Check this link to the Korea Times editorial page - you’ll notice that where you’d normally see two editorials, now you see only one. Apparently, some hapless editor at the KT penned a piece in which he claimed that if the American serviceman accused of a hit-and-run in Osan is turned over to Korean authorities (and the Korean MoJ has requested [rightly] that he be turned over, BTW), he will be “the first American serviceman to be prosecuted under Korean law, setting a milestone in the nearly 60-year alliance between Seoul and Washington.” As expected, this led to a flood of abuse directed at the paper, mostly on account that the statement (along with much of the editorial) was JUST PLAIN WRONG. Anyway, the offending eddie has been removed - hence the single editorial basking in solitude.
In case you want to dive further into this, Korea Sojourner (a frequent and welcome poster on this blog) has a strongly worded post on the KT’s abortion that you can check out at your own leisure.
On a positive note, the Korea Times did publish this letter by Andy Jackson - the man, myth, and legend behind Flying Yangban.
9 Comments
Thanks for the plug. I also put the full editorial on the blog after Bevers at Korea Media Forum pointed out it had been yanked.
Here’s the real deal in South Korea people. It’s not about Koreans vs Americans, it’s about whites vs everybody else:
According to (Korean) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade statistics from 1997 until July of 2001, out of 140 US soldiers accused of crimes, only three (3) were sentenced to imprisonment, while the rest were set free with suspended sentences (67), fines (33), or probation (9).
To this factual information everyone must see the importance that only 3 US servicemen have been imprisoned since 1997. The pending case involves a Sgt. Jerry Onken who killed someone while drunk driving. We’ll see what happens to him I guess. Not knowing his ethnicity I couldn’t guess his chances.
You see, in Korea the real truth to this subject is that 2/3 of those imprisoned since 1997 have been African Americans. One of those imprisoned since 1997 is the only Commissioned Officer ever imprisoned for a charge other than murder in the entire SOFA generation. And, oh yeah, he too is an African American. So, since 1997 of the 140 servicemen accused of crimes by the Republic of Korea, the only guys thrown in prison where BLACK, with the exception of the 1 dumb white guy….
Believe me, the percentages of Blacks in the military is not even close to these numbers!!
Does anybody see something wrong with this picture?
In Japan, the same thing happens over and over again to minorities, Every article you read is about a guy named Gomez, or an African American who allegedly raped some local.
On top of all of this, the only public outcry for justice for an american is for a WHITE officer accused of rape (Major Brown)….
It’s called SOFA RACISM my friends, and the kind people of Korea better wake up and see what the US is doing. The US is throwing a Token Black-Brother there way every now and then to shut them up…. In Japan, they use more of an “Entire-Minority” system over there. But in both instances the number of minorites who fall into these foreign governments prisons under SOFA Treaties is a joke. The foreign governments don’t care because they get their token criminal in prison to shut their crazy citizens up for a while.
The only people who may finally get this picture may someday be the citizens of Korea. Do the math folks, you can’t hide behind the numbers, they don’t lie. Since the Korean people only care about locking up Americans, they are pretty much too incensed to see that America itself is only letting them lock up their token African Americans… HELLO CITIZENS OF KOREA!!! They’ve been doing the same thing here in the US for 100’s of years.
But of course minorities are just more apt to be criminals, right?
In the US, MORE crimes are committed every year by whites, yet blacks out number them in the prison systems, and there are TWICE as many latinos locked-up! So with this type of thinking and basic WAY OF LIFE here in America, why wouldn’t the US Military follow suit and only offer-up the Token Minority every so often just to shut the locals up…. THAT’S THE REAL DEAL!!
Do the research my friends. Token Minorites is all you get. Unless it’s a highly publicized case of course then the US can’t protect their sacred whiteboys. Other than that, the men of color pay the price for what ALL the Americans do oversea’s!
Their will be a petition coming out soon to both governments, if anyone is interested. If not, at least check it out for yourself people…..It’s the truth and it’s been going on for 100’s of years!…. OPPRESSION/RACISM whatever…
Idiot racist, you write that only 3 people from USFK have been put in jail since 1997, and 2 of them were black, then you jump to saying that blacks don’t come close to making up *67* of the military population. What a dumbass. I’m sure many people reading this are laughing their butts off just as I am.
In a second email you sent diretly to me, you talk about the tank accident and say :
“Well, those 2 guys, were they Black???….. HELL NO, One was whiter than Santa Claus and the other had a hispanic name, Nino I think, but he sure as hell looked white to me (I think he fooled the Army on that one and snuck out the back door behind the white guy).”
You should pat yourself on the back. It isn’t easy for a bold racist to make himself funny while spitting out his puke, but you did it. I can’t help laughing.
