The Boryeong Mud Festival considered banning US troops from participating:
The manager of a popular South Korean beach festival said Tuesday that drunken and rowdy U.S. troops are such a problem that organizers have considered banning servicemembers from the event.
Lee Won-ku, manager for the Boryeong Mud Festival, said the number of U.S. troops at the festival has jumped dramatically in the past two years. So has the number of fights and the amount of trash, he said.
“Most soldiers drink like deadbeats all day and night on the beach, and leave mountains of garbage the following morning,” he said.
“The spots where they play … are a complete mess. After they leave, we wonder, was this a spot where beasts or humans were playing?” he asked.
Ouch.
This comes after a drunken 25-year-old Gunsan airman at the festival was arrested after he assaulted two Koreans in an apparent carjacking. A true Gachi Gapsida moment.
Anyway, organizers decided in the end not to ban the soldiers, since it would be difficult to determine which participants are actually in the military.
Big-boobied white chicks, like the ones on the festival’s promotional material, are still very welcome, one would assume. Everyone likes mud-covered big-boobied white chicks, after all.
In retaliation, Osan Air Base has banned soju from airmen’s dorms. OK, so it probably wasn’t in retaliation, but they DID ban soju:
Soju, the potent liquor sometimes called Korean vodka, was banned here Tuesday from servicemembers’ dorms.
The ban will apply to the 3,800 airmen and soldiers living in dorms at this fighter base.
The action comes after a spate of recent incidents in which servicemembers suffered health problems believed to be at least partly related to soju.
Two servicemembers this weekend had to be taken to the base emergency room because of the effects of heavy drinking, base officials said. It’s believed soju, which is known for its stealthy, sneak-punch effects on drinkers, was among the types of alcohol the two were drinking.
Like electric fans, you don’t realize the danger with soju until it’s too late:
Soju is a growing concern, Norman said. The same factors that make the popular liquor easy to consume — it’s cheap, tasteless and odorless — also make it dangerous, he said.
As opposed to Jack Daniel’s, I guess.
(HT to reader)
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Soju is worse than Jack Daniels. It’s a nasty drink that’s just industrial ethanol, water and corn syrup. Bam!… there you have the basic ingredients to a $1 bottle of green shaded, cheap drunk juice.
They tried to make traditional soju, done in a hand crafted way, but it ended up costly $30 a bottle and no one bought it.
“The spots where they play … are a complete mess. After they leave, we wonder, was this a spot where beasts or humans were playing?”
OMFG! Have you ever seen Haeundae beach after Koreans have been “playing” on it all day? It is absolutely disgusting. In all of my travels I have never seen a beach get more dirty.
Really. I know we non-natives CAN be littering, drunken fools. However, per capita(?), are we any worse than the natives? I’ll bet not.
“and leave mountains of garbage the following morning”
F this mother-F’r in his F’n A!!
Koreans have got to be 1000x more likely to litter than Americans. I walk outside my apartment EVERY morning to an absolute trash disaster. There is trash everywhere and about 6 hours after the old man comes through (at 7am) and sweeps all the refuse out of the streets, it is all covered in trash again. (Admittedly I live near a convenience store and there are 3 grade schools in the neighborhood. Packaged snacks + kids = litter. No matter the country).
Even IF they banned ALL foreigners, you would never notice the difference in the amount of litter around the Mud Festival. Or anyplace else in Korea for that matter.
From Pusan beaches to mountain trails, this is a society that litters.
Yup. Hilarious.
“was this a spot where beasts or humans were playing?”
Lee Won-ku’s logic is that if foreigner men party and leave trash they are beasts, if the local men party and leave trash they were enjoying themsevles, releasing stress and giving a good name to the Boryeong Mud Festival.
Save your time and breath next time Won-ku, and say only foreign women wearing a bikini are allow to come.
soju is “cheap, tasteless and odorless”?????
Is there a special brand of soju I am not aware of? If not this dude has never chugged a bottle of soju or been on the subway next to a passed out ajosshi.
One of my pet peeves is the litter left behind at the local lakes and rivers by fishermen and campers for someone else to clean up – like this and this .
@9
“Soju was first distilled around A.D. 1300 during the Mongol war with Korea. The Mongols had acquired the technique of distilling arak from the Persians[1] during their invasion of Central Asia/Middle East around 1256, then it was subsequently introduced to Koreans and distilleries were set up around the city of Kaesong (hangul: 개성). Indeed, in the area surrounding Kaesong, soju is known as arak-ju (hangul: 아락주).[2]
From 1965 until 1991, in order to alleviate rice shortages, the Korean government prohibited the traditional direct distillation of soju from fermented grain. Instead, highly distilled ethanol from any source was mixed with water and flavorings to create diluted soju. Although the prohibition has now been lifted, cheap soju continues to be made this way. The Korean government regulates the alcohol content of diluted soju to less than 35%.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju
As pointed out, the Mud Festival organizers try to promote this as a gathering that “welcomes” foreigners. They are more than happy to have the white girls with boobs in bikinis prancing around. However, they seem quite uneasy about having large white men in the area who are drinking and being as flirtacious as any young person would normally be.
