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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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 Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:49 pm Post subject: The Protest Culture in Korea |
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I would like to discuss the culture of protesting in Korea. I would like to begin by sharing an article about Dokdo, which was the topic of a recent protest.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2893448:
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Dokdo islets get five new captains to defend them
August 09, 2008
Five new police captains assigned to the Dokdo islets pledge to defend the islets at the North Gyeongsang Police Agency headquarters yesterday. Provided by the North Gyeongsang Police Agency
Five newly appointed police captains in the Dokdo Guards yesterday firmly declared that they will carry out their mission, �Guarding Korea�s easternmost Dokdo islets.�
The North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency yesterday announced that they promoted the five police lieutenants - Kim Byeong-heon, 41; Kang Seok-gyeong, 40; Yang Su-yeong, 34; Park Byeong-eon, 33; and Kim Tae-seok, 32 - and assigned them to defend the isolated islets.
The appointments come amid a renewed public fervor to maintain Korea�s claim to the islets after Japan, where they are known as Takeshima, chose to refer to them as its territory in new educational guidelines for middle school students.
The successful candidates were chosen from 18 police officers who applied for the jobs. The Korea National Police Agency accepted applications between July 21 and Aug. 1.
According to the police agency, they are all veteran officers with at least 10 years� experience on the force. None have ever had to submit to a disciplinary measure, police said.
Guarding the islets had previously been the responsibility of entry-level policemen.
In yesterday�s appointment ceremony at the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency, the new captains said they are determined to maintain Korean control of the islets.
�I am so honored with the appointment,� said Kim Byeong-heon, the oldest of the five. �With my experience, I will try my best to protect Dokdo on behalf of the public and the police.�
The five policemen will first take part in a special training program from today to Aug. 20 on neighboring Ulleung Island and Dokdo. They will officially start their new jobs, which will run in two- to three-month shifts, on Aug. 21.
The Dokdo Guards are under the control of the Ulleung Island Guards, located on Ulleung, North Gyeongsang Province, 87 kilometers (54 miles) northeast of Dokdo.
Apart from the new captains, there are currently two police officers among the Dokdo Guards, along with 40 young men completing their military service. |
Videos about Dokdo (a two part series):
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=cuEoLPQnnMY&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=wheiqHRrA7Y&feature=related
Examples of materials promoting the Korean ownership of Dokdo:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2893350
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2893099
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2894731
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2894546
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2893309
Dave's threads about Dokdo: http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=131448&highlight= and
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=133580&highlight=.
And finally,
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ56eJoRauQ&feature=related.
Yes, PropagandaBuster, why are only some things protested in Korea?
Last edited by sojusucks on Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:39 am; edited 2 times in total |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:03 am Post subject: Topics of Protest in Korea |
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What else do Koreans protest?
Graphic violence warning: a person is kicked and another photo shows a guy with a knife in his stomach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VIRbm_xxOo
This video states that it is illegal to burn the flag of the countries being protested, and that states over 11,000 protests are held each year in Korea.
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=5LBM1MradT8
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=JOXAfgm1Gk4&feature=related
Some topics include, as reported by the video clips in this post (I haven't verified any of it yet):
Japan - ownership of Dokdo, the Prime Minister's trip to Korea, and negotiations with Japan
US Relations - American beef, US-Korean FTA, Some people protested Bush's trip to Korea, and the US military in Korea
Korea-related matters - the Korean military in Afghanistan, Korean environmentalists protested , and NK missile tests
Other - Korean beheadings in Iraq, Burmese military actions against Saffron Revolutionaries
Last edited by sojusucks on Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:28 am Post subject: American Beef Protests |
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Now for American beef:
Here is media coverage of the protest by an English-language Chinese news program:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=s2A8LplyJzI&feature=related.
Also, here is a news program from the US when mad cow disease was first detected:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=oECHOITMWMk&feature=related.
Why did Koreans protest US beef? Well, one Korean has a theory (3 part series).
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAeJx7YBWs&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAeJx7YBWs&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=WX3msFBYqQ4&feature=related
This guy said some interesting things. For example that (1) no one buys meat older than 30 months because it is extremely dangerous, (2) their are arrest squads for protestors, (3) privitization is bad, and (4) President Lee's friends are benefiting among pointing out various "idiotic" plans and actions committed by the president.
As for (1), these videos have some interesting comments: http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=YeIc6m_gu5o&feature=related and http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=l1RQu7KE-OA&feature=related. Here is an apology from that interesting guy and a further discussion on American beef: http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw7nkc32VrY&feature=related.
Even after it was revealed that American beef was safe, Koreans still protested. I wonder why. Did you see the anti-US army protest signs in the video that were with the anti-US beef statements?
One article (http://www.rense.com/general49/danger.htm) also had quite a bit to say:
| Quote: |
| Clearly, the 30-month figure is one that's most convenient for the industry but, in fact, it is not the best public-health standard," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food-safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group. "These things should not be allowed in the food chain. |
| Quote: |
The 30-month cutoff is based largely on experiments in England, where cows were fed infected brain tissue from other cattle, then killed at different intervals. Tissues were checked for infection, then injected into mice to see if they could transmit the disease.
Those studies showed the disease agent could reach infectious levels in the tonsils and a portion of the small intestine within six to 10 months of exposure, long before the animal tested positive for mad-cow or showed symptoms. That's why the USDA decided to keep those organs out of the human-food supply, regardless of age.