And from other parts of the email you sent me, you put hispanics right along side blacks as the scapegoats for Whitey, but in Korea its just the blacks.
As for the Rodney King case you brought up, you have no argument from me. The cops should have been found guilty. But it is easy to see you are an ignorant racist. Kind of makes me feel guilty agreeing with you on anything.
Besides the just ridiculous examples you are using of how the US military scapegoats non-whites under the SOFAs, the military isn’t a great institution for you to attack. In what other organization in the US can you find so many minorities who have reached top level authority positions? Colin Powell is just one example. The US military, which I am sure has some problems with racisism even today, has nonetheless been far out in front of most other sectors of American society.
You call me a racist!!!.. There’s a First for everything I guess.
You don’t see a problem with the FACT that 2/3rd’s of American servicemen imprisoned in the Republic of Korea during the past 6 years are BLACK. 140 Americans were arrested by the Republic of Korea during those same 6 years, and 1 white guy is thrown in prison, followed by 2 Blacks… Hmmmmmm….
Me pointing that out to you makes me a damn RACIST…. (What should I say now -Yes Sir, Massa Sir, I’ll get right out to dem corn fields SIR) ….. Are you that IGNORANT.
Do you even know what the word RACIST means. It would be someone like you who thinks the military has done a righteuos thing by allowing minorities to join in the first place. It’s guys like you that think because the military has taken an Uncle Tom like Colin Powell and put him a position of authority that it makes everything else ok. You are TRULY UNREAL… I could understand you calling me a Dumbass, or an idiot, or a Moron, but where do YOU get off calling ME a racist???
And what, maybe I should praise the military for ALLOWING so many minorites to rise above the ghetto’s in America and not complain one bit just because they ALLOW a minority to even join the service… Brother - YOU GOT RACIST WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR DAMN SELF. You probably got a SWASTIKA Tattoo’d right on your NECK!… BILLY JOE JIM BOB PUNK ASS MOTHER FUCKER!
My Bad, I didn’t realize this was an Arian only site…. I’ll be more careful next time.
But when the US Military allows Korea to lock up 20 more men in their prisons and 15 of them are minorities, when someone points that out are you going to call them a racist again…. Have you even checked any of the numbers to see how many of those imprisoned in JAPAN are minority….. Nope, you just call me a racist, because that’s the white (I mean right) thing to do is that it. Because I bring up race - I’m a racist? If someone shows you some factual data about race, you then think their a racist, is that basically the moral to your dumbmass story Jethro?
OK, here’s another FACT - NOT BS…. F.A.C.T ….. FACT:
In the US - DO THE RESEARCH BEFORE YOU SPOUT OFF AGAIN - in the US more WHITES Commit crimes than Blacks or Latinos, but blacks out number whites in prison and Latino’s double their numbers. Oh, but maybe we should thank the US prison system for allowing minorities to have 3 hot meals a day and a bed to sleep in is that it? By not thanking the US Prison system, am I also being racist you HillBilly REDNECK?….
Even though more foreign crimes are committed by WHITE US servicemen, more blacks wind up in Foreign prisons and to this I should say THANK YOU Military for letting negro’s, my brothers, even join that fine organization.
YOU CALL ME A RACIST……… You, GRAND DRAGON of them all… You’re the joke my man!
Gentlemen,
The issue here is the fabrications of the Korea Times. If you want to discuss alleged racism in the US military, I suggest you take it elsewhere.
I actually began fisking that column… but quit because it was late and I wanted to go home.
It was a mess.
They should really do something about that Gomez guy in Japan.
Ummm…I don’t have any race statistics on those stationed here in South Korea, but just by looking around I feel confident saying that the majority is Black. That could explain why there is a disproportionate amount of White soldiers dying in Iraq. Blacks are choosing South Korea because of the benefits.
Blacks do very well inside the gates on military installations in South Korea. With EO, they now hold the majority of the upper enlisted ranks and their spouses hold prestigious government jobs. Their children do well in school.
I have heard that Koreans are more racist against Blacks than Whites outside the gates. Whites are not treated welcoming either…except by the old people…at least they will smile instead of shooting daggers with their eyes.
I guess my point was that if C-Dawg is correct in saying that the military “allows Korea to lock up 20 more men in their prisons and 15 of them are minorities” it is probably because there are more minorities here that Whites.
Step inside the gates of any military installation in South Korea and you will see Blacks, Amerasians, Hispanics, Asians (Korean, Japanese, Phillapinos, Guamanians), etc. You will not see many White people. Most of the White guys you do see have Asian wives and Amerasian children.
In the South Korean U.S. military community, “minorities” are the majority.