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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:33 am Post subject: Can We [Koreans] Afford to Stick to Our Aggressive Style? |
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http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200807/200807300
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Can We Afford to Stick to Our Aggressive Style? by Yang Sang-hoon
At a foreign airport several years ago, an airliner tuned back from the runway and let the passengers get off, saying the plane had developed problems. A few hours passed, and no explanation from the airline. Then loud voices were heard; some passengers were arguing with airline staff at the counter. They were Koreans. One of them said, "If we keep silent, we'll lose. Make some noise." Though for lack of courage I didn't join them, I was just angry as they were.
Other passengers were just looking on, sitting on chairs or lying on the floor with their bags as pillows. Quite a while passed before I noticed that the number of waiting passengers was reduced by half. As the plane was unable to take off, the airline was handing out hotel coupons. Later I noticed that the remaining passengers were mostly Koreans. The airline seemed to have excluded them to the last.
I still can�t forget the scene of the big empty airport lounge, with only the Koreans remaining. I cannot get rid of the sense that this is what Koreans are like on the international stage. The rekindled Dokdo issue and the mad cow disease uproar bring the airport lounge to mind.
The entire nation cheered when, in 1995, our government took firm steps over the Dokdo islets and said we would �correct Japan�s bad manners.� In a poll of entrepreneurs in the Asian region by a Hong Kong newspaper at the time, over 60 percent of respondents supported Japan. The reason: they felt Koreans caused the controversy. Though we got excited among ourselves, we in effect publicized that the Dokdo islets are disputed territory. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names revision of its description of Dokdo as �undesignated sovereignty� may be the outcome of the accumulation of such publicity. ... |
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Tristan
Joined: 02 May 2008
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:49 am Post subject: |
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| The URL isn't working. I'd like to check out the entire article. Do you have another link? |
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that guy
Joined: 29 Feb 2004
Location: long gone
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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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buster brown
Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:18 am Post subject: |
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Try this one.
Edit: Wow, two posts while I was typing! |
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SeoulFinn
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Location: 1h from Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:31 am Post subject: |
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In my opinion, the article is a surprisingly accurate and honest description how the over-emotional and many times irrational acts you see almost everyday in the news are harming the image of Korea and Koreans on the international stage. Also, this almost constant and never ending "demoing" against Japan, FTA, etc. is certainly not helping Korea to enhance her status and weight on the international politics.
Hat trip to the Mr. Yang. Bravo! You got some balls, son! |
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Join Me
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:40 am Post subject: |
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I would say this guy is on to something. All summer long I had to put up with Koreans and their anti US / anti US cheeseburger protests. It didn't make one bit of difference that there wasn't even a shred of any sort of evidence to support their protests. They were convinced they were right and nothing was going to change their minds. These protests left a lot of US politicians scratching their heads and managed to create some embarrassing moments for the US ambassador...for of all things...calling Koreans attention to the irrational nature of their argument.
Fast forward a couple months. Koreans are once again upset with the US. This time it is because some US agency has described the islands that Koreans call the Dokdo islets as an area of "undesignated sovereignty."
Funny how you don't see any US politicians running to help Korea out on this one isn't it? Coincidence? Koreans need to understand that politics works both ways. If you want to crap on your allies, they are going to crap right back on ya. Or, at the very least, they are not going to be overly eager to come rushing to your side when you need them for a change. Right now I am feeling no pity for Koreans and I am actually enjoying the whole "Dokdo" drama fest. |
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rebel_1812
Joined: 17 May 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:13 am Post subject: Re: Can We [Koreans] Afford to Stick to Our Aggressive Style |
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| Troll_Bait wrote: |
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200807/200807300
| Quote: |
Can We Afford to Stick to Our Aggressive Style? by Yang Sang-hoon
At a foreign airport several years ago, an airliner tuned back from the runway and let the passengers get off, saying the plane had developed problems. A few hours passed, and no explanation from the airline. Then loud voices were heard; some passengers were arguing with airline staff at the counter. They were Koreans. One of them said, "If we keep silent, we'll lose. Make some noise." Though for lack of courage I didn't join them, I was just angry as they were.
Other passengers were just looking on, sitting on chairs or lying on the floor with their bags as pillows. Quite a while passed before I noticed that the number of waiting passengers was reduced by half. As the plane was unable to take off, the airline was handing out hotel coupons. Later I noticed that the remaining passengers were mostly Koreans. The airline seemed to have excluded them to the last.
I still can�t forget the scene of the big empty airport lounge, with only the Koreans remaining. I cannot get rid of the sense that this is what Koreans are like on the international stage. The rekindled Dokdo issue and the mad cow disease uproar bring the airport lounge to mind.
