Tuesday, May 11, 2010

"Weird but true"-news from Korea

"Weird but true"-news from Korea



Last time, I read a North Korean news regarding the culture of the "other side" of South Korea. These articles show how Koreans seemed to be affected by the growing tide, especially violence against women, children, and of negating culture now being exported to other countries especially in southeast Asia.

And as I read it, somehow, how come people still like Korea, emulating it regardless of what goes on in its other side? We may have watched and loved some Korean drama, as well as starting to emulate it- and yet we didn't care much about ourselves, especially our culture and heritage as what I expected most.

Well...
As more people get contented at the front of it, I am looking at it's back, here are the articles I have read regarding the culture of its "other side."

Schools infested with violence

Violence of all kinds thrives in schools of south Korea. The south Korean mass media widely disclosed an outrage of a schoolgirl on February 8, 2010. And another outrage was committed at the same school the next day.

Victim was also a schoolgirl. She was beaten seriously and raped by some schoolboys after the graduation ceremony. Seven schoolgirls were taken to the unfrequented port by ten alumni when the graduation ceremony was held at a middle school in Cheju Island.

They cut girls’ uniforms, underwear and socks into tiny pieces with razor blade, putting an indignity upon schoolgirls.

What was worse, they threw a girl, who is a poor swimmer, to the sea.

Similar cases were happened in south Korea that day. About 20 schoolboys and girls stripped a schoolgirl of uniform and made a fun of her at a residential quarter.

When the victim tried to cover her naked body with clothes, a schoolgirl cut her clothes into pieces. They even poured tomato sauce over her head and clapped their hands with joy.

The whole process was opened to the public, evoking criticism.

Parents of students lamented that they would not send their children to the schools owing to the violence in the schools, saying it is a violation of human rights not a mere fun of children.

Now one out of ten suffer violence at primary and middle schools in south Korea and many schoolchildren take suicide due to school violence.

The schools in south Korea is reduced to a theater of violence and the students, who should aspire after further knowledge, are pursued by uneasiness.


Decaying south Korea

According to Sisa Journal dated July 7, a south Korean magazine, 76 per cent young boys and girls branded south Korea a corrupt society.

It is higher than 59.1 percent surveyed in 2008. And 51.7 per cent respondents said corrupt will increase further after two or three years.

The magazine wrote that many teenagers found the cause of corruption of capitalist society. It denounced that it is an unpardonable crime that the present government implanted a recognition to them that the south Korean society is corrupt and there is no sign of improvement.


Sounds weird, but it is true.