| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
|
 Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 4:44 am Post subject: Appalling letter in The Irish Times regarding the Cheonan. |
 |
|
Hopefully the letter I've written in response might also be published.
This is a disgrace. I don't know if Conor O'Reilly posts on Dave's but he ought to be ashamed of himself.
| Quote: |
Getting the picture in South Korea
28/5/10
A chara, � The situation in the Korean peninsula is considerably less clear-cut that it may appear to those privy to selected information.
In a predominantly conservative country where the media does not criticise the government�s actions, there is also considerable distrust in the Lee administration�s accusations against North Korea. It is election time in South Korea at present and the deeply unpopular president Lee Myung-bak is fighting for political survival following a stream of unpopular manoeuvres with which he began his term of office.
There is a belief that this catastrophe was not North Korea�s doing. Comparisons have been made with the United States� invasion of Iraq, and Hilary Clinton�s arrival on the scene and the renewal of stronger co-operation between the United States and South Korea, have further highlighted questions of collusion.
President Lee has been eager to confront North Korea following almost 10 years of the �Sunshine Policy� initiated by the Nobel Laureate, Kim Dae Jung. Lee�s provocative declaration to �maintain the principle of proactive deterrence� outside the Korean War Memorial sent a clear signal of the government�s intentions to change the national approach. Nationalism is serious business in South Korea and Lee has tapped the right vein during election season.
People are unconvinced by the government�s delayed response to the sinking of the ship, and they also question how the state-of-art Cheonan equipped with torpedo detection devices and the latest sonar could be actually sunk? The nature of the international investigation, led by the Korean military and supported by the United States military, is also highly questionable.
Koreans have called for an independent and transparent investigation of the accident but the government continues to swing its handbag in the face of an easily provoked foe. China�s reluctance to act on this matter is likely to have been triggered by these facts also. South Korea and the international community have more to lose than the country with the largest military in the world, North Korea.
A clearer picture must be painted of this situation if an international reaction via the United Nations is to be processed. � Is mise,
CONOR O�REILLY,
Full-time Lecturer, School of English Language and Culture,
Kyung Hee University,
Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu,
Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do,
S Korea. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
|
| Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 5:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Are you going to keep us in suspense or will you post your letter here? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
|
| Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 6:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
Oh, well i figured I'd post it if the paper published it 
| Quote: |
Madam,
While I understand The Irish Times' desire to include on its Letters Page a wide range of opinions from its readers on a number of compelling matters, publishing the correspondence from Conor O'Reilly (Getting the picture in South Korea 28/5/10) without any editorial due diligence does not reflect well on the standards of your newspaper.
Mr. O'Reilly claims that Lee Myung-bak is a "deeply unpopular" president. A Korea Times article from January 2010 put his approval at 51.6%; long before the sinking of the Cheonan. I fail to understand how a politician can be deeply unpopular while simultaneously enjoyng the support of a majority of the electorate.
There is indeed a belief that North Korea did not sink the ROKS Cheonan. There are also beliefs that the US Government collapsed the World Trade Centre, that man never walked on the moon and that AIDS was developed by the Pentagon. This month, an international team of investigators released a report concluding that North Korea was responsible for the sinking. Mr. O'Reilly believes that the incident is less clear cut than it appears to those "privy to selected information". For my part, I am pleased that the media has restricted itself to reporting facts and evidence - and in a responsible manner. Furthermore, 70% of Koreans polled have stated their support of the investigation, contrary to the claims of Mr. O'Reilly.
President Lee's decision to terminate his predecessor's "sunshine policy" of benevolent tolerance towards North Korea has to be viewed in light of the Pyongyang regime's unabated nuclear proliferation and military aggression towards South Korea and Japan. By any definition, the attack on the Cheonan was an act of war and South Korea has responded with a severance of economic ties and an appeal to the United Nations. In no other corner of the world would the deaths of 46 sailors and the sinking of a naval vessel be met with such restraint as on the Korean Peninsula.
Mr O'Reilly claims that Koreans remain unconvinced by their government's actions since the sinking. That is not born out by a Gallup poll published in the Chosun Ilbo this Thursday that put public approval of President Lee's response at 60%.
The Republic of Korea is a mature democracy and an enduring economic success story with few parallels. That its citizens have accomplished such a tremendous amount in the last half century while continuing to suffer from the aggression and state terrorism of North Korea makes their recent history even more remarkable. I intend to move to Seoul in August to teach English at a public school. I will consider myself privileged to live and work in a fascinating nation with an ancient history not so different at times from that of Ireland. While Mr. O'Reilly's accusations against the South Korean and American governments deserve little short of contempt, I did expect The Irish Times to engage in basic fact checking before publishing his letter. That is the least that Ireland's small South Korean community deserves from this country's foremost newspaper.
Yours etc,
Fergal Reid |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kotakji
Joined: 23 Oct 2006
|
| Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 11:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I am not sure why you would consider the article disgraceful. Perhaps a little over embellished, but it does relay the thoughts of a large segment of the populace. While admittedly anecdotal evidence, my generally well-educated Korean colleagues are deeply skeptical of the situation. They don't necessarily believe it was some false-flag episode, but certainly do question the specifics of the attack and see the current administration milking it for every ounce of political value. I'd say the lack of protests in the land of the morning demonstration does suggest an abnormal mood among the populace. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
|
| Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 12:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
From the first letter...
| Quote: |
| In a predominantly conservative country where the media does not criticise the government�s actions |
That gives one a fairly misleading idea of the Korean news media. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mosley
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 2:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I actually liked fergal's letter until this part: "I will consider myself privileged...."
Really, mate? Please come back here in a year to re-assert that!
I remember an Irish person teaching in Korea years ago, who angrily exclaimed, "Korea is not the #@&!%^ Ireland of East Asia!" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fergalreid
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
|
| Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 3:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Mosley wrote: |
I actually liked fergal's letter until this part: "I will consider myself privileged...."
Really, mate? Please come back here in a year to re-assert that!
I remember an Irish person teaching in Korea years ago, who angrily exclaimed, "Korea is not the #@&!%^ Ireland of East Asia!" |
Hahaha I had to say something nice!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
|
| Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 3:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| That original letter was pitched wonderfully at the 'Times'. I really, really dislike that paper although I've recently stopped reading the indo as well. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
|
| Posted: Sat May 29, 2010 5:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| This whole incident smacks of Paul Mooney at the Movies syndrome- A situation where native voices are ignored and the 'real scoop' comes from some person from back home who shares the same eye shape/skin color. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mimis
Joined: 24 May 2009
|
| Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 5:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
| kotakji wrote: |
| I am not sure why you would consider the article disgraceful. Perhaps a little over embellished, but it does relay the thoughts of a large segment of the populace. While admittedly anecdotal evidence, my generally well-educated Korean colleagues are deeply skeptical of the situation. They don't necessarily believe it was some false-flag episode, but certainly do question the specifics of the attack and see the current administration milking it for every ounce of political value. I'd say the lack of protests in the land of the morning demonstration does suggest an abnormal mood among the populace. |
+1 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| kotakji wrote: |
| I'd say the lack of protests in the land of the morning demonstration does suggest an abnormal mood among the populace. |
or that the Left is finally shutting their pie hole. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
riverboy
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Incheon
|
| Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 10:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| or that the Left is finally shutting their pie hole. |
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
|
| Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 11:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The author is obviously uneducated and talking out of his ars. I disagree with his opinions.
Most of the article is, in fact, that. Opinions. Just presented as if they're facts. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
