Oh My Dog

I was in Suwon the other day (Youngtong area, behind Home Plus) and I noticed a new coffee shop called “Coffee and Puppy.”

Finally, a place to relax and enjoy a good cup of coffee with a nice side order of puppy

Now a lot of ex-pats think they are tough because they have tried dog, but only a REAL man could slarf down a little puppy without a flicker of remorse.

So I was reminded of my old “Dog Post” on my old site and decided to put it up here. A few updates and additions included.

___________

I was preparing to squeeze out a big stinky blog on Koreans eating dogs and I stumbled on some interesting websites. After looking at them, I decided to put the dog meat on the back burner, so to speak, and do some pooping on pet owners.

First site: ThePoop.com (no relation, thank God, to my beloved blog).


It’s a collection of recipes for pet dogs. These are people who actually take valuable time out of their day to cook for their dogs. Here’s an example of a typical recipe.

Divine Doggy Dinner

1/2 lb. ground beef (OR turkey, chicken, lamb)
1/4 cup cooked rice
one small potato
1/2 carrot
1/4 cup greenbeans (about 5-8 beans)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Brown the meat in a pan. When completely cooked, drain the fat. Add the cooked rice; mix well. Set aside.
Cut the potato, carrot, and beans into small bite-sized pieces. Place in a pot with water; bring to a boil. Simmer until veggies are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Drain. Add the vegetables to the meat mixture. Add garlic powder; toss thoroughly under low heat. Let the dinner cool thoroughly before serving to prevent burning.
Yield: about 2 dinners

Ok, now I like dogs, but what kind of person goes through this kind of effort for an animal that is just as happy eating the poo of other dogs? Dogs are not (or at least, should not be) picky eaters. Road kill, rotting leftovers, grass, you name it; they’ll eat it. Any psychologists out there who can tell us what deep-seated needs are/were not satisfied in the pathetic lives of these people?

I submitted a dog recipe of my own that my old dog Petey always loved. Here is what I sent:

Petey’s Poop O’ Pleasure

Ingredients:
 crusty tuna casserole leftovers (left in the fridge for no less than 7 weeks)
 5 ounces of partially dried poodle poop (can be dry on the outside, but make sure the inside is still moist for best results)
 4-5 discolored frootloops that rolled behind your refrigerator God knows when
 spoiled milk (skin optional)
 Dead bird carcass
 Paprika

Dump the casserole, poodle poo and dead bird carcass (you may wish to prep the bird by holding it in your teeth and shaking it violently) in a bowl. Pour sour milk and mix, allowing frootloops to float to the top. Add paprika to taste.

“Bone” appetite!

I was disappointed to see that it wasn’t automatically put on the site. Damn. Well, at least I can hope for an angry reply letter [never happened]


Site #2
Cook Dog Cook


No, it’s not the kind of site you hope it is judging by the title. Actually, I don’t know what the hell kind of site it is. I don’t read Japanese, which is a shame, since I have a feeling it is pretty silly. Anyway, I like the blitzed dog in the orange apron. It’s brought to you by someone named “jerky.” I used to know a kid whose nickname was “jerky," but that's subject matter for a different post.

And the winner for the most pathetic dog related website is…

Dog Chefs of America
“Dog chefs of America challenge you to become the chef your dog thinks you are!”


This site is dedicated to teaching people how to become chefs for their dogs. Since I first posted on this, Micki, the site owner, has completely changed her site and the quotes I have below are no longer there. Thank God they are saved for posterity by moi.

She has glowing reviews from such major publications as “Tuscon Weekly,” and “the Arizona Daily Star.” Well Miki, here’s one more glowing review from Party Pooper.

Your welcome



Meet Micki and Yogi.



In case you are wondering which one is Miki and which one is Yogi, I’ll give you a hint. Miki is the one with an IQ of 40 and Yogi is the one who can lick his own balls.


Wait a minute, I’m getting one of my psychic readings again. Ok, Miki, let me know if this is right. You never married and have no children. You are very lonely, yet have difficulty in sustaining relationships with other humans. You also were a huge fan of the Kathy and Regis show

How did I do?

Here’s a great quote from the site [no longer there]

“Yogi's food was home cooked from the day he came to live with us. With the discovery of his seizures, his diet was changed slightly and meals were stretched out throughout the day. He was also switched from Phenol Barbital to a homeopathic remedy given to him by a holistic vet.”

