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By SHELTON BUMGARNER
Marmot’s Hole Guest Blogger
With one of the highest penetrations of broadband Internet access in the world, for better or worse, the ROK is at the forefront of the digital tsunami currently sweeping through the global village.
As was expected after the Korea Herald broke the story in its Wednesday issue, Intel signed an agreement with KT “harmonizing” its WiMax wireless broadband standard with KT’s WiBro standard.
The agreement with KT will prevent a standards war between Korea and the rest of the world as next generation wireless broadband is rolled out internationally.
Otellini [...] signed an MOU with KT chief executive Lee Yong-kyung. Under the agreement, Intel will provide its wireless broadband technology called WiMAX, an emerging set of standards aimed at providing broadband access over wireless networks, to KT for equipment development.
[...]
WiBro is Korea?????s homegrown portable Internet service technology based on the IEEE 802.16e standard. Designed as a higher data-rate wireless broadband service, it provides wider coverage than wireless LAN services and faster connections than third-generation mobile telephony.
The top semiconductor maker will help KT?????s commercialization efforts for WiBro that allows users to surf the Internet with portable devices such as notebook computer and palm PCs while on the move.
[...]
KT?????s Lee said the cooperation with Intel will provide an opportunity for WiBro technology to expand overseas.
KT will first demonstrate the global standard-based WiBro service in November at the APEC Summit 2005.
Intel also signed an agreement with with SK Telecom.
According to the Korea Times, under the deal announced today:
…Intel will cooperate with SK Telecom on developing SK?????s new music and video download service, MelOn, that would enable individuals to download contents onto their personal computers and transfer the files to portable and mobile devices.
Among the downsides of Korea being saturated with broadband Internet access is that individual lives are being unexpectedly and gravely effected by unscrupulous online porn operators.
Take, for instance, the unfortunate story of 60’s Korean movie star Kim Han-sub, who, in his twilight years, finds his good name sullied after his professional name was poached by online pornographers.
???Having the reputation that I?????ve built over the 50 years of my acting career crushed is nothing. It broke my heart to see my granddaughter cry, saying, ????My friends teased me that you sold naked women on the internet.?????????
[...]Kim found out that his professional name, Twist Kim, was being used as the name of illegal porn sites or their domains. The number of such sites that he himself picked out reached 27.
[...]
With the help of a friend, Kim reported his case to the prosecutor?????s office and police. However, his case was always rejected or dismissed due to a lack of evidence on the grounds that professional names were not subject to exclusive ownership rights or that offending operating server was located overseas.
While Kim tried to figure a way out of the problem, rumors got worse. Moviemakers stopped asking him to be in their films, which virtually drove Kim out of Chungmuro, the Korean Hollywood, and TV stations. As Kim stopped showing up at these places, rumors circulated that ???Kim started a business running illegal porn sites.???? Some said of Kim?????s reporting with the authorities that he had a fight with his business partner while running the porn sites.
[...].
In March this year, he even decided to commit suicide, thinking that he ???had to relieve his family of the pain.???? He thought of his grandchildren but he wrote a note that read, ???I will rid myself of this infamy even if it takes my life,???? and went to the Han River. Fortunately, his wife found out before it was too late and called the Han River Coast Guard, who stopped Kim. Kim still carries the despair in his heart.
A Chosun Ilbo house editorial demands that something be done to prevent another ruined life.
Most cyber terror victims have no alternative but to put up with the abuse. In extreme cases, victims lose their jobs and social life and attempt suicide. Cyber violence has long crossed the danger level, to the point where some are calling for the use of only real names online, a measure that could threaten many of the Internet?????s benefits.
Judicial authorities must ensure that the victims of cyber terror have some sort of redress, instead of resorting to the excuse that the law is ambiguous. The fundamental solution depends on the good sense of Internet users. Schools, homes and society at large must teach and practice online ethics.
39 Comments
I don?€™t want this to turn into Marmahssa. Or Ahrsemot?€™s.Morning caffeine infusion hadn’t yet kicked in, so I missed the most obvious play on words:
The Ahssa Hole.
To risk a question about the actual story: the old actor actually tried to take his own life - because some folks mistook a porn actor for him? Even with cries of ‘oriental culture’, that sounds a bit overdone. Doesn’t the real Kim know how to stage a counter-offensive in the media?
ahssa hole…i love it!
kushibo-thanks for articulating better than i could have good advice for shelton.
shelton-i’ve grown weary of all debate about your writing style. it’s not my style, you come off as fairly shallow and insecure, and sometimes puerile with all that and IMHO shit. however, it’s better to just have to see that once in the original post and not in the comments section. take in the advice, step back, recalibrate, whatever you have to do, but please stay out of the comments section. it’s grating.
i think we should all get back to content. and what about some pictures to go with the porno story???
