Chinese Netizens get Their Hate on

by WangKon936 on August 9, 2008

Great article from Sunny Lee in the Asia Times summarizing some of the rumors propagated by Chinese netziens regarding Korea.

Per the article:

The Chinese reporter called to confirm an alleged “news” story shown on the Chinese Internet in which some of the Chinese students arrested for the violence had received a heavy 10-year prison term in Korea.

The Chinese Internet report cited the source as the English edition of the Korean newspaper where the Korean journalist was working. Chinese web forums, chat rooms and blogs were all enraged, the Chinese reporter said.

The Korean journalist was alarmed. He asked around the office in the hopes that one of the paper’s 300 or so reporters would know about the story. He was also worried: it would be embarrassing to learn of the piece because he was in charge of China coverage.

In the end his search discovered no such article.

Apparently, all the FUD being flung around has spread to Taiwan as well!

“The local Taiwanese media even falsely quoted Chosun Daily as the source to dress up their article as convincing,” the newspaper’s editors wrote in response. “All the misunderstanding would not have happened if the Chinese local media did a quick check on our articles on the Internet first before going to write a story based on what they gleaned from the Internet forums and blogs.”

It’s one thing to have China mad at you, but now Greater China?

Oh my gosh!  It’s an infodemic!

{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }

1 WangKon936 August 9, 2008 at 1:31 am

I like this “World According to Taiwan” map.

http://img.skitch.com/20080515-aapsadu37c5ycas396u4pukff.jpg

Look at Korea… “Claims they invented everything…”

2 Zonath August 9, 2008 at 1:50 am

Holy crushing irony, Batman!

3 Keyser Soze August 9, 2008 at 2:03 am

Schadenfreude!

4 bumfromkorea August 9, 2008 at 2:19 am

Russians and Georgians are jealous of China’s success in the Olympics, so they started a war between them just to spite China!

Oh, and there’s a war between Georgians (no, not THAT Georgia) and Russians. Quite a thing to wake up to.

5 roboseyo August 9, 2008 at 2:23 am

Jesus. I think it’s now officially been proven that a good story travels farther on the internet than the truth. the rigours of jounralism just aren’t as FUN, don’t beg to be forwarded, the way a good, juicy story does.

Fiction writers will rule the future!

So is the Marmot’s Hole’s front page more than 50% news?

6 cm August 9, 2008 at 3:01 am

Guys, if you want to read another bizzar story, read this one. Remember the woman who cloned her dead dog in Seoul last week?

the story here:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=702595

There’s another twist to the story regarding this woman:

Read it here.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=707636

7 WangKon936 August 9, 2008 at 3:14 am

Can’t make that sh*t up!

8 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 3:24 am

But it does sound like someone made that sh*t up.

I saw her on TV and she sounds like a strange person, and she even announced she’s going to sell the rights to her story which made her sound like a greedy opportunist more than a sympathetic woman bound to a wheelchair.

Maybe this discussion should be carried on over here:

http://www.rjkoehler.com/2008/08/06/how-much-is-that-doggie-in-the-test-tube/

9 roboseyo August 9, 2008 at 7:42 am

hey. I think I want to start an international incident based on a made-up event.

My buddy’s ex-wife’s old college roommate’s husband totally told her that Japan is building an undersea invasion tunnel to Dokdo.

10 j August 9, 2008 at 8:08 am

@9
I think I heard something like that from my mother’s best-friend’s ex-husband’s cousin’s third wife’s second cousin’s ex-wife’s sister’s college boy-friend’s sister-in-law’s fifth cousin said that they were going to use Korean-Japanese criminals as the workers.

11 Granfalloon August 9, 2008 at 8:08 am

I’ve been saying for years that current education systems are not adequately preparing people for the information clusterf*ck that is the 21st century. In light of recent events regarding Chinese netizens, mad cows, piles of rocks, and Fox news: I told you so.

12 Tripod August 9, 2008 at 8:28 am

#6,

I was going to post something about that. I find it ironic that she really is as obsessive as cloning her dog makes her appear.

13 Tripod August 9, 2008 at 8:31 am

#6,

I’m just happy she isn’t working at a hagwon. ;)

14 abcdefg August 9, 2008 at 8:44 am

I like “infodemic”. Anyone ever see “Chinazi” used? I shall call these crazy, moronic, antagonistic, and brainwashed Chinese netizens “Chinazis” from now on.

