Comments on: VANK up and stronger than ever

By: watoro

watoro — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 04:54:40 +0000

I think the Koreans are far less naive than some on this list would like to think

While I certainly want to believe that view, Korean people sometimes scares me, for example when I think about the incident of ??????, who eventually lost his position at the KBS, despite all he had done was stating the most decent.

Even the Chosun-Ilbo had to deplore the extreme, narrow-minded hatred.
(Interview with Mr.?????? by the Chosun-Ilbo after he came under fire (in Korean, Video))

Some Chosun articles about the incident (Japanese):1, 2

Well, I hope these people aren’t representing the popular consensus.

Korea desperately needs to listen to people like him, yet the KBS failed to do what it had to do, and ruined the valuable chance.

Throwing out these shitty “journalists” is probably the first step.

By: foreigner

foreigner — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 04:08:03 +0000

They do vote, and I think Roh’s win was a fluke, because Lee Hoi-chang was too “old school” and Chung “Silver Spoon” Mong-joon bowed out of the race. So we’ll see if, after the traditional “launch an entirely new party” is settled, whether there is anyone they feel like voting for in the next election.

By: Kushibo

Kushibo — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 03:57:05 +0000

foreigner wrote:Actually I wasn??t ascribing the views that I often complain about here to all Koreans??I??ve said before here that I think there is a relatively strong middle class in Korea that far outnumbers the extremists (on both ends of the spectrum), but they??re not as politically motivated as long as the economy is satisfactory.But they vote, in fairly high numbers.I think we basically agree they??re out there, although I??m concerned that the middle ground will not be found in the next election.The rantings of the left, from the Blue House down to the Marxist students, have given the middle reason to vote in the other direction.Also I just used the Times to call attention to the shenanigans in Ansan??that rag is worthless. I like ??ignorati,?? it about sums them up.I wish it were my phrase, but I got it from elsewhere.

gorea wrote:How Korean books blame Japan for ??every negative things?? in their history?Is that really how you see it? I guess from some of the commentators here you could get that impression, but along with Japan and the United States, China is blamed for a lot of stuff (which is part of the reason why Koreans look down on them), the communists are frequent targets of blame, and the rich and the corrupt are scapegoats in Korean society probably more than all the “foreigners” combined. Not just current stuff, but historic stuff. The Russians get an honorable mention, as well.

By: gorea

gorea — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 03:05:08 +0000

I noticed ???????? on top right.
Hahaha

By: foreigner

foreigner — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:52:24 +0000

Actually I wasn’t ascribing the views that I often complain about here to all Koreans–I’ve said before here that I think there is a relatively strong middle class in Korea that far outnumbers the extremists (on both ends of the spectrum), but they’re not as politically motivated as long as the economy is satisfactory. I think we basically agree they’re out there, although I’m concerned that the middle ground will not be found in the next election. Also I just used the Times to call attention to the shenanigans in Ansan–that rag is worthless. I like “ignorati,” it about sums them up.

By: gorea

gorea — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:38:55 +0000

What I would like to see them do is start focusing on China and Chinese-language things.

I agree this point.

See how Chinese books blame South Korea for starting the war. See how China looks down on Korea from a historic perspective.

How Korean books blame Japan for “every negative things” in their history?
If Koreans are able to have objective view, they will see why China look down on Korea.

By: Kushibo

Kushibo — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:33:52 +0000

foreigner, the same group put up posters near where I work talking up a big rally that would include lectures on “Marxism and the peace movement,” “Marxism and national liberation,” “Marxism and women’s freedom,” etc.

These people discredit themselves when they do this.

Did the same Korea Times “reporter” have a big article when he saw banners at the entrance to Namsan talking about how the US-ROK alliance is written in blood and should be presevered for all time? Did he analyze the reaction to the Dongguk University professor mouthing off about Kim Ilsung the liberator?

Look, if people want to see pro-North sentiment, pro-China sentiment, anti-American sentiment, anti-Japan sentiment, it’s out there. It’s not hard to find because there are some very loud people shouting it. But last I checked, this is a country where voters determine who is in the National Assembly and the Blue House (though it is only by plurality, unfortunately), and if people really did swallow the stuff mentioned in the Ansan posters or the posters I saw, then the Labor Party here would be running the show and USFK would be long gone.

It’s fine to mention and complain that there is an vocal leftist ignorati here, but it’s a completely different matter to ascribe those views to the rest of the country.

By: gorea

gorea — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:12:13 +0000

:??Japan scary, Korea very pure???

The article says “Koreans are too pure and innocent”
Anybody remember “Cyber-Imjinwaeran” ?
Have Korean netizens never did dos attack?
No way, Dos attack is their usual way to protest something.
How many Japanese web sites were attacked by them?
Ministry of education, New textbook’s site, Yasukuni and more.
Not only Japanese sites, Jay Reno, Oprah,olympic player Hamm, Anton Ohno.
And they called the aasault “Cyber Demo”

What kind of people are they?

By: foreigner

foreigner — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:47:50 +0000

“What I would like to see them do is start focusing on China and Chinese-language things.” Don’t hold your breath, Kushibo, it ain’t gonna happen. China is Big Brother (in more ways than one) and the Korean VANK-er types remain mute about what it has done to Korea in the past, and does now in the North. The ones I mentioned above who seem naive, or willfully ignorant, are more active than the “silent majority” here, who silently pack their bags and leave the country, because they’re impatient for change, and certainly the Roh gov’t can’t deliver. (My folks tell me there are about 50,000 Koreans in O.C. now….) It’s a shame that bullshit like this:
http://times.hankooki.com/lpag.....454190.htm
is propogated here, but hopefully in the next election the “vast majority” view that you seem to believe exists here will be heard.

By: Kushibo

Kushibo — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:50:09 +0000

Watoro wrote:thanks man.(Actually I was using the automatic translation service)Unfortunately, real-live translators often don’t do much better (a few reporters I know insist that ???????? ????????? should have translated as “go-between” not the literal “balancer”).If the Koreans are na??ve than the Japanese?
Hmmm?? that??s difficult to tell???I think the Koreans are far less naive than some on this list would like to think; if Koreans thought the way some of the commentators here think they think, then the Labor Party would be winning elections hands down and travel to Japan and the United States would have dried up to a trickle a long time ago. The hyped up news stories often focus on the least representative of Korea, like the thousands-strong ???? festival at Korea University, which is essentially communist in outlook, contrary to the vast majority of South Korea.

But on the other hand, I don’t think Japanese are particularly naive, either. The government may not have informed them of a lot of details of their history, the same as in Korea, but a lot of Japanese figure this stuff out on their own.Meanwhile, I think both VANKers and 2ch-ers are veeeeerrrry naive.The leadership is agenda-driven and their followers are indeed naive.

What I would like to see them do is start focusing on China and Chinese-language things. See how Chinese books blame South Korea for starting the war. See how China looks down on Korea from a historic perspective.