The complete hipocrasy over drinking and littering is beyond ridiculous because we all know that’s 2 things Koreans excel at!
-Koreans like to see white girls in bikinis.
-Many, not all, are still very uncomfortable about the “increasing number of waygooks” who show up every year.
-Pretty much every Korean is overly sensitive about waygooks (especially white guys) drinking and behaving in ways that are perfectly acceptable for Koreans to behave. They believe a drunk, loud waygook to be far worse than a Korean one because they can usually “understand” why the Korean is doing it and can predict what they will do. They find us to be far more confusing and unpredictable and that scares them. They still can’t seem to get around to the idea that we are humans just like them.
-A lot of the feedback on waygooks at the festival seem to be concern about drunk white guys “hitting on” Korean girls. Many believe that during our time in Korea, we white men should behave as if we have had our d!cks removed at the airport.
As long as they allow public drinking- something I love about Korea- and summer, beach atmosphere with bikinis and some bare skin, festival goers will behave in ways that may seem a bit more “wild” than a night at the opera. These people need to get over their hyper sensitivity and just try to have some fun.
However, any time some one or some group is trying to have some fun, someone will want to stop them. Perhaps, it’s jealousy!
Wonder what’s up with the guy who said soju is tasteless & odorless!
WTF?
Soju is some horribly foul tasting and smelling pure chemical crap.
It rots guts and brains at the same time!
Soju is some horribly foul tasting and smelling pure chemical crap.
true. yet, i still love it!
But then there’s Andong soju, the diamond in the rough. After the first few sips it’s wonderful stuff. Though the real treat is the day after when you don’t feel like you’ve been soaking in ethanol all night.
Re: “Many believe that during our time in Korea, we white men should behave as if we have had our d!cks removed at the airport”
I get to avoid much of the flak most white guys here take. I’m married to a western woman, so I get no further questions about my marriage/love/dating life after question #4 for white guys:
1. Where are you from ?
2. What do you do ?
3. Are you married ?
4. Is she Korean ?
5. ???
I have no idea what #5 is since they usually stop after my answer is #4 is “no, American woman.” Also, I’ve never had a drunk adjosshi try to pick a fight with me when I’m with my wife.
I’m also ROTFLMAO at Robert’s perfect phrasing:
“Big-boobied white chicks, like the ones on the festival’s promotional material, are still very welcome, one would assume. Everyone likes mud-covered big-boobied white chicks, after all.”
That’s so true. It’s amazing how blatant it is.
Sure, Koreans recycle much better than Americans but in all honesty I find American beaches, rivers, mountains, and most public facilities to be cleaner than the ones in Korea.
I think the infamous World Cup clean up by Korean citizens was something commendable but also out of the ordinary. Now everyone around the world prolly thinks we do that all the time which is simply not true. Normally, I am always disgusted by all the garbage left behind by hikers and beachgoers when I vacation in Korea.
Korea is prolly the dirtiest 선진국 I’ve ever lived in or visited.
In fairness to the idiot who wrote the article , I grew up with GIs and their kids in Korea and I remember an unusual number of assholes among the GI community. I hate to say this but they really personified the stereotypical, loud-mouthed, drunk, and uneducated Americans. Of course I had friends among them too but in comparison to the general pop I live with now in the States…Maybe I just had a bad experience but that’s what I remember. Even then, I could see how some bad apples can mess it up for the law abiding ones. And it sure doesnt excuse anyone from just banning all the GIs though. Im sure there’s a better weeding out process.
Even without knowing 100% what happened, I’d bet my left nut that the fights were started by both GIs and Koreans alike.
Lee Won-ku comment is complete nonsense. He knows he got more headache with Korean teens and drunken adjussis.
I concur @#16 MigukNamja’s opinion on Robert’s phrasing
There’s the answer. As the picture of mud-covered big-boobied white chicks attracts more male foreigners or lonely US soldiers, the festival organizer should change the picture of the promotional material to “mud-covered hunk” to attract more white and local chicks. Organizer would need to handle more of cat-fights than mountains of garbage but still it would be Win-win marketing strategy, no?
# 9,
Today version of the cheap, green shaded bottled monster is pretty much a post-Korean war product. People were poor back in the 60’s and 70’s and didn’t have a lot of disposable income to buy liquor… but postwar, dictator run Korea was depressing and people wanted to get drunk… fast and cheaply.
How do you give the people what they want? Take anything available… rice (sometimes), sweet potatoes, corn, corn husks (sometimes), etc. put them in a chemical bath to speed up the fermentation process, add water and corn syrup (cheapest way to sweeten something) and vola! You have $1 bottle of green monster. Some of you guys might be gasping “wtf?” but com’on… what did you expect for a buck, huh?
