The American professor who left Korea rather than be detained further pending a review for deportation after it was discovered he’d been convicted in 1997 for inappropriate behavior with girls under the age of 14 wants to sue the Justice Ministry for the right to return to Korea and get his job back:
An American professor, who was forced to leave South Korea due to a past child molestation conviction in the United States, plans to file a lawsuit against the Korean immigration authorities.
“I will fight against the Immigration Office for my right to return to Korea and take my job back. My university still wants to work with me,” Mark McDowell, an English professor at Hannam University in Daejeon, told The Korea Times in a telephone interview, Tuesday.
Korean authorities recently discovered that McDowell had been convicted of child molestation in 1996 when he was a middle school teacher in the United States. He was jailed for six months in 1997 for inappropriate behavior with girls under the age of 14.
McDowell has taught English in Korea as a teacher and professor for the last 10 years.
He claims his lawyer did not file a formal objection to deportation on time, and he wants to know how horrible Immigration has treated him:
The professor said he was unfairly treated by the Immigration Office. “My convictions have been legally expunged, meaning I no longer even have to say I was convicted of anything at all. I have had no trouble in Korea for nearly 10 years. I appeal to Korean people for their support in fighting this evil thing that the Immigration Office has done to me,” McDowell said in an email.
“I want the people to know the truth, and the horrible way the office has treated me. The office threatened to lock me up for the duration of my ‘formal objection to deportation,’” he said. “That’s is completely illegal because it can only send people to its detention center if they have good reason to believe that person will flee.”
I’m not sure if that last part is true, but I wouldn’t count on a a lot of Korean support… expunged record or not. For that matter, don’t count on a lot of expat support, either.
Anyway, legal struggles require money, and he’s taking donations:
McDowell is now staying in another Asian nation. He is seeking donations to file a “Writ of Habeas Corpus” to challenge the original convictions by hiring an attorney in the United States, which costs over $10,000.
How to send money was not included in the article.
When this story first broke, “The Guy” — who I’m pretty certain is the actual guy — recounted in the comment section his version of what happened to earn his conviction on three counts of “Child Annoyance and Molestation.” Read it and draw your own judgments.
{ 116 comments… read them below or add one }
I hope he writes a comment and tells us what he’s really doing. Not that I don’t have faith in the good old KT to get the story right, of course. I just think it would be good to get it from the horse’s mouth.
Irrespective of previous discussion here on his guilt or innocence (and general creepiness…) on alleged past transgressions, it would seem that any battle against the Korean authorities on this type of issue should be of interest to people in this community. If he is going to fight (waste of time), and he did manage to have success (super long-shot to not-gonnna-happen), it would have a bearing on immigration and deportation.
Personally, my thought is that you can’t fight City Hall. Put aside the personal outrage and get on with life elsewhere (not to mention saving the 10K+ that you apparently don’t have).
I appeal to Korean people for their support in fighting this evil thing that the Immigration Office has done to me,” McDowell said in an email.
Good luck with that.
Fuck that shit… You’re upset how Immigration treated you? How does the child you raped feel about how you treated him/her?
If McDowell’s side of the story was true, then I think he was guilty of a spectacular error of judgement in his actions. It would be a damn shame if that followed him about for the rest of his life, but would ultimately lead one to the conclusion that he maybe shouldn’t be a teacher. I’m afraid it’s one of those professions where there should not a shadow of doubt surrounding one’s credibility, regardless of what age group is being taught.
As for the purely legal argument, then it doesn’t exactly sound like the correct process has been followed. I have heard of judges being lenient and/ or reasonable with foreigners here in the past, but I can’t help thinking that it’s one which should be walked away from. I think that maybe the university saying that they want to continue working with him is just another example of people telling you what they think you want to hear.
dude 1…an unbelievably crass comment. Check out the original story.
He failed to mention the six months he served in prison in the comment section. Anyway, one Canadian told me a story of going to a football game in Buffalo. At the border, one of his friends was stopped because he had a criminal record and not allowed to cross. However, it was under the young offenders act and should have been wiped clean already. The man was puzzled how the Americans knew and had kept it on file. This was probably ten years or more ago.
If Korean immigration wants to set the rules that anyone (basically) accused or convicted of a crime can’t teach, that’s their choice. What does the law actually include though?
I would like to see immigration become much more transparent following clear rules and not just whatever one officer feels like that day. I have to say the Seoul’s is head and shoulders above Suwon’s office.
I would be concerned that there is no protection for foreigners if they were falsely accused here. What would you do if it happened to you because one vengeful student wanted to feel better about themselves by falsely accusing you? People would rather point their finger than to say thank you.
It’s true, when Seoul renew your visa they print the exit date on your alien card, while Suwon write it in pen. Similarly, I have had different treatment from immigration officers on the same day in the Seoul office, and received conflicting information over the phone. That’s understandable and I’ve had similar experiences with bureaucracy in my own country, but it’s pretty serious if you can only take it to litigation after you get deported.
I think there ARE legal issues worth looking at here, regardless of what you think of the actual offender (or regardless of whether you think a school should hire him). The alleged threats to lock him up while fighting a deportation order, for instance.
yeah, that six months in jail thing really doesn’t help his case.
As a person with an extensive experience with American immigration system, let me just say… Cry me a fucking river. Every other time when I travel outside of the country I get detained for hours because some dipshit thinks my green card looks funny. The twelve years I lived here, my social security card and driver’s license, and the Esq. behind my name on my business card do not matter one bit to those fucking assholes. There are no people I hate more than the USCIS people… They make me want to give a slobbering kiss to all IRS auditors.
