I highly recommend that everyone head over and check out Brian’s posting on the events this past weekend for the 5.18 anniversary in Gwangju. It doesn’t surprise me that the events had little to do with remembering the tragic deaths of the Gwangju civilians and more to do with promoting anti-Americanism in Korea as can be seen in the above picture.
Brain has many more pictures of the event and even Che Guevara and Nazi sympathizers make an appearance at the event. So head on over and check it out.
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7:41 am on May 20th, 2008 1
Asian Nazi sympathizers?
Dudes… y’all doin’ it wrong.
4:09 pm on May 20th, 2008 2
This stuff with South Korea and Nazis the last couple of years makes me want to go back and re-read some or one of the books Park Chung Hee wrote or a book of his speeches.
I read them years ago and can’t remember much at all about it.
But, I do remember one or more occasions where he talks about East-West Germany - the European example of a divided nation - but makes frequent reference to the Father Land.
Kim Il Sung and Jong Il’s use of the Hitler play book is well known.
But, now I think some closer examination of Park’s stuff might be in order….
5:03 pm on May 20th, 2008 3
9:12 pm on May 20th, 2008 4
I think the soldiers in that picture listed by GI Korea are Brits? Are they not? It’s the cammo and the helmet that make me think so. GI?
11:00 pm on May 20th, 2008 5
Well, I didn’t necessarily call them American, but I assumed they were. Why? Well, they’re definitely Caucasian, obvious from the big noses. And that mural was positioned next to the eight or so others that invoked anti-American images, so whether the soldiers were American or British or whatever, it was clear what the painters and festival organiers were going for. Likewise, the whole theme of the day was to protest the FTA and American beef, and the paintings helped stoke some anger. After all, it’s not as if there aren’t domestic examples they could have used (the Korean War, Yeosu, Jeju, and of course Gwangju), but, wait, the US is blamed for all those, too.
Naver blogs are slowly starting to get some pictures up from the 17th and 18th, but surprisingly they pretty much all suck. There are a couple short video clips floating around of the candlelight rally, and I linked to one showing the “Wave.” I’d really like to get a copy of the video they showed on the big screen, but it’s not likely. You can see a few other paintings here: http://blog.naver.com/axiss70?Redirect=Log&logNo=90031344582
Have a look at this cartoon, too: http://blog.naver.com/forzacoree?Redirect=Log&logNo=80051902843
12:41 am on May 21st, 2008 6
Brian you are definitly right about those pictures. Someday Koreans will erase all fingerprint of Korean involvement in Kwangju and blame the whole thing on the Americans.
Those links are great. You can see truck loads of armed thugs in some pictures. I think the “shoot to kill” is the only way to deal with armed commies like that. Shoot them and send the bill to the family.
7:27 am on May 21st, 2008 7
Even if the painting was copied from a photograph of British soldiers the intent of the painting is still quite clear considering the anti-US theme of the parade.
12:34 pm on May 21st, 2008 8
Glad to see the little bit of target identification training USFK slips in between anti-discrimination, sensitivity, equal rights, and human trafficking awareness is working…
…or not.
Even with a big military readership, nobody noticed the “American” soldiers in the picture don’t have any magazines in their “M-16/M-4s”… or, upon closer inspection, any place to actually put one.
Hmmm… an unloadable rifle. What an amazingly useless weapon to use against innocent school girls.
…unless…
…they are British soldiers using L85s where the magazines are under their arms.
Hmmm… at least it’s now clear as to why American “friendly” fire keeps targeting Canadians and British soldiers.
Actually, this demonstration has nothing to do with anti-Americanism and is obviously referring to The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers’ battle against the vicious insurgents of the Baehwa Girls’ Middle School Liberation Army which, after weeks of merry-go-round to teeter-todder fighting, and a month-long siege of the swing set, ended in a brief, yet ruthless, British occupation where accusations of atrocities were thrown about by both sides.
Like many fourth generation conflicts, once the Regiment of Fusiliers, tired of booby-trapped paste and roadside glitterings, became weary of the draining war of attrition and pulled out, the girls retook the middle school. They continue to occupy it today while loudly proclaiming their victory over the invaders as well as their latest score in Maple Story.
5:37 pm on May 22nd, 2008 9
I was only trying to point out that the demonstrators should at least get their soldiers straight. Same thing happened at my university where I teach. Guatanamo/Abu Ghraid stuff.
They had all this stuff in Korean, which Iunderstand, blasting the American soldiers. They were quite embarrassed when I pointed out that they had a picture of a Brit, not a Yank, pissing on an Iraqi.
Do proper research young students:)