Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Geckoman]

The racist xenophobic anti-native English teacher group, Anti-English Spectrum (AES), is starting to get international attention.

The news wire, Canwest News Service, wrote a story on AES and that article has appeared in newspapers across Canada including the Canadian nationwide newspaper, the National Post, and The Vancouver Sun, of Vancouver, British Columbia.

National Post:

Korean Group Accuses Canadian Teachers of Molestation, Drugs
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2310206

The Vancouver Sun:

Korean group accuses Canadian teachers of molesting children, doing drugs
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Korean+group+accuses+Canadian+teachers+molesting+children+doing+drugs/2310706/story.html

The Gazette:

Korean group accuses Canadian teachers of molesting children, doing drugs
http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Korean+group+accuses+Canadian+teachers+molesting+children+doing+drugs/2310706/story.html

Kelowna:

Foreign English teachers targeted in smear campaign
http://www.kelowna.com/2009/12/07/foreign-english-teachers-targeted-in-smear-campaign/

Korean group accuses Canadian teachers of molesting children, doing drugs.
http://www.kelowna.com/2009/12/07/korean-group-accuses-canadian-teachers-of-molesting-children-doing-drugs/

Way the go Canada!

I encourage everyone to contact other news agencies and suggest that they cover this story. When you do, show them the National Post one, as often a news agency will not cover a story until they see another news agency covering that story, and then they don't want to miss out and so will cover it. And the National Post is a nationwide paper.

Also, I encourage everyone to contact Korean news agencies and suggest that they cover the story of Anti-English Spectrum (AES) being picked up by the foreign press. The fact that the foreign press is covering AES is newsworthy. And by the Korean press covering that, more Koreans will know about how AES is being covered by the foreign press, which they need to know about. They need to know how the racist hate group AES is damaging their country's reputation.

[tefain]

Nice, even if it gives them more attention than they deserve.

[mayorgc]

AES: We can't get laid, so you shouldn't too!

[antoniothegreat]

hopefully this is the beginning of something good. for years koreans have treated NETs as trash. Hopefully, those same NETs have gone home and worked their way up the career ladder, and are now in a position to let people know about "sparkling korea."

[Old Gil]

[beercanman]

Robert Brydon, a former Port Moody, B.C., resident who is married to a Korean and has taught in the country since 2005, said he's been stunned by the rhetoric coming from the Anti-English Spectrum Group that targets the 2,000 foreign English teachers in the country.
==========================

I think that number needs some fixing, but otherwise maybe attention on these scumbags will help you guys a little bit?

[bigwilly999]

glad this is getting some press in Canada. These people are crazy and need to be stopped.

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[nautilus]

[Mithrae]

That article was very poorly written. It was like something you'd read in the Korea Herald. I wish the author had taken the time to deal with the issue properly. It was really a missed opportunity. Hopefully another paper will pick up the story and do a much better job.

Still, that's the fourth article on Korean racism in major Western newspapers in the last month. The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, and Financial Times also did reports on Korean racism. The word is getting out there.

The more we write to Western newspapers the more stories will appear.

[On the other hand]

I think this article will probably do more harm than good.

[tomwaits]

Thanks for posting that---
hot off the presses also---Dec7

I'm thinking OK there is a group of nutbars out there. but is there a point here--do they actually have any influence or power?

And a quote from one of these Naver people should be included. It's really just a phone interview with someone in Seoul alleging this. (But I lived in Korea so I know it's true.)


IOH one more thing. Where does the HIV stuff come from? I get the drug allegations since there were people arrested in the past---even the sexual things---but HIV? Has there been a flurry of deported teachers or is it just a way to say "those evil dirty foreigners?"

[On the other hand]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Smee]

Yep, lazy reporting typical of what you find when you report on Korea from overseas. I've outlined some objections in my post, but to summarize:
* There aren't 2,000 foreign English teachers here
* The Anti-Foreign Crime task force isn't out to get NSETs
* The "new" visa regulations aren't new for teachers who have come here in the last couple years
* It's not clear ATEK made the death threat
* They talked to one teacher (probably the guy who gave them the story in the first place), an ATEK guy, and referenced two other articles. So basically nobody anyone has heard of.
* It doesn't say what AES actually does and what its influence actually is
I'll say that I was contacted this morning, while I was asleep, by another outlet from North America regarding AES, so the NP's article got the word out there. Not sure if they'll get back to me, but I gave them some people worth talking to. A good reporter will get the story right, so let's hope that happens.