Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kangnamdragon]

Why is the subject: U.S. guilty of polluting....?

It is not the United States. It is one person.

[Real Reality]

tsgarp wrote,
Should we excuse foreigners because Koreans commit the same crimes?

No. However, if a Korean commits the crime and receives a fine for 5 million won, then a foreigner that commits a similar crime should receive a similar fine or punishment.

What happened to the 15 Koreans?
15 held for dumping 270 tons of poison into Han
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200311/02/200311022354215509900090409041.html

kangnamdragon wrote,
Why is the subject: U.S. guilty of polluting....?

If he were from another country, then he would probably have received a fine. The story and case would not have been as publicized.

[Hyalucent]

I wonder if it was upstream or downstream from the drinking water site.

[candu]

It is a sad statement on Korean society, when a foreigner is demonized for something nobody would care about would a Korean have done it. It has nothing to do with maintaining the quality - whatever little remains - of Han River water, and that is another tragedy. Koreans - or anyone for that matter - should be upset about the case. They should be concerned with all cases of environmental crimes. The point is, the majority couldn't give a damn about it; that is unless the one responsible is a foreigner.

The tragic death of those two girls in 2002 north of Seoul - out of a total of about 400 Korean children killed in traffic accidents annually - only made headlines because of who was responsible. Where are the protests, tears, and gruesome posters for those kids who didn't happen to be killed by foreigners? Improving traffic safety - or safety here in general - seems to be secondary when it can be twisted into an issue of "Us and Them" nationalism.

Each year there are thousands of Korean prostitutes who endure unspeakable abuse - including death - at the hands of the host population of "johns", but few seem could care less about these societal outcasts until a foreigner - especially an American - hurts one of them, at which point she becomes a national martyr and he becomes a foreign demon. Regardless of who harms a prostitute - or anyone else - the victim should be mourned and the offender punished. What difference should it make if a monster is Korean or foreign?

My students are quick to erupt at any mention of Anton Ohno - an evil American skater - or Dokto - pair of rocks that Korea will continue to keep and that most Japanese couldn't care about - but not one of them during the last two semesters could name for me the man who murdered 160 plus fellow Koreans on the Daegu subway less than a year ago. I guess that incident was a lower priority...

[matko]

Candu,
Well put.
I tend to think of it like this.

'What happens in my family is my business and not yours. I can do to my family and my home whatever the hell I want. None of your business. If you come into my house as a guest and make a mistake, I'll make you pay. If you criticize my family, I'll make you pay. If you sleep with my daughter, I'll make you pay.'

It's kind of like the mafia in a way.

I can understand the mentality to a certain extent, but this is the 21st century and Korea claims to be a world leader.

They need to grow up.