As chronicled here, the Korean government got hot under the collar about a textbook in Singapore using a seemingly stock image of a homeless guy who coincidentally was taken in Seoul. Well the South Korean foreign ministry racks a win:
“We received an answer from Singapore’s Ministry of Education that it will substitute the picture with another one in the new textbook planned for print in November next year,” South Korea’s Embassy in Singapore said
What gets me is this statement:
The official said that Singapore will not use a Korean picture again as the textbook explains the types of housing in the world in general terms.
If I were a Korean official, this would worry me more than the homeless guy. This means that no positive photos of Korean housing will appear either. Remember the Korean government promoting Korean technology for “intelligent” housing? Its not going to make it. How about something even more basic, like the expansive post-war growth of Korea, and the government’s efforts to provide affordable housing? Nope that is not going to make it. Sure they may have happened, but Singapore is likely to use other examples.
We can take this further. What about all the other stock photos of Korea that could be used in Singapore’s textbooks. What are the chances of them being used? Photos of modern Seoul illustrating the development of Asia post-WWII? Photos of Korean cell phones to illustrate the use of radio waves? A Hyundai factory to illustrate the role of mechanization and technology? The Daewoo shipyard to show how increasing global trade can grow an economy? Moving to the shoes of Singapore official I would shrug my shoulders and write off giving any image of Korea, lest offending the country.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Is it true Korea’s foreign minister used the traditional Korean method of lobbying, by sending him three hundred e-mails a day?
What about my friend Kim Yong Gil – a picture of him chugging makkoli and flinging the yut sticks is representative of rural Korea, isn’t it?
Posting in a troll thread without being trolled.
Completely lame. But just to be clear I don’t think they’re saying they’ll never use a photo of Korea again, just won’t use it to illustrate a type of housing in the future. It’d be great, though, if the book just left Korea out all together from here on out. Give these VANKers something to cry about.
They should use a Korean example of outdoor litter, with an empty soju bottle, in their next edition of the textbook in the chapter on the environment. They should do something like this once a year just to twist MOFAT’s nipples. “Oops, that’s Korean? How did that get in, la?”
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