Your ROK-US Alliance warm-and-fuzzy moment of the week, courtesy the Korea Times:
The Ministry of Public Administration and Security said Monday that a survey of 1,016 middle and high school students showed nearly 57 percent didn’t know the war started on June 25, 1950.
Moreover, 51 percent did not know that the war started with North Korea’s invasion of the South. About 14 percent picked Japan as the nation responsible for the war; 13.4 percent, the United States, and 11 percent Russia. About 2 percent even said it was the South invading the North.
While the United States is regarded as the main ally of the country, 28 percent said it was the key “threat” for national security, 4 percentage points higher than North Korea.
Only 56 percent said they felt threatened by the North’s nuclear weapons development, adding that the chance of another Korean War taking place was very low.
I bet 99% knew the latitude and longitude of Dokdo, though. And all were PhD’s about Mad Cow Disease.
Still, I guess one can only be so upset about this. At least they’re not making pacts to get knocked up.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
You can go ahead and thank Roh and the liberal(confucian/communist) party.
I’m going to print this post, and the next time someone tells me how hard Korean students study, I’m going to pull the printed page out of my bag.
Also, I’ll be using it as the main topic for free talking lessons this week. Thanks.
Good thing “history” is not evaluated on those OECD PISA tests.
pacts not packs (not to be an ass)
Love the 28% thing and the 4% thing too.
Simply pathetic!
Regarding the Gloucester, MA, USA pregnancy pact-since the Time magazine article came out some of the minor facts (like high fives at the nurse’s office) have been disputed. And these teens do NOT represent the norm of American culture in 2008. Still, the basic premise appears to be true and is scary sh**. You can’t realistically blame the movies. I have teenage relatives in private schools in that area and it’s sad, the choices that some “directionless” teens find okay these days.
The results of this survey are no accident.
No wonder the “College Grads” in my office can not find their ass with both hands… but at least they can graduate from an “elite” University, and can get a good job, and then die from American beef, instead of starving to death at the hands of the Jonger
The only possible way to look at this defensively would
be to say that a power vacuum was created by the forced
withdrawal of Japan. Then, the Russians made the North
invade the South to rid the peninsula of the Americans.
This large jump in logic requires believing that Koreans
were forced to do things and that they were victims not
in control of the situation being tossed around by great
powers. To concede this would be to say that Koreans were
not “fit” to have their own independence and not “fit to
manage” their own affairs. You can’t have your cake and
eat it too.
Its called greed, coming from a weak society like yours I am not surprised that you dont know ambition, greed and power when you see it.
Lets get something straight for most of history Japan has been subservient to Korea both in trade and relations. Where we failed is not realizing the power of technology, unfornuately for us Japan was the weakest country of all 3 and immediately caved into the US nearly 40 years before anyone else.
We gave you civilization and religion. Most of your prized artifacts were made by Koreans. Alot of your words are taken from Korea. Most of your technology prior to the modern era is from Korea.
Aside from the early 1900′s Japanese history is a complete joke.
Now in the 21st century it looks like Japanese women dont want anything to do with your men. Last time I checked Korea was so idealized that Japanese men had to write a book.
Not to mention we are eventually overtaking and your international corporations.
What i should congratulate Japan on is creating an image of strength. You are quite possibly the weakest minded people on the planet, more so complete super nerds. Yet you have the whole world fooled with “samurai’s and ninja’s”.
Hell you’re too nerdy for American nerds and they end up coming to Korea.
It’s weird, but I’m starting to give more credence to baduk’s predictions of impending war in NE Asia. These buggers sure do despise the shit out of each other.
They despise Korea. We remind them on a daily basis what they dont have.
#12 Right, like…..
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2008/06/23/chinese-netizens-discuss-the-beef-protests/#comment-165262
#7… They can study hard, graduate from a good school, get a good job, and just eat beef and die.
#9, that is basically what is in Korean textbooks concerning Japan.
This is awesome. An article about how Korean students have a very poor understanding of their own history (and let’s all remember that the name of the war in Korean is the 6-25 war, that makes the starting date hard to forget) and then we have a blindly racist attack against the Japanese. I think we have proof that the older shipments of American beef were contaminated too, cause there are a lot of crazy people out there.
#15
Has an uncanny similarity to what Germany used to teach their youth about Jews.
#9
Stop jerking off…there are minors reading.
I just substitute the Korean to Chinese and then Japan to Korea. It amazes me that you sounded just like Chinese Fenqing netizens…I bet your copy their shit. Please be creative !!!
