Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bryangibson]

An interesting thing occurred the other day. A friend and I were talking with some korean friends about the killing of Che Guiverra and we were astonished to find that many Koreans believe that Che was murdered by Cuba, not the CIA. This astonished me. I thought that most people were aware that CIA-trained Bolivian mercenaries had killed Che in the Bolivian rainforrest. In other words, the CIA killed Che. As a history buff, I then showed them a reputable website (The National Security Archive) that has documentation proving that this was the case. The Koreans were astonished. They had been led to believe the opposite, clearly in an attempt to insite further hatred towards Communism.

What I don't get is why it is well known in the western world that the CIA committed this crime, but false propaganada continues to diseminate through a place like Korea?

To see the files, simply google - National Security Archive, Guiverra, CIA. You will get a direct hit to the sourcebook.

[mateomiguel]

That's just what they want you to think!

Ahh, the great thing about conspiracy theories is that no matter what the facts are you can still be right! I'll stand up for my beliefs no matter what you say! And my beliefs are that what happened is actually the opposite of what YOU think happened.

[browneyedgirl]

And Che killed peasants, homosexuals, women and children...

[oskinny1]

[billybrobby]

Your post is insiting me to want to diseminate a spelling dictionary upside your head.

While Che Guevara was killed with assistance from the CIA, Che Guiverra, a little known restaurateur, was indeed killed by the Cubans. Case closed.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

[IncognitoHFX]

I know of a magical university where 60% of the undergraduates wear Che Guevara t-shirts. Yet if you go there and say: "who is that guy on your shirt?" They'll all respond "what? I don't know."

[Kiarell]

[Zolt]

You know you've been in Korea too long when...

... for you the word "Che" evokes a korean surname and a number of colleagues/acquaintances. Damn, it took me a couple lines to even realize what you were talking about.

[Bryan]

[bilbo202]

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

[seoulteacher]

[samd]

[Kiarell]

I support any regime that oppresses privileged capitalists who monopolize major industries and pay their workers shit wages. The CIA's record of removing democratically elected and populist leaders like Jacobo Arbenz and Salvador Allende doesn't help its credibility, either.

Do you right wingers even know BAD things were under Batista? Cuba was basically a colony for resource extraction for US corporations and a getaway for American mobsters. Havana was nothing but drugs, brothels, crime and beside abject poverty. There was also widespread racial discrimination in the Havana as well, much like the venues in the land of its Yankee patrons at that time.

Most Cubans love Che. While those who live in Cuba often critique the govt they still critically support it and its accomplishments like free education and free education. The vast majority support the revolution.

The Miami exiles are overwhelmingly greedy bastards who didn't want their fortunes confiscated (which is all that would have happened to them. This was Cuba, not Stalin's USSR). I talked with someone whose grandfather did exactly that and he was pretty embarrassed by that fact.


Anyhow, back on topic, the CIA most definitely involved in Che's capture. You can even ask his executioner, the Bolivian army guys, and even Felix Rodriguez, the Cuban-American CIA agent who despite his fascist and anti-communist leanings came to respect and embraced Che moments before his death. The Bolivian communist party was headed at that time by a pro-Moscow egotist who materially betrayed Che. Che also over-depended on individuals in his mission (his agents were incompetent to say the least).

I'm not sure how many Koreans actually think that Fidel betrayed him, but I'd be skeptical of someone who claims to represent his nation's opinion on an issue based on zero research. There are plenty of Americans in the minority opinion who claim that "most Americans think X and Y..." you see this happen especially often with Fox, MSNBC, and CNN wherein the anchors and pundits say "But most Americans, I feel, are worried about ......"

The US propaganda still impacts the way many older Koreans might feel, but I don't think there is some active propagation of a "Fidel betrayed Che" myth anywhere, including Korea.