The entire nation cheered when, in 1995, our government took firm steps over the Dokdo islets and said we would �correct Japan�s bad manners.� In a poll of entrepreneurs in the Asian region by a Hong Kong newspaper at the time, over 60 percent of respondents supported Japan. The reason: they felt Koreans caused the controversy. Though we got excited among ourselves, we in effect publicized that the Dokdo islets are disputed territory. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names revision of its description of Dokdo as �undesignated sovereignty� may be the outcome of the accumulation of such publicity. ... |
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I like how they said "correct Japan's bad manners". When I was in Japan I was surprised by how much politeness I experienced. Here I'm surprised by the level of rudeness I encounter. |
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visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:45 am Post subject: Re: Can We [Koreans] Afford to Stick to Our Aggressive Style |
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| rebel_1812 wrote: |
| Troll_Bait wrote: |
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200807/200807300
| Quote: |
Can We Afford to Stick to Our Aggressive Style? by Yang Sang-hoon
At a foreign airport several years ago, an airliner tuned back from the runway and let the passengers get off, saying the plane had developed problems. A few hours passed, and no explanation from the airline. Then loud voices were heard; some passengers were arguing with airline staff at the counter. They were Koreans. One of them said, "If we keep silent, we'll lose. Make some noise." Though for lack of courage I didn't join them, I was just angry as they were.
Other passengers were just looking on, sitting on chairs or lying on the floor with their bags as pillows. Quite a while passed before I noticed that the number of waiting passengers was reduced by half. As the plane was unable to take off, the airline was handing out hotel coupons. Later I noticed that the remaining passengers were mostly Koreans. The airline seemed to have excluded them to the last.
I still can�t forget the scene of the big empty airport lounge, with only the Koreans remaining. I cannot get rid of the sense that this is what Koreans are like on the international stage. The rekindled Dokdo issue and the mad cow disease uproar bring the airport lounge to mind.
The entire nation cheered when, in 1995, our government took firm steps over the Dokdo islets and said we would �correct Japan�s bad manners.� In a poll of entrepreneurs in the Asian region by a Hong Kong newspaper at the time, over 60 percent of respondents supported Japan. The reason: they felt Koreans caused the controversy. Though we got excited among ourselves, we in effect publicized that the Dokdo islets are disputed territory. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names revision of its description of Dokdo as �undesignated sovereignty� may be the outcome of the accumulation of such publicity. ... |
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I like how they said "correct Japan's bad manners". When I was in Japan I was surprised by how much politeness I experienced. Here I'm surprised by the level of rudeness I encounter. |
Koreans love to call the kettle black. It's their favorite form of irony. |
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Guri Guy
Joined: 07 Sep 2003
Location: Bamboo Island
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:51 am Post subject: |
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I am actually impressed with the honesty displayed here by the writer.
Hopefully more Koreans will start to think like him. |
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Frankly Mr Shankly
Joined: 13 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| One newspaper column (albeit in about the only form of indigenous media here that occasionally makes sense) will never undo thousands of years of Han. |
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Bryan
Joined: 29 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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There is nothing wrong with being aggressive. Protest and aggressive lobbying are only bad and wrong when the causes you champion are irrational and wrong. Such as protesting American beef when you're really just a leftist who hates America, and you have no reason as such to be against American beef.
It was good, for example, that the founders of America stood up and did not sit back under the tyranny of the British crown. That action was good--but only because they stood for freedom. If they were communist revolutionaries then it would be bad. |
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mateomiguel
Joined: 16 May 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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I agree that Koreans leave a bad impression wherever they go, but I disagree that this causes them to have a bad international reputation. I also disagree that this is in any way related to the GDP.
I think what Koreans fail to understand is not that they have a bad reputation on the international stage, its that they have NO reputation on the international stage. When people hear the word Korea they think, "north, nukes, bad". And that's about it. Before I came to Korea, nobody I knew had any kind of preconception about it. Heck, I didn't even have any idea of what I was getting into. I just knew this one Korean kid in high school who was quiet, smart, and played a lot of computer games, but I thought that was hardly enough evidence for me to think that they are all like that. (Ironic that it actually was enough evidence though eh? heheh)
So whenever Koreans pull their loud, obnoxious, rude-Korean-abroad schtick, the first response is surprise. People will be wondering who the hell are these retards and why are they so repulsive? But they won't get an answer unless the Koreans make a point to wave their flag around and let everybody know where they are from. (Actually waving their flag around probably won't help, its not that recognizable either).
Nobody knows they're Korean, nobody hates Korea as a whole, they just had rude idiots no matter what country they are from. |
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PeteJB
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Good article. Little by little Koreans are waking up to the international stage. |
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monkinwonderland
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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The columnist is correct.
But you also have to take into account that the Koreans basically have no reputation and don't really register on the international stage. People know some companies and maybe know a few foods, but that's really all. We're just more receptive to these things because we're here and we see/know about them.
My friends back home are baffled and surprised when I share Korean stories. No one has any idea. |
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