I agree with Scotty. I have some sympathy for someone who showed some poor judgment and continues to pay for it years down the road. But considering how many foreigners get accused of things they didn’t actually do, I can’t bring myself to rally around someone who knows he did things he shouldn’t have.
It all comes down to how much people want to push the system here and fight for rights that we should be entitled to as residents, and I don’t just refer to legal rights here either. There is a right for legal AND social acceptance, so long as Korea continues to require English teachers. I’m sick of being treated as a necessary evil, and God forbid I should demand any kind of rights.
However, most of us English teachers can just walk away. Spare a thought for the other Asian immigrants who do the ddd jobs, or get imported as brides for otherwise unmarriable Koreans. They maybe don’t have that luxury, and I would like to think that any legal challenges made would have a beneficial affect for them.
I have some questions for Mr. McDowell:
Was your conviction on misdemeanor charges of “child annoyance and molestation” a plea-bargain, or compromise to avoid trial on felony charges?
What state were you convicted in, and what does that state’s code say about expungement of criminal records? In most states, the expungement of a conviction doesn’t mean that it won’t remain on a criminal-records check for official employment, only that the state won’t reveal the conviction to a private party. Korea’s inquiry into criminal records is a state-to-state inquiry — why do you think it shouldn’t have been revealed to Korean public officials if it would be made available to Federal or US state authorities?
(For example, when arrested for another crime in the future, the expunged conviction would be available to law-enforcement officers, and to the court. When applying for government employment, or a security clearance, the expunged conviction would be available as part of the background check — and it would be a big mistake to have answered “no” to the question Have you ever been convicted of a crime?)
What is the basis for expungement of your criminal conviction?
Did you appeal your conviction? If you appealed, what was the result of the appeal?
What is the basis in Korean laws for you to believe that expunged criminal records should not be relevant to the Justice Ministry’s administrative determination to allow or deny entry to non-citizens?
What is the basis in Korean laws for your “right” to employment with the university, if you are an excludable non-citizen?
Why do you believe a writ of habeas corpus is the appropriate remedy for your past conviction? I’m not a criminal specialist, but my understanding is a writ of habeas corpus is a safeguard against unlawful imprisonment. Why is it relevant if you are no longer imprisoned?
#3 – “If McDowell’s side of the story was true, then I think he was guilty of a spectacular error of judgement in his actions. It would be a damn shame if that followed him about for the rest of his life, but would ultimately lead one to the conclusion that he maybe shouldn’t be a teacher. I’m afraid it’s one of those professions where there should not a shadow of doubt surrounding one’s credibility, regardless of what age group is being taught.”
Well put.
I googled this guy. He has a website:
http://marksesl.com/
He seems to be in his ’50s. Check out the photo gallery. It seems like there is an inordinate number of pictures of him and young girls. He refers to one young girl student as “my sweet friend,” which seems to me to be a questionable way for him to be thinking about a young girl. Also check out the rather weird fascination he had with a young girl ballerina in pictures from 1997.
These things might not seem so bad until you know he’s a convicted child molester. Then they become more suspicious.
He spent 6 months in prison, and as I understand it is not allowed to legally teach in the US anymore.
Why does he expect to be able to teach in Korea?
I for one am delighted to hear he got kicked out of the country. I sure hope he never worked with children here. Obviously there was still something on his record for someone to discover. If it was no longer a big deal, as he claims, it wouldn’t have been discovered. If this guy had half a brain he’d gracefully go find another line of work but it’s looking like he doesn’t.
OK, having looked at the web page I see that the errors in judgement are becoming more and more spectacular! Regardless of legal issues and fighting the good fight, this is one that should be walked away from. Quietly.
That website is crazy. Pictures of gymnasts and LITTLE Korean girls, links to stories on Britney Spears AND JonBenet Ramsey. Him on the beach with some Thai teenage girls. Guess the Koreans finally got something right.
#3 & #14:
while i agree with the basic sentiment, i do feel that you’re overstating it a bit. it almost seems like you’re saying that teachers can and should be perfect if we’re going to allow them to continue in their work. are people not allowed to make mistakes at all in their lives and then be allowed to continue? of course i’m not saying that a child molestor should be allowed to be a teacher, but what precisely is your standard for transgression? “beyond a shadow of a doubt” seems..too vague and, well, too perfect.
the world is not black and white and we all have skeletons in our closets. or, does your shit smell sweet?
His obviously keen interests in youthful females may be of grave concern for employment as an educator (or religious leader), and potentially reprehensible; HOVEVER, his very first photo-page:
http://marksesl.com/photos_page1.html
includes three shots of architectural-cultural treasures that he identifies as being in “Nam Won”, while i’d be willing to bet lotsa Sejongs that they are actually in Seoul (and quite well-known as being so).
Such uncaring sloppiness concerning Korea’s best stuff is UNFORGIVABLE. Keep his ass deported, i say!
He looks like Jimmy Swaggart.
I think you folk ought to condemn gay guys as strongly as you condemn this guy.
that’s just my 2 shits to the world.
if he was Tom Cruise, people wouldn’t call him a pedophile.
since he’s not, he should come back to America do whatever it is that it is.
Is Tom Cruise a pedophile?
wjk. Your meds. Take them.
