The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Rabbi Abraham Cooper is in Seoul [AP], where he met with Gimm-Young Publishers, the publisher of Far Country, Near Country, the Korean educational comic book accused of antisemitism [Marmot's Hole]. He also met with the author, whom he reportedly confronted with copies of “Der Stuermer.”
Anyway, the publisher agreed to pull Far Country, Near Country from stores. It also agreed to translate into Korean a book by the Wiesenthal Center on anti-Semitism.
Cooper also took issue with the drawings of anti-Americanism in Rhie’s comics. Gimm-Young Publishers responded by promising to review the entire comic series.
The good rabbi was apparently less impressed with Rhie.
Cooper said the author’s responses were inadequate and that he did not expect him to play a role in resolving the issue.
‘The net effect of what he’s done here is a disaster and he just doesn’t get it,’ Cooper said. ‘I hope he will someday, but in the meantime this book’s got to go.’
Well, we could have told you Rhie wouldn’t have gotten it, not after he issued an apology [Marmot's Hole] to Korean-Americans for making Jews angry at them and then told CNN that everything he wrote about Jews was true [Marmot's Hole].
Still, I’d be curious to hear exactly what Rhie had to say for himself when confronted by an actual Jew.
There are a couple of pieces in Korean on the meeting, but nothing big yet. I’m sure there will be more later.
(HT to reader)
Now, it could be pointed out that Rhie Won-bok has a weekly comic column in the JoongAng Ilbo [Joongang Ilbo, Korean]. And when we’re talking about the JoongAng Ilbo, we’re talking about Samsung, which founded the paper and still maintains a close, if unofficial, relationship with it—JoongAng Ilbo publisher Hong Suk-hyun, for example, is Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee’s son-in-law. One might wonder if Samsung really wants to be associated with an unrepentent anti-Semite.
24 Comments
Sam Sung?
SS?
What Rhie said when confronted by an actual Jew?
“Sae sang ae, where are your horns?”
And congrats to Joe in Bucheon.
Okay, this is not the same as being on the payroll, but I wish the Chosun Ilbo would kick this guy’s blog off of their blog service:
http://blog.chosun.com/blog.screen?userId=nagaduju
I’m sure Rhie will cite the Borat film in his forthcoming research on Jews.
If you want to see more disgusting stuff about jews and the purity of blood, go see what’s up at the moment on the top of the main page of the “news site” Sidaesori. Here’s a capture of the page.
Now if there’s Korean fascism somewhere, it seems to be there. What the hell is that site all about anyway?
Haisan’s link to that Chosun blog leads to some scary stuff. On cursory glance, doesn’t seem to be much Korean input, save approvingly done translations of Western whack-jobs, but Rabbi Cooper should be alerted to this, I’d say.
Although, I don’t think Korea is in any danger of becoming the “Germany of Asia” anytime soon (as opposed to the “Italians of Asia” or the original “Irish of Asia”), an incident like this has a potential to create more anti-Semitism.
I’m convinced that if this gets blown wide open, the fact that one Jew was able to come to Korea and convince a Korean publishing company to withdraw a Korean-authored book series and on top of that get them to print a book approved by the Wiesenthal Center will convince many otherwise uninformed Koreans that the Jews do indeed exercise some form of media conspiracy. Koreans also know that if a Korean scholar would never be able to do the same if some book were published in the West that misrepresents Koreans of Korean history.
This may be interpreted as another example of undue foreign influence.
[DELETED. Reason: Racist and Deliberately Offensive Language.]
XXXXX
maybe the wiesenthal center can now offer the koreans assistance on how best to silence free speech in the form of a ban on that book ‘the bamboo grove’.
Netizen Kim wrote:
“Koreans also know that if a Korean scholar would never be able to do the same if some book were published in the West that misrepresents Koreans of Korean history.
This may be interpreted as another example of undue foreign influence.”
