Comments on: Beef Issue Gaining Awareness in the US Media

By: I’m addicted to mad cow

I’m addicted to mad cow — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:25:13 +0000

[...] wrote here,and here. He and Jennifer commented at Bomb English. ROK Drop dropped in here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. USINKOREA writes here, here, here, here, here, here, [...]

By: The final cut

The final cut — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:35:51 +0000

[...] have to frame this issue as an anti-Lee Myung-bak issue and not an anti-American issue because the foreign media is beginning to take notice of what is going on. If the anti-US groups kept arguing their non-sensical reasons to deny US beef [...]

By: Crisis of Representative Democracy in South Korea? « Leonid Petrov’s KOREA VISION

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:22:25 +0000

[...] Continuing mass protests across South Korea have been predicted and are not surprising. Although some people tend to see in the wave of public disobedience a mere anti-Americanism, experts and political analysts identify [...]

By: Left Flank: We All Bought It

Left Flank: We All Bought It — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:42:43 +0000

By: US Ambassador’s Statement Mistranslated to Promote Anti-Americanism in Korea

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:47:21 +0000

[...] two different narrative to address the two different audiences. With the US and western media beginning to take notice of what is going on in Korea the Korean left are claiming in English that these protests are all [...]

By: Joel

Joel — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:19:15 +0000

There have been a lot of Japan-Korea agreements and deals meant to strengthen the bonds between the two countries. The upside is that fewer Koreans seem to openly express their hatred of the Japanese. The downside is that as the RoK moves further away from its turbulent past they haven't yet lost the need to blame their troubles on someone else… and America has been more and more the focus of this blame.

PS The start of this whole issue (which I agree has been blow out of all proportion) wasn't the FTA (though that has become the focus). Koreans were told that they would be eating USA beef again, and that the beef they would be eating was considered unfit for petfood in America because of contamination risks. Naturally this pissed them off.

I have since heard that this was a translation error.

By: The New US Beef Narrative in Korea: Blame Lee Myung-bak!

The New US Beef Narrative in Korea: Blame Lee Myung-bak! — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:36:00 +0000

By: Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:14:25 +0000

"I sometimes think the USFK is more in south Korean to protect Japan the it is to ROK."

You certainly would have had a point in the past, but I don't really think this is such a great concern of the present US administration.

I think it was in 1998, I remember watching a press conference held by Gen. Tilelli (USFK Commander.) He basically was complaining about a purchase request by the ROK military. Basically, they wanted f-15s, and Tilelli felt they couldn't be trusted with them. He believed that Korea's motivation behind these requests had more to do with hostile intentions toward Japan than about self-defense with regards to the DPRK.

Considering recent acquisitions of F-15s and the proposed purchase of Apaches, I'd guess the Washington doesn't feel the same way anymore. Though what's changed over a 10 year period dominated by Anti-Japanese South Korea administrations is a mystery to me.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:17:08 +0000

I sometimes think the USFK is more in south Korean to protect Japan the it is to ROK. Japan argues with American policy all the time, but at least they are well thought out, and founded arguments (mostly). Not that im predisposed to liking Japan, however going there, at least people were friendly to me regardless of my nationality (even the xenophobes). As for my friend who took a simliar trip to korea there were several instances were he was spit on (literly) for being american (and he is a korean-american).

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:51:02 +0000

Chinese nationals riot in SK's capital city and the Koreans say nothing because they fear China. But, tens of thousands of Koreans protest lifting of the beef ban. There is no hope for the maintenance of the ROK-USA alliance. There is no constituency in Korea for the alliance. Now, there is no constituency in America for the alliance. America needs to withdraw USFK. Korea needs to stand alone. The fate of the Korean people will be determined in Beijing and Tokyo.