Ah, a holistic vet. Very wise of you Miki. I too believe that medical practices based on science and all that comes with it (rational thought, accountability, the need to provide objective evidence for health claims, etc.) are highly overrated. Whatever astronomical rate you are paying that quack, er.. I mean doctor, I’m sure it is well worth it.

Wait! Here’s more!

“Yogi and I worked together on what food would work for his body and his metabolism. To this day, Yogi will tell me if he's having "one of those days", because he'll chase my cats. If it's a real bad day, he'll chase one cat in particular. On his good days, he leaves them alone. With that information, we use food that will help him calm down - turkey and butter with honey. Yogi takes his "medicine" with gusto, seeming to know that this will help him. Soon after he savors his snacks, he's back to his normal self.”

I love that. Yogi seems to just know intuitively that his “medicine” is good for him. Lady, Yogi doesn’t chase your cats because he is “sick.” He chases your cats because they are delicious furry balls of meat. As a matter of fact, he’s probably learned by now that anytime he wants a little turkey snack, all he has to do is start chasing around one of your cats. Sucks to be stupider than your dog, don’t it?

Also note that she says “cats.” We are only left to wonder just how many cats Miki needs to feel that void in her life that all “cat ladies” seem to have.

New Feature: Dog Park!!

"From dawn to dusk folks are free to use this facility and by permission, host obedience training classes, dog “parties”, or just romp."

This is a new feature of her business “Headquarters” located somewhere south of Buttfuck Arizona.

Some questions:
What the hell is a “dog party”? Do they get to wear party hats? Is it socially inappropriate to lick oneself at a dog party? It sure would be at a “human party” (though we would all be secretly impressed). And at what point does a dog party become a romp? Do Arizona laws allow humans to join in on dog romps? Can we at least watch?

Unless I’m missing something, “Dog park” is just a barren fenced field. Wahoo. Judging from the background in the picture, Micki’s “Headquarters” are in the middle of a desert. Last I checked, no one really gave a shit if you let your dog run around loose in barren wastelands. I’m not sure what the real “service” of this park is.


In the spirit of wacky fun, I pretended to be an owner of a Korean dog meat restaurant and sent her an email. Here’s a copy of the text message.

Dear Miki,
We read with great interests your site on dog cooking. We here in Korea also loves dogs very, very, very much and dogs and the cooking are important for us. I am owner of restaurant chain that serves dogs so I think we have this common interests. I don’t reading English well, so I don’t order your books but I am sure your dog recipies are very good. Maybe someday I can share to you some of ours?

Anyway, I write to you for asking a special request. We love your cute dog aprons and we are wanting to bulk order them for all of our cooks in our restaurant chain. Is there any discount for bulk ordering?

Thank you very much and if you can come to Korea someday we will fix you very special dinner in our restaurant free of charge.

Sincerely,
Mr. Yoo, Chi Hae

PS Your dog looks so lovely and good. If you ever have need to not have the dog and you want to find it a new home, I am hoping you contact us and we can take care of that big dog for you.

H.O.T. Aftermath

A commenter on my Gaywatch post (Simon) gave a link to these pictures. Simon, the Korean Gaywatch Project (a team consisting of over 70 researchers and investigators throughout South Korea, by the way) has been duly notified.

This is the new boy band in Korea. I can't remember their name, but that's ok. No one else will either this time next year.

My, my, my...aren't you all just the prettiest little things?

Male Korean pop stars do wear their makeup better than most Korean women, I'll give them that.

And what's this? Oh! They're playing peak-a-boo! Or is it "guess-who"? "Sang-hyun, is that you? Oh! Lee Min, it's you! You horrible little tease! I'll get you!" (giggly-fun water and/or pillow fight ensues until they collapse exhausted in each other's arms)

Now why doesn't Metallica take these kind of fun promo pics?

Korea is boy band crazy in the worst way. Aside from a few hip-hop/rap acts, this is pretty much it for popular Korean music. They look alike, dress alike (well, some are a little more "metrosexual" than others), talk alike and worst of all, sound EXACTLY alike.

When I was in Korea in 1995 (just before those IMF bastards destroyed Korea!!), there was MUCH more variety in the mainstream (Seo Tae-ji, Clone (spelling?), D.J. D.O.C. , Lulu, Panic, etc.) Though most of it was maybe not world-class, they still put out some enjoyable music and at least had distinguishable identities.

Nowadays EVERY band is just another version of H.O.T. (If you don't know H.O.T., think New Kids on the Block, just not as cool). The only singers/groups who do not fit that mold are just holdovers from last decade that have managed to survive.

