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Octavius Hite
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Location: Househunting, looking for a new bunker from which to convert the world to homosexuality.
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 Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 10:35 pm Post subject: South Korea Unknown, Misunderstood Overseas |
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I laughed out loud when I read this article!
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200510/kt2005102517282911950.htm
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South Korea is still an unknown country. There are many cases that lend credence to the view that South Korea is not understood or known overseas.
Chang Se-moon, a U.S.-based columnist for The Korea Times, is disappointed in how little is known about Korea in the U.S. He pointed out that the latest issue
of the Business View, the monthly magazine of the Mobile Chamber of Commerce in Alabama, published a map showing the flags of all the countries that invested in the area. To represent South Korea, the map depicted the flag of North Korea. Hyundai Motor has built a plant in the region.
In the recent economic essay contest organized by The Korea Times, an African student referred to the division between North and South Korea as the division between South Korea and East Korea.
The CIA Fact Book describes the East Sea as the Sea of Japan.
A BBC radio report last year described dog meat as standard fare in the Korean diet.
A Web site on animal rights claims that South Koreans boil cats alive and routinely torture dogs.
Probably alone in the world, Korea has a volunteer organization that struggles to inform an under-informed or misinformed world about Korea.
Started in1999, VANK or the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea, aims to use the Internet to build friendships, bridge cultures, establish the image of Korea abroad and correct international misperceptions of Korea. All of VANK's 15,000 members from elementary school first-graders to housewives have volunteered to introduce Korea to foreign nations through pen-pal friendships, e-pal friendships or visits. VANK sees itself as a two-way channel for overseas Koreans and foreigners to understand Korean culture, language, history and politics and for Koreans to communicate with the world.
VAMP, which keeps tabs on foreign media descriptions of Korea, and finds that Korea is often described in a negative way – an insecure, divided country full of short-tempered people or an affiliate country of Japan that produces cheap products whose lawmakers grab at each other��s throats.
VAMP has also found that some foreign textbooks misinform students about Korean history, describing the country as originally a colony of China. Other textbooks claim Korean culture originated from Japan and Japanese rule over Korea greatly contributed to Korean development instead of the reverse. Often the books describe Korea's East Sea as the Sea of Japan.
Have the recent successes of Koreans in international sports had an impact on the world��s perception and understanding of Korea? World famous footballers like Park Ji-sung of Manchester United or Lee Young-pyo of the Tottenham Hotspur are household names in Europe. Korean baseball players entertain millions of Americans each year _ Park Chan-ho, Jae Seo, Kim Byung-hyun,
Their fame has helped but somehow these sports figures haven��t cracked the international ignorance barrier about Korea. Why? Perhaps because the public focuses on their skills rather than their backgrounds. Perhaps because they rarely play at home and are seen as international rather than Korean figures.
What about the much-vaunted Hallyu or Korean Wave _ the Asian enthusiasm for Korean pop culture? Has it dispelled some of the world��s ignorance of Korea of Korea? It has definitely helped, at least in Asia.
The wave, beginning as a small swell when Korean soap opera was introduced to China and Taiwan in the 1990s, has swept over countries such as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand and now includes Korean pop music, movies, computer games and fashion items. Some describe the wave as a social phenomenon rather than a passing trend, which has had an effect on the demand for Korean products and increased tourism to the peninsular.
How has tourism affected the world��s perception of Korea? In 2003, 694 million tourists flooded into the country. That number of people seeing the country for themselves first-hand – and generally enjoying their visits – has an impact on how Korea is perceived in foreign lands _ and will continue to do so.
Immigration is also affecting the world��s knowledge of Korea. The alien work force in South Korea totals somewhere between 378,000 and half a million, most of whom come from South Asian countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the Philippines but also from the former Soviet Union countries and Nigeria. The figure includes about 11,000 English teachers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. These migrants in their letters and emails home, and after they return home, spread the word about Korean culture.
The number of Koreas traveling and living abroad is also having an impact. In 2003, some 8,300 Koreans went abroad to permanently settle in foreign countries, mostly to the West. According to government surveys, the most popular countries are the US (28.4 percent), followed by China (16.8 percent), Japan (12.6 percent), Canada (10.0 percent), and Australia (5.1 percent). The Korean foreign-born population was over 860,000 in 2000 according to the US Census Bureau.
The friendships the Korean migrants make overseas and the generally favorable impression they have created in the West have had an impact on the world��s impression of South Korea. The impact of the Korean migrants, along with all the other factors _ the country��s economic and sports successes, its cultural exports, tourism, immigration and the shrinking of the globe because of new communications technologies _ are chipping away at the mountain of ignorance surrounding Korea. As the world evolves into a borderless global village, the fog that surrounds Korea and its place in the world is dissipating, and soon Koreans may no longer feel the need for an organization to correct international misperceptions of their country, once described as the Hermit Kingdom
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This in particularly hilarious!:
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| VAMP, which keeps tabs on foreign media descriptions of Korea, and finds that Korea is often described in a negative way – an insecure, divided country full of short-tempered people or an affiliate country of Japan that produces cheap products whose lawmakers grab at each other��s throats |
I don't know where people would get these ideas from?!?! |
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antoniothegreat
Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Location: Yangpyeong
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:07 am Post subject: f |
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wow, I really don't even want to start on this, because it would take too much time to write about this article. I think we all are thinking the same thing anyways.
but I just want to say, their little "pen-pal" program, is that there to help discuss Korean culture, or is it a free English lesson for people...