#20 mjw
Here’s my personal code: I don’t drink during the week and I never do drugs. That way, I am of sound mind when I’m teaching. I don’t have a webpage where I post pics of myself with minors using questionable language. ALL teachers should abide by those standards.
Maybe ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’ was a bit strong, but I would generally say that any kind of conviction for criminal behaviour or violent crime would rule you out, as would belonging to extremist organisations. Similarly, strong evidence of (current) excessive drinking or any recreational drug use, would again, make one unsuitable as a teacher.
We may all have skeletons in the closet, but I’m fairly certain none of mine would come back and rule me out of teaching. How about you?
none (that would rule me out from being a teacher).
incidentally… about the photos:
can someone confirm the existence of all those creepy ones being referred to above. what I saw are some pretty run-of-the-mill ESL teacher korea-experience photos. the guy does seem a bit odd looking but for fuck sakes, that doesn’t mean anything.
erm, the bunch dedicated to a teenage gymnast? Or the link to a webpage dedicated to teh gymnast. I agree, to a point, that a lot of the content would feature on your standard esl teacher in Korea blogs. But the reference to the pre pubescent “sweet friend” and knowing what we know would lead me to conclude that he is unfit to be a teacher. And say what you like about convictions etc etc. If I was in charge of hiring and firing somewhere he applied, I would not hire him knowing what I know. And if I’d hired him unwittingly, and later found out this stuff then I would fire him.
I like some of the things on his “General Areas of Interest,” such as:
Dating and Flirting
JonBenet Ramsey
photography
have fun
adoption
“magic tricks”
He’s either in Thailand or The Philippines, I bet, hanging out looking for some Action.
I just looked at his website. LOL, looks like he has a thing for the “Wonder Girls.” That definitely doesn’t help his case. Though I’m a fan of the “Wonder Girls” also, but they’re too young so I don’t harbor any sexual fantasies about them. I bet this weirdo probably masturbates to the two youngest members of the group who are still minors. Good riddance!
————-
mjw
There is a very simple question that can be asked to make this whole situation black and white. ‘If you had a 13 year old daughter, would you want this guy teaching her?’ My answer would definitely be no.
At first, I was leaning towards cutting the guy some slack, at least until more information was forthcoming. Now I see his blog and I can honestly say I wouldn’t want him near my kids. The page with the ballerina seems to have been removed, but still the other photos and interests are way too creepy. If it is just another ‘error in judgment’, I wouldn’t want him near my kids because of the sheer stupidity of making the same mistake again and again.
Dude, you get charged for that kind of crime then post a bunch of jailbait picks on your site. . .didn’t you learn anything from your conviction?
While a point can be made about equal treatment of foreigners by government agencies, I really don’t think anyone wants to let this guy be the standard bearer.
Heehee! Kissing auditors! Classic Ask A Korean!
You have good reasons to hate these people too. Based upon what I have read, the system that handles immigration in the U.S. is in dire need of reform to prevent the deaths of more people.
FYI: United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a bureau in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Oh what a pity! He is a pervert…once a pervert always a pervert. Donate? HAHA! Dude needs to get deported…and locked up until he is deported!
I agree with juicyhumdinger; that site has some creepy shit on it. Seems like every second photo has him groping some young girl, and the lounge has links to a half naked pictire of a teenage britney spears, a weird bio on jonbenet ramsey, a dating and “flirting” section, etc etc. I’d also bet it’s been cleaned up since the kiddy fiddling charges got raised.
If he gets a cent in donations and/or wins his suit against the K Immigration depeartment I’ll have hot gay sex with a dolphin in a pool filled with pepto-bismol.
I’ve had a number of heavy-drinking teachers, most of them excellent. The only time I ever saw alcoholism as a problem was one professor who was drunk from the morning onwards and who couldn’t teach very effectively.
As far as teachers with criminal records go, it really depends on the crime. If someone was busted in their youth for possession of grass or heroin, such an indiscretion shouldn’t get in the way of them teaching. I’d agree that violent crimes could possibly disqualify someone from the profession, but again, it depends on the context.
You can’t cite anecdotal evidence of a few excellent heavy drinking teachers. There has to be a safety net and I would qualify having a drink problem as slipping through that safety net.
I think when most people read his story in the comments section before they were probably picturing some 23 year old idiot, fresh out of teacher’s college, not a man in his mid-40′s. Obviously, after viewing the website, anybody in their right mind is going to stop supporting him. Even if there was just one picture of that gymnast with her legs spread wide, that would be enough for me.
But I still think it is a bit odd how quick so many people were to defend him. I mean, I understand that there is the fear that it could unfairly happen to you. But christ, the man was fired (and sent to jail, we now know), and the story was dirty, if milder than one might have expected. I’m not saying that
one should immediately assume that someone is guilty of something if they are accused, but by the same token, why assume that they aren’t???
That website was some creepy shit alright.
I gotta wonder why he’s so desperate to stay in Korea? Has he already been banned from teaching in the other Asian countries with naive young girls?
I’m waiting for the shit storm when KBS starts airing those photos on his site…
I for one find it absolutely disgusting that a convicted dickface like him can use Korea as a backup career plan that allowed him to become no less than a goddamn professor.
No more words from me on this matter, but only because America saved Korea from Kim Il Sung.
He would probably get a fairer trial by jury in Korea than here in the Hole.
