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Sogogi-gate

Posted by in News & Media | 8 comments


And now, my friends, is when, like many things in Korea, events become surreal.

The U.S. beef weird-coaster is riding the chain to the top, about to be launched. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has executed an emergency Sunday press conference to calm down the panic in Korea over the media’s scare tactics in generating fear amongst the public of mad cow disease in American beef.

I guess they didn’t expect the Korean news media, creators of the great fictional series “Fan Death,” to come out with another hit, “All American Beef Will Melt Your Brain.”

So now this is becoming a big liability, with media outlets pressuring the Korean president and government officials to eat American beef on TV to prove it’s safe.

I wish I was making this up, folks. What do they think will happen? They think Lee Myung-bak’s head will explode like on Scanners?

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Joe McPherson is the founding editor of ZenKimchi. He is also dining editor for 10 Magazine and writes and consults for multiple publications. He is the only non-Korean judge for the Korean section of the Miele Guide--but don't ever call him a food critic.
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  • Pingback: SeoulLife.net » Korea’s beef with [the] U.S.

  • http://www.fenceriderkorea.blogspot.com fencerider

    I wouldn’t be a bit suprised if the beef-lobby/anti-american/Anti-FTA lobby went as far as to try and infect someone on the penninsula with mad cow disease once the sale of US beef starts. These people have no scruples when it comes to their own agenda. Some crazy will surely try it.

  • Josie

    Hi, I’m a Korean who’s living in UK (which isn’t entirely filled with people with spongy green goo instead of brain, as far as I’m aware), and I personally stopped paying attention when the rumour started to fly around that vCJD spreads via air (actually a recent talk where apparently EU banned all Koreans from entering EU borders and expelled all Korean nationals was quite funny)
    Yep, they did FanDeath, they can definitely pull off ‘LAND OF BRAINDEATH’. Sigh.

  • http://www.zenkimchi.com ZenKimchi

    Well, it looks like this time the media is being called on it by overseas Koreans and ethnic Koreans in other countries, particularly Korean-Americans. It looks like no one can get through the arrogance of the Korean media because they huddle in and proclaim they’re being bullied by outsiders.

    The only people that they listen to are ethnic Korean groups overseas. In the past, the only times the media were pressured to do the right thing about anti-Semitic textbooks or “Nazis are a cool fashion statement” were when Korean-American groups pointed out that they were acting in a disgusting manner.

    So here’s to hoping that overseas Koreans such as yourself can pressure the Korean media to finally grow up and get some professionalism.

  • http://seoulsteves.com SkinnySteve

    Just saw that this was picked up on SeriousEats via your site. Nice work!

  • http://www.zenkimchi.com ZenKimchi

    Really? Cool. I didn’t think anyone would pay attention to this one.

  • DocChuck

    Well, I have to admit that paranoia can work both ways. As an example, my wife and I will eat NOTHING chinese, will NOT knowingly purchase ANYTHING made in china . . . and we have been that way for nearly ten years. We will not even eat in a “chinese” restaurant in the US.

    We grocery shop at Trader Joe’s because Traders will NOT sell anything from china.

    On the other hand, we both drive a Korean vehicle (she, a Hyundai SUV, and I have a KIA Optima). However, in conversation, I would NEVER admit that I drove a vehicle made in South Korea.

    You see . . . weirdness can be catching.

  • http://partners.zoominfo.com/search/Error.aspx?PersonID=607192026 MrsDocChuck

    Please do not let my husband post on your blog.

    He is not a friend of the asian peoples. He will be no end of trouble for you.

    Kamsa Hamneda,
    Elizabeth T, R.N.

  • sonny

    DocChuck said “[The subject of the article is] …a criminal. Send her back to Korea. We must deal with our OWN citizens, not people like her. And don’t let any more asians into this country, period.”

    http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dot.comments/2008/05/immigrant_detention.html

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