Today is Memorial Day in Korea. People marked the day by attending to graves of the fallen.
President Lee Myung-bak Memorial Day speech included some strong words for Pyongyang (Yonhap):
“I would like to make it clear that there will be no compromise against things that threaten our people and security,” Lee said in a speech marking Memorial Day. “North Korea is threatening the peace and safety of our people as well as the world by conducting a nuclear test and launching missiles.”
Korean troops fought along American and other allied forces in Vietnam and served in non-combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Korean personnel are currently on anti-piracy duty off Somalia.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
17 foreign nations sent military forces to help (South) Korea. My Korean high school students could name only five or six, including China (FAIL) and Russia (WTF?).
They can tell me about the GI’s who ran over two Korean schoolgirls with a military vehicle, and about kuhrayjee cow and pig flu. Just not in Engrishee. They don’t like Engrishee, say their Korean teachers, because it
interferes with their napsis “too difficult”.Well then, you’ve found your material for all following classes.
“Well then, you’ve found your material for all following classes.”
Au contraire, mon fraire. When I try (and I have tried, more than once) I invariably am cut off by my Korean “co-teachers” who claim the students “aren’t interested” in things like that. The only things they do like to talk about are variations on the theme, “Korea! #1!” My co-teachers have made it quite clear that they believe only Koreans should be teaching Koreans, anyway.
To be more precise in re my earlier comment, my students can name five or six of the nations that helped (South) Korea, including Germany (wrong), China (FAIL), and Russia (WTF?). For some reason, they always name Germany, and often name Japan as well. They always get right the U.S., France, and Turkey. Never Britain, though, or Canada, Australia, South Africa (iirc), the Philippines, or Thailand. In fairness to them, though, that’s about all I can name.
As I’ve typed this, it occurred to me that they might have misunderstood the war in question. But our (brief) discussions always began with 1950, and 1950-06-25. And as I’ve mentioned, they always get France and Turkey correct. So there it is.
In my experience, young Koreans don’t have very good global awareness. If you ask a student to name some countries – in either language – it’ll be a short list. “Africa” and “Paris” will likely appear, as well.
Asking them to accurately list Korean War allies is therefore a stretch. Not that they shouldn’t know what countries contributed to their nation’s survival.
Why don’t English teachers teach what they were paid to teach? English. Instead of getting into political arguments with kids..
cm – you beat me to it. I presume WeikuBoy isn’t a history teacher here, so he should stick to the English.
(And I know I shouldn’t presume, it makes a pre out of su and me.)
cm @5 and Adams-awry@6
I started to write a long comment about how “teaching English” is actually not why I’m here. That my Korean English “co-teachers” teach English, and (because none of my “co-teachers” actually speaks English very well — and some not really at all) I am used mostly for help with pronunciation, and to teach conversational English after school and during semester breaks.
But really, who cares? If you haven’t been here, you can’t possibly understand the problems with English education in Korea. More importantly, I can assure you that my inquiry about Korea’s allies in the war wasn’t a part of a lesson; nor was I getting into “political arguments” with my students. I asked it during a “free talking” session at the end of class, and even then only because Memorial Day was upon us and none of the students had any questions for me.
Frankly, I was curious if my students, many of whom clearly detest having to learn English, have any idea of the heartbreaking sacrifices made for them by so many young men from so many other countries, the vast majority of whom (according to the number of soldiers sent, and notwithstanding France and Turkiye’s key contributions) were English-speaking.
I just don’t get why people get their knots all twisted and think it’s an official representative view of the entire country of Korea, because of what some immature kids in class say. Kids grow up, they learn, and their political views change from left to right, as they mature. You have to admit, that’s almost an universal phenomenon.
This used to be the college entrance exam; “Name the countries that came to aid Korea during Korean war”.
However, Kim Daejung and RhoMuHyen deleted the question. They thought this to be an “obstacle to Unification”.
They were wrong. NKs are not interested in the Unification. As a satellite of China and a close ally of Russia, it cannot afford an unification. China will kill any NK leader who even thought about that scenario.
Yeah, yeah, China says outwardly that it wants two Koreas to unite. That is what it says. However, it continues to sell NK oil and military technology. It is very clear to me that China wants the Unified Korea to be under its control.
Forgive me for digressing.
Soon, LMB will restore the question to the college entrance. You will see an elementary school student reciting the names of coutries that came in perfect order.
Every one of them.
Koreans change quickly. Sometimes, overnight.
Once LMB makes it clear that he would not stand for any Commie nonsense and restore the country as the beacon of “Free economy and freedom”, all these Commie-friendliness will disappear.
Koreans will beat any Commie or pro-North sympathizers. On the street.
This is what Koreans sent LMB to presidency. To kill off Commies.
Damn, but I hope that wherever I may roam there will always be a little bit of baduk in my life.
First sentence: Yes. But then they change back again. Life is long.
Second sentence: No, I don’t admit that at all. The universe is a big place, Horatio.
Isn’t vocabulary part of teaching a language?
How can you teach English without addressing a broad range of subjects including matters of international interest? Isn’t there some intent to apply the English to English-speaking foreigners? I think links of common history would be a very likely basis for discussion.
I get a chuckle out of them remembering the Turks. The Turks during their first few month in Korea probably dealt the South Koreans more casualties than the North Koreans. The Turks had a very distasteful and fatal way of dealing with Koreans they believed to be thieves.
Kids are insular. Self-interest makes them wise, quick. I can get as lamebrained responses out of American kids of the same grade.
History is not fashionable. It makes people uncomfortable.
I have a confession to make: I was a card-carrying Republican in college during the 80s when the word “neoconservative” didn’t provoke derisive laughter. I have an even darker secret to reveal: I participated in a rally in support of the First Gulf War.
Luxembourg sent some soldiers, too. Less than 100. That’s interesting, and was noble of them, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that all the Korean kids really need to know is that it was US and UN forces. Britain was the only country to send more than 10% of what the US sent. Canada was closer to 5% and everybody else was less.
Casualties are even more US-heavy. British casualties were less than 5% of US casualties. Proportionally, as well, US casualties are some of the heaviest, although Turkey, France, and Greece deserve to be mentioned here as their casualties were heavier, in proportion to the size of the force.
In other words, the foreign intervention in the Korean War was done by US and UN forces, in that order.
Of course, the biggest foreign intervention in the Korean War was the Chinese… but that’s a bit of a different story. Fucking Chinese.
Wow, Sonagi, so you used to be right about some things. Life is funny.
#13 Sonagi:
I have a confession to make: I was a card-carrying Republican in college during the 80s when the word “neoconservative” didn’t provoke derisive laughter. I have an even darker secret to reveal: I participated in a rally in support of the First Gulf War.
I never would have thunk it. What led you to be a card-carrying Republican back then?
And I participated in a rally opposing it.
Your side was much, much larger.
The South Africans sent about 250 pilots and ground crew in support of the UN’s forces in the Korean War. Their airplanes were attached to the USAF and they suffered many casualties. Just north of Busan there is a large military cemetery and the SA dead are mainly there.
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