. I decide that I can't let one lunatic taint my view of Korea and Koreans. After all there are creeps in every country.
In a few minutes another bus arrives and I get on and go to school with no other incidents. When I arrive at school and tell my fellow teachers, they are shocked. They tell me that this man is crazy and next time I should punch him in the eye. Hopefully there won't be a next time but if there is I may take their advice.
I don't know if he targeted me because I was white and he didn't like that or if he really was crazy and I was his victim for the day. Regardless I will start avoiding the back of the bus and sit a little closer to the driver.