Pictures with students and a page dedicated to an Olympic champion gymnast.
Not damning but not really helping I suppose.
No, his personal website surely doesn’t help. And his supposed demands here in Korea aren’t really all that reasonable either — I don’t think he has a leg to stand on. The Justice Ministry can exclude whoever the hell they want — just like USCIS can too. Seems like he got himself lulled into a sense of security by the idea that “the Koreans can’t find out” what would turn the hair white of a superintendent of a school district in the States.
Every time that appears in a comment, I imagine somebody from Gaesomoon trying to work out a translation in his head.
Heres and interesting tibit. When charges are filed, plea aggreements/court cases are finalized, and records are suppose to be sealed/expunged, but guess what, they never are. Records are kept, hidden from the public but when the law wants your ass, or records check it shows up. You can run but you cant hide.
Is this the same guy? http://profiles.friendster.com/48534774
Good riddance! Sadly, that guy is not uncommon. What’s laughable is he seems to have tried to recreate Dave’s ESL Cafe. Sorry dude! Wondergirls videos aren’t going to help. He looks like a total creep.
Korea’s inquiry into criminal records is a state-to-state inquiry —
Oh great. The sovereign nation of the Republic of Korea is basically just another “state” in dealing with Imperial America in matters of jurisprudence. Beware, present and future miscreants, the long arm of the Law reaches far and wide into every nook and cranny of the Empire.
Are you serious? You’re not familiar with the use of the word “state” to mean “nation”? I thought you were sort of an educated guy.
Apparently, “The Guy” was accused of offering money to some of his young female students in return for touching them. He says that it didn’t happen that way, and here is part of the self-defense posted by “The Guy” in the link provided by Robert Koehler:
“I was not offering the girls money, they where harassing me for money and came up and surrounded me at my desk. They wanted me to touch there (sic. “their”) legs in exchange for a dollar, but I refused. One then picked up my hand and placed it on her knee and I just gave her a single pat; she then harassed me for a dollar until I gave it to her. Another girl wanted me to touch her stomach, but I absolutely refused. These girls went out bragging about what went on, so later a friend of theirs came into my room and nagged me for a dollar for almost the entire period, constantly sticking our her hand. I finally held out a dollar, but shook her outstretched hand while giving it to her, so I momentarily touched her hand. Another girl asked if I ever had sex in water; I simply replied (trying to be funny) ‘I don’t have sex because my mommy would spank me’.”
Quite aside from the issue of criminality, these words of ‘self-defense’ show that “The Guy” should not be teaching girls.
Any male teacher ‘surrounded’ at his desk should simply order the girls to leave. That failing, he should himself leave.
Instead, “The Guy” presents himself as a helpless victim who cannot prevent a girl from picking up his hand and placing it on her knee? And he is forced to “pat” her knee? And he replies to a question about sex by stating, “I don’t have sex because my mommy would spank me”?
His own words of ‘self-defense’ raise grave suspicions. I wouldn’t let this guy anywhere near my 12-year-old daughter, and he shouldn’t be teaching girls at all if he isn’t mature enough to behave like an adult.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
NK, I generally like what you have to say, but “state” here is a term of art for “government”. There is no attempt to equate Korea with New Jersey, if that’s what you are thinking of.
This guy shouldn’t be allowed to be in Korea, should he? We wouldn’t want him around society in Australia, France, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the U.S., heck – Burkina Faso…the list goes on. This fellow is a pervert (and not the good kind, either) who is under the misapprehension that a sovereign state (sorry, NK!) cannot get rid of his alien self.
Man, the sheer hubris of the situation itself, not to mention his highly inappropriate behavior in a professional situation and his continuing sense of entitlement. Nope, I’d be playing the NIMBY card, too.
That made my morning. Thanks.
Stunning silence from NK there….
There was enough ambiguity in the context of barrister Carr’s prose to make one think he may have meant “state” and not “State”.
At any rate, I merely seized upon that small snippet of barrister Carr’s interrogation as a convenient setup for one my “American Empire” spiels…. whether he originally meant “state” or “State” is irrelevant.
No, I’m not pro Mark McDowell, but this thread including myself sounds eerily similar to a bunch of scheming Korean netizens up to no good…
theKorean’s theory of expat assimilation?
Uh oh.
HAHAHAHA thanks for proving my point JW.
BTW, I came across Dennis Mangan’s blog because he linked one of my posts to disparage you in his immigration stuff. So I gave him my preferred immigration policy. This should be interesting.
But isn’t that the whole point—the teachers were experienced and good at their job. What they did in their spare time was no-one’s business as long as the job got done. Can you imagine how many people you’d have to fire under your Taliban-like safety net?
Good teachers are hard to find. Please don’t make it harder with your misguided Puritanism.
Taliban, Puritanism, what a hysterical person you are!
I have to say, lots of interesting stuff in those debates with JW… not that it has anything to do with the thread:
http://malcolmpollack.com/2009/01/26/an-immodest-proposal/
http://mangans.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-argument-against-immigration.html
And then we have these links, which somebody on Dave’s dug up:
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/2402/index.html
This one scares me:
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/2402/mark.html
If anyone is interested you can search the Sex Offender Registry in California. Search by name “Mark McDowell”.
Two offenses come back.
Here is the link:
http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/
Hey TK,
Dennis Mangan is a fan of your blog I guess? COOOL.
