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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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 Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:30 am Post subject: South Koreans flock to Army photos site |
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South Koreans flock to Army photos site
By Franklin Fisher, Stars and Stripes
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60077
Pacific edition, Sunday, January 18, 2009
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea � When the U.S. Army recently put Korean War photos and video footage on the Internet, the main aim was to help young troops see what the war looked like and how different military life is here now.
The Army�s Installation Management Command-Korea put about 40 video clips on YouTube and about 150 still photos on Flickr.
Things have since taken an unexpected turn: the sites are getting thousands of daily visits from ordinary South Koreans.
"It was a very pleasant surprise," said IMCOM-K spokesman Edward N. Johnson.
Now visitors will have about 200 more photos to see on Flickr, and more pictures and YouTube videos will be posted in coming weeks, he said.
A Jan. 5 Stars and Stripes story about the Web postings spawned "a real increase in the interest," he said.
Then South Korean national newspapers and television picked up the story. A day later, the page views at www.flickr.com/imcomkorea hit 450,000, up from 12,500 the day before and from 1,000 before the Stripes story.
"The videos also jumped dramatically," he said.
The videos at www.youtube.com/warinkorea had drawn about 16,000 visits total. They site now averages about 2,500 visits a day.
The biggest draw among the photos have been those that showed people, whether soldiers in action or Korean refugees fleeing the ravages of war, he said.
The one photo that seems to have touched the biggest number of Korean viewers most deeply is one of a Korean girl with her brother on her back, standing in front of a tank.
"And she has a very stoic look on her face," said Johnson. "That one has been viewed over 15,000 times just by itself."
Johnson said people can contribute photos and video by e-mailing him at: [email protected]. |
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Bigfeet
Joined: 29 May 2008
Location: Grrrrr.....
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| Hey, maybe they'll be motivated enough to learn what years the war happened in, after seeing the photos. |
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crsandus
Joined: 05 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
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newton kabiddles
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:25 am Post subject: |
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| crsandus wrote: |
| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
Yeah, those are classic Korean war photos. You can get a free CD of those photos from the US military visual information center. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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| crsandus wrote: |
| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
Maybe because many Koreans want to see what really happened and not the BS that the left has shoved down their throats for the past decade. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| crsandus wrote: |
| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
Maybe because many Koreans want to see what really happened and not the BS that the left has shoved down their throats for the past decade. |
As opposed to the BS that was shoved down their throats by military dictators for the previous several decades?
I don't see why this is big news. Why wouldn't Koreans look at these pictures if they know where to find them? |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| wylies99 wrote: |
| crsandus wrote: |
| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
Maybe because many Koreans want to see what really happened and not the BS that the left has shoved down their throats for the past decade. |
As opposed to the BS that was shoved down their throats by military dictators for the previous several decades?
I don't see why this is big news. Why wouldn't Koreans look at these pictures if they know where to find them? |
Have you looked at the youtube videos? Obviously not. It's not just pictures. People can see the truth about the war and what the communists REALLY did. For some, it's the refreshing truth. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| wylies99 wrote: |
| crsandus wrote: |
| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
Maybe because many Koreans want to see what really happened and not the BS that the left has shoved down their throats for the past decade. |
As opposed to the BS that was shoved down their throats by military dictators for the previous several decades?
I don't see why this is big news. Why wouldn't Koreans look at these pictures if they know where to find them? |
Have you looked at the youtube videos? Obviously not. It's not just pictures. People can see the truth about the war and what the communists REALLY did. For some, it's the refreshing truth. |
They certainly didn't get that much truth from the military dictators. There was even less information available then, and an even larger amount of state-controlled propaganda. Disagreeing would get you thrown in prison back then. It seems silly to insult the democratic leaders for lies and censorship when they're the ones who ended it.
I'm not saying there weren't a bunch of people running around killing each other. All I'm saying is that both sides did a lot of it, and dictators on both sides of the border manipulated the facts in their favour afterwards. Fortunately South Korea prevailed first, and became a democracy a little over 40 years after combat finished. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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I'm talking about the actual youtube videos posted by the US Army that Koreans want to see.  |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:51 pm Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| I'm talking about the actual youtube videos posted by the US Army that Koreans want to see. |
Well, it's cool we live in a Korea now where people have almost total freedom of information. They fought for many decades for that right, and it might not last very long. |
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Typhoon
Joined: 29 May 2007
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| wylies99 wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| wylies99 wrote: |
| crsandus wrote: |
| I don't quite understand why this is getting so much press. Those photos have been available on the internet for years. The very same girl with brother in front of tank was the image I used for an assignment I had in my Asian American history class in college 5 years ago. I remember looking for images to use for the Korean War and I did a simple google image search. |
Maybe because many Koreans want to see what really happened and not the BS that the left has shoved down their throats for the past decade. |
As opposed to the BS that was shoved down their throats by military dictators for the previous several decades?
