Ruminations in Korea

Comment by el kabong

3 March 2006 @ 7:37 pm

i absolutely can’t live until i know what that says in english… i can read it out-loud, but it’s just random sounding… sounds. I’m sure you gave him hell though.

Comment by Joel

3 March 2006 @ 10:37 pm

My favorite part of the whole thing has got to be this:

“오늘은” : 그냥 사이버 수사대 같은곳에 신고하면 안돼는지? 근거없이 국가를 상대로 타국인이 저렇게 매도하느건 법정 대응 돼지않나요?

언론의 자유란 못 들었나보죠. 타국인이 저렇게 매도하는거 안된다니… 그런거 어디에 있습니까? 외국인이란 사람 아닌가요? 같은 인간인데 외국인이라 인권을 짓밟아도 되는겁니까?

Comment by Maku

3 March 2006 @ 10:41 pm

Could you please translate this or just summarize the content real short (but more than: “they hate me!”)?

Comment by Kevin Kim

3 March 2006 @ 11:54 pm

Jeff,

I’m sure that many Koreans who read your site understand your purpose very well. Others, however, lack either the linguistic or the mental sophistication (or, perhaps, both) to catch what your site’s purpose is, as laid out in your reply to those God-Daum commenters.

Too bad for them.

My recommendation to certain oversensitive Koreans reading Jeff’s blog: brush up on your English, and try reading his blog from the beginning to get some context!

Kevin

Comment by Jae

4 March 2006 @ 2:35 am

You know I’d never hate you! :P

Comment by Mike

4 March 2006 @ 8:03 am

Who’s ‘they’ who hates you? The Daum site itself and its readers or this one particular Korean who put up that comment in Daum? Anyone can put up a comment in Daum. If I were you, I’d be glad to have free publicity for the blog.

Comment by allan

4 March 2006 @ 6:25 pm

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment 1 Korean style
We can say what we want, print what we want, worship what we want but expats are forbidden to put themselves on our level. We can call you fat, sub-human and give you hate-stares as much as we want but expats are forbidden to do the same. We demand our freedoms but expats, watch what you do, what you think and how you look.

You know, I’ve said this before (maybe not here) but if you take the word Korean and substitute Klingon then everything starts to make sense. Do Klingons have a double standard? Of course. Do Klingons think they’re superior to everyone else? That’s a Roger. It even boils do to dogs and Koreans. Klingons hate Tribbles and I’m sure all of us have seen Koreans freak when a dog approaches them (I think it’s a guilty conscious). You know, I asked a Klingon, opps, I mean a Korean, what dog tasted like. He told me—ruff! (groan)

Comment by AA

6 March 2006 @ 1:13 am

Only way to describe allan’s post.

Inferiority complex at its finest.

Comment by el kabong

6 March 2006 @ 7:04 pm

Would someone please be kind enough to translate the general idea of what was posted above?

Comment by allan

6 March 2006 @ 7:50 pm

Only way to describe AA’s post is typical “I’m rubber you’re glue”. Here’s a thought, if it walks like a duck, quakes like a duck and looks like a duck then it must be a duck. Jeff is doing alot of hard work trying to make sense out of this “Stranger in a Strange Land” place! Koreans are attacking him for no DAMN good reason other than their limited English thinks he’s putting them down. I’m sure he, as a lawyer, could spend much better time than working of this site. Maybe you didn’t get my main point which is there is a double standard here in Korea. That was my point.

Comment by AA

7 March 2006 @ 8:44 am

Some Korean guy posts negative things on a public bbs and it’s all of a sudden and it’s hordes of “Koreans are attacking him for no DAMN good reason”. Really. Just wait til those Koreans read Dave’s ESL cafe. I wonder what the true backlash will look like.

Comment by Albert Lee

21 March 2006 @ 8:48 am

Quick Translation (I suck at Korean idioms so help me out y’all):

Original Post from Daum:
I was so flabbergasted after seeing a site authored by a Canadian ragging on Korea that I was about to cry. The most surprising thing is that this Canadian is operating the site, not in Canada, but while living in Korea. The name of the site is…. The Canadian blogger calls himself “Jeff” and teaches English in Korea. The spectacle of curses he pours out on Korea are truly the order of the day. He posts articles that bash Korea, Koreans, the Korean President, and anything related to Korea. On the outside, he acts as if he’s pro-Korean to his Korean hosts, but his site shows his two-faced reversal. Even at a glance, the blog looks like it’s been up for quite a while. Although my English sucks, I intended to give this Canadian a taste of his own medicine by posting few choice words. But it turns out that he has installed moderating capabilities, allowing comments only if he likes them and blocking them if he disapproves of them at his own whim. So, he’s only listening to comments that tickle his ear, those things that only support him. It looks like he set this up in anticipation of Korean protests. Shouldn’t this Canadian be legally punished right away? According to law, I think this guy could be punished and them some. Otherwise, we should see to his deportation and ban him from Korea for life.

Comments to the post:
“Today”: Couldn’t this be reported to the cyber-crime investigations (agency)? Isn’t there a legal response to a foreigner vilifying Korea without proof?

“Doolittle”: Rather than a smear site, it reads more like a social critique mixed with sympathy. He lived in Korea for the better part of 17 years. If he was someone who was simply bashing Korea, would he have lived here for 17 years? He even looks like he plans to stay.

My Response:

Hello. Like doolittle says, my site is by no means a bashing or debasing site on Korea. It’s a site written with love for the Republic of Korea. No matter how good a country it is, Korea is not yet a perfect country. Unfortunately, there are a lot of problems with out Korea is perceived abroad. Foreigners view Korea differently from how Koreans view Korea. Although I wish that all foreigners had positive thoughts and feelings about Korea, Korean society has to make a change for the better to achieve this. My site’s intent is, far from bashing Korea, to inform people from the perspective of a foreigner who loves and respects Korea that Korea is capable of improving its international and global image if it didn’t have certain social, political, and relational circumstances. I would be appreciate it if you thought this site as giving Korean society a gentle spanking with a paddle of love rather than one that bashes and debases.

Comment by Albert Lee

21 March 2006 @ 8:52 am

Crap, I noticed some typos in my translation. Oh well.

Comment by Jeff in Korea

21 March 2006 @ 9:10 am

Albert,

Thanks! I’m glad someone finally got around to doing that. I intended to do it several times, but when it came right down to it, I just didn’t have the energy. I would start and think, “ugh…what’s the point?” Thanks again.

Comment by Albert Lee

21 March 2006 @ 11:40 am

No problem. It was a fun diversion. I was reading some Korean comments on cafe.daum.net/hanryulove. I couldn’t find the original post, but it looks like the original was cross-posted and people are still commenting. Most of the comments can be categorized as follows:
1. What’s his beef? He’s making money in Korea. He should be thankful, that foreign bastard! It’s funny how these English teachers who can’t hold a job in their own countries come over here to get on their soapboxes with their 1st world arrogance. He’s probably after our women, that’s what.
2. I’ve read his blog and he’s a pretty insightful guy. He even responded in Korean. We Koreans get a bad rep in the Internet because of our hypersensitivity. Get a grip!
3. Let him have his anti-Korea blog. Btw, come visit my anti-America blog.
4. Don’t feed the troll.

Comment by Eye4Insanity

1 December 2006 @ 6:40 pm

Ya gotta love the Netizens…Your response was well said.