Comments on: Five Koreans Kidnapped in Mexico http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/ Serving on the Forgotten Frontier Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:19:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Sonagi http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-182351 Sonagi Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:48:15 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-182351 The Korean media is now reporting that three of the five were Korean-Chinese using fake South Korean passports and the other two were probably smugglers. The Korean media is now reporting that three of the five were Korean-Chinese using fake South Korean passports and the other two were probably smugglers.

]]> By: lirelou http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181719 lirelou Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:25:43 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181719 Reynoso, and its U.S. sister city McAllen, are home to a fair number of US and foreign owned factories. Korean companies can be found in Mexico as well as Honduras, Panama, and may other Central American countries. In 1995-95, there was an 8,000 (+-) Korean community living in Mexico City, most involved in the textile business. That sounds like a lot, but within a city of 24 million, they were invisible unless you just happened to know where their neighborhood was. Korean interest in Latin America was evident in the 1970s, when Korean trade shows were annual affairs in many capital cities. The Koreans would come in, survey the local manufacturing scene and goods markets, and show up a year or so later with a selection of cheaper goods tuned to the market. To take the Caribbean "guayabera" shirt as an example, the most expensive guayaberas (made in Mexico) were out of reach of the poor, who had a hard time buying more than one locally made guayabera. By 1977, Korean made guayabera shirts could be found from Panama to Honduras, all affordably priced. The same was true for metal ware, kitchen ware, and a host of other products. It was only a matter of time before Korean companies moved some of their operations into the region. As for kidnapping, It was already a business in Mexico City by the mid-90's. My neighbor, a factory manager from Colombia, was grabbed one night and held for a week by a gang he suspected were police. Another neighbor, a Guatemalan who represented a U.S. cracker and cookie company, was held for several days by what turned out to be disgruntled former employees. The bottom line is that kidnapping is a real threat to any foreigner residing and doing business in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, or Bolivia. And many of those countries have resident Korean (and Taiwanese, Japanese, etc) business communities running factories or selling their nation's products to the locals. Latin America: It's not just for Gringos anymore. Reynoso, and its U.S. sister city McAllen, are home to a fair number of US and foreign owned factories. Korean companies can be found in Mexico as well as Honduras, Panama, and may other Central American countries. In 1995-95, there was an 8,000 (+-) Korean community living in Mexico City, most involved in the textile business. That sounds like a lot, but within a city of 24 million, they were invisible unless you just happened to know where their neighborhood was. Korean interest in Latin America was evident in the 1970s, when Korean trade shows were annual affairs in many capital cities. The Koreans would come in, survey the local manufacturing scene and goods markets, and show up a year or so later with a selection of cheaper goods tuned to the market. To take the Caribbean “guayabera” shirt as an example, the most expensive guayaberas (made in Mexico) were out of reach of the poor, who had a hard time buying more than one locally made guayabera. By 1977, Korean made guayabera shirts could be found from Panama to Honduras, all affordably priced. The same was true for metal ware, kitchen ware, and a host of other products. It was only a matter of time before Korean companies moved some of their operations into the region. As for kidnapping, It was already a business in Mexico City by the mid-90’s. My neighbor, a factory manager from Colombia, was grabbed one night and held for a week by a gang he suspected were police. Another neighbor, a Guatemalan who represented a U.S. cracker and cookie company, was held for several days by what turned out to be disgruntled former employees. The bottom line is that kidnapping is a real threat to any foreigner residing and doing business in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, or Bolivia. And many of those countries have resident Korean (and Taiwanese, Japanese, etc) business communities running factories or selling their nation’s products to the locals.
Latin America: It’s not just for Gringos anymore.

]]> By: shattered http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181709 shattered Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:46:50 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181709 "Who made you so bitter about this place?" I am just tough on kimuchi crime. :lol: :lol: :lol: “Who made you so bitter about this place?”