Potential complaints I can see about this post:
a)It’s too long.
b)It’s unfocused (should be two different posts).
Well, I thought about posting a “full” copy at Ahssa!, then thought better of it. Compared to recent posts by others, it’s not that long.
As for b, I am limiting myself to about one post a day, ergo I felt I had to cram two posts together.
Although you do provide a segue of sorts between the two halves of the article.
“Take, for instance, the unfortunate story of 60?€™s Korean movie star Kim Han-sub, who, in his twilight years, finds his good name sullied after his professional name was poached by online pornographers.”
Um…that’s called ‘fraud’. Or more to the point, copyright/trademark infringement. It’s not like the porn guys broke into his house and killed the guy, sheesh.
Having said that, does Korea have any protection (at least on paper) for intellectual property right concerns like this?
Even more to the point, why don’t the porn folks take *similar* names to famous stars? Like porn-starlet “Asia Carrera” is to “Wayne’s World” actress “Tia Carrera”? Man, I should start my own consulting firm.
“While Kim tried to figure a way out of the problem, rumors got worse.”
So the problem is Korean culture, not the law? Because it sounds like he has all the legal protection (and limits) he would encounter in the USA.
I feel for the guy, but his problem isn’t the porn guys (who plague famous people everywhere) it’s his neighbors.
well if you’re gonna bring up porn issues, at least show us some pics of what you’re talking about. that’s the only professional thing to do.
Shelton,
Don’t listen to the complainers. Robert had his reasons for letting you guest blog. If they don’t like what you have to offer, they can go elsewhere.
Kevin
Amen, Kevin.
Exactly. Amen, indeed.
No one has put it more succinctly so far. Leave it to the Big Hominid to cut through the crap!
My comments weren’t a critique, but an honest question: Why is the actor’s situation such a big deal?
I don’t think he was referring to you.
Sorry Kevin and Curious, but the “if you don’t like it you can leave” sentiment is just an immature take on this, and any other situation.
That being said, why shouldn’t readers of a blog let their views and opinions of recent additions or changes be known?
Shelton, for what ever reasons, seemed to affect the way many readers related to the Marmot’s Hole — and they let it be known. Good for them. Perhaps it was at times harsh, which just indicated the impact his presence had on a number of readers.
Anway, I was glad to see when others started to comment on Shelton, as I knew I was not alone in my thoughts. And because of this dialogue things improved and I’m sure that Shelton will now be a great addition to the site and possibly win over his early detractors, myself included.
who ARE you referring to mr. hominid? i can’t see any complaints on this thread.
however, shelton, you don’t need to pre-empt complaints with self-criticism in the first comment. if you think there are problems then fix them before you post. if you’re satisfied then just put it up and let the chips fall where they may.
Luke:
Yes, point taken. If it were just one person complaining about Shelton, it would be one thing; when so many were chiming in, that’s more serious. That said, I was personally a bit taken aback by the vehemence of people’s reactions.
But yes, you’re right, it’s a bit too flippant to just say that readers can go elsewhere.
…But I do think Big Hominid presented the case for Shelton’s defense in a much pithier and less verbose way that anyone else has done so far. That’s what I was getting at.
Who’s this Shelton? Oh, the guy that sucks.
What does a photo of a white hand and a Nokia have to do with these stories?
What does a photo of a white hand and a Nokia have to do with these stories? Many of the consumers pushing demand for wireless and/or telecommunications services are paeksu.
And they have no money to buy a car (hence “no Kia”).
I don’t get the “paeksu” joke - I’m such a chon-nom.
Btw, I never noticed that it was a “white” hand… though now that you mention it… (but then, I didn’t even read the whole post - it is bit long…)
It’s actually a yellow hand. Who knew Malaysia had a Long John Silvers?
Paeksu, slang for a person who has no job and just kind of bums around, supposedly means “white hand.” Some Koreans, if you ask them what they do, will tell you they are are a white-hand.
I didn’t occur to me that it would be an issue that the hand was white. I just needed some artwork to go with the piece and that’s what I could find on flickr. I did also find a picture of a Korean fellow holding a really old cellphone that I thought would be a nice wry picture to go with the story, but I knew immediately that someone would think such a picture was too flip.
Also, I didn’t know how the guy was and I didn’t want THAT issue, either. (But the picture was on the public Internet via flickr, so it so doing so couldn’t be all that bad.)
