This is a tough issue to take sides on because the South Korean defamation laws do make it harder for people to lie about people especially politicians, but it does limit freedom of speech. However, in such a wired country like South Korea lies spread and are believed very fast. The perfect example was the 2008 Mad Cow Crisis which was based on lies and ushered in laws directing people to use their real name on the Internet. It is definitely a delicate balancing act the South Korean government is playing with this issue:
Park Sung-su, a political activist, protesting in front of the Supreme Court in Seoul, South Korea, last month. The sign, in Korean, reads, “Bite it off, you dogs of power.” Mr. Park was freed in December after being jailed on charges of defaming the president.
In late 2014, months after 304 people died in the sinking of a South Korean ferry, a leaflet began circulating with a scurrilous rumor about President Park Geun-hye: that she had failed to respond swiftly to the disaster that day because she was having a romantic encounter with a former aide.
Was Ms. Park, the flier asked, now cracking down on her critics in an attempt to keep that scandal from coming to light?
For Park Sung-su, an antigovernment campaigner who had distributed the leaflet — and who is not related to the president (Park is a common surname here) — the consequences soon followed. He was arrested and later sentenced to a year in prison, on charges of defaming the president and staging illegal protests against his prosecutors. He was freed in December after eight months, when a court suspended his sentence.
No evidence supporting the rumor has been produced, and prosecutors said they had investigated and found it groundless. But however dubious the leaflet might have been, opponents of the government say Mr. Park became another victim of the very thing he was denouncing: the government’s use of defamation and other laws to silence its critics, which rights advocates say is on the rise.
Last year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee warned against South Korea’s “increasing use of criminal defamation laws to prosecute persons who criticize government action.” Freedom House, a rights group based in Washington, criticized “the increased intimidation of political opponents” under Ms. Park, who took office in 2013.
“The government is especially sensitive about defending the personal reputation of the president,” said Park Kyung-sin, a professor of law at Korea University who has researched the issue.
The Constitution guarantees freedom of expression. But defamation laws here carry penalties that include prison — up to three years for comments that are true and up to seven for statements considered false — if they are deemed not in the public interest. Critics say the distinction is vague and opens the door to abuse by prosecutors.
The government’s use of the laws against critics predates Ms. Park’s presidency. During the five-year tenure of her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, 30 such cases were filed, 24 of them criminal and six civil, according to People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, an influential South Korean civic group. But under Ms. Park, the trend increased considerably, with 22 cases filed in her first two and a half years in office, the group said. Of those, 18 were criminal prosecutions.
“They don’t seem to care whether they win these cases,” the group said in a recent report, noting that the officials often lose in court. “The real purpose is to create a chilling effect among people criticizing and scrutinizing the government.” [New York Times]
It looks like if someone needs a good caffeine buzz, Dutch coffee products are the way to go:
Dutch coffee products on average contain four times the amount of caffeine in a cup of americano sold in cafes, according to the Korea Consumer Agency on Thursday.
The agency examined 30 Dutch coffee products in the market and found that while a cup of americano contains 0.4 milligrams of caffeine per milliliter, Dutch coffee contains 1.7 milligrams.
Currently, a beverage that contains more than 15 milligrams of caffeine per 100 milliliters is classified as “highly caffeinated” by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and these drinks must provide a warning label to customers to prevent them from consuming more caffeine than the maximum daily intake. However, there were no warnings on the tested products.
The warning standard set by the ministry states that highly caffeinated drinks must have a phrase for those susceptible to caffeine, such as “Caution: can be dangerous to children, pregnant woman and those sensitive to caffeine,” along with a “highly caffeinated” sign. The product must also say how many milligrams of caffeine is in the drink. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
I think there is some truth to the above Korean saying:
More and more young men and women of Korea find life in their motherland so painfully tough that they literally call it hell, some even plotting to pick up and leave for another country.
But what happens when you really take off?
The Korea Times talked to 10 men and women from different walks of life who’ve immigrated to the U.S. within the past decade and here’s what they had to say about the reality of departing “Hell Joseon, a viral term that embodies young people’s sense of hopelessness in Korea.