Examples, please. If you happen to know of any titles of books negatively stereotyping Koreans that have sold millions of copies, just let us know. I will be happy to lend my voice in protest.
Undue foreign influence? You mean like the Korean Foreign Ministry reps telling suburban Boston school districts what their kids can read?
pawi wrote:
“maybe the wiesenthal center can now offer the koreans assistance on how best to silence free speech in the form of a ban on that book ‘the bamboo grove’.”
I read the book recently, and I didn’t recall seeing any racist caricatures or passages rehashing worn, negative stereotypes about Koreans. Please refresh my memory, thanks.
from the OP:
“‘The net effect of what he’s done here is a disaster and he just doesn’t get it,’ Cooper said. ‘I hope he will someday, but in the meantime this book’s got to go.’”
Looks like Rabbi Cooper’s got Rhie’s number.
[DELETED. Reason: Inappropriate Comments Should Be Ignored.]
I stand reinforced my earlier (deleted) call for a ban on the vile and ignorant dlatn.Netizen Kim:
I’m convinced that if this gets blown wide open, the fact that one Jew was able to come to Korea and convince a Korean publishing company to withdraw a Korean-authored book series and on top of that get them to print a book approved by the Wiesenthal Center will convince many otherwise uninformed Koreans that the Jews do indeed exercise some form of media conspiracy.
Perhaps so, but then they would be doing so out of relative ignorance, as you say. Rabbi Cooper did not achieve what he did as an individual, but rather as a representative of an international thousands-members-strong organization.
Despite Rhie being outed in the international media as a Racist and a Bigot I presume he has still kept his job. Unlike someone else we know.
Then again to attack a Korean, no matter how vile that person is, is also an attack on Korea. It’s sad that many Koreans think this way.
Time to head to Kyobo to snap some up before they become collectors’ items.
I already got my copy signed!
“maybe the wiesenthal center can now offer the koreans assistance on how best to silence free speech in the form of a ban on that book ‘the bamboo grove’.”
There’s free speech in Korea? Since when? Self censorship is the norm here. It’s so internalized in the media that Korean reporters often don’t realize it’s going on. And then there’s the editorial content of the English language press in Korea. You’d think the only crimes committed here are white collar crimes and that Korea is a safe haven from the violent outside world.
In any case, freedom does not exist in a vacuum. It comes with responsibility. Publishing hate literature is never acceptable, nor should it be protected. That’s something that most of the western world understands.
Rhie really didn’t get it, according to his comments in a telephone interview with Yonhap, as reported in the Chosun Ilbo:
이원복 교수는 15일(한국시간) 연합뉴스와 가진 전화 인터뷰에서 “무책임하게 책을 쓰지 않았으며 독일에서 10년간 지내며 유대인들이 겪은 고통을 너무나 잘 알고 있고 결코 반유대적이지 않다”며 “중도적 입장에서 독자들에게 정보를 주려했을 뿐이다”고 말했다.
Rhie Won-bok, in a Mar. 15 (Korean time) telephone interview with Yonhap News, said, “I did not write the book irresponsibly. While living in Germany for ten years, I knew all about the sufferings of the Jews, and (the book) is absolutely not anti-Jewish. I was only trying to give information from a moderate standpoint.”
From: http://news.chosun.com/site/da.....00317.html
My sources tell me that, inspired by recent experiences, Rhie is working on another info-comic book, in which he will focus on the general expat population residing in Korea.
Sonagi,
“Befehl ist Befehl”.
Netizen Kim,
That could be easily taken care of by floading our respective embassies with phone calls
flooding, sorry.
If he can create a phrase equal to Wall of Jews to describe us I’d be flattered. Have at it, Prof Rhie.
seouldout,
How about a ‘Wall of Booze’?
Doesn’t really work for me; we’re neither as permanent as a wall nor do we form any type of obstruction.
And for some reason Lyndon Johnson come to mind: “Would you rather have them inside the tent urinating out, or outside the tent urinating in?”
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