Don?€™t listen to the complainers. Robert had his reasons for letting you guest blog. If they don?€™t like what you have to offer, they can go elsewhere.
Thank you for your kind words.
The Kim Twist story isn’t a “big deal,” but it does show that just because Korea has a high…huh…”penetration” (wink) of broadband, doesn’t mean everything is hunkydory. And if not a “big deal,” it is at least interesting IMHO.
?€œTake, for instance, the unfortunate story of 60?€™s Korean movie star Kim Han-sub, who, in his twilight years, finds his good name sullied after his professional name was poached by online pornographers.?€?
Um?€?that?€™s called ?€?fraud?€™. Or more to the point, copyright/trademark infringement. It?€™s not like the porn guys broke into his house and killed the guy, sheesh.
Um…that’s called “good writing.’ (IMHO) wink. Or more to the point, more interesting writing than saying, “Mr. Kim was the victim of online fraud.” This was not an AP or Yonhap story on what happen, sheesh.
I do, however, take your comments seriously and will try not to “over write” my posts in the future.
Before one talks of KT and their WiBro, they should consider the record of KT. Korea Telecom is a globally-infamous source of spamming, phishing and viral injection, throughout the world. Right now, kornet (KT) is at the number nine position as being the 9th worst source of spam but actually was number three for a very long time. The really interesting point is that it is Korea Telecom payrolled employees doing the spamming, not some hacker group riding their network. That is why spamhaus.org has, in the past, listed their efforts as being “corporate escallation”, meaning that the corporation is in the business of spamming the world.
Mind you, America is the number one source of spam in the world but only in Korea is it so blatantly done, under the auspices of a government-sponsored corporation. It would be good to dump kornet as an ISP, however all of the largest ISPs in Korea are guilty of the same thing.
See this for a small sample of what KT is really doing in the world.
I have not even addressed the issue of revising the laws in Korea, pertaining to copyrights either but that is almost as bad.
That’s the third or fourth time you’ve complimented your own writing. If it were so good, we’d be discussing what you wrote. You still haven’t learned the first rule.
BTW Is it so hard to google “samsung handphone”?
Ah, I see thorin is a victim of Konglish, too. I (a native English speaker) used “handphone” for years in English before someone pointed out to me that it’s not an English word!
Huh?
I’m not in the mood to look it up right this second, but I don’t think I’ve praised my own writing much at all. I’ve said I’m a good enough writer that if you give me a chance I can fit in here, but that was simply me trying to say, “Give me a chance, it’ll get better.”
I do know the first rule of writing and the comments are helping me learn what, exactly, is my audience. Usually this process doesn’t happen in such a public fashion, but it’s helping nonetheless.
I will attempt to find more exact photos to go with stories in the future.
Curious (#23), I think that if someone were looking for a pic of a Korean hand holding a Samsung cell phone, then “handphone” might be the best choice for a word search.
Thorin (#22), I agree that this thing of Shelton being the first to comment, telling us the background behind it, is a little off-putting. It smacks of insecurity as a writer (and geez, Shelton, why should you be insecure about your writing around us?) and it distracts from the article. It also makes the author the center of the piece, rather than the subject matter.
If people make comment about something you think could be clarified or enhanced by the background, THEN make those comments. The pre-emptive comment isn’t really appropriate.
Again, Shelton is becoming the center of the story rather than the story itself.I?€™ve said I?€™m a good enough writer that if you give me a chance I can fit in here, but that was simply me trying to say, ?€œGive me a chance, it?€™ll get better.?€?Hmm… I think it suggests that you think the problem is writing style (which it is to some degree, and I agree you’re working on that, and a good chunk of that is the learning curve).
But another part of the problem is a lack of savvy on certain subject matters, and that will NOT be fixed with mere good writing. For that reason, I applaud your decision to focus primarily on technical matters, an area where you apparently do have some savvy and where your contributions will indeed complement (it’s not compliment, people!) the Marmot’s expertise and punditry.I do know the first rule of writing and the comments are helping me learn what, exactly, is my audience.The thing with your audience is that you might have already found them, on your own blog. I will make this as clear as I can without sounding mean: I don’t want this to turn into Marmahssa. Or Ahrsemot’s.Usually this process doesn?€™t happen in such a public fashion,What? You mean this isn’t the Internet?but it?€™s helping nonetheless.Well, we’re all about being helpful.
I will attempt to find more exact photos to go with stories in the future.
