tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post2525040951308224157..comments2024-02-23T23:53:54.842+09:00Comments on Gusts Of Popular Feeling: An accurate, reliable, impartial news reportmatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296009437690229938noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-53231085156996949262011-03-06T22:06:19.350+09:002011-03-06T22:06:19.350+09:00It's good to see the american ambassador(Steve...It's good to see the american ambassador(Stevens supposed former english teacher) and embassy has its priorities straight putting animals, cows(beef) before people(english teachers), what a crappy embassy american that is in Gwanghwamun.<br /><br />Can's Stevens be stripped of past titles based on present non-action?<br /><br />How about 1-Man demonstrations in front of the American Embassy saying "It cares more about American animals/beef than American people/English teachers."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-86413627172233181962011-03-05T19:58:14.963+09:002011-03-05T19:58:14.963+09:00(2 of 2)
Naturally, there's an enormous econo...(2 of 2)<br /><br />Naturally, there's an enormous economic interest in making sure US beef doesn't receive discriminatory treatment and continues to flow into Korea. But is there less of a US econmic interest in the area of English education? <br /><br />There are approx. 12,000 (E-2 visa) non-Korean US citizen <i>wonomin kangsa/kyosa</i> in Korea, assuming they earn USD $21,500 a year salary (2 million KRW a month), that amounts to USD $258 million annually. In 2009, the <a href="http://www.ers.usda.gov/news/BSECoverage.htm" rel="nofollow">USDA</a> put the value of beef sales to Korea at USD $215 million ($43 million less than the revenue earned by American E-2 visa <i>wonomin kangsa</i>). <br /><br />And <b>substantially</b> more revenue is earned from Koreans studying English abroad. <br /><br />According to a 2007 report by 'Industry Canada with the participation of the Canadian Embassy in Seoul and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service' (see <a href="http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collection_2007/ic/Iu44-41-2007E.pdf" rel="nofollow">"The Language Training Market In Korea"</a>):<br /><br />"In recent years, Korea has spent more per capita on English language training than any other nation. Indeed, the Korean market is significant: <b>$4.6 billion [USD $4.7 billion] is spent on English language education abroad . . ."</b> <br /><br />(I'm assuming this is an annual amount since Samsung Economic Research Institute(SERI)'s 2006 <a href="http://www.seriworld.org/01/wldContV.html?&mn=A&mncd=0301&key=20061120000001&pubkey=20061120000001&seq=20061120000001&kdy=E5JjH5a6=" rel="nofollow">"The Economics of English"</a> report stated that <b>Koreans spent "806.6 trillion [Korean] Won" [USD $721.9 billion] on English in 2005.</b>)<br /><br />While I don't have stats to back this up, I think it's safe to say the US takes the lion's share of that USD $4.7 billion spent abroad on English education.<br /><br />The revenue the US earns from beef sales to Korea pales in comparison. As mentioned, in 2009, the USDA put the value of beef sales to Korea at USD $215 million (with 2003 being a peak year at USD $754 million.)<br /><br />While I don't have any objective data to support this statement, I'd would argue that the stigma against <i>wonomin</i> in Korea (i.e. as dangerous, immoral, diseased, drugged-out individuals) has some effect (possibly a substantial effect) on the likelihood of Koreans choosing the US as a place to learn English from American <i>wonomin</i>. In other words, the reputational costs translate into lost revenue. <br /><br />If the US is willing to go to the mat over discriminatory treatment toward <i>beef</i> for a few hundred million why the indifference to discriminatory treatment towards its <i>citizens</i> which has the potential to affect a market valued in <i>billions</i> of dollars?<br /><br />The US just doesn't seems to "get it". In terms of international relations, from a "logic of appropriateness" perspective, it has failed to do the right thing by speaking up against human rights violations that even UN SG Ban Ki Moon has recognized [<a href="http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2010/11/ban-ki-moon-urges-e-2-visa-hiv-tests-be.html" rel="nofollow">1</a>,<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/11/tefl" rel="nofollow">2</a>]; moreover, as explained above, from a "logic of consequences" perspective it has also failed to appreciate the significant economic losses incurred in reputational damages. <br /><br />(** I'd appreciate comments on any errors, botched statistics, bad math, differing opinions, etc.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-8813433134215996812011-03-05T18:03:46.774+09:002011-03-05T18:03:46.774+09:00(1 of 2)
