In a couple of recent posts, I said the Korean media has been somewhat unusually quiet about the Pyongtaek Base Expansion. That probably isn't true.

I was basing it on the English language press which is often translations of articles from the Korean version. I also found teaching Korean adults that they usually took the topics they wanted to talk about from that days news, and that news was the same I was getting from the Korea Herald or Korea Times.

But, I'm working on 2 new projects -- both of which involve looking at the Korean language media (newspapers and TV) -- and I'm finding not a lot but a fair amount of stuff off KBS and MBC.

I still have to work on the Korean language part, but one thing is clear initially and is well worth noting:

The items about USFK base pollution are very much a part of generating ill-will over Pyongtaek and base expansion.

It is tempting to say the coverage of what environmental problems are on US bases, especially ones being closed down, is "natural". It would be something you would normally think would come up in such a context ---

---but to say this about the Korean coverage is being too generous.

If the Korean media made the effort to interview USFK spokesmen and/or present some of the data from them, it would be different. But they don't.

I've seen it time and again on these environmental issues. In the Stars and Stripes or off the USFK websites, you can find items about how USFK base commanders would bring the media and even civic groups leaders onto the base and show them what steps are done to prevent pollution and what is done to clean up when it is found and what they did find ---- and none of it makes it into the Korean press ---- even when Korean language handouts are prepared.

So, this enivornmenal coverage --- a good bit of it focused these days on the Pyongtaek base itself ----- is simple designed to remind/teach Koreans why USFK is a cancer on their society.

It creates a natural well of ill-will toward bases ---- and of course that natually helps the anti-US groups when it comes to expanding one of those bastard bases.

I started checking out the online news archives of KBS and MBC for the last couple of months, and just in March and Feb, I've found at least 4 or 5 reports concerning US bases and the environment.

They will not say it, but this is directly related to the Pyongtaek expansion. They are not, as far as I can tell with my limited Korean ability, directly attacking the base expansion or the Land Partnership Plan --- because they fear what might happen if the US pulls more troops out --- but they are indirectly supporting people like the Priest with all this enivronmental coverage.

In fact, the people they do bring on to give quotes in these stories are people connected to the anti-US groups.

And now the Request part ---

I will post interesting items here as I go....

but with these two projects I need one of two things or both

Korean language help or money.

These short video segments usually come with a transcript, and I can plough through one or two if need be, but when it comes to covering items over a long period of time (which is what I'm working on doing), it isn't effective for me to try to plough through it.

I need someone fluent enough in Korean and English to take a look at the segments (and their transcripts) and pull out good quotes to put into English or give a one or two line summary of what the news item is all about.

It shouldn't be difficult if someone has a pretty fair command of English and Korean.

I ask for this kind of help every 6 months or so and rarely get any....

So, I did check on translation services, but they are pretty expensive.

I guess I might be able to cut a deal with them if they know I am going to bring them a fair amount of short items over a period of time, but it is still too much for me to put into on top of what it costs to maintain the www.usinkorea.org site already.

That is why I set up a Pay Pal button on the left hand side of the main page where you can donate money to help develop and keep up the site.

If I can get enough funds trickling in through it --- I can expand coverage on the site to include more Korean language origninal material ---

------which will enhance the site very much.

So, this is me with my beggars cup asking for either language help or some small donations or both.......

(I'm not holding my breath --- but it can't hurt to ask.....)

shsong21 here is your opportunity

__________________
Just my humble opinion!

I hate Korean an organ of expression(KBS,MBC, Newspapers etc....).
the past, they were the hands of the military regime.
Even now, they are not tell the truth to peoples .
Most inportant thing, they are Korean society of the leadership(brownstones) now.
So, I pretty hard it. this is a weak point for Korean society.

한국은 결코 깨끗한 나라가 아니다.

I hate Korean of the leadership(brownstones) very much. They are corrupted too much.

I am not convinced I am completely right about this issue, but----

I believe the Korean media today represents the Korean people.

I think it is like the media in most industrialized nations --- it is a kind of business, and it caters to the audience.

It puts on what it believes they want to see.

A clear example of this happened in 2002 when the media aired a small group of college students firebombing the guard house of a small US base in Seoul.

(The firebombs did no damage).

One female anchor woman said something like, "It is a shame to see something like that."

She was forced to resign the next day......

.....because a tremendous amount of average Koreans flooded the news station with phone calls demanding her head on a silver platter.

They could not believe she could be so "un-Korean." It was high treason for her to say something bad about any Korean effort to protest against the US military that had ran over two middle school girls with a tank (on purpose).

Today, such a firebombing would be condemned in the media and society.

It is still the same media.

It is still the same society.

But with 1/4th of USFK leaving Korea already and Senators and Donald Rumsfeld talking about taking out more....

....the Korean audience does not want to enjoy seeing big displays of anti-Americanism....