Namuamitaba
They despise Korea. We remind them on a daily basis what they dont have.
And from your post @9 I can clearly see that you have nothing but love for them.
And what is it they don’t have that you do? Not wanting to rub salt, but Korea still has a hell of long way to go before it can claim bragging rights over who pisses further in East Asia. You’ve probably never been to Japan, but I imagine a day in Tokyo would be a very deflatory experience for you. I can’t help you with the history brainwash though, other than to suggest you read a non-Korean textbook for a change.
Aside from banging on about history (which is incidental in the present), one reason the Japanese are so admired today is because they are so friendly and polite. The only people who hate them are Koreans and Chinese, so you’re pissing into the wind complaining to other people about them. (btw, the French, Indians and Chinese came in last by hotelier rankings of tourists):
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/aussies-rated-among-worlds-best-tourists/2008/06/24/1214073208562.html
ref. #9
Just reflect on all the emotion, all the hate, all the bitterness, the RAAAAAAGE !!!! you had to draw on just to compose a few pithy little paragraphs….
….and after all that effort, your pathetic little “man-member” hasn’t grown a sigle millimeter.
One thing Japan has an abundance of, and Korea has so little of is,….I’ll say it sloooowly so you’ll uderstand is ……….. C-L-A-S-S.
But, please don’t take my word for it, talk to people around the world that have visitors from both Korea and Japan coming to their countries.
@18 agreed, stacked’s been “typing with one hand” all day.
From what I have seen in a couple of recent Korean blockbuster movies that touch on the Korean War period — that is exactly the logic offered.
The South Koreans shown to be gung-ho for defending SK from the North Korean invasion (which matches the historical reality of the society’s response to the invasion) — are depicted as right-wing fanatics who foolishly believe the Syngman Rhee government line and brainlessly fight their brothers from the North.
The North isn’t pictured as in the right – instead you get an idea that “real Koreans” were above the war and everything would have been fine if they were just given the chance to hold hands…
The net result, however, is to excuse the North and cripple the South’s justification for resistance.
tsk tsk…aren’t the comments here a little negative…
#24 Perhaps. However, I know plenty of Americans who can’t tell what day the Japanese attacked Pearl and that the Germans declared war on us. I say let them stew about it. I’ve found out that once a Korean has made up his or her mind, its about neigh impossible to make them do an about face, even with all the facts in the world. Fan Death anyone??? Let them continue their education on Naver.
An IQ point more or two on average than the rest of the world doesn`t change the fact that the average person is not that smart.
‘The only people who hate them are Koreans and Chinese’
the two countries that actually know the japanese. besides, the comment is a lie. most of asia despises the japanese.
‘they(the japanese) got class!’ exclaimed the classy expat
What do you know draft dodger? Have you ever been to Japan?
Japan is FAR better to live in than Korea. Don’t take my word for it though, come experience it for yourself.
Come on over. Maybe join the military and do your duty for your country. Then maybe, you can talk about Japan and Korea.
David, In re #25. Good point. I find a lot of American High School graduates who can’t give you the general time line in which WWI or WWII were fought. And my son-in-law, a college grad computer geek, could not figure out when the Korean War was. There’s a lot of candidates for the “Jay Leno All Stars” walking around America’s malls.
First of all I take Korean polls with a grain of salt, but just to further add to what has been mentioned before, how many American students would know who caused the US to enter World War II? I wouldn’t be surprised if a good number of people say Nazi Germany when it was in fact Imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor that caused the US to enter World War II. Seeing the US’s own lack of prioritizing history education, I don’t find it surprising Korea has the same problem.
#29, Believe it or not, those people on Jay Leno are instructed to act dumb by the producers for fodder and ratings. I witnessed it while in Burbank.
Some lady was pratically bribed to answer falsely for money. Since I saw that I no longer watch Leno, but then again Conan deserves his time slot anyway/
not to sound cliche but i think all the pro-NK supporters should be sent to live in the great paradise that is NK.
its one thing to be pro-reunification (every korean’s dream) but these NK loonies are something else..
I love South Korea dearly, but even I won’t deny that Japan seems like a much friendlier place for an American.
Perhaps it is just those intensely obsequious Japanese simply burying their equally strong feelings of anti-Americanism in favor of their national interest and simple human courtesy. Regardless, I’m sure nobody would mind if the South Korean mobtards could give human decency a try.
Im sure the Japanese remember what happened to them last time they disagreed with the Americans, J-anus.
Statement “Regardless, I’m sure nobody would mind if the South Korean mobtards could give human decency a try.” was not neccessary.
Human decency WTF?
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