Hey Robert,
Interesting paper I’m reading by Robert Putnam (see below), tipped off by a commenter over at Mr. Pollack’s. I hope you don’t think I’m actively supporting Yellow Supremacy, though I can’t say much about what’s *really* going on inside…
http://www.utoronto.ca/ethnicstudies/Putnam.pdf
#61 — That’s NOT him. And I doubt, with his record expunged, he’d be listed there anyway.
#63 Maybe that is him. It shows that Mark McDowell is an alias and Mark Holland is his real name. I think the only source for the belief that his record was expunged is his self-serving statement to that effect. Why believe him? The physical desciption given in the sex offender website seems to match his pictures.
Not sure if it is him or not but if you look at the “know alias” tab, it lists his last name as McDowell.
Also, how does anyone know that his record was expunged? I find it hard to believe in this day and age that a sex offense would be expunged.
JW,
Only to the extent where I point out Korean people’s racism. I doubt he would be very fond of rest of the stuff I write.
#63 Actually you’re probably right. I googled Mark Holland McDowell and found a different sex offender. See:
http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2007/06/youth-pastor-charged-with-molestation.html
Here’s a good link which McDowell has posted about his case:
http://pedophileophobia.com/my%20case.htm
When this story first came out a few weeks ago I thought maybe this guy was genuine and it just a witch hunt on a guy who made a foolish mistake in the past but wasn’t a danger to children.
Then, I saw his website and got the chilling feeling that this guy’s as innocent as OJ. I suggest he drop the lawsuit, leave Korea and move on with his life – hopefully to a career not involving children.
I know I’m right — the guy who pops up at the Megan’s Law site (Mark Holland McDowell) is still in jail.
@69
Absolutely he should go back to the States and try and find the real molesters. Him and WJK can team up.
@ 61 Markus “Mark” Holland McDowell is not The Guy.
http://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/news/2008/1031/community/013.html
but The Guy does host the website:
http://pedophileophobia.com/my%20case.htm
For more info on him and his website:
http://j135jkc.blogspot.com/2008/05/megans-law-ab-488.html
this site says:
“Mark McDowell is a previously convicted sex offender who speaks out against Megan’s Law, suggesting it violates the rights of those who have to register as sex offenders. “Megan’s Law is ‘knee-jerk’ politics and should be abolished,” McDowell said. “It does no good and is completely unconstitutional.”
As an advocate, McDowell runs a website called pedophileophobia.com. It mentions his case and examines several pedophilia issues. “Anyone who has served his sentence should be allowed to have those convictions ‘set-aside’ and have his or her life ‘normalized,’” McDowell said.
McDowell has relocated to Asia because he had trouble finding gainful employment in the U.S. after losing his California teaching credentials.”
#68 — I just read that site… and I’m speechless. Absolutely speechless.
This, too:
http://j135jkc.blogspot.com/2008/05/megans-law-ab-488.html
From “My Case” at McDowell’s website:
http://pedophileophobia.com/my%20case.htm
“Defendant’s supposed proclivity for attraction to young girls was evidenced by a web site that he maintained for the world renowned gymnast Dominique Moceanu, that had a head-to-waist picture of the famous gymnast on it.”
http://marksesl.com/dominique.html
It’s disturbing how you get cases of people who’ve actually been convicted of molestation, or sometimes repeatedly fired in suspicious circumstances, yet continue to be hired for jobs that bring them into contact with minors. There should be a simple way for anyone hiring people for work with kids to check them for convictions, and failure to carry out this check, as well as other reference checks, should itself carry a penalty. This should be the case in Korea, America, and every country.
Our lawmakers and governments are remiss.
Wow. I looked at his personal site, and I have to say it rang alarm bells. Rang them loudly. If I was a betting man, I would say this guy is a sicko. If that makes me judgmental, I don’t care. Kids have to be protected, and that is more important.
Personally, I don’t think anyone who has a conviction for inappropriate behavior with kids should be permitted to teach or hold a job that puts them in potentially problematic positions of power over children.
Oh my god, you guys are excellent internet detectives! This explains why The Guy is so intent on staying in Korea. He doesn’t want to go back to the US and have to re-register as a sex offender.
Oh man, he is so sunk. There is no ambiguity about this. Even if he’s just extremely stupid about situations involving young girls and is not sexually attracted to them, he has dug himself a hole too deep to step out of.
Sorry The Guy. Maybe a research stint in Antarctica is in order?
His web site is disturbing! Apparently he does have a thing for young girls and partying with his “students”. Also note on his web site the beach pictures are in Boracay. I bet you that his “girl friend” is about 20 – 24 yrs old and he met her from one of the 2 Filipina match-up (beggars looking for sugardaddy) sites.
Dudes,
I read your posts and i agree, that guy looks toast. He may be a pedophile, but i lloked at his website and some of his links and your suspicions seem rather blown out of proportion. I mean from his home page you can see he’s attracted to young (in their twenties) women, like most middle aged men are. His photo of the kid student looks somewhat suspicious – but it can also be that it was just a typical student-teacher relationship. As for the gymnast photos, I’d consider those the most suspicious, except that he says at one point that the gymnast’s mom gave him permission to take the pics (true? don’t know). The case he was convicted of (i sort of skimmed through the link) – well, it just seems like he was kinda dumb to get into that situation.
All in all, perhaps it is better he’s gone; he’s certainly not a guy you’d want as a poster child for ESL teachers… but let’s not jump to conclusions here and let’s not appeal to our inner Sherlock Holmes so quickly. Isn’t this ‘jumping to conclusions’ one of things that irritated you guys during the mad-cow fiasco?
