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JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
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 Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:27 am Post subject: Famous Korean Skier! |
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http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=2006-02-17T075309Z_01_SEO343079_RTRUKOC_0_US-OLYMPICS-FREESTYLE-SKIING-MEN-MOGULS-KORE.xml&archived=False
By Lee Jin-joo
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea discovered a new Olympic pin-up boy on Friday and it turns out he is American.
Pictures of South Korea-born Toby Dawson, who took bronze in the men's freestyle skiing moguls, were in almost all South Korean newspapers on Friday, while scant mention was made of the two people who finished ahead of Dawson in the event.
Even though he competes for the red, white and blue of the United States, Dawson shot to celebrity status half a world away because of his birth in South Korea, where his biological Korean parents abandoned him on a doorstep.
Dawson was adopted at the age of three by a pair of ski instructors in Colorado, where he quickly shared his adopted parents' passion for the snow-covered hills.
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Full article above |
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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 Feb 17, 2006 4:45 am Post subject: |
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Yet the Korean-born NHL ice hockey player, Richard Park, gets barely a mention. I remember when he scored two game winners in Minnesota's surprising Stanley Cup playoffs surge a couple of years ago. Not much press on him then.
Koreans like to ski. About of a third of my students have gone to Muju Ski Resort to ski, sled or snowboard.
And to get an Olympic medal, even if it's "dung!", is reason for them to celebrate. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:20 am Post subject: |
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They can celebrate all they want, but fact is, he is an American, and Korea has one of the worst baby abandonment rates in the world. Its disgusting how Koreans want it both ways.
Korea has NOTHING to cheer about in the Dawson success, as well as Hines. Korea lost all rights to them long ago, when they were ostracized and banished. |
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gypsyfish
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:09 am Post subject: |
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Don't forget about Hyo-Jung Kim. She prefers "Halie" to given name, "Hyo-Jung." Kim's parents moved from Korea to the U.S. and lived in the Los Angeles area for 12 years. During that time her father became a U.S. citizen and in 1988 the family returned to Korea. Shortly thereafter, Hyo-Jung was born and documented as an American citizen. She came to the U.S. in 2004 to live fulltime. She didn't like the training she was getting here in Korea.
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/torino2006/usa/Hyo-Jung+Kim/606825 |
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JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| HapKi wrote: |
They can celebrate all they want, but fact is, he is an American, and Korea has one of the worst baby abandonment rates in the world. Its disgusting how Koreans want it both ways.
Korea has NOTHING to cheer about in the Dawson success, as well as Hines. Korea lost all rights to them long ago, when they were ostracized and banished. |
Yes. Bizarre. You think these situations would elicit some coverup, rather than the "Hey, He's Korean! Koreans #1!" thing. Only thing I can think of is that Korea is really in a crisis mode of national heros after the Hwang lying situation--but it just happensw to be that the only Koreans that have accomplished anything noteworthy, were Koreans that were driven from Korea for one reason or another. |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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| It's like watching a math equation reach its inevitable conclusion. The desire to claim any successful person as Korean outweighs the desire to not think about Korea's flaws. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 4:25 am Post subject: |
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| They may have found his family. A couple who have lost their eldest son are hopeful that they may be his biological parents. The physical similarities between him and his would-be father and brother are stunning. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:30 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| A couple who have lost their eldest son are hopeful that they may be his biological parents. |
If by 'lost' you mean abandoned at the police stations doorstep, then its consistent with the facts. Its funny (sad really) how becoming famous makes biological parents suddenly come out of the woodwork. People have been looking for his parents for some time now.
I saw the news, too. Similarities with the father are striking. What was the brother doing in the hospital? Hope this has a happy ending, as its what Dawson wants. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:15 am Post subject: |
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| HapKi wrote: |
| Quote: |
| A couple who have lost their eldest son are hopeful that they may be his biological parents. |
If by 'lost' you mean abandoned at the police stations doorstep, then its consistent with the facts. Its funny (sad really) how becoming famous makes biological parents suddenly come out of the woodwork. People have been looking for his parents for some time now.
I saw the news, too. Similarities with the father are striking. What was the brother doing in the hospital? Hope this has a happy ending, as its what Dawson wants. |
Actually, by lost I really meant lost. Many Korean cops at that time were more interested in lining their pockets with bribes than finding missing children, which is why some children ended up in orphanages even though their parents were looking for them. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:26 am Post subject: |
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Everything I've read says the biological parents abandoned him, as well as his brother, and made no attempts to reach/find him till this week.
| Quote: |
| Born in South Korea, Dawson was adopted when he was 3 years old by Vail, Colo., ski instructors Mike and Deborah Dawson, who were told that Toby was abandoned either in the street or on the steps of a police station in Seoul (view childhood photos). Reports say he was born in Pusan, near the southeast coast of South Korea, but nothing confirms a date. His listed birthday -- November 30, 1978 -- was given to him when he was brought to an orphanage, and based on how he looked compared to the other children. Toby's younger brother K.C. was also adopted from an orphanage in Seoul, but not the same one as Toby. |
http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5058549/detail.html
I guess the key word there is "told". |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:35 am Post subject: |
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| HapKi wrote: |
Everything I've read says the biological parents abandoned him, as well as his brother, and made no attempts to reach/find him till this week.
| Quote: |
| Born in South Korea, Dawson was adopted when he was 3 years old by Vail, Colo., ski instructors Mike and Deborah Dawson, who were told that Toby was abandoned either in the street or on the steps of a police station in Seoul (view childhood photos). Reports say he was born in Pusan, near the southeast coast of South Korea, but nothing confirms a date. His listed birthday -- November 30, 1978 -- was given to him when he was brought to an orphanage, and based on how he looked compared to the other children. Toby's younger brother K.C. was also adopted from an orphanage in Seoul, but not the same one as Toby. |
http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5058549/detail.html
I guess the key word there is "told". |
You would trust a report written by a Korean cop in the early 80's? |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:52 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| You would trust a report written by a Korean cop in the early 80's? |
I don't see where police reports enter into this.
Orphanage documents, yes. I trust them more than a Korean father who abandoned 2 sons (edit: a son), and has made NO attempts to find Dawson despite Dawson looking for the past several years, coming to Korea, as well as pictures put up on websites.
Think about it. How does a 3 year old toddler suddenly go lost and missing. Department store shopping? I don't think so. Wouldn't the police station be the first place they look? The orphanage as well? They were abandoned, and orphanages were/are full of others just like them.
If the father said he lost them, he's just covering his ass, in my opinion. Who wants to finally meet a son who knows (along with the world) that you abandoned him. But believe what you want. |
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HapKi
Joined: 10 Dec 2004
Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL
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| Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:29 am Post subject: |
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Evidently, Dawson's quest to find his parents has become too successful, as around 200 people have come forward. None so far, however, have confirmed parenthood with a DNA test, or even taken one.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602220005.html
What this tells me is A) the number of abandoned Korean babies was/is very large, B) become famous and everyone wants a piece of you, and C) even Koreans think they look the same. |
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