Anyway, I'm rambling now and I've just realized I've been bitten by a mosquito (despite the fact that the "mogi-man" came through our neighborhood leaving our street in a wonderland of toxic smoke). I have to stop here and exact vengeance. I won't rest until that mosquito (and any other "innocent" mosquitoes that might get in my way) is a bloody smear on the wall. I'm American, that's how we do things.

Oh, about Simon who sent me the link to these pics. Thus far he is the only gay guy who wasn't pissed off about my "Gaywatch Korea" post (the post on my old blog has all the comments from those who found the post less than appropriate, Simons is near the bottom). He's in Korea and started his own blog. Could be an interesting blog with a fresh perspective on Korea (once he gets around to posting more on his experiences here, anyway). Note to Simon, is there any way you can open up the comment section to those who don't register? I know I could just take 3 minutes out of my life to register, but I'm a bit on the lazy side...

Anyway, now that I've publicly promoted the site of a homosexual I feel the need to reaffirm my own heterosexuality by brutally killing that damn mosquito with my manly bare-hands and then maybe masterbating to some Ha Lee-su pictures like these.

Hey, who is that school kid in the picture next to Ha Lee-su's pic? And exactly what is he doing to that other male student sitting in front of him? Very strange...

USA: Korea's most important ally

Korean politicians from the left-leaning Uri party, voted America as Korea's most important country with which to maintain amicable ties (North Korea came in a distant second...)

This is a picture from a rally held last Sunday. Damn, I'd hate to think what would happen if we slipped down to #2 ally.

Anyway, I'm sure South Korean President Noh will soon offer a heartfelt apology to the States for this defiling of our national symbol, just as he did when some activists burned a North Korean flag a year back. I mean, we are their most important ally and all.


In case you didn't know, last Sunday was a holiday to celebrate their independence from Japan.

Celebrating your independence from Japan by shredding the flag of the country directly responsible for your country gaining said independence: that makes sense...I think...

I can't wait for Iraq to become a free, productive, democratic nation after thousands of American lives have been sacrificed and billions of dollars of US aid has been poured into the country so they can be as grateful as the Koreans are today.

Anti-Americanism
I just happened to ride the subway last weekend in the same car with about 40 or so student protestors on their way to a rally (probably the one in the picture). About 12 of them were female and on a scale of 1-10 they averaged about a 2.5 on the looks scale. Let's just say I don't think they were giving up any hot dating prospects that weekend by going out to the demonstration.

Anyway, that reminded me of an old post I had about the causes of anti-Americanism. Allow me to repost:


Anti-Americanism in Korea:

It's hard to speak in generalities about such a complex issue, but that's never stopped me before! Here are the main causes:

20% of the time the "anti's" have valid points [Note: percentage can raise as high as 45% during Republican presidencies].

25% of the time they just need a scapegoat to take their attention off their own fucked-up country and lives [sexual frustration may be a key component here for some Korean students; Korean student protestors usually ain't so easy on the eyes and that pent-up energy has got to go somewhere...]

25% of the time they actually don't know exactly what they are protesting, but are just going to the most recent demonstration because their boyfriend or club circle is going and they are deathly afraid of being left out of the group.

30% of the time it is just a case of impotent rage and blind jealousy OF THE MOST ASS-KICKINEST JUGGERNAUT OF AN EMPIRE THAT HAS EVER ROCKED THIS WORLD!!! YEEHAW!!!!!

[blog author pauses to get his guns and shoot several rounds in the air]

Ok then...

Note: Picture of flag shredding swiped from Corsair the Rational Pirate site. He may be a pirate, but at least he's one of the rational ones. The name of his blog gave me an idea for a killer punk band name: Irrational Butt Pirates. I'd definitely check out a band named Irrational Butt Pirates.

2004 Presidential Comparison

Another post from the old blog site I deemed worthy of salvation from oblivion.







Our Fearless Commander-in-chief and The Man Who Would Be King.

These are the men who would run the most powerful country in the history of the world.

God have mercy...



The elections are just around the corner and with so much bickering and mud-slinging already started, I'm sure you are all worrying yo purty little heads over who to vote for. Allow me to cut through the sound and fury of the spin doctors for you. The Party Pooper: I poop, you decide.



1. Past Records of Achievement (or lack thereof)



Kerry: Spent 19 years on the Hill and proposed 1 bill worth mentioning that passed (grants to women small business owners), unless such things as marine research and officially renaming federal buildings get you excited.