15 WangKon936 August 9, 2008 at 8:48 am

# 6,

Does that mean only crazy or very rich ppl will seek to get their dog cloned?

16 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 8:55 am

I shall call these crazy, moronic, antagonistic, and brainwashed Korean netizens “Klemmings”.

17 WangKon936 August 9, 2008 at 8:56 am

or… Korks… South Koreans who act like North Koreans.

18 abcdefg August 9, 2008 at 8:59 am

user-81, I saw that one coming a miiiile away.

Let’s now think one up for all those obnoxious poindexters in Korea. I shall call them expanzies. Oh, damn. I’ll try again later.

19 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 9:02 am

Wouldn’t they be Skorks? Or Norsks? Wannanorks?

20 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 9:06 am

“user-81, I saw that one coming a miiiile away.”

And yet you didn’t duck. ;)

“Let’s now think one up for all those obnoxious poindexters in Korea. I shall call them expanzies. Oh, damn. I’ll try again later.”

Expanazis? Poindexpats? What’s the point you’re trying to make?

21 MigukNamja August 9, 2008 at 9:55 am

As much as we dog the Korean media for being biased, immature, and deceptive, they’ve gotten nothing on the Chinese press.

At least the Korean press has been “free” for 20+ years. The Chinese press hasn’t really every been “free”.

Also, China is itching to get back on top again after being humiliated by the West (opium wars, anyone ?) and Japan for so long. I expect more of this drum-beating and nationalism-cum-foreign-hate as China gets stronger. I then expect China to exact “retribution” if given enough of an excuse. Another China-Japan conflict is inevitable and a(nother) China-U.S. conflict (at least by proxy) is not difficult to imagine, either.

Even worse, Russia seems bent on reclaiming its past glory and will likely be able to reclaim some/much of it with rising oil prices.

Finally, the U.S. is going to have to come to grips with the fact that we/they are no longer the sole super-power.

22 gbevers August 9, 2008 at 10:07 am

Well, Korea did supposedly “Dan-o” (端午 – 단오) from China.

23 gbevers August 9, 2008 at 10:07 am

Well, Korea did supposedly get “Dan-o” (端午 – 단오) from China.

24 VG866 August 9, 2008 at 10:12 am

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dano_(Korean_festival)

Korean Dano is completely different from Chinese Dano. They only have similar names.

25 cm August 9, 2008 at 10:27 am

What probably happened was that the source of the holiday was from China over 2000 years ago. The Koreans over time, adopted it, and the Korean festivities changed over time.The Korea’s registering with UNESCO doesn’t stop China from registering their own Dano as world heritage. Despite that the original source was probably China, it’s also been Korea’s culture for centuries too. Koreans also have the right to say it’s our culture too without being accused of trying to steal Chinese culture.

26 Maekchu August 9, 2008 at 10:42 am

The Koreans are now victims of a foreign press that makes up stories, doesn’t let facts get in the way and excels in sensationalism?

I can’t decide if this is karma, irony or justice.

27 Maekchu August 9, 2008 at 10:46 am

#25…true. Don’t forget, Korea also claims hip hop as a part of their culture now too. Korea….The New Melting Pot Hub of Asia.

28 R. Elgin August 9, 2008 at 11:58 am

Again, much of this is deliberate on the part of the Chinese Government. Per Jonathan Yardley’s recent article:

Li Datong, a former editor of a top state-run magazine who lost his job after clashing with propaganda authorities, said officials in charge of mass media and the Internet try to leave little to chance. He said the country’s army of censors dipped anonymously into the Internet debate by paying part-time writers 5 mao, or about 7 cents, to steer public opinion and monitor the tone of debate online.

“Their job is to post articles on the B.B.S. to balance (affect) public opinion,” Mr. Li said, referring to the Bulletin Board System where many Internet users interact. “The netizens call them the 5 mao party. If they get a post on a B.B.S., they get 5 mao.”

This is a subtle and under-handed way of sowing prejudice against Korean news sources and cultural influences which are many times more persuasive than the lame crap put out through officially sponsored media outlets.