@79,
Well said. You can’t diagnose pedophilia from looking at somebody’s website. Still, if I were arrested on a DUI and suspected of being an alcoholic, I might not want to post a buncha pictures of me shooting Stoli.
The BEST CASE SCENARIO is that this guy is unprofessional, and a moron. Should he lose his job? Korean authorities seem to think so. And while I’m usually the first person to rage against the unfairness of Korean authorities, I think I’ll take a pass on defending this guy.
#72,
Gee…and to think that “The Guy” was wondering how Immigration had found out.
That’s basically how I feel. Even IF we give him the benefit of the doubt (and frankly, after reading his advocacy site, I’m not particularly inclined to do so), his judgment leaves a lot to be desired.
I couldnt find him on any sex offender registry, but I think he’s on some pedophile registry website! This is him right? http://wikisposure.com/Mark_McDowell
Wow! “The GUY” is quite a scum bag.
I have a question after reading the wikisposure site that stated, “Some of the victims later filed and won a civil suit against the Los Angeles School District.”
Would the school (Hannam University) Mark McDowell worked at in Korea be financially liable for any illegal acts done by him in Korea? The only reason this guy – “the guy” was in Korea was because a school sponsored his visa and did not take the time to do a proper criminal background check.
If Hannam University sponsored his visa doesn’t it mean that they have at least some responsibility for his actions in Korea?
no man, those wily foreigners completely trick the unsuspecting innocent Koreans every time. You can’t hold the Koreans responsible for what foreigners do, that’s just crazytalk!
Actually, in all seriousness I think the only way to increase the quality of English teachers, and therefore English education, in Korea is to hold the institutions accountable for things like this. If schools can be fined and possibly have their licenses revoked for hiring teachers that violate immigration requirements, and immigration requirements can be made to require a competent and skilled teacher, then they’ll be getting somewhere.
He says “My university still wants to work with me” Why would they want to? That doesn’t make sense.
Hello.
As a current professor teaching at Han Nam University I would just like to say that Han Nam University is a Christian school that maintains very high values. It was founded by Dr. William A. Linton in 1956 and many of its staff played a prominent role in the fight for democracy during the seventies and eighties.
I have worked there for two and a half years and I can honestly say that the students are some of the best I have ever taught. I consider myself a professional and I am proud of my department, my co-workers and the other Korean professors. Han Nam has been very good to my family. It is the best place I have worked at in my eleven years in South Korea.
I never met “the guy” in question nor do I know what department he worked in at Han Nam University. I sure as hell don’t know how he got hired. All I can say is I think I speak for everyone at Han Nam University in hoping that this all disappears and that the perverted bastard goes away and stays away forever.
Peace.
Nice to hear that.
Any possibility that he can go find a teaching job in some other Asian country now? What about teaching in one of those hagwons? As a private tutor? He was already doing that, it looks like.
I hope the news picks this up more so that people can get warned about him.
I’m not sure how much drinking it would take for Scotty to deem someone alcoholic, but it’s worth remembering that the average alcohol intake in Korea is such that probably plenty of native teachers would lose their jobs as well. (I can’t speak for all teachers, of course, but the high school teachers who took me out at the end of a stint doing classes in Jeonju told me an earful about their drinking habits. I was somewhat shocked, and trust me, I’m no longer easily shocked. Don’t get me started on what I’ve heard about the drinking habits of off-duty doctors!)
Which is not to say I exactly disagree with Scotty. Many people who have an unaddressed drinking problem (or other addiction) often cannot help but perform, well, poorly. At least more poorly than they otherwise would. Whether they perform more poorly than their non-alcoholic peers is another question, though, and maybe an important one given the acknowledged gap between credentials and performance or efficiency in the Korean workforce in general.
As for this McDowell freakshow, regardless of the kneejerk reaction for or against, the best thing you can do is imagine a very nice, liberal, open-minded Korean family with a prepubescent daughter who might reasonably be imagined encountering him alone, say, on the way home from school. Do you think they ought to just trust him because nobody bothered to Google his name when he was hired? If you can’t make the leap in your imagination, reverse it: a Korean is emigrating to your country with this kind of criminal record. Do you want him in the classroom where your students will study? Do you want him wandering your neighborhood and chatting up the twelve-year-olds? Do you think the government should let him in, or let him stay, because he happens to feel entitled to it?
Making a mistake that haunts you? We’ve all done that. (Hell, my choice of dinner is haunting me, groan. All salad… bad idea.) But it’s worth thinking about what mistake means. This is not, “Ooops!” as much as it is, “Goddamn, man, how did you let that happen?” It’s a fundamentally screwed-up choice of how to handle a situation that a competent teacher would have avoided to begin with.
Sometimes I feel like we need a failblog just for these expat news stories.
Oops. Photo embed fail. Here’s a direct link.
Argh!
Dear Paul Hewson
You talk about Hannam being a Christian school with high values, so then why are you there?? What Christian with high values would call someone a “perverted bastard”? You’re truly sick and the students there deserve better. My students loved me and gave me the highest of marks. Hannam wanted very much to rehire me, and I received nothing but compliments. How did you get hired is the question? I’m going to send your demented comments to the university officials.