Bush: Drank a lot when he was young, got into good schools with his father's help, failed in more than a dozen business enterprises (funded by Daddy), and briefly became owner of a bad baseball team (Thanks again Dad!).



2. Stand on the issues



Kerry: Switches positions when politically expedient: Bush's education bill, The Big Brother Act (also known as the Patriot Act), Gulf War (against Part 1, for the Sequel).


Bush: Stands very firmly on his issues, that is, as soon as Daddy and his buddies tell him what they are. Has an outstanding record of consistency in regards to supporting the rich and alleviating their suffering.



3. Foreign Policy



Kerry: Voted to cut military spending in 1996, voted to cut Military Intelligence after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Thinks Kim Jeong il just needs a good heart-to-heart talk, a better hair-dresser and maybe a hug and then he'll come around. Loses sleep at night worrying that the world doesn't love us like it used to back when...uh...when...oh yeah, back when we were saving their asses from fascism and communism.



Bush: Increased military spending because spending more on military than the next 20 countries combined is just not good enough (that is, once he was informed that there were more than 20 countries other than the US). Loses no sleep over what hippies in other countries think of 'merika (hell, sometimes he even sleeps until noon!).

As for North Korea, there's still time for Bush to set what would be a practically unbeatable record of three separate major conflicts/wars in one presidential term. You can do it!




4. Military Service

Kerry: Served honorably in the Vietnam War, was awarded medals (without having to go through the inconvenience of suffering a wound requiring a stay in the hospital), came back the US and protested the war. Publicly threw away medals belonging to other vets, giving the impression that they were his own (he still has his). This, of course, is enough to automatically negate the fact that he actually put himself in harm's way in the fight against communism and initself leads credence to the rumor (officially starting right now by me, spread it around) that he slept with "Hanoi Jane" Fonda AND a young Hillary Clinton (though she denies that she "inhaled," so to speak).


Bush: Served honorably in the National Guard (definition of "honorably" in this case being that he can prove he was paid). Proved his patriotism and willingness to sacrifice all for his country by showing up for service quite often, not being AWOL that much, and coming within a year of completing his service before somehow getting permission to join a campaign staff.




5. Special Interests

Kerry: Has raised more money from lobbyists than any other senator in the last 15 years. On the bright side, Kerry does absolutely nothing for the corporations that give him the money (refer back to #1).



Bush: Has a strict policy of only receiving money from lobbyists whom he actually intends to shape and/or break the laws for. How are them Halliburton stocks doing these days anyway?





Conclusion:



Democracy doesn't work.







Any questions?


First posted Tuesday, 17 February 2004

Canadian Bastards 2

Naver site news seems to be challenging Ohmynews for anti-foreigner news. Their crack team of investigative reporters have supposedly found yet another "shocking" error on the Canadian travel site

As you can see in the picture from the Naver site, the map of Japan shows Cheju island as a part of Japan, not Korea (colored in gray).



Truly shocking


I went to the Canadian site again and this is the map that they currently have posted.



Hmm...Cheju seems to be appropriately "Korea gray" here (click to enlarge)

So, since this "breaking story" was just released last night at about 11 PM Korean time, are we to assume that the Canadian site was informed about the error and changed it within hours? If so, what, pray tell, is the big problem here? A very minor mistake in the first place was immediately changed as soon as they found out about it. Why report on this at all?

Slow news day? Are they having a hard time filling their daily quota of anti-western/Japanese propaganda?

Update on previous post

I got an answer from the reporter who wrote the original story I posted just prior to this one. Here it is:

귀하의 e-메일 편지를 잘 읽었습니다.
내용 전달을 확실히 하기 위해 한글로 답하려합니다.
불성실한 번역이라 든가, 의도가 있는, 뭔가 진실을 오도하려는 번역이라고 지적하면서 3가지 상황 설정중에 어느 것이냐고 묻는 것도
이해했습니다.
지금 저는 어떤 대답도 하지 않을 것입니다.
왜냐하면 주한 미국 대사관과 주한 캐나다 대사관의 입장을 오늘 대한민국 외교통상부가 소개하는 보도자료를 냈기 때문입니다.
현재 이 보도자료에 대한 저와 회사의 입장을 발표할 수준이 아닙니다.
더군다나 저는 귀하를 잘 모릅니다.
기사와 관련 기자가 일일이 독자에 취재경위와 취재원과 기사를 왜 그렇게 썼는지에 대해서 설명할 필요성은 없다고 봅니다.
그러나 당신이 누구인지 정확한 신분을 밝히면
그때 설명할 용의는 있습니다. 현재는 답변이 불가능 하다는 것을 알려드립니다.