Consider the recent head scratching done by Chinese online regarding the success of that Gung-fu panda animated movie. Some Chinese wondered how it was that non-Chinese could use Chinese motifs so effectively — more so than the Chinese entertainment establishment.

29 R. Elgin August 9, 2008 at 12:02 pm

As per the Yardley quote above, what Chinese media authorities can not control, they seek to minimize, censor or discredit in any manner they can.

Many Chinese who prowl the internet are thus distrustful of any source of information because of this wall of media distortion they must deal with.

30 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 12:20 pm

“Despite that the original source was probably China, it’s also been Korea’s culture for centuries too. Koreans also have the right to say it’s our culture too without being accused of trying to steal Chinese culture.”

Canadians stole Thanksgiving from the Americans. That makes me mad. What do they have to be thankful for?

On second thought, maybe we stole it from them. After all, theirs comes in October but ours doesn’t come until November.

Koreans have been trying to steal it when they retool Chuseok as Korean Thanksgiving. A-holes!

31 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 12:21 pm

“Their job is to post articles on the B.B.S. to balance (affect) public opinion”

In China, BBS = belligerent bullsh**

32 dda August 9, 2008 at 12:38 pm

In the title: “Netziens”. What was that about spelling…?

33 Fan Death Avenger August 9, 2008 at 2:10 pm

“Some irresponsible Chinese bloggers are hurting the Korea-China relationship,” he recalled in an e-mail at the time.”

I’m laughing my ass off.

Chinese bloggers using Internet and media to hurt Korea-China relationship with their lies: bad

Korean bloggers using Internet and media to hurt the Korea-US relationship with their lies: good

Got it.

34 squatch August 9, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Just wondering, were there any wide-spread instances of arrogant behavior by Korean businessmen or tourists in China? When interacting with the Chinese, did Koreans treat them like equals, or treat them like inferiors in need of Korean guidance?

35 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 3:04 pm

#34, Squatch, I’ve heard lots of stories about how some Korean managers are cruel to their workers. Korean media reports it sometimes. That could be a reason for the hate-on, but now I wonder how accurate some of the stories are.

36 Austin August 9, 2008 at 3:07 pm

#21, Russia has a past glory?

37 user-81 August 9, 2008 at 4:02 pm

#36, Austin, you shut up. It’s things like that that makes Moscow invade Georgia.

38 cm August 9, 2008 at 6:28 pm

“Korean bloggers using Internet and media to hurt the Korea-US relationship with their lies: good”

Who said that was good?

39 Zonath August 10, 2008 at 1:35 am

Well, Korea did supposedly get “Dan-o” (端午 – 단오) from China.

No way man… Dano is from Hawaii. Everyone knows that.

Korean bloggers using Internet and media to hurt the Korea-US relationship with their lies: good

They’re “fighting for democracy” so that the “will of the people will be heard,” not what you said.

40 Fan Death Avenger August 10, 2008 at 12:09 pm

38, No one SAID it was good, but judging by the attitudes of the various anti-2MB and anti-US factions behind the recent spate of violent demonstrations, it’s obvious that’s what they believe.

41 NES August 11, 2008 at 11:08 am

@26 Maekchu

The Koreans are now victims of a foreign press that makes up stories, doesn’t let facts get in the way and excels in sensationalism?

I can’t decide if this is karma, irony or justice.

I choose, “D. All of the above.”

42 NES August 11, 2008 at 11:12 am

@39 Zonath

No way man… Dano is from Hawaii. Everyone knows that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AepyGm9Me6w

43 Jerry August 12, 2008 at 3:53 am

IMO the modern story of double-fith (Duanwu) festival is silly. Some suicidal poet drowns himself in a river, and we eat sticy rice in rememberance? IMO the tradition is probably from ancient human sacrificial ritual 4,000-2,000 years ago, when they used to throw people into the river as human sacrifice to river deities. After Ximen Bao of Wei convinced people to stop the pratice, they changed the nature of the “holiday”.

http://www.asiawind.com/pub/forum/fhakka/mhonarc/msg00804.html

44 WangKon936 August 12, 2008 at 4:22 am

Kinda like Christmas (Nimrod’s birthday) and Easter (Ester’s birthday).

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