Given its “industrial” quality and barely fit for human consumption make-up, the effects of cheap soju are, how shall we say? Unpredictable. Meaning when and how it hits you can vary from time to time. Some may point to this as evidence of Korean ingenuity in light of a time when resources were limited, others will call it as proof of Korea’s amorality to consumers. Oh well.
I believe there will be a time when soju will become a generally more refined product as Korea’s society develops and matures. Personally, I don’t mind spending an extra three of four dollars (or 3 to 4 thousand won) to get a product that’s a bit better than industrial grade ethanol. That’s why I go for the baek seju or sam sa chu than the chamisul. More reliable and less angry buzz…
“Korea is prolly the dirtiest 선진국 I’ve ever lived in or visited.”
I don’t know… wouldn’t France be up there? But you might not have lived there…
this is normal addushi/korean reaction
i dont know why anyone is surprised
its fine for korea dudes to beat women but not foreigners
its fine for korean guys to be out in the street loud, drunk, obnoxious and violent but not foreigners
its fine for addushis to try to pick up young korean chics but not foreigners
the list goes on and on
Good grief, many posts here give legitimacy to the concerns of the “Pawki” character.
A topic for whiners, losers, complainers and the likes to come out of the woodwork. NO WHERE in the article does it say “White” foreigners being the problem. It specifically says “U.S. troops,” “Soldiers,” “Airman,” and “American servicemember.” Then, it gave some specific examples, fights among themselves, assault of two Koreans in the parking lot, and excessive trash.
I know, since I spent a few years in the Army. The US military in the enlisted ranks tend to attract the lowest common denominators of the American society, especially the GIs being stationed in Korea. I’ve seen far too my times drunken soliers on leave fighting and in general causing havoc every overseas posts I’ve been to. A good friend of mine from college, who is now a Major in the Army was stationed in Korea a few years back. He can attest to the article and then some.
#17, The so-called “NewyorkTom” says “Korea is prolly the dirtiest 선진국 I’ve ever lived in or visited.”
You’re full of shit “New York” Tom. Or, you lived in your mother’s basement all your life.
yeah, majority of military forces here are dirtbags…of course there are real respectable people, but a good number are dirtbags…
yeah, majority of people in the military forces here are dirtbags…of course there are real respectable people, but a good number are dirtbags…
Koreans love to litter all right. The sheer nonchalance and brazenness with which people toss litter on downtown sidewalks always amaze me. But that doesn’t make the country an especially filthy one.
McNut: As for ajusshis trying to pick up chicks, I dunno. My general impression is that Korean men do not hit spontaneously on chicks in daylight public settings anywhere near as much as Western guys do.
Hey asshole…I mean William:
Are you another one of dem Korean “patriots” who think anything non-Korean is bad and that Koreans invented everything? Or are u an American who thinks he’s Korean enuf to speak on behalf of all Koreans now?
Hey asshole…I mean William:
Are you another one of dem Korean “patriots” who think anything non-Korean is bad and that Koreans invented everything? Or are u an American who thinks he’s Korean enuf to speak on behalf of all Koreans now?
“New York Tom,”
You got a stuttering problem? Or just a lack of functioning brain cells due a cranial retardation. If you think you know anything about me, come on by ’cause I’m near Ft. Lewis, WA.
AK:
“yeah, majority of people in the military forces here are dirtbags…of course there are real respectable people, but a good number are dirtbags…”
Nah, I respectfully disagree. I would say the majority are NOT dirtbags. The problem is that festivals like this (and the “bar hoping” in the downtown areas) tend to attract MORE dirtbags on average than good servicemen/women.
It’s all a matter of perspective. Of the whole (US forces), the trouble makers tend to show up to these events in large numbers.
LIKEWISE, when the various bases perform a voluntary “beach clean-up” (like the recent oil spill) – the only people to help out will likely be those in the forces who are more civil and behaived.
Lastly, thats not to say all military who attend are scumbags. The problem is the various commanders in USFK refuse to lock down their trouble makers – instead opting for mass-punishment for a set time then letting all the good and BAD apples back out on the streets.
Soju is neither tasteless or odorless. Cheap, yes. But tasteless and odorless? Whoever wrote that never drank soju or sat behind an old farmer on the inter-city bus.
lol at Internet tough guys.
William:
I would gladly kick your ass but I am not wasting money to get to you. I am in NYC so any time you’re around here, email me: seoulny1974@yahoo.com. I’ll gladly meet you and give you a nice traditional beat down. Oh and be sure to bring your wallet so I will be compensated for services rendered…you also have to consider my opportunity costs.
Asswipe,
PM sent
You guys may want to email each other your weight classes. 85 kilo guy kills 75 kilo guy pretty much most of the time and doesn’t make for very entertaining viewing, regardless of how many Jet Li movies says it does.
Hello. I think you are eactly thinking like Sukrat. I really loved the post.
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