As Matt has pointed out in previous post...(1 of 2)<br /><br />As Matt has pointed out in previous posts, it's interesting that when it comes to <i>wonomin kangsa/kyosa</i> the Hankyoreh seems to have the most objective coverage. Seems curious considering their coverage of US military issues in the past (esp. 90s). That is to say, if the <i>wonomin</i> is today's GI, which seems to be the case, one might assume the Hani would pick up the issue and run with it. Yet it's the "conservative" media (e.g. KBS, Chosun Ilbo) that seems to be leading the charge. <br /><br />I suspect the ROK/USFK relationship may be part (most?) of the reason the Korean "conservative" press exercised/exercises more restraint when it comes to GI/USFK reporting. <br /><br />If that's the case, in contrast to coverage of military personnel, the "conservative" media doesn't seem to have any trepidation over creating ill will or provoking criticism from the US gov with biased coverage of US <i>civilian</i> citizens in Korea (e.g <i>wonomin</i>). Irresponsible reporting by the Korean media on US military personnel generates a swift response: <br /><br />"[American Ambassador James T.] Laney says the problem is not that American soldiers are committing more crimes, but that an irresponsible Korean press is portraying them in a particularly lurid way to an inflamed public." <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEED81430F937A1575BC0A963958260" rel="nofollow">NYT, 1995</a>. <br /><br />(Substitute "American soliders" for civilian <i>wonomin</i>.)<br /><br />The US gov and its reps (in contrast to Canada and the UK) have made it quite clear that it takes no offense to irresponsible reporting on <i>wonomin kangsa</i> and the perceived AIDS/drug/criminal threat they pose to Korea, indeed it has given a green light to "conservative" media like KBS and the Chosun Ilbo (with its 5 story blitzkrieg by Choi Hui-seon in 2009) to be as "lurid" as it pleases to "an inflamed public." Ambassador Stevens for instance, a one time <i>wonomn kangsa</i> herself(!), doesn't seem to have the slightest interest speaking out on behalf of US <i>wonomin</i> in Korea. On the other hand, when it comes to US GIs (mentioned above) or even <i>US meat</i>, (mentioned below) US ambassadors have been quite outspoken. <br /><br />Contrast Ambassador Stevens' approach to that of former Ambassador Vershbow during the beef crisis. It seemed like hardly a day passed without Vershbow making public statements criticizing the Korean media's negative reporting on beef and asking Koreans to stop discriminating against US beef and be more rational and <a href="http://www.rjkoehler.com/2008/06/04/politicians-pissed-at-ambassador-vershbow-for-science-comment/" rel="nofollow">"scientific"</a> about the issue. <br /><br />Even ex-AmCham prez (and 'blue-eyed' Korean citizen) Jeff Jones, on behalf of the private sector, got in on the action with the beef issue calling Koreans "emotional" and adding that "[i]n Korea, passion often leads before rationality.'':<br /><br /><i>"It's not an issue based on fact. . . . The problem with the beef issue is there is no substance in the argument. It's an emotional issue. It's an emotional issue because people fear that they will be harmed."</i> - Jeff Jones, <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/05/123_24693.html" rel="nofollow">KT, 2008</a><br /><br />(Substitute "beef" for "<i>wonomin</i> with AIDS or on drugs".)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-43344161046735492812011-03-04T17:14:53.286+09:002011-03-04T17:14:53.286+09:00I met some KBS reporters in 2008 at a group meetin...I met some KBS reporters in 2008 at a group meeting that was hosted by one of my friends. A lot of Korean people go to the party as well as foreigners.<br /><br />He rents a bar out and it's 15'000 won per person, with all the draft beer and snack food you like.<br /><br />They tried to tag me as a womanizer and a drug abuser by asking me questions such as; "Do you have a lot of girl friends?" and "What's in that cigar you're smoking? I think it smells like marijuana." <br /><br />KBS is another news media group I threw on the garbage heap along with SBS and fox news a long time ago.Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17356521193425548627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-33245094273106675222011-03-04T15:12:55.376+09:002011-03-04T15:12:55.376+09:00great post. well done.great post. well done.Roboseyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308196436612993379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-66354585503622127632011-03-04T13:30:45.522+09:002011-03-04T13:30:45.522+09:00Classic post.Classic post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12946845.post-38167340956452510542011-03-04T13:20:57.429+09:002011-03-04T13:20:57.429+09:00I heard that as a middle-aged adults, the newscast...I heard that as a middle-aged adults, the newscasters are likely to have engaged in sexual activity at some point in their lives. Do we really want those kinds of people hosting our news programs? I think not.holterbarbourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16803994461554294553noreply@blogger.com