In today’s connected society it is not very smart to make a comment like this about the Philippines and not expect to get blowback:
Rep. Lee Un-ju / Yonhap
Many Filipinos have reacted with fury after a Korean lawmaker belittled their country during a recent interview with Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo.
The reactions came after Rep. Lee Un-ju of the minor right-wing Bareunmirae Party said the people of Korea “would have lived in a country worse than the Philippines” if former military dictator Park Chung-hee had not ruled the country.
“Filipino soldiers shed their blood and died in Korea,” Romeo Santos Mandinggin, a Filipino man and a fan of Korean culture, told The Korea Times. “By all means she should (apologize), but I doubt she will.”
Belittling the Philippines, which was one of the first countries to send troops to South Korea during the Korean War (1950-53), is nothing but a disgraceful act, another Filipino said.
“The Philippines may not be as rich as Korea is right now, but part of Korea’s development is due to the help of Filipinos even after the war,” Jerry Yusi said.
The lawmaker made the comment as she defended the economic policies of Park, whom she compared with former dictators in other countries such as the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos.
“There have been many dictators across East Asia and Africa,” Lee said. “Most of them failed to develop the economy, unlike former President Park. We should recognize his achievement.” [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but if you haven’t already I recommend reading my prior posting about Hero of the Korean War, Lieutenant Colonel Dionisio Ojeda who led Filipino troops during the Korean War.
Philippine Marine Corps chief Alvin Parreno (C) listens to a South Korean military officer as he visits the South Korean Marine Corps’ 1st Division in the southeastern city of Pohang on Nov. 13, 2018, to inspect major military equipment, including amphibious assault landing vehicles, in this photo released by the Marine Corps Command. (Yonhap)
This reminds me of the old Keys to the Kingdom book that used to be sold in Korean villes to GIs a long time ago:
Major book retailers have stopped selling an “obscene and racist” book about Filipinas.
Online retailers, including Aladin, Yes24 and Bandi & Lunis, have removed the e-book, “How to Treat Bar Hostesses in the Philippines.”
This move came after a tweet about the book was widely spread earlier this month. Many people have taken issue with the contents, which objectify Filipinas from a Korean man’s perspective.
“Once you go to the Philippines, you will soon be attracted to nightlife and meet many kinds of women there. Language won’t be a problem. A few words will be enough to communicate with them,” the book’s author, identified just as “Kevin Cho,” writes.
“Even if you are not a womanizer in Korea, you will definitely be one in the Philippines. This is not the case only for Koreans but also Japanese and Americans. The fact that the Korean Wave is sweeping across Asia makes you feel even more proud. While studying English there, women can be either medicine or poison.”
In the book, published three years ago by Scene in the Moonlight, Cho urges readers to “make the best use of Filipinas, who can give unforgettable memories.” [Korea Times]
This is a bizarre incident that of course President Duterte of the Philippines was the cause of during his visit with Filipino workers in South Korea:
In this video from PTV taken Sunday, June 3, 2018, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte leans in to kiss a Filipino worker at the podium during a town hall-style meeting with overseas Filipino workers in Seoul, South Korea. PTV VIA AP
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s mouth has landed him in hot water again, this time for kissing a married woman on the lips in front of thousands of his cheering supporters.
Duterte, known for his verbal outbursts and other antics, is being slammed by critics for the kiss, which took place Sunday during a town hall-style meeting with overseas Filipino workers in South Korea. One senator called the act “a despicable display of sexism and grave abuse of authority.”
Duterte sought a kiss from the woman after he called her on stage to give her a copy of a book at the event in Seoul. When Duterte asked if she can explain to her husband that the antic was just a joke, and she said yes, the president leaned in and kissed her as thousands erupted in cheers. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but according to the article the kiss was a joke towards the end of Duterte’s two hour long rambling speech in Seoul to Filipino nationals living in South Korea. The woman that allowed him to kiss her is married to a South Korean man and has two kids. No word on what he thought of all of this.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives at Incheon International Airport, Sunday, for his three-day visit to South Korea that includes a summit with President Moon Jae-in. / Yonhap
Over at Korea Expose they have an article posted about the growing problem of South Korean men fathering children in the Philippines and leaving the mothers by going back to Korea:
Kristi, 23, met a South Korean man in the city of Makati, Philippines, through a blind date. “It was love at first sight. We were dating for a few months. Soon enough, I found out he was already married with kids. It broke my world so I decided to end it there.”