Oh, and Peach to you too, you psycho.
ah Peace not Peach.. God! How in the world can anyone wish people “Peace” after posting a message like that? This proves you’re nothing but a hypocrite and have no business teaching there.
Someone posted that the girls won a lawsuit against the L.A. Unified School District. They did not win; it was settled out of court. It never went to trial, and the suit against me was dismissed when I refused to settle.
The girls are a pack of liars and deserved nothing, but in this day of pedophileophobic lunatics like you, no sexual abuse suit can get a fair trial, so naturally any school district would want to settle and avoid what may be a huge award.
The trial judge, John Gunn, ruled that I did not have to register as a sex offender past my probationary period. Naturally, since I don’t presently live in California, I would not have to register anyway. If you don’t live there, you don’t have to register – you morons! And, if I did live there and had to register, misdemeanors offenders do not have to be published on the California sex offender web site. Anyway, you can stop wasting your time searching – I’m not there. In addition, after 10 years one can request a systemic pardon from the governor, but 5 of those ten years (the last five) must have been lived in the state. Consequently, the only thing standing in the way of me receiving a full pardon is the five year residency requirement. .
There is nothing at all wrong with my personal website http://www.marksesl.com. If anyone thinks so, then they’re the perverts, see Rorschach’s inkblot tests. You’re only seeing what’s in your own filthy minds, not what’s actually there. I’m the one “left speechless.” Am I supposed to have molested Britney Spears?? Was I accused of molesting Sarah, “my sweet little friend,”whos family like me so much after teaching Sarah in Nam Won that they invited me to their hometown and took me on a tour. Did I molest the Wonder Girls, who happen the be the hottest thing going in Korea at the moment and earned over twelve-million dollars last year. Did I molest Karen, my girlfriend, whom I’m putting though nursing school. Karen’s father was murdered when she was only 6 months old! Her mother couldn’t afford to raise her, so she was raised by her grandmother instead. I took over her support three years ago and due to my kindness and generosity, she’ll be graduating from Pope John Paul II School of Nursing in April, and have a chance at life. I guess you psycho bastards can’t understand such kindness, but I wouldn’t expect you to. I really wouldn’t mind meeting some of you moronic piles of human garbage in person and … . Why don’t you simple minded, pedophileophobic morons stop your juvenile and pathetic witch hunt and start doing something constructive for someone somewhere in the world some good??
Oh, and why did Hannam University hire me? Well perhaps it’s because I graduated Cum Laude from both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree program from Calif. State University, and have the Cambridge CELTA, earned at Yonsei University. I also have the Norwood TESL cert; and had six years previous university experience in Korea with the highest of comments on letters of recommendation. Do you think maybe that would qualify me??????????
I certainly did not break any immigration rules simply because an E-1 visa does not require a criminal back-ground check. I never lied to anyone. Also, the convictions were legally expunged in 2002, so I am no longer guilty. My having to leave Korea is utterly groundless, and no complaints were ever made of me by anyone. I was just minding my own business doing my fucking job at Hannam when some asshole decided to tell immigration. Hannam liked my work based on student reviews and wanted to rehire me. No student at Hannam ever claimed I sexually harassed her. There is absolutely no rational reason what-so-ever why I should not have just been allowed to continue working in Korea at Hannam. With the exception of the a few level headed people on this forum, the majority of the posters here are a disgrace to the human race and have no business being involved with teaching anyone anything, since you have no sense of ethics, are just simpleton hate mongers, and have no ability to reason properly.
“Since you have no sense of ethics, are just simpleton hate mongers, and have no ability to reason properly.”
Everyone this nugget is addressed to should wear it as a badge of honour.
well, there you have it. yet just like blagojevich, the more you speak the guiltier you sound.
this dude’s hilarious…
…until you think about it a few moments longer. Then you want some guy in a helicopter to shoot a really big radiotracking tag into him.
Why don’t you simple minded, pedophileophobic morons stop your juvenile and pathetic witch hunt and start doing something constructive for someone somewhere in the world some good??
Yeah, like running a website defending pedophilia.
Dear Grown Man who writes letters to a pre-teen gymnast and posts pictures of that gymnast spread eagle on his personal website:
I believe in your innocence, and in that spirit I post this link to another innocent man wrongly accused, Sir Norman Fry…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72ZO6w0rl6Y
Yo, kiddie diddler,
If being a pedophileophobic lunatic is wrong, I don’t wanna be right ~~~
You’re in the Philippines now? Lemme guess — next stop, Cambodia?
The Guy,
The first thing you need to do is stop posting on this site. Nothing you can say here can help you, and anything that you do say could be the rope you hang yourself with. It doesn’t matter whether you are innocent or not.
I think we should all write to the advertisers of marksesl.com warning them of what they’re dealing with. Interestingly, my school’s net-nanny is blocking his website, but I’ll be sure to do so the next time I have some time to kill at another computer.
Perhaps someone with decent Korean could also send them a letter in Hanguel.
Mark, since you fail to understand the immorality of what you’ve done do you understand physical threats?
The Guy…
Defend your lack of judgememt, according to your original post. When you gave the girls money…explain that. Then start telling people who should and shouldn’t be teaching.
Just look at the simple facts behind this case:
- He was convicted on several accounts of molestation in the US and given a nine-month prison sentence, of which he served six.
- Unable to teach in the US, he came to Korea to teach. Unlike he’s claimed, this also included teaching children.
- Under new laws (finally) barring those with serious criminal records from teaching in Korea, he is deported.