I don't see why this is big news. Why wouldn't Koreans look at these pictures if they know where to find them? |
Have you looked at the youtube videos? Obviously not. It's not just pictures. People can see the truth about the war and what the communists REALLY did. For some, it's the refreshing truth. |
They certainly didn't get that much truth from the military dictators. There was even less information available then, and an even larger amount of state-controlled propaganda. Disagreeing would get you thrown in prison back then. It seems silly to insult the democratic leaders for lies and censorship when they're the ones who ended it.
I'm not saying there weren't a bunch of people running around killing each other. All I'm saying is that both sides did a lot of it, and dictators on both sides of the border manipulated the facts in their favour afterwards. Fortunately South Korea prevailed first, and became a democracy a little over 40 years after combat finished. |
It improved in the early 90's, but since DJ came to office there has been a lot of censorship going on. You just have to look at Roh's new media reforms that limited what the media could report and write and the fact that he sued several newspapers for printing negative, but true stories abotu him. Also, check out Korean Youtube and then the American Youtube. There is a huge difference in what is available, in particular in regads to documentaries on North Korea. Sure, it is better than the dictator's time, but it is worse than the early 90's. Korea has been going backwards when it comes to this. The good news is that 2MB has pretty much let the media print what they want (good or bad) about him and his policies. A big step forward from Roh. |
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Typhoon
Joined: 29 May 2007
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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| For futher proof of this you need to look no further then the new textbook regulations that were implemented this year. Before, the teachers' union controlled what was put into text books. Several studies showed that there was a distinct pro-North Korea/China and Anti-American/West slant to the books. The 2MB gov't has now stated that the teachers' union will not have any more part in choosing content for text books. The main reason for this is the lies and crap that the teachers' union has been shoving down the students throats since the mid 90's. It is unacceptable how student's don't even know why the Korean war happened. Understandable the teachers' union is very upset with these developments as they are losing the power to corupt the nation's youth to be more sympathetic to the North and to be anti-American. |
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antoniothegreat
Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Location: Yangpyeong
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Typhoon wrote: |
| For futher proof of this you need to look no further then the new textbook regulations that were implemented this year. Before, the teachers' union controlled what was put into text books. Several studies showed that there was a distinct pro-North Korea/China and Anti-American/West slant to the books. The 2MB gov't has now stated that the teachers' union will not have any more part in choosing content for text books. The main reason for this is the lies and crap that the teachers' union has been shoving down the students throats since the mid 90's. It is unacceptable how student's don't even know why the Korean war happened. Understandable the teachers' union is very upset with these developments as they are losing the power to corupt the nation's youth to be more sympathetic to the North and to be anti-American. |
my question: why are the teachers here so anti-american? |
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Straphanger
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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| antoniothegreat wrote: |
| Typhoon wrote: |
| Understandable the teachers' union is very upset with these developments as they are losing the power to corupt the nation's youth to be more sympathetic to the North and to be anti-American. |
my question: why are the teachers here so anti-american? |
The teachers themselves aren't generally, but the union is. And they're not Anti-American per se, they're just very aggressively xenophobic. They're very protective of the other unions (like the American beef protests, to keep the farmers happy). I wonder what it will be this year. |
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Straphanger wrote: |
| antoniothegreat wrote: |
| Typhoon wrote: |
| Understandable the teachers' union is very upset with these developments as they are losing the power to corupt the nation's youth to be more sympathetic to the North and to be anti-American. |
my question: why are the teachers here so anti-american? |
The teachers themselves aren't generally, but the union is. And they're not Anti-American per se, they're just very aggressively xenophobic. They're very protective of the other unions (like the American beef protests, to keep the farmers happy). I wonder what it will be this year. |
Michael Breen, a British journalist, quotes a foreign banker who worked closely with a chaebol as saying:
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"I make a point never to buy any Korean products on principle. Why? I will not support such a rabidly nationalistic, xenophobic and mercantilist economy....
Dealing with Koreans is like dealing with bright adolescents. They're full of energy and want to do everything yesterday. But they throw tantrums and are prone to dangerous and erratic behaviour if their whims are not indulged. In most countries, intellectuals become universal. You learn that great ideas and values have no national boundaries. What is profoundly disturbing is that Korean intellectuals become more xenophobic and nationalistic, and perpetuate the idea that all of Korea's problems are the result of wilfulness by foreigners...." |
Michael Breen (1998). The Koreans; Who They Are, What They Want, Where There Future Lies. New York: St. Martins Press (pages 19-20).
Amazon.com: Editorial Reviews:
The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies
by Michael Breen
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312326092/103-3546866-6500649?vi=reviews |
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