I am just tough on kimuchi crime. :lol: :lol: :lol:

]]> By: King Baeksu http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181605 King Baeksu Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:19:16 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181605 In Seoul, I don't know what's going on at Seoul Stattion today, but a main banner on Daum has this ad in which a Korean politican is using the candlegirl logo as a key visual feature of his campaign: http://www.joupia.net/gnuboard4/0730HTML/main.html Shameless! These people are going to milk this thing for all it's worth. Does it not bother him at all that the candlegirls' fears were all proven to be based on lies? Apparently not! In Seoul, I don’t know what’s going on at Seoul Stattion today, but a main banner on Daum has this ad in which a Korean politican is using the candlegirl logo as a key visual feature of his campaign:

http://www.joupia.net/gnuboard4/0730HTML/main.html

Shameless! These people are going to milk this thing for all it’s worth. Does it not bother him at all that the candlegirls’ fears were all proven to be based on lies? Apparently not!

]]> By: In Seoul http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181591 In Seoul Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:22:31 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181591 My wife told me that there were hundreds of university students demonstrating at Seoul Station. Does anyone know which group this is? Are they the mad cow people or the Dokdo protestors? Somebody tell me this is not going to be a new staging ground for protests. My wife told me that there were hundreds of university students demonstrating at Seoul Station. Does anyone know which group this is? Are they the mad cow people or the Dokdo protestors? Somebody tell me this is not going to be a new staging ground for protests.

]]> By: King Baeksu http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181573 King Baeksu Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:23:20 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181573 So, Shattered, what was her name? Was she a juicy girl? Or maybe a juicy girl who turned out not to be a girl at all? Or maybe a yobo who stopped calling you "Yobo" herself, when you could no longer afford her monthly rate? Who made you so bitter about this place? So, Shattered, what was her name?

Was she a juicy girl? Or maybe a juicy girl who turned out not to be a girl at all?

Or maybe a yobo who stopped calling you “Yobo” herself, when you could no longer afford her monthly rate?

Who made you so bitter about this place?

]]> By: In Seoul http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181534 In Seoul Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:31:10 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181534 You are probably correct, Surabol. :smile: You are probably correct, Surabol. :smile:

]]> By: shattered http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181527 shattered Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:02:40 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181527 "What the heck are Koreans up to in Mexico, anyways?" Interesting how Koreans talk about America as if its hell on earth and Korea as if it GOD's garden, yet they beg, borrow and steal their way in to that yankee hell hole. I know if I was a US border guard and I smelled kimuchi, in a car trunk, I would take the car to the desert and leave it in the hot sun for a week. “What the heck are Koreans up to in Mexico, anyways?”

Interesting how Koreans talk about America as if its hell on earth and Korea as if it GOD’s garden, yet they beg, borrow and steal their way in to that yankee hell hole.

I know if I was a US border guard and I smelled kimuchi, in a car trunk, I would take the car to the desert and leave it in the hot sun for a week.

]]> By: Surabol http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181520 Surabol Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:50:47 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181520 These kidnappers were probably aware of South Korea's ransom payment to the Taliban. These kidnappers were probably aware of South Korea’s ransom payment to the Taliban.

]]> By: Sonagi http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181503 Sonagi Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:40:36 +0000 http://rokdrop.com/2008/07/23/five-koreans-kidnapped-in-mexico/#comment-181503 The last sentence of this Chosun Ilbo report provided an interesting detail: http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/07/23/2008072300125.html It says that a man surnamed Park had made frequent visits between Mexico and Korea over the last two years and another named Lee had started going last year. The others in the group, including one woman, were not permitted to speak to the reporter. The only attraction of a Mexican border town for those living in Mexico is a gateway to the US. Reynosa is a gateway to McAllen, Texas. I wonder if two of the men were <i>coyotes</i> guiding the others into McAllen, Texas across the border from Reynosa. The last sentence of this Chosun Ilbo report provided an interesting detail:

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/07/23/2008072300125.html

It says that a man surnamed Park had made frequent visits between Mexico and Korea over the last two years and another named Lee had started going last year. The others in the group, including one woman, were not permitted to speak to the reporter. The only attraction of a Mexican border town for those living in Mexico is a gateway to the US. Reynosa is a gateway to McAllen, Texas. I wonder if two of the men were coyotes guiding the others into McAllen, Texas across the border from Reynosa.

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