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Gollywog
Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Debussy's brain
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 Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 4:46 am Post subject: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
A systematic government campaign has become necessary to help foreigners better understand Korea as many foreign textbooks contain erroneous information about the country according to the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS), Sunday.
``South Korea's major export goods are industrial products and wood,'' a 2005 Egyptian school textbook says. A 2002 edition of a Turkish textbook describes Korea consisting of mainly Koreans, but also Japanese and Chinese residents.
The academy is now holding an exhibition showing how other countries portray Korea in their school textbooks, under the title ``Images of Korea in Foreign Textbooks.'' The exhibition opened Friday and will run through Aug.12 at Insa Art Center, downtown Seoul.
``In most cases, they are unintentional minor mistakes such as wrong statistics and names,'' Shin Yoo-jung, a librarian of the Center for Information on Korean Culture at AKS, said. ``Lack of understanding of Korea is the main reason behind the misrepresented information.''
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More:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/08/117_28687.html
I wonder if this means Korea will reciprocate and correct the "erroneous information" about other countries in the textbooks used in Korean public schools?
Getting rid of the pictures of black people dressed in grass skirts with bones sticking through their noses would be a good place to start. (Yes, this is in one of the English textbooks I must use. It illustrates Africans.)
It might be nice if Koreans, when contacting these other countries, would promise to correct any errors found in its textbooks. On the other hand, when a government commits to free speech, that government doesn't usually go around censoring books. But the government doesn't have to buy them.
Oddly enough, no mention of the little error in the Japanese textbooks -- but then I guess they haven't had time yet to print them with the Dokdo wording. |
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rebel_1812
Joined: 17 May 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:10 am Post subject: |
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| Yes. Anything bad said about Korea is really just a cultural misunderstanding. |
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Kimchi Cha Cha
Joined: 15 May 2003
Location: was Suncheon, now Brisbane
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:16 am Post subject: Re: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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A 2002 edition of a Turkish textbook describes Korea consisting of mainly Koreans, but also Japanese and Chinese residents.
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Heaven forbid people might think Korea is a multicultural society and people other than Koreans live there.
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I_Am_The_Kiwi
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:23 am Post subject: |
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| lets just put it down to cultural difference and leave it at that, it seems to always work for them. |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:34 am Post subject: Re: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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| Gollywog wrote: |
| I wonder if this means Korea will reciprocate and correct the "erroneous information" about other countries in the textbooks used in Korean public schools? |
No. It has been demonstrated many times that everyone is to make the effort to know and understand Korea, but no need at all for Korea to know and understand other cultures.
| Quote: |
| Getting rid of the pictures of black people dressed in grass skirts with bones sticking through their noses would be a good place to start. (Yes, this is in one of the English textbooks I must use. It illustrates Africans.) |
But please "understand them" because they "didn't know" it was offensive. They are sorry.
See? No need to understand others. Just apologize. |
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Gollywog
Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Debussy's brain
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:34 am Post subject: |
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This would be my entry, under "Korea":
Mostly harmless.
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rebel_1812
Joined: 17 May 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:17 am Post subject: Re: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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| Young FRANKenstein wrote: |
| Gollywog wrote: |
| I wonder if this means Korea will reciprocate and correct the "erroneous information" about other countries in the textbooks used in Korean public schools? |
No. It has been demonstrated many times that everyone is to make the effort to know and understand Korea, but no need at all for Korea to know and understand other cultures.
| Quote: |
| Getting rid of the pictures of black people dressed in grass skirts with bones sticking through their noses would be a good place to start. (Yes, this is in one of the English textbooks I must use. It illustrates Africans.) |
But please "understand them" because they "didn't know" it was offensive. They are sorry.
See? No need to understand others. Just apologize. |
Agreed. Which begs the question why then do they care about their international reputation and by extentsion international books about korea when they really don't care about other cultures and other people. I think it is about FACE. They want to save face an be respected by every culture even when they don't show any respect to other cultures. |
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Pooty
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Location: Ela stin agalia mou
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 11:18 am Post subject: Re: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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| rebel_1812 wrote: |
| Young FRANKenstein wrote: |
| Gollywog wrote: |
| I wonder if this means Korea will reciprocate and correct the "erroneous information" about other countries in the textbooks used in Korean public schools? |
No. It has been demonstrated many times that everyone is to make the effort to know and understand Korea, but no need at all for Korea to know and understand other cultures.
| Quote: |
| Getting rid of the pictures of black people dressed in grass skirts with bones sticking through their noses would be a good place to start. (Yes, this is in one of the English textbooks I must use. It illustrates Africans.) |
But please "understand them" because they "didn't know" it was offensive. They are sorry.
See? No need to understand others. Just apologize. |
Agreed. Which begs the question why then do they care about their international reputation and by extentsion international books about korea when they really don't care about other cultures and other people. I think it is about FACE. They want to save face an be respected by every culture even when they don't show any respect to other cultures. |
True dat |
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Anon
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 11:30 am Post subject: Re: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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| Kimchi Cha Cha wrote: |
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A 2002 edition of a Turkish textbook describes Korea consisting of mainly Koreans, but also Japanese and Chinese residents.
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Heaven forbid people might think Korea is a multicultural society and people other than Koreans live there.
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Yeah, I can't understand this one either oO |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:36 pm Post subject: Re: Korean Government: Many Foreign Books Misrepresent Korea |
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| Kimchi Cha Cha wrote: |
| Quote: |
A 2002 edition of a Turkish textbook describes Korea consisting of mainly Koreans, but also Japanese and Chinese residents.
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Heaven forbid people might think Korea is a multicultural society and people other than Koreans live there.
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But it is NOT a multicultural society. Yes, people from many other countries do live here, but there is only one culture here: Korea's. |
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