But things didn’t work out for Kristi: Shortly after their break-up, she realized she was pregnant. “He told me ‘Don’t worry I’m here for you, I won’t leave you,’ but one month before giving birth, he just disappeared.”
It’s a recurring theme: South Korean men go to the Philippines, have relationships of varying degrees of commitment with local women, father children, and then at one point or another flee back to South Korea severing all ties and leaving the mothers alone with the children.
Kristi is one of many thousands of Filipino women who are left to rear their children alone because of absent South Korean fathers. A number often floated around by organizations and media is 30,000, but there has yet to be a clear count or study on the issue.
Kopino — a portmanteau of Korean and Filipino — is a term said to have first been createdin 2004 to refer to a child born to a Filipino mother and a South Korean father — who has often run away.
Kopino children face a number of difficulties in terms of child support, acquisition of nationality and visa issuance. In many cases, the mother — often from a poor background — has no contact with the father, and no knowledge of her former partner’s private details, be it a South Korean phone number, an address, let alone a Korean name. This leaves her to pay all child rearing expenses, even though the South Korean father has a legal obligation to provide support according to South Korea laws. [Korea Expose]
You can read the rest at the link, but I would not be surprised if this is more than just a Korean problem in the Philippines considering its reputation for sex tourism.
If you didn’t guess it already from the picture below the man featured in this article says he is transexual as well:
Ja Du, born a white male named Adam, now considers himself a Filipino.
He even drives what he calls a Tuk Tuk, an Asian-derived vehicle used for public transit in the Philippines.
Ja Du is part of a small but growing number of people who call themselves transracial. The term once referred only to someone (or a couple) of a one race adopting a child of another, but now it’s becoming associated with someone born of one race who identifies with another.
Ja Du says he grew up enjoying Filipino food, events and the overall culture.
“Whenever I’m around the music, around the food, I feel like I’m in my own skin,” he said.
“I’d watch the History Channel, sometimes for hours … nothing else intrigued me more but things about Filipino culture.” [Guam PDN]
You can read more at the link, but how many ROK Drop readers are ready to declare themselves transracial Koreans because it appears it is okay to declare whatever ethnicity you want to be now.
It seems like President Duterte has nothing good to say about every world leader to include Kim Jong-un:
Rodrigo Duterte
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest controversial remarks target the North Korean regime, and they come just a few days ahead of his hosting a meeting of foreign diplomats at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.
In his typical colorful rhetoric, Duterte professed his hatred for war and described North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un as a “fool” and a “son of a bitch” who is “playing with dangerous toys.”
“This Kim Jong Un, a fool…. He is playing with dangerous toys, that fool,” Duterte said in a speech live-streamed on Facebook to tax officials on Wednesday. Then, he commented on Kim Jong Un’s appearance. [Newsweek]
Location where the three dead South Koreans were discovered in the Philippines.
A Seoul court on Friday sentenced a South Korean man who shot three compatriots to death in the Philippines last year to 30 years in prison.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted the man, identified only by his last name Kim, of murdering three Koreans — two men and one woman — who were found in a sugar cane field in Bacolor, some 70 kilometers northwest of Manila, on Oct. 11. All three had gunshot wounds to their heads.
He killed the victims following a proposal from another South Korean, surnamed Park, in return for money.
Kim was also convicted of abandoning the bodies and siphoning off 2.4 million won ($2,100) from the victims.
Prosecutors accused Kim of stealing another 720 million won from their account, but the court acquitted him of the charges, citing a lack of evidence. [Korea Times]
