OK, so this rather beefy 37-year-old Canadian English teacher — Mr. M — goes into a police station in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province on Sunday and complains that a taxi had hit his pet. The poor cops, who don’t know English (not that it’s their responsibility, of course), can’t really understand what the Canuck is saying, but they do hear the word “taxi,” and being the helpful public servants they are, call the man a taxi. Mr. M, already steamed because his pet was injured by a taxi, is apparently infuriated and proceeds to beat not just one, but two cops in the station and destroy a wireless radio. It should be pointed out that not only is the Canadian strong, but dead drunk, somewhat disturbing given that it’s only 3:00 in the afternoon.
Oh, in case you were wondering, investigations revealed that the pet in question received only scratches.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah! Another stupid white guy to help out our reputation. How drunk and stupid must one be to assualt a police officer in the police station?
Not one, Blinger, but two cops in the police station! And an innocent bystander in the form of a wireless radio. Still, aren’t you just sore because you and the suspect are compatriots? Or because you’re not as buff as this fellow?
Marmot: is there police station footage of this great moment in the history of multi-cultural policing in the hands of the media? Gee I hope there is. If not, I propose that a re-creation be made forthwith for our viewing pleasure.
is there police station footage of this great moment in the history of multi-cultural policing in the hands of the media?
God I hope so. And judging from the photo with the article, there must be. What I want to know is whether the assailant was carrying a bookbag or something with one of the Canada pins.
Well if he does have a canada pin or flag on it, that just goes to show the serious lack of intelligence. I couldn’t care less if he is a canuck, a yank, a kiwi, or whatever it’s stupidity that pisses me off and the fact that his actions will reflect on all foreigners in Korea.
Blinger,
Try to look at it all as Springer-esque entertainment. Koreans ultimately will judge you by your own actions.
I was always like the first person who commented here when I ran across stories like this — rolling my eyes and thinking, “Thanks dude!”
In relation to this story and the one of the mother of the victim kicked and the new story today about the two cops killed, the Korean police need to invest in contemporary police tools. It isn’t uncommon to hear of Korean police being bullied by people in the general public. I’ve seen a few news shows on Korean tv about this, witnessed it myself, and read about it in the news over the years. It seems to me pepper stray, batons, and/or taisers are badly needed in Korea. I can understand fearing police brutality after SK’s history, but it seems time to me to beef up the options the Korean cop on the street has.
And on a final note, I didn’t see any articles in the press about this attack by the Canadian. Since I’m obsessed with the US-SK relationship, I can’t help guessing what kind of coverage this would have gotten if it had been a GI or a USFK American civilian worker or dependant….
why wasn’t the canadian shot and killed? that’s what would have happened to him here. the police should have killed him ansd would have had every right to do so. who can respect korean police?
I always wear my maple leaf tshirt when creating a public disturbance.
Uh, perhaps that might have happened in the States, but not in a police station with a camera on you, unless the cop in question was mentally deficient. The Canadian was unarmed, and while shooting him might have been emotionally satisfying (and let’s face it, some drunk asshole who beats up not one but two cops needs to get shot at least in the leg), they would most certainly NOT have had every right to shoot him dead. If the cops started shooting every drunk asshole who beat them up, the ROK would lose a significant percentage of its middle-aged male population. Heck, Korean cops aren’t even allowed to carry guns unless they are going into a situation where the other side is definitely packing, an unfortunate regulation that may have cost the lives of two Seoul Metro police officers yesterday. And who respects Korean police? Not many, apparently, and for good reason — the history of the Korean police force basically goes from Japanese collaborators to the strong arm of military dictators, so they aren’t exactly held in the greatest esteem by large segments of the population. Nor does it help that so many cops look like they just graduated from middle school — how many drunk 40 something ajosshis are going to take shit from a kid young enough to be his son, badge or no badge? I’m sure most cops are fine public servants and the ones I’ve dealt with have been quite helpful, but the truth is policing isn’t the most respected profession in the ROK. In fact, it generally sucks being a cop anywhere in the world.