Basically it says it understands my question (translation problem was an honest mistake or an intentional one) but can't answer because they got a press release from the American and Canadian embassies on the matter and they aren't able to give their response at this time (I think that's what it says, lack of subject markers make me a little confused as to who sent the press release to whom).

Furthermore, he doesn't need to reply to me or answer about the way he gathers his news because he doesn't know who I am, but if I do identify myself then he might prepare an explanation.

Yeah, basically a bullshit non-reply, but then again I don't blame him. What reporter has time to give in-depth replies to every stranger on the Internet who writes in?

But I don't think he really has a good answer for the translation anyway. Perhaps it bothered him enough to at least send me the above.

Fanning the Flames

Looking over the Naver front page yesterday I stumbled onto this article (in Korean). Basically it says that foreign websites are giving false information about Korea and giving the country a bad image by making it look like a dangerous, crime-infested hole, which of course we know is not true (sleaze-infested hole maybe, but certainly not a dangerous place).


Always happy to have a chance to fit in a picture of Jeon Ji Hyon (she's the Naver site model these days; that's my excuse for posting this picture)


Being just a tad skeptical of Korean journalism, I looked up the websites that they indicated to see the original English.

What I found out, and I hope you are sitting down lest this shock you, was that the reporter was being a little loose with his/her translation. No, check that; this reporter was simply lying with the assumption that few if any Korean netizens would bother checking out the sources (it took a long time to find them, by the way, from the website addresses given in the article). I don't know if even OhMyNews ever gets this bad.

Here's the first big "find" of them damn foreigners lying about Korea:

1일 현재 미 국무부 사이트(www.state.gov)는 "한국은 서울과 부산 등 주요 도 시 지역의 소매치기, 핸드백 강탈, 성폭행, 강간, 범죄율이 아주 높은 수준이고, 특 히 외국인들이 범죄의 타깃이 된다"며 "유흥지에서 강간은 최근 증가하고 있다"고 소개했다.

I’m no Marmot, but here is my translation of the above:

----

A current government website stated: “In major cities like Seoul and Busan the crime rate of pick pocketing, purse snatching, sexual assaults, and rape is at a very high level, and especially foreigners are the targets of crime” and “in entertainment areas rape has recently been increasing.”

----


Oh my God!!! Seoul and Busan are rife with all manner of crimes and foreigners are being targeted!! How dare those foreign devils tell such lies about our country!!

This is from the actual website the translation was taken from (scroll down to the “crime information” section). Compare and contrast the above translation with what was actually said.

Although the crime rate in the Republic of Korea is low, in major metropolitan areas, such as Seoul and Pusan, there is a higher incidence of pickpocketing, purse snatching, assaults, hotel room burglaries, and residential crime, and foreigners can be targeted…Incidents of rape have recently increased in popular nightlife districts in Seoul.

So, first the reporter cuts out the beginning of the sentence from his translation (“Although the crime rate in the Republic of Korea is low”), which establishes the proper context for the information that follows. Basically, the site is just telling the truth: crime in Korea is not bad, but there are few things to be careful of.

Then he mistranslates “a higher incidence” into “아주 높은 수준이고” (“a very high level”). The original is clearly comparing the metropolitan areas of Korea to other areas in Korea, but in this retard’s translation it comes out as if the US site is saying Korea has a high level of these crimes compared to the rest of the world.

And finally from the original, “…and foreigners can be targeted,” we get, “especially foreigners are the target of crime” (특 히 외국인들이 범죄의 타깃이 된다).

What university did this moron graduate from?

The other example is from a Canadian travel site. Here’s the Korean translation from the Naver site:

캐나다 외교부는 "한국에는 캐나다인과 다른 외국인을 향하 여 성폭행, 강간이 계속 발생하고 있다. 범죄자들은 외국인 거주 아파트에 수선공이 나 배달원으로 위장침투해 강간하고 성폭행 한다"고 설명하면서 한국 근무 캐나다 선생들에게 주의를 당부했다.

And here is my translation of the translation:

A Canadian site (www.voyage.gc.ca) cautioned Canadians of going to Korea as teachers, explaining that, “Sexual assault and rape to female Canadians and other foreigners are continually occurring. Criminals get into foreigner’s apartments in the guise of repairmen or deliverymen and rape and sexually assault [the residents].”

