By The following article appeared in the Yonhap News. This is NOT to bring up the Dokdo dispute, but rather the journalistic standards for selecting articles for YONHAP NEWS, the “official” news service for the Korean government.
U.S. teacher calls for U.S. to recognize S. Korean sovereignty over Dokdo By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) — A U.S. elementary school teacher operating an independent web site about South Korea’s Dokdo islets, which are also claimed by Japan, said Sunday that the United States should designate the islets as South Korean territory. Mark Lovomo, a teacher at a Minneapolis primary school, supported his argument by saying that “Japan’s 1905 incorporation of Dokdo did not follow accepted protocols, and was done almost in total secret…the Japanese made sure that Korea had no ability to dispute the claim at the time.”
First, this is a blog for God Sake, not some respected authority or historically referenced source.
Second, it’s a blog by an ELEMENTARY school teacher who probably has no more credentials to the Korea issue than either (a) having a Korean girlfriend and learning Korean positions on Dokdo throurgh osmosis or (b) from enjoying the “Korean wave” while eating kimchi at a Korean kalbi house.
Third, I tried to google the name Mark Lovomo and Minneapolis blog and Dokdo, etc. and came up with zip. Perhaps, I’m googling wrong, but the point is that this says to me that the blog does not have a major following like Marmot’s Hole, Occidentalism, etc. Even the source is questionable.
Who chooses these articles? It panders to Koreans desparate need to have the US recognize its claim to Dokdo — even if it is a elementary school teacher in Minneapolis, IN. Is this truly an article that is “newsworthy” or a “human interest story”? If this appeared in the Hankyoreh or Korea Herald, I’d say, “So what?” But this is YONHAP NEWS.
This goes back to the question of who is the Yonhap writing for? If it is for Koreans to study English like the Korea Herald, then it should reconsider its status as the “offiical” news agency for the Korean government. If it is as a news source for other world news services, then it needs to rethink its criteria for article selection because this is a laughing-stock item.
5:16 am on August 18th, 2008 1
To clarify who Yonhap News is:
YON – Yonhap News Agency of Korea
A news service of the national news agency of the Republic of Korea, providing general news coverage and information about South Korea.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/browse_JJ_Y0…
6:05 am on August 18th, 2008 2
To clarify "what" Yonhap News is:……
7:23 am on August 18th, 2008 3
The name was misspelled. Try googling "Mark Lovmo".
8:02 am on August 18th, 2008 4
I would have to say since most Korean issues are laughable, Korea has the exact news service it deserves.
8:43 am on August 18th, 2008 5
http://www.geocities.com/mlovmo/
All serious scholars hang out at Geocities.
9:02 am on August 18th, 2008 6
http://www.geocities.com/mlovmo/index.html
Thanks, Chopsticks for correcting the spelling. Did Google it and came with the site. I have read this site before and thought it was Korean. I recognize the pages, but I never noted the name Lovmo before…my error.
I retract my words that he is uninformed. I have read these pages before and they give a balanced view — though slanted to the Korean side — but it is an informative site worth reading.
However, the fact remains that he is in the same category as Gerry Bevers and all the rest. He is not an expert to authoritatively prove that the ROK owns the site. For a ROK government to gather opinions from "hobbyists" in their official news source gives the impression that the ROK case is very weak — when in truth, they have just opened the doors to the Institute last week and haven't even started their work.
9:05 am on August 18th, 2008 7
I actually visited his site before. He has some interesting (if not relevant) points, but I wonder about his objectivity. Mark apparently subscribes to the Korean conspiracy theory that the United States is a closet Japanese supporter in the Liancourt Rocks dispute.
He's best when he debunks the Japanese claim, but has he addressed certain Korean fabrications as well?
1:20 pm on August 18th, 2008 8
There can be no journalistic standard concerning Dokdo. Korean papers will always slant pro-Korean, Japanese papers will always slant pro-Japan. And any independent news source will simply laugh at how outrageous the issue is over a pair of rocks — at least as long as there are bigger fish to fry (Russia, oil, terrorism, economy, etc).
In the end, credentials have no significant importance: it all depends on your opinion (are they Korea's rocks or are they Japan's?). Which is why there are so many self-promoted "experts" on the subject.
