It’s getting a little strange out there folks. Yes, many Koreans are proud and happy that Kim Yuna won the World Championship, and her “brand,” per se, is soaring. However, according to an article in the Korea Herald, perhaps Korea University and the ruling Grand National Party may be going a little overboard.
(From the Korea Herald)
The image above is in the official GNP website and has party leader Park Hee-tae photoshopped in, supposedly skating next to Yuna. Park wrote on the posting that just as Yuna thrilled the nation by becoming the world’s No.1 figure skater, the GNP will follow suit and “conquer the world.”
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Had it not been April fool’s day the article may have been believable.
Evidently no one told the GNP Photoshop guy that Mini-Me was a joke.
Comrade 배신자, it is bad enough that you continue dabble in your little acts of treason. Certainly, this talk of “conquering the world” will raise eyebrows. But your fixation on ladies figure skating also qualifies as gay. Gay-ass treason…now that’s some shit right there.
Caption contest:
Yuna: “Help! Ugly ajosshi is chasing me!”
It’s not just about figure skating, NetizenKim. She’s not just an athlete. She’s regarded as a national hero.
It’s downright exploitation. Right before the World Championships, they held a Korean music concert in L.A. and they advertised it using her name and image, saying it was a concert to root for her. Her side never even heard of the concert and had no affiliation with it. She’s being exploited left and right. It’s no wonder she spends less than two months a year in Korea and hides away in Canada.
Recently (past three or four years) and more often than not, this country has turned into a bad episode of The Twilight Zone.
#5,
Is it really exploitation? She probably received a sizable ‘scholarship’ from the school. I wonder what her grades will be this semester given that she lives in Canada and can’t attend class. Straight As, no doubt.
Note to MBC: BBC is the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Canadian reporter you interviewed after she won the world championship was probably from the CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, not the “Canadian BBC”.
#7,
She chose that university because it has an ice rink. A scholarship is worthless when you’re as rich as her. She’s currently not enrolled in any classes because she trains in Canada so a piece of paper with a bunch of As on it is also worthless to her.
Hey, WK, it’s me… *chuckle*
It’s ‘per se,’ not ‘per say.’
After we fix spelling, we can start to work on commas.
Thanks Colontos. Fixed.
Park Hee-tae isn’t the only GNPer to jump on the Kim Yu-na bandwagon. After her 4 Continents win, Park Geun-hye did so in her own way:
http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shellview.htm?linkid=10&articleid=2009020913461549919&newssetid=80
I’d rather look at that photo than Park Hee-tae’s.
As a gyopo who is very happy and proud on Yuna Kim’s achievement yet treated as a potential traitor by cheering team Korea. I’m disgusted with this Korea University’s ROP Ad and photoshopped piece of GNP shit.
#9,
Depends how big the ‘scholarship’ is, doesn’t it?
She’s the number one CF star in Korea right now. She’s LOADED. Her earnings from figure skating competitions alone can cover her tuition. She got $45,000 for winning the World Championship and another $45,000 on top of that for being the #1 skater this season overall. (the ISU World Standing Bonus for the 2008/2009 season)
#15,
Don’t ever go in accounting or sports management.
# 7,
Well let’s be realistic… I’m sure she will get special treatment but it’s not unlike any other school anywhere else in the world (particularly the U.S.) that lands a high profile athlete.
Hell, I went to a football college. It happened all the time there.
However, KU claiming some kind of role in Kim Yuna’s success was still pretty bone headed given that she hasn’t even attended any classes.
Sounds like Yuna will take a number of classes at the University of Toronto and still get a degree from KU. I don’t know what each college’s policies are, but in my college, you could get up to half your units from an affiliated foreign university and still get a USC degree and of course this policy was available to anyone including elite athletes.
#16,
Dude, just admit it. The university needs her more than she needs them. She could have chosen any other university and a scholarship had nothing to do with her decision. She doesn’t need their money.
As always, taking credit and using for their own marketing purpose. Btw, she doesn’t need university degree.
#18,
Don’t be naive.
PS. I’ve had students who were celebrities. They never came to class. I was told to give them a good grade because, “It’s publicity for the school”. Being the stubborn guy that I am, I insisted that they come to my office to take the midterm and final exams. To my surprise, they did and answered most questions correctly.
#21, Don’t be a weasel. You made two wrong assumptions and have yet to fess up to your mistakes.
1. She did not accept a scholarship.
2. They didn’t give her any unearned grades since she hasn’t even taken classes yet.
Look, I made a mistake and I own up to it. I meant #20 when I wrote #21.
All this talk about Yuna going to the University of Toronto for some of her classes worries me. She is certainly spending a lot of time in Canada.
Hummm… is there a danger that she becomes a Canadian citizen??? Heavens no!..
“Hummm… is there a danger that she becomes a Canadian citizen???”
Oh no its the slippery slope, then after her short but successful career is over, she’ll be forced to return to korean as gyopo english teacher.
“Btw, she doesn’t need university degree.”
Always have a back up plan. What do you suggest she do for the remaining 40 years of her life, particularly if her career is cut short by injury.
Why would you need backup plan when you already have millions put away in your bank account? She can simply live off interest on that money if she wants to, but probably they would be invested in assets that would return even higher rates.
She won’t have to lift a finger once she’s through with competitive skating.
#21,
You obviously know little about how things work at South Korean universities.
#25,
Turn the clock back 6 months or a year, which is when she would have made the decision to register as a university student. Nothing is sure in sports. Instead of winning the worlds, she could have suffered a career ending injury.
Uh, what about insurance? I’m she has one that would pay off handsomely if she were to suffer career ending injury.
Repeat – Always have a back up plan.
Yes she, may have insurance, she may have banked a bit of money, but she’s just 18, with a hell of long life ahead.
There have been many popstars and the like, who banked enough “for the rest of their life” only to lose it just as quickly whether by being ripped of or just plain careless.
Hopefully, she’s will have and take good advice, will invest wisely, and will be OK. But always have a back up plan, you don’t know where you’ll be 20 years later.
I certainly didn’t think years ago I’d end up in a country I knew only as a war zone in MASH.
I contend that college education for her at this point in her competitive career with her hectic schedule doesn’t do her any good. Maybe after she retires, which isn’t too far for a figure skater. Backup plan? She can make tons of money on top of everything she already has simply by coaching and providing commentary and doing advertisements.
JW, I’ll give you that, at this point in her career, she should bank the money.
bird in the hand, and all that
I wouldn’t count on any progress on either front. These is all grown-up illiterates.
“These is all grown-up illiterates.”
Perfect example of one right there Brendan
Brendon, not Brendan. Another spelling to fix…
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