Here is the latest press release from ATEK for those who are still following the AIDS and Anti-English Spectrum issues:

The Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) would like to show it’s appreciation for a recent series of articles that show foreign teachers in Korean in a fair and positive light, while also giving fair representation to our own organization.

The November 30 edition of The Hankyoreh featured four articles showing foreign teachers in a positive light, one of them concerning ATEK. We feel this is significant because it is rare to see articles dealing with the problems that foreign English teachers face, both in the English and Korean language press. Many news outlets would rather publish sensationalist reports concerning the misdeeds of a small minority of foreign teachers rather than addressing the issues that face the majority of law abiding, dedicated foreign English teachers.

In relation to these recent articles ATEK president Greg Dolezal stated, “To have such positive articles not only published in the mainstream media but published in Korean is a huge step in the right direction for the public image of foreign teachers. We are optimistic about relations with the Korean press and look forward to more fair and balanced articles relating to foreign teachers.”
Dolezal also added, “We would also like to commend The Hankyoreh for the integrity and ethical approach they have taken in these stories with regards to foreign English teachers. We hope that their standards will be the bench mark that others in the Korean press strive to achieve.”
While ATEK does not dispute the right and duty of news outlets to report on foreign teachers, whether the news is positive or negative, we only ask that these stories should be presented fairly and without bias.

Previously a number of articles have been published painting foreign teachers in a particularly poor light, primarily by giving a voice to the Anti English Spectrum, a hate group whose Naver page includes racist material relating to foreign teachers. The members of the group engage in vigilante tactics, while at the same time spreading highly defamatory material, such as the claims that foreign teachers have AIDS and are purposely infecting Koreans.
Articles giving a voice to this group and their racist accusations do not give foreign teachers a fair hearing and often betray a bias on the behalf of the journalist. For these reasons ATEK previously filed a complaint with the Korean Press Ethics Commission (KPEC) and we are still working on a resolution for the issue of negative bias against foreign teachers that has afflicted the Korean press.

As previously stated ATEK only seeks to speak for its members and furthermore we will not speak in the defense of foreign English teachers who engage in immoral or unlawful activity. We actively encourage Korea’s law enforcement agencies to take appropriate action against individuals who break Korean laws.
However individuals who do commit crimes are of an extreme minority in the ranks of foreign English teachers in Korea (with a crime rate of around 0.50%). Therefore we feel it troubling that so many articles have focused on the minority and not given a fair and balanced view of the foreign teaching community as a whole, instead choosing to become a soap box for hate groups such as the Anti English Spectrum.

A negative bias in the press does nothing to help foreigners teach English to Korea’s students, which is why they were invited to Korea in the first place. Instead the media’s role should be to facilitate a balanced discussion about foreign teacher’s role in the classroom with the intention of helping them become as effective as possible.

For this reasons ATEK applauds the recent articles by The Hankyoreh for giving a fair and balanced analysis of foreign teachers. We feel this is an excellent step in direction of more open discussions and welcome further articles and broadcasts of this nature.  [ATEK Press Release]

It isn’t very often you hear anyone in the foreign community giving props to the Hankyoreh for fair and balanced articles.

For further reading, in the Korea Ban Wagner has a long article in regards to the HIV testing issue which he has been a strong critic of.  Here is how he summarizes his article:

It was stigma that put the discriminatory tests in place, and now these tests continue to legitimate and perpetuate the same stigma. Noncitizens with resident visas are now subject to the same HIV tests and retests as foreign teachers on E-2 visas, foreign entertainers on E-6 visas, migrant workers on E-9 visas. As the stigma of “foreigner as AIDS threat” becomes institutionalized, the net is cast wider and the testing becomes more frequent.  [Korea Herald]

As always discuss away in the comments section.