Sounds pretty bad don't it? Hell, I've already been raped two times this week alone by the Mexican Chicken delivery guy (they know my weakness...)

Well, this is the original from the Canadian travel site.

Korea is culturally very different from Canada. Working females and, in particular, foreign females are often in a different, and negative, cultural category. Sexual harassment is not the norm, but it does happen and Canadian female teachers should be aware of the situation in making a decision about work in Korea.

There have been cases of sexual assault against Canadians and other foreigners. In some of these cases, the assailant was disguised as a repair or delivery person in order to gain entry to the apartment. Victims have reported being robbed and sexually assaulted. Canadian teachers should remain cautious and never open the door to strangers.

So, from the clause, “there have been cases of sexual assault,” we get the translation: “sexual assault and rape…are continually occurring”

The original just points out that, though “it is not the norm,” there have been some cases. In our reporter’s creative translation, however, we get the feeling that these cases are happening over and over again.

In my opinion, the advice given on both sites is quite sound and not overstated in the least. I've personally known about 30 foreign women in Korea (94 if you include Russian prostitutes) and though none have been raped, almost all have had some scary experiences. But in each case, they used some common sense and avoided any serious trouble and had a good experience in Korea (well, "tolerable" would perhaps be the better word for the majority).

By the way, you all know that I was joking about the Russian prostitutes, right?

The Netizen Response
I went onto the message board and added some comments (in simple English, my typing in Korean is painfully slow), basically saying the translation is wrong and the article is dishonest. To the credit of some of the netizens, there were several posters who backed me up and pointed out other flaws in this article (you have to remember that only about half of the Korean youth buys into the "evil foreigner" thing).

But for others, this article had effectively added fuel to the anti-foreigner fire. Interestingly enough, Japan, which was not mentioned in the article at all, got a lot of bashing as well (they think Korea is bad? Well what about those bastard Japanese…!)
The email address of the reporter is given in all of these articles, so I sent the following email to him/her (you're welcome to do the same! Don't forget to demand a sincere apology!)

ghwang@yna.co.kr


Dear “ghwang”
I found your recent article on the Naver news site (“美ㆍ加 외교부사이트 "한국은 범죄율 아주 높은 수준”) to be dishonest and manipulative.

Your translations of the original English are amazingly poor and seem to be purposefully misleading. From what English sentence do you derive the translation of “한국은 범죄율 아주 높은 수준” (which you also used in the title of the whole article)?

I couldn’t find that anywhere. I did find this, however:

“Although the crime rate in the Republic of Korea is low…”

You remember the sentence that came from, right? You translated most of it, but for some reason you omitted the first clause shown above. Not only did you cut this clause out of the translation, but you then put a quote in your title that does not even exist in the original English and says the OPPOSITE of what the article realy said. Why?

Even a freshman university student in Korea should be able to understand the true meaning of these paragraphs that you mistranslated. Both of your sources say clearly that crime in Korea is low, but they just want to give some common sense advice anyway. If you had bothered to look up any other country on their sites you would see that this is what they do for ALL countries.

There are several other major problems and omissions in your translations. I documented them all on my blog (http://partypooper.blogs.com).

So, why is your “translation” so deficient? There are three possible reasons I can think of:

1. Your English is really awful and you honestly misunderstood the original websites.

2. You got faulty information from some other source and you never checked to see if it was accurate.

3. You purposefully mistranslated the sites in order to increase negative feelings towards foreigners (especially North Americans).

Which one is it? If your English skills are poor, then you really shouldn’t be reporting on these kinds of stories, right? You just are not qualified.

If #2 is correct, then you are not acting professionally. A good reporter always checks his sources, even one who can only find freelance work on the Internet.

However, if #3 is the real explanation for your misleading article, then you have some serious ethical issues. What motivates you to be so dishonest and hateful? Why is it so important for you to convince others to hate and/or distrust foreigners that you have to purposefully mislead them? What kind of respect do you have for your readers if you feel you need to lie and manipulate them?

I’d be interested in hearing your response. I posted all of this (including this email) on my blog, and I also intend to give this article to a friend of mine who teaches in a Media course in a top university in Seoul as an example of manipulative media practices. If you respond to my email (replying in Korean or English is fine), I promise that I will post it on my blog in its entirety without cutting any sentences out or making a bad translation (that’s just the decent, honest thing to do, right?).

If you have any intention of becoming a real reporter, you need to go back and learn the fundamentals of journalism. What you reported was dishonest and wrong and you owe your readers an apology.