In general, though, other tissues didn't become dangerous until the animals were in the end stages of the disease: 32 months or more after exposure.
None of the experiments found any danger in milk or the muscle meat that makes up the cuts of beef people eat. |
Does Korean import anything other than meat and bones (i.e. ribs)?
As for (2), I would not be surprised if this was true. Let's look at some protest footage:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=yDddnQCHliA&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=4rMeyRTPsQY&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y409mNAg7o&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbpau5GbxRw
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=cUyt0iXkRXk&NR=1
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=pvulyAyBIfg&feature=related
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=bULP5KUjwWg&feature=related
But Koreans are not completely innocent. This clip shows the police running; watch the video to discover why or read below:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=tyhnc3JFStw
Sometimes Koreans use firebombs, flamethrowers, or sticks against the police. Sometimes the police are dragged into the crowd, where they are not treated well.
As for (3), privitization is good or bad depending upon your particular ideological views. I guess Koreans view a free-market achieved through privitization a bad thing. That explains the anti-consumer economy. How many people have had prices rise if they visit a local store, usually one that doesn't have prices on products, rise? How many people have noticed that prices in Korea, at many products at least, are much higher than in many other countries? Did you know that Korea has the 3rd largest income gap out of all OECD countries (source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/07/123_27573.html)?
| Quote: |
| ...one out of every four workers here are making less than two-thirds of the average income, the highest ratio of low-income earners to the workforce in the OECD. |
Korea is simply following everyone else: exploit the working class to profit. However, the greed of corporations can be a bit excessive. Classisim is the new enemy, but many Korean factory workers are afraid that foriegners will take their jobs. Is this any different than fears in other countries? I think not. But, due to the nationalism in Korea, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_nationalism, Koreans might have a difficult time identifying classism.
As for (4), President Lee did do some stupid things:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=7ld1xCZSVn4&feature=related.
In the picture of President Lee holding the flag upside down, it was only his flag and not his wife's flag.
(Look at all the Korean flags, then at the one that President Lee is holding) http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=qVuTyaFkO60&feature=related
So wait, Koreans are protesting because of the president, an unfair trade agreement, and so on. Why are anti-US military signs mixed in with anti-US beef protests?
I think that the Korean people have become confused about why they are protesting. Otherwise, why would US beef account for 48% of the market share in Korea (http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=134478&highlight=beef), selling "like hot-cakes" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=133394&highlight=beef; http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=131182&highlight=), and return to the Korean market (http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=126923&highlight=)?
We all know that these protests aren't really about beef. It is another facet for expressing anti-American sentiment (http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=133630&highlight=). Don't worry, Americans are not alone. Koreans also dislike the Japanese. Also, not all Koreans are stupid enough to believe the communist propaganda forced into their lives through the media, etc. Most Koreans didn't protest President Bush, they actually supported him. However, calling someone a Bush supporter in Korea is an insult, at least among my students, not too dissimilar from the I'm a Zapanese post above.
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=DG6W1_9BRiw
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8oD0a5SqY&feature=related
If Koreans were legitimately concerned with food safety, then they definitely would have protested against Korean food in general http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=133498&highlight=beef.
Actually, not supporting the anti-US beef candelight vigile ruined one Korean actor's career: http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=133335&highlight=beef. Lesson learned: standing up for what's right is a bad thing.
So, anti-Japanese and anti-American protests are residual anger from the Japanese occupation of Korea and the communist party in Korea respectively. This is a logical conclusion given the incoherency of the rational behind these protests. Japan, however, is fighting back by exercising claim to Dokdo. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:00 am Post subject: The Red Reds |
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Last edited by sojusucks on Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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SeoulFinn
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Location: 1h from Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:28 am Post subject: |
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If someone gave me the rank -- not to forget all the benefits and perks that come with it -- of a Chief of Police, I would defend Dokdo as well!
Anyway, the oldest of the new captains (aged 41) must feel terrible as the youngest captain is only 32-y-o. |
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BreakfastInBed
Joined: 16 Oct 2007
Location: Gyeonggi do
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:35 am Post subject: |
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78 links.
78.
Was there a previous record? |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:46 am Post subject: |
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the whiny culture
Koreans whine in their soap operas, movies, commercials. Whining is a cultural trait. Maybe it has to do with the "han" deep sense of pain and injustice. I never heard so much whining before. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:54 am Post subject: Re: The Protest Culture in Korea |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: |
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RACETRAITOR wrote:
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| This is the sound of one hand patting itself on the back. |
I am merely in a fairly long rant that is supported by a mountain of news articles.
I hope that this thread can serve as a forum for intellectual discussion regarding these issues and may provide insight into Korean culture.
If you can't positively contribute to this thread, then go somewhere esle. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:45 am Post subject: |
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| sojusucks wrote: |
RACETRAITOR wrote:
| Quote: |
| This is the sound of one hand patting itself on the back. |
I am merely in a fairly long rant that is supported by a mountain of news articles.
I hope that this thread can serve as a forum for intellectual discussion regarding these issues and may provide insight into Korean culture.
If you can't positively contribute to this thread, then go somewhere esle. |
I'm just not sure that flooding us with tons of articles that will likely go unread is a good way to positively contribute. Case in point, a topic that usually stimulates conversation on this board has only netted two serious replies.
Anyway, you already Godwinned, so I don't expect this Hindenberg of a thread to go much farther. |
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