I bet all of their penpals are in English speaking countries. |
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antoniothegreat
Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Location: Yangpyeong
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:11 am Post subject: and |
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| and if they really care what we call the Sea of Japan/East Sea (even though it is not Korea's East Sea, I dont think they own it) why don't they learn the America is not a country, America is a continent, in fact there are two of them. I have to teach all my students (and teachers)that i am from the USA, and they dont understand, I have to write out United States of America, and underline USA, then I get the chorus of "ohhh." so figure the name of my country before you complain about an international body of water... |
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coldcrush
Joined: 02 Apr 2004
Location: melbourne.... Posts: 1
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:12 am Post subject: |
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| VANK? |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:54 am Post subject: |
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They were one letter away from the proper name |
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Paji eh Wong
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 3:24 am Post subject: |
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I knew that couldn't be written by a Korean. |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:00 am Post subject: |
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| A Web site on animal rights claims that South Koreans boil cats alive and routinely torture dogs. |
Correct. Unless they've stopped in the past 2 weeks. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:40 am Post subject: |
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"How has tourism affected the world��s perception of Korea? In 2003, 694 million tourists flooded into the country. That number of people seeing the country for themselves first-hand – and generally enjoying their visits – has an impact on how Korea is perceived in foreign lands _ and will continue to do so."
And I wonder why Korea is misunderstood all the time... |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:45 am Post subject: |
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"Immigration is also affecting the world��s knowledge of Korea. The alien work force in South Korea totals somewhere between 378,000 and half a million, most of whom come from South Asian countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the Philippines but also from the former Soviet Union countries and Nigeria. The figure includes about 11,000 English teachers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. These migrants in their letters and emails home, and after they return home, spread the word about Korean culture."
The SE Asian and African factory workers always have wonderful things to say about Korea culture! How do they learn about it? Head off to the factory owner's home for Chusok? Perhaps some of the Nigerian worker's Korean girlfriends bring them home for the occasional home cooked meal?
Did you guys know that you are not English teachers, but migrant workers? |
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funplanet
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Location: The new Bucheon!
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:47 am Post subject: |
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| That should be 6.94million visitors....but I am sure some Koreans will believe it was 694m |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:53 am Post subject: |
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| 694 million tourists flooded into the country. |
6.94 Million genuine tourists? i don't think so.
Businessmen and relatives of ESL teachers/US military here to briefly see their kids. Genuine tourists go to Thailand and the Phillipines, not Korea:) |
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TiGrBaLm
Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Location: Hubcap of Asia
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 5:18 am Post subject: |
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| im not quite sure I understand how VANK turned into VAMP |
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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 5:35 am Post subject: |
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| rapier wrote: |
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| 694 million tourists flooded into the country. |
6.94 Million genuine tourists? i don't think so.
Businessmen and relatives of ESL teachers/US military here to briefly see their kids. Genuine tourists go to Thailand and the Phillipines, not Korea:) |
I agree!! 6.94 million tourists HAHAHHA I DONT THINK SO!!!
even the fame of bae yong joon couldnt get that many japanese over here but he sure did increase the numbers this last two years...
of anyone back in the west or europe are deciding a holiday, and want the asian experienc. I think south korea is on the bottom of their list!
CHINA, JAPAN, lead the way in the east..
thailand, malaysia, philipines, veitnam, cambodia in the south
I think south korea is like 10th on a families list of asian places to visit.
Korea is just not the place for tourists..
never will be.. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 6:27 am Post subject: |
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| funplanet wrote: |
| That should be 6.94million visitors....but I am sure some Koreans will believe it was 694m |
I've noticed too they're not so good with their numbers. I saw a funny one once where the article said something about a rise in temperature. The temperature went up by 2c. The Korean reporter then reported what 2c would be in Fahrenheit. A 2c rise in temperature is equal to, incredibly, a 39 degree rise in Fahrenheit. Took me a second to realize the idiot reporter mistook 2c ambient temperature with a 2c relative rise. |
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ladyandthetramp
Joined: 21 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 6:35 am Post subject: Re: and |
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| antoniothegreat wrote: |
| and if they really care what we call the Sea of Japan/East Sea (even though it is not Korea's East Sea, I dont think they own it) why don't they learn the America is not a country, America is a continent, in fact there are two of them. I have to teach all my students (and teachers)that i am from the USA, and they dont understand, I have to write out United States of America, and underline USA, then I get the chorus of "ohhh." so figure the name of my country before you complain about an international body of water... |
Though I understand your thinking, it's a bit too late to change the fact that not only do citizens of the U.S. call themselves Americans, but they are called so in many different languages by people around the world, not just Koreans. |
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