And God, I hope the cops are packin’ when they find the asshole who killed those two officers yesterday. Crying shame — guys were 32 and 27. Damn, I hate cop killers.
mr marmot, you are wrong. if an unarmed but very large man tried to beat not one but two cops, he would have been shot dead no matter where it happened. the police have that right. and they use that right all the time.
Here are the legal issues involved in the use of deadly force, including some of the guidelines used by the LAPD. If you can pursuasively argue that the above situation would warrent the use of deadly force by a U.S. cop, you’re either a hell of a good lawyer or in the wrong profession.
I can just see the endless protests and candlelight vigils in front of the Canuck embassy (where is that embassy, anyway?). Used maple leaf backpack patches will hit the secondary market en masse, sharply lowering the price.
North American cops are monsters. Unless someone was a professional boxer or martial arts master, one drunk guy would never beat up two of them.
About SJI’s comment, if this had happened in N.America getting a shot in the leg would be possible, but I think it’s more likely he would have had the living sh!t beat out of him…
Monsters? I think not. Most are very professional in my experience. In such a case, the suspect would most probably been pepper sprayed.
Come on people, how many of you are just gleeful to see Canada being taken down a peg or two in the eyes of the world? I think I am. That’s probably why, when I pushed and shoved my way up the escalator at the subway station this morning, I was screaming “?????” ?º??????¤ ?????Œ??´??¼ !” (yes, in the ?°??§?). Gosh it felt good. (I used to claim to be American but that no longer has the shock value it once did.)
Let’s get a flash candlelight vigil mob together tomorrow in front of the Canadian Ambassador’s parking spot (in front of the Starbucks next to the Seoul Finance Center) at 12:30 lunch time. We will chant “?º??????¤ ?²Œ?§???¤” and “??¤?†??™€ ?ŒŒ?³‘ ?°???±”.
I meant “Monster” in the sense of enormous human being.
The guys an ass for beating up the cops. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with beinng drunk at 300pm.
I have to say – thank God it wasn’t American this time. Every time I see the word foreigner and something stupid in the same story, I always assume it is an American.
Always makes me angry when I see foreigner stupidity (of course this goes beyond stupidity, this assault), especially from Americans, because I know how much Americans are disliked here (Even Kyobo has an “America- why No One Likes You book display) and we don’t need any more bad press. I don’t imagine the two officers caring one way or another which country produced the moron – we all suffer. Not horribly, but each incident is salt on an already open wound.
As someone who has been arrested a four times in the States (and spent some time behind bars), I can tell you – I have been kicked, thrown to the ground, had clothes torn by police, yet those are just a small number of people compared to those who are decent people who are trying to make a living, and some honestly still believe they can make a differnece.
dkapflzks, sorry I saw your message a little too late. I would’ve been there today if I’d read it sooner – would’ve brought one other reader with me.
Do you work in this area? We should meet at that Starbucks sometime.
Nah, Keith. Aside from drunk soldiers it seems to me it’s so very often big dumb hulking Canadians, not Americans. I can say that, I’m a Canadian.
Damned Canadians in Korea
The Marmot’s got a post up about yet another idiot Canadian in Korea. You know, Americans have a bad rap internationally, and though I wish I could agree with my friend Jessie that Canadians aren’t really as internationally beloved as…
Just relax and go with the flow a bit more.
In Copdom, size does not necessarily matter. 30 years ago I was in a “UN bar” outside of Kunsan when an off duty soldier hauled off and sucker punched one of two APs who were patroling through the bar. No warning, just POW! The AP he decked was a big guy, well over 6 ft tall and he went down like a big tree. The other AP was a “little” guy about 5′5″ or 5′6″, but he whipped out his night stick and proceeded to do the Mexican hat dance all over the drunk dude, who was much bigger than the AP. That AP knew his trade and the drunk never even got off another swing. There is a Chinese saying that “It is the little pepper that’s the hot one.” That goes for cops, too.
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