MBC TV reports that the U.S. FBI has busted a ring—apparently led by a 36-year-old Korean American—that was smuggling Asian women into the United States to work in Portland houses of ill-repute. The women, who came from 10 Asian countries including Korea, China and Vietnam, paid the smugglers 50,000 U.S. dollars to bring them to the United States via cargo ship container or across the Canadian border. They were then put to work in Portland brothels so that they could pay off their debts.
English piece (via AP) here.
9 Comments
This is making for fairly big healdines here in Portland, although I didn’t know until now that Kang was Korean, since the local news seems to have (strangely) not made an issue of his ethnic background. Funny thing is that one of my friends until recently lived just down the street from what was supposedly one of this guy’s brothels/main hideouts.
Any sighting of this story in the Korean press? I think not. Korean-Americans who make millions or win golf tourneys are Korean. Korean-Americans who are flesh traders are American.
Ben—I got the story from the Korean press. MBC TV, as I mentioned in the post (and you can see if you click the link). And the headline of the Korean story—unlike the AP story—spells out the fact that the guy involved was a gyopo.
“Ben Eller”? THE Ben Eller?
That’s because he’s a proud citizen trying to reach for the American dream, my friend.
If that’s the case, he arrived on he scene about 140 years too late — the 13th Amendment pretty much put an end to that kind of ‘American dream’. Sadly, this guy will probably only get about 20 years in prison (assuming a conviction).
Is he a Korean-American or an American-Korean???
Does it mean anything, depending on which you use first?
Well, a Korean-American is a person of Korean heritage who lives in America, so I would guess that an American-Korean would be the opposite of that (a person of American heritage who lives in Korea).
Of course the press are calling him Korean-American. Koreans who are successful in business overseas are always something to be proud of back in the homeland. And besides, which successful Korean businessman hasn’t spent a bit of time in the clink? It’s a badge of honor.