First, Shelton may I suggest not responding to every comment made by your detractors? In the words of Chuck D and Flava Flav, “damn the rest if they don’t like it”.
The pre-emptive comment also instigates debate not about the CONTENT of your post, but about its quality/appropriateness/Hole-worthiness. The former could be interesting; the latter is growing tiresome.
In the past, I have felt the need to respond to negative remarks about my posts as a way of showing I am listening. I will be more picky about which ones I reply to in the future.
I will stop being the first one to respond to my own posts unless something happens and I feel I have to.
When I post here, I know I’m writing for this blog, not Ahssa! You don’t have anything to worry about, Kushibo.
Shelton, get out of the comments section!! Don’t even read it anymore, just flee. Write the article, submit it, and be done with it. You aren’t supposed to be here.
Ouch!
Kushibo -
I liked the Paeksu comment - and I have found what you said alarmingly accurate. It is amazing the number of Paeksu who have phones and run up huge bills with them. I know a number of them.
As to Konglish - I can not get out of the habit - I say handphone all the time and I fear that when I go back to the States that I will have to sit down with my younger siblings and re-learn English.
Are you guys sure it’s a white hand holding the cell phone? Looks pretty hairless to me. What do I know about hands? Well, not much, but a few years back, a large chaebol needed a ‘hand actor’ for one of their newspaper ads and so a studio looked at scores of hands for just the right one. For some reason, they didn’t like Korean ones, so thought they had to find a white one. I was lucky- I get the gig and was paid pretty well for it, too. The only thing was, it was tough to hold those hand poses for long periods while they photographed it dozens of times, but what made up for it, besides the paycheque, was having the hand fussed over by a cute make-up girl.
???????¤ wrote:
Curious (#23), I think that if someone were looking for a pic of a Korean hand holding a Samsung cell phone, then ?€œhandphone?€? might be the best choice for a word search.
True enough. Had I thought of it, I would even have suggested going all the way and searching in Naver for ??¸?“œ??°.
Judge Judy, KrZ: What the heck!? So now he’s supposed to stay out of the comments section (JJ) and not even friggin’ read it (KrZ)!? He wouldn’t have gotten very far here if he hadn’t read or responded to all the slagging of him that was being done on his first few articles. As for the initial comment by him, I imagine he was just trying to forestall an onslaught of criticism. He finally writes something that you guys cannot find fault with, so you have to criticizem him for his comments!?
Give the guy a friggin’ break already!!!
Thorin writes:
“That?€™s the third or fourth time you?€™ve complimented your own writing. If it were so good, we?€™d be discussing what you wrote.”
Shelton responds:
“Huh?
I?€™m not in the mood to look it up right this second, but I don?€™t think I?€™ve praised my own writing much at all.”
Well I was bored and in the mood, and I also agreed with Thorin. So here are the times I found that Shelton praised his own writing in comments.
1. I have a different take on things and am a good enough writer that I can quickly Know The Audience here.
2. I have been writing for publication since I was at least a junior in high school, so say about 15 years. The picture on the left is the back of my head at my last newspaper gig. I have been writing and reading things on the Internet for at least 10 years, so I have a sense of what is acceptable and not acceptable in this medium.
3. And also ?€” yeah, I didn?€™t really participate here before I started posting, but I know I?€™m a pretty good writer, regardless of the comments about me ?€œsucking ass?€? so I knew I had the proper toolkit in my head to at least be given a shot.
4. Um?€?that?€™s called ?€œgood writing.?€™ (IMHO) wink. Or more to the point, more interesting writing than saying, ?€œMr. Kim was the victim of online fraud.?€?
This does get annoying.
Shelton, the criticism of your posts — and writing — is not going to change just because you think you are a good writer. Just as letting us know how much “experience” you have will not change our opinions.
I’m familiar with professional newspaper people that have written for 30 years that I think write like complete shit, while others, who have no formal training, can wow me with their analysis and style. And the funny thing is that they do it without telling me how good they can write.
I also have to second any comments about the IMHO and wink wink crap, especially in your fourth shameless self-promotion above. To begin with, I think you missed the guy’s point, then you take the opportunity to brag about a line you thought was some sort of gift to the world of journalism.
You’d be better off sitting back and letting your readers make those kind of comments, IMHO.
I haven’t read enough of Shelton’s posts to have a strong opinion either way, but I will note that new guest-posters or co-posters often seem to get a lot of crap flung at them. In the local ‘hood, it happened to bluejives at Asiapages for a long time, too.
One guy I work with said, “Ah, people are just kind of autistic. Any little change sets them off.” Sometimes I think he’s right.