2:53 pm on August 18th, 2008 9
Second, it’s a blog by an ELEMENTARY school teacher…
Would his blog be more credible if he were a MIDDLE school teacher or a HIGH school teacher?
3:13 pm on August 18th, 2008 10
The DokDo dispute is about much more than two islands. Right or wrong, Korea is doing what any other Country would do in this situation. The waters surrounding the islands, and the geography of the islands, make it a valuable resource to both sides. The way Koreans react may be shocking to western culture but "shock value" goes a long way in persuading people to jump on board the national movement to reclaim land. The American way is to bomb the hell out of someone or use it's superpower status to impose sanctions to get our way, Korea can't do that so they resort to other tactics which are very effective if you ask me.
4:06 pm on August 18th, 2008 11
I would not let a freako like Mark Lovmo within 100 meters of my children.
6:19 pm on August 18th, 2008 12
Hmmmm… Maybe Yonhap is taking a page from KCNA, which used to like to cite foreign recognition of the Great Leader's prowess and wisdom from out-of-the way places.
HEADLINE: SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF KIM IL SUNG THOUGHT OF UPPER SLEAZILAND HAILS SONGUN POLICY
HEADLINE: MBUTU UNGWEIZI OF MAASAILAND PENS POEM OF PRAISE FOR JUCHE IDEA
1:28 pm on August 19th, 2008 13
[...] to write about “sensitive,” “Korean” issues provided they don’t take the unpopular side. HT to GI Korea, whose ROK Drop blog had the story from Yonhap a couple of days ago. He and his guest posters are [...]
1:19 am on August 19th, 2008 14
What I don't understand is why does Korea always take the bait. Let's face it, Japan does this every so many years. Last time it was the East Sea, AKA Sea of Japan. What's going on really, why do these two countries continue this sibling rivalry.
Bases on what I see, the RoK pays for the maintenance of the island and has claim to it. I don't see why they should feel threatened when they are not being militarily challanged.
3:50 am on August 19th, 2008 15
Kalani it looks like the Korea Times has the same journalism standards as Yonhap:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/…
12:55 pm on August 19th, 2008 16
GI, the Korea Times often lifts reports from Yonhap verbatim, and then makes a few cosmetic changes presumably to throw people off the scent. I hope that they have some sort of agreement because otherwise it is outright plagiarism.
I like how Yonhap got Lovmo's name wrong, despite all the local passions surrounding "correct usage"" of the Dokdo name in English. Well, he's not Korean, so who cares, right?
Kongo, the Korean government never takes the bait. Rather, they shamelessly exploit the Dokdo trope whenever they need to. Notice how well it worked for Lee Myung-bak this time around, deflecting attention from the US beef protests at a crucial juncture?
I wouldn't be surprised if Lee actually asked Japan to throw another timber in the fire during the recent G8 summit in Hokkaido.
Many people are stupid, so sometimes you gotta throw 'em a stupid bone every now and then.
2:06 pm on August 19th, 2008 17
King Baeksu I picked up your book the other day at Kyobo and read in there how the Korea Herald plagiarized your work. It seems like plagiarism is just excepted practice in the Korean media and they have no shame doing it.
As far as Dokdo 2MB playing the Dokdo card was so obvious when the beef crisis was going on and incredibly it once again helped to get a politician out of hot water.
2:43 pm on August 19th, 2008 18
Hey GI, thanks for checking out my book!
Dokdo is the ultimate symbol of postcolonial Korean identity.
You'd think that after being an independent nation for 6 decades-plus, they'd have moved on by now, but it's amazing how crucial Dokdo remains to Korea's own (postcolonial) sense of itself.
Fascinating.
4:10 pm on August 19th, 2008 19
Well, after being back in Korea and checking out some of the Olympic coverage—not my choice—I see that they're airing commercials using images of those "Chosun" athletes forced to compete with the Japanese flag on their uniforms, then contrasting that with a montage of Korean athletes succeeding under the Taegukgi. So that's a well that never runs dry.
4:18 pm on August 19th, 2008 20
So much han, so many marketing opportunities.
7:43 am on September 8th, 2008 21
[...] sites maybe they should also go after their own mainstream journalists as well and begin to promote better journalistic standards so people won’t readily believe what they read on the Internet [...]