“I’ll be honest,” said Kim Ga-young, 38, who left Korea for Atlanta two years ago after leaving her job in the customer service industry. “I don’t have to put up with nonsense brought on by all kinds of snobby people. But I’m facing a whole new set of problems here, too.”
Language and cultural barriers are the biggest trouble for her.
“I had never been overseas past Japan. The U.S. and the Western world is completely new to me, so it’s definitely going to take some time to find my place here,” says Kim, who works part-time at a Korean-owned beauty supply store.
Park Jung-hyun, 55, who made the big move almost 10 years ago, is happy to say that most of the language and cultural barriers are a thing of the past now.
“The first three years was difficult and sad,” she says, “but once I understood the true American life, I realized that I don’t have to be ashamed about not speaking the language and knowing the culture. In a way, many of us are foreigners here.”
Park, who owns and runs a coin laundry shop in Los Angeles with her husband, finds her new life satisfying, both financially and emotionally.
“My husband and I both worked long hours back in Korea,” she said, “and we still work long hours now, but interestingly, there’s a much better work-life balance here.”
Many Koreans who live in the U.S. generally have access to more family time throughout the week and during the weekend, but for some, family time isn’t the only thing they want.
“There’s a saying that Korea is a fun hell and the U.S. is a boring heaven,” says Kim, 41, a hairdresser in Dallas, who didn’t want to be fully named. “I miss being able to just walk out late at night, meeting up with old friends and getting a drink without the hassle of driving on the freeway for 30 minutes to get somewhere.” [Korea Times]
It looks like that Korean kids will be seeing less English teaching in their early elementary school years:
The Constitutional Court has ruled that the government’s order to ban English immersion programs for first and second graders in private elementary schools is constitutional.
The court ruled unanimously on Thursday that the ban could be seen as the proper means of preventing the negative impact of excessive private tutoring.
Parents of students at Younghoon Elementary School, a high-profile private school, filed a petition in December 2013 asking the court to review the constitutionality of the ban.
Under the English immersion curriculum, the school taught most subjects, such as mathematics and science, in English.
“The government’s instruction was designed to prevent parents’ excessive zeal over private education for English so that young children could grow as well-rounded people,” the court said. [Korea Times]
It seems racist to me to have an anchor baby system for one race of migrant workers to South Korea, but not others. It would be interesting to see if other migrant workers could challenge such a system in court if it ever was implemented:
The tragedy reminded me of a controversial remark made by Kim Moo-sung, leader of the ruling Saenuri Party. At the seventh meeting of the party’s Special Committee on Low Birth on Jan. 29, Kim mentioned Germany’s acceptance of four million immigrants from Turkey. He said, “Korea has a great way to minimize culture shock. We can bring in ethnic Koreans from China.” He proposed that Chinese nationals of Korean descent could raise our plunging birth rate.
His remark was met with revulsion. Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung criticized Kim, saying, “The Korean-Chinese are not machines for giving birth.” The National Women’s Committee of the opposition Minjoo Party of Korea pointed out that “Kim’s comment is disparaging to the Korean-Chinese people and Korean citizens, and that shows his wrong view on women.” [Joong Ang Ilbo]
The President of the Korean state run English channel Arirang TV appears to have been enjoying some lavish meals on the Korean taxpayer’s dime:
The president of the state-run English broadcaster Arirang TV was accused Monday of fiddling his expenses on an overseas trip, including a lavish caviar meal.
Rep. Choi Min-hee of the main opposition Minjoo Party said Bang Suk-ho, president of Arirang TV, used a corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses during a business trip to New York City last September. Bang traveled to the United States to cover President Park Geun-hye’s address at the United Nations General Assembly, which Arirang aired live.
According to Choi’s office, Bang spent $930 at a restaurant specializing in caviar in New York City on Sept. 24, the first day of his trip, and later expensed the meal, saying it was a meeting with the head of the Korean Cultural Service in New York City.
On Sept. 27, 2015, Bang visited the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets shopping mall in Central Valley, New York, and used his corporate credit card for food. He expensed that meal saying that it was a meeting with Seo Sok-min, an official at the United Nations headquarters.
According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper, both officials denied sharing meals with Bang or even meeting him.
Arirang TV said Monday that Bang did not misappropriate corporate money during his New York City trip, but mistakes were made when the expenses were filed. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