I say great, good ridence, and things like this make my having to make a special trip back to Canada last year just to get an updated criminal record check seem worthwhile, if it keeps creeps like this out of Korea. I hope that Mr McDowell knows that his type are most certainly not welcome here and those of us in the foreign teaching community here will do our utmost to keep criminals like him out.
Yu Bum Suk February 10, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I think we should all write to the advertisers of marksesl.com warning them of what they’re dealing with. Interestingly, my school’s net-nanny is blocking his website, but I’ll be sure to do so the next time I have some time to kill at another computer.
Perhaps someone with decent Korean could also send them a letter in Hanguel.
Mark, since you fail to understand the immorality of what you’ve done do you understand physical threats?
You’re a real piece of shit. You’re theatening me. I should inform the police.
- Under new laws (finally) barring those with serious criminal records from teaching in Korea, he is deported.
I say great, good ridence, and things like this make my having to make a special trip back to Canada last year just to get an updated criminal record check seem worthwhile, if it keeps creeps like this out of Korea. I hope that Mr McDowell knows that his type are most certainly not welcome here and those of us in the foreign teaching community here will do our utmost to keep criminals like him out.
This moron thinks a misdemeanor is a serious crime. One more moron to deal with.
Scotty February 10, 2009 at 3:53 pm
The Guy…
Defend your lack of judgememt, according to your original post. When you gave the girls money…explain that. Then start telling people who should and shouldn’t be teaching.
Just giving money? What wrong with that. Anyway there were about eight girls around my desk all excited and wanting to do this and encourage what when on and saying lets hold up something to block the view and I told them no, but they did it anyway. If you’re beyond manipulation then shut the fuck up.
Oh, goody. You’re back. No doubt t_song is right now gobbling this thread up. White? yep. Teacher? yep. Child molester? yep.
Oh well, I guess we have to give Song this round. Better luck next week, fellow whiteys.
Iceberg February 9, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Why don’t you simple minded, pedophileophobic morons stop your juvenile and pathetic witch hunt and start doing something constructive for someone somewhere in the world some good??
Yeah, like running a website defending pedophilia.
There is not a word on that site that defends pedophilia you moron.
88 bigbird January 31, 2009 at 1:23 am
Nice to hear that.
Any possibility that he can go find a teaching job in some other Asian country now? What about teaching in one of those hagwons? As a private tutor? He was already doing that, it looks like.
I hope the news picks this up more so that people can get warned about him.
This simpleton bastard couldn’t care less that in 10 years of teaching in Korea there were no complaints. Another sicko.
Shooting you moronic slimbuckets down is like shooting fish in a barrel. I don’t think there’s two neurons working among you.
All this would be different if that had been a problem, in that this came about due to allegations of sexual misconduct, but there were none. Anyone who wants to ruin a teacher’s career over 12 year old misdemeanor sex convictions, that have been expunged, and where no further complaints were made and the subject was teaching at a university, and was very well like by his students young and old, has got to be an insipid moron, which obviously all of you are. If there is any justice may you all rot in hell.
If you spoke Korean fluently you would understand better.
I understand fully:
I understand that people love cruelty because they feel a sense of empowerment.
I understand that legally, I am not guilty of these crimes any longer.
I understand that I broke no laws getting my job and lied to no one to get my job.
I understand that there were no complaints against me.
I understand that I did such a good job at the children’s summer camp, that I was put in charge of the winter camp.
Yeah, I also understand that I needed that job to support my girlfriend in Davao Philippines through nursing school. By the grace of God, I had enough savings to get her graduated, but now I don’t have the money to support her through 4 months of review school, so she can take her exam. So, now she can’t become a nurse. Why? Because of dumb fuckers like you!
As far of the photograph of Dominique Moceanu being “spread-eagle” on the balance beam: If any of you morons knew a thing about her, you would know the way she mounted the balance beam was her trademark. She would run and jump on the beam, twisting herself upside down and do the splits, then twirl around and do the splits again. She would do this about four or five times and it just drove the audience wild; even all the young girls in crowd would scream. Watch it for yourself and tell me it wasn’t fantastic. It still takes my breath away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07tCEoDOVqs
You morons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s another for you uncultured degenerates; why don’t you abandon your cruelty and learn to appreciate some real beauty:
Dominique Moceanu~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg7i6miEHq4&feature=related
Wow, you’ve sure convinced me how wrong everyone was about you being a pedophile. They should reverse your conviction and apologize immediately. [/sarcasm]
115 gijanedoe June 10, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Wow, you’ve sure convinced me how wrong everyone was about you being a pedophile. They should reverse your conviction and apologize immediately. [/sarcasm]
THIS BRAIN DEAD LOON THINKS THERE’S SOMETING WRONG AND SEXUAL ABOUT A MAN ADMIRING A YOUNG FEMALE GOLD MEDALIST GYMNAST WHO MILLIONS OF OTHERS ADMIRED TOO. THIS PEA-BRAIN DOESN’T REALIZE THAT PEDOPHILES DON’T CARE ABOUT THINGS LIKE TALENT, HARD WORK, AND GREAT SKILL. A REAL PEDOPHILE WOULD POST VIDEOS OF JUST ANY YOUNG GIRL, AND MANY OF THEM. PEDS DON’T CARE WHO THE CHILD IS. SUCH A MOORON IS TRUELY AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE HUMAN RACE.
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