I always liked this quote from the Shanghai North China Daily News (July 16, 1866) in which the paper seems to urge the French Government to attack Korea in retribution for the massacre of the Catholic priests and their converts:
“Corea is completely undefenced. A gunboat could make its way to the capital without fear of resistance. The Corean army is a rabble unprovided with artillery or even muskets, and a very slight demonstration would suffice to induce submission.”
Although the French did occupy Kangwha city and island for a short time, they were eventually forced to withdraw, leaving the Korean government more determined than ever to prevent intercourse with foreign nations - especially the West.
What are your favorite famous or infamous last words dealing with Korea - past and present?
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“If I had means to choose my home at my pleasure, Japan would be the country. I don’t want to live in China with its abominable smells or in America where racial prejudice and discrimination hold their horrid sway, or in Corea as long as its infernal government lasts. O blessed Japan! The Paradise of the East! The Garden of our World”
Yun Chi-Ho, November 1, 1893.
He’d soon learn to regret those words though
“The Pride of Korea” Hwang Woo Suk.
“Trust me, it’s perfectly safe to push up to the Yalu.” Or something like that.
- MacArthur
Here is another good one Park Hyun!
‘There are only three things the troops in Japan are afraid of,’ he said. ‘They’re gonorrhea, diarrhea and Korea.’
Lt. Gen. John R. Hodge
rhouse: I’m sorry to inform you that the site’s monthly troll quota has already been filled.
Commenter banned.
But did Hodge really say that?
Yep.
http://www.historynet.com/kore.....tive.htm/2
Someone really said that. I remember reading it in The Bridge at Nogun-ri.
“What are they going to do, bend my dogtags and send me to Korea?”
Said by pretty much everyone I was stationed with at 2nd ID, 1988-1990.
1994:
My First Sergeant: “Why don’t the Koreans downtown smile?”
Me: “Okay, Shirt, I give. Why?”
First Sergeant: “Cuz they don’t have a DEROS!”
DEROS: Date of Estimated Return from Overseas.
My nominee comes from Time magazine’s June 19, 1950 edition:
What do I win?
I don’t know if these count as in/famous last words, but:
“Dynamic Korea: Hub of Asia” - e.g., 2002 AmCham Korea persentation (http://www.amchamkorea.org/publications/upload/business_environment_survey.pdf - see slide 30 for some retrospect-induced laughter)
“Korea, Sparkling!” - see KNTO page at (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AK/AK_EN_1_2_1.jsp: “Korea, Sparkling symbolizes the lively energy of hte Korean people and cutlure, which you will no doubt experience while traveling in Korea.” Lively, that fits.)
“For every round they send over, we’ll send two back.”
Unfortunately, those two rounds bounced off harmlessly from those T-34 tanks that the U.S. had no idea North Korea had.
“The Seoul Olympics will change Korea from a xenophobic, inward-looking place to a confident, cosmopitalitan country,” — countless pundits in 1988.
“I wooder rador swallow shyanider than eat American beeper.”
- The actress Kim Min-seon before THIS came up…
http://www.donga.com/fbin/output?n=200807010445
“We are gonna make a lot of money via Internet sales!”
- Lee Seung-yeon and her pimp/producers just as they were releasing her nude comfort woman pictures…
Okay, I think Joshua wins.
It’s 6:20 in Korea… the judges are still asleep.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Kim Jong Il’s last words will be something similar to Nero’s, “Jupiter, what an artist perishes in me!”.
Korean cab driver to a friend of mine a few years back:
“…Nah, lane markings, traffic signs and signals are for people who are learning how to drive….”
“Although buying all those drinks cleaned me out for a month, I think that girl really likes me!”
- Overheard at an Itaewon Juicy Bar…
“Build it and they will come”
–officials at the meeting in which the logistical hub of NE Asia thing was dreamt up.
i also think joshua wins. pretty good.
I second to #15 on Kim Min Seon.
Despite her stupid comment on A beef I would love to have a round of Soju & cheap imported Galbisal bbq Anjoo with her & her beautiful friends in Chungdam-dong again.
I can’t guarantee historical accuracy, but I’m sure the crew members of the General Sherman had something to say about Korea as they were skinned alive in 1866.
“To take by force this virgin of a country, Ming China, will be as easy for a mountain to crush an egg…”
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi, before he invaded (and got bogged down in) Korea.
-michael breen on daewoo’s collapse
“Mission Accomplished!”
- The banner on an aircraft carrier as Dubya lands, Top Gun style, to deliver a speech on how the war in Iraq has ended (in October 23rd, 2003). Oh, only quotes on Korea, huh?
“The 38th Parallel looks like as good a place as any.”
- Bonesteel to Rusk
“Rather than make specific requests (on historical issues), I believe the relationship will become a more mature one.Specialists should discuss (historical issues) with an open mind,”
-2MB on SK-Japane relationship.
(IHT/Asahi: February 4,2008)
“Rather than make specific requests (on historical issues), I believe the relationship will become a more mature one.Specialists should discuss (historical issues) with an open mind,”
-2MB on SK-Japane relationship.
(IHT/Asahi: February 4,2008)
“Rather than make specific requests (on historical issues), I believe the relationship will become a more mature one.Specialists should discuss (historical issues) with an open mind,”
-2MB on SK-Japane relationship.
(IHT/Asahi: February 4,2008)
“It smelled like shit when I landed at Busan in ‘51, and it smelled like shit when I shipped out from Incheon in ‘53.”
My Uncle Roger on his Korean War service.
” Why is there a Christmas tree in the airport?”
-Me. February 28th, 2001.
“How hard can it be to build a nuclear reactor? Korea did it, and look at the quality of their animation.”
-Homer Simpson
“My favorite place in Korea? Kimpo Airport’s departure lounge.”
- a fiery Scot I knew years ago.
Well… then maybe more ppl need to go there…
We have it. The smoking gun. The evidence. The potential weapon of mass destruction we have been looking for as our pretext of invading Iraq. There’s just one problem - it’s in North Korea.
Jon Stewart
“We thought the North Koreans would back off once they saw American uniforms.”
- Phil Day, Task Force Smith
“If God needed to give the world an enema, this is where he’d insert the tube.” - A serviceman on arrival to Busan, paraphrased from a documentary on US forces in Korea I once saw
All these quotes about how much of a shit hole 50’s Korea was are getting old. Plus, they are gripes, not famous last words…
“Chinese! I am Korean. Korean is the most perfect creature ever to sanctify the earth with the imprint of its foot.”
- Chiun, mentor to Remo Williams
Korea’s early repayment of the full amount of loans from the IMF is a major milestone.
-Horst Koehler
“Never before has this nation been engaged in mortal combat with a hostile power without military objective, without policy other than restrictions governing operations, or indeed without even formally recognizing a state of war.”
- General Douglas MacArthur
by the way, what happened to MacArthur’s son?
A Korean got him hooked on philopon and he died. That’s what Koreans do to people, remember?
Well, look on the bright side. When we’re told we must do our time in purgatory, we can all say, “No thanks. I’ve done mine.”
-Father Mulcahy