By Jane Han
NEW YORK ― News of former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung's alleged sexual assault in the United States is drawing criticism from the general American public, but many say this incident isn't likely to bring ''international shame'' to South Korea as many Korean politicians and media outlets are saying.
''Yoon's act is dirty and downright wrong, especially considering his level and position in the Korean government,'' says Robert Engstrand, a corporate image consultant based in New York City.
During President Park Geun-hye's first official visit to the U.S. last week, her chief spokesman Yoon left to Seoul in a rush midway through the five-day trip as police in Washington D.C. investigated allegations he groped a 21-year-old Korean-American intern at a hotel.
''It's a shame that someone none other than the presidential spokesman is caught up in this kind of shady scandal, but one person does not represent an entire nation,'' says Engstrand, who specializes in personal and corporate image management.
Immediately after the incident, the ruling and main opposition parties blasted Yoon for damaging South Korea's national image.
The scandal may cause political problems for Park back home, especially since she has been criticized since the first days of her presidency for her choices for top government posts.
''This is a serious issue because sexual harassment is handled very seriously in the U.S., but it is probably going to be even more exaggerated in Korea as a political attack,'' says John Kim, a Korean-American political commentator.
''Image is a big issue in the Korean culture, so people automatically assume that Yoon's action is going to taint the image of the entire country,'' he said. ''But that's not how people think in the American culture.''
Hundreds of people have commented on Yoon's scandal on various online news discussion sites, where the former spokesman's act is heavily criticized but few are discussing how ''shameful'' it is to the nation.
''While I am not South Korean, I don't think we should generalize the actions of one man against whom the action was taken,'' wrote a user named Ki Ki on a CNN news forum. ''There are bad apples in every society.''
Another user Mike Hunt wrote, '''He diminished the dignity of South Korea?' How so? Americans are quite aware that this man's actions are his own and do not represent the whole of South Korea.''
''He represents the country for things like negotiations and speeches. If he says or does something shameful in those regards, then he brings shame to the country as a whole. If, however, he does something shameful which is not related to his job, then his actions are his own and nobody else should feel shameful about it,'' he added.
Kim pointed out that even after many ''foreigners'' committed serious crimes in the U.S., it is rare to see Americans blaming and hating on the entire country.
''In Korea, we often see a lot of generalization. For example, if an Italian does something wrong in Korea, people might start disliking Italy entirely. But for Americans, that's something that may simply sound absurd.''
NEW YORK ― News of former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung's alleged sexual assault in the United States is drawing criticism from the general American public, but many say this incident isn't likely to bring ''international shame'' to South Korea as many Korean politicians and media outlets are saying.
''Yoon's act is dirty and downright wrong, especially considering his level and position in the Korean government,'' says Robert Engstrand, a corporate image consultant based in New York City.
During President Park Geun-hye's first official visit to the U.S. last week, her chief spokesman Yoon left to Seoul in a rush midway through the five-day trip as police in Washington D.C. investigated allegations he groped a 21-year-old Korean-American intern at a hotel.
''It's a shame that someone none other than the presidential spokesman is caught up in this kind of shady scandal, but one person does not represent an entire nation,'' says Engstrand, who specializes in personal and corporate image management.
Immediately after the incident, the ruling and main opposition parties blasted Yoon for damaging South Korea's national image.
The scandal may cause political problems for Park back home, especially since she has been criticized since the first days of her presidency for her choices for top government posts.
''This is a serious issue because sexual harassment is handled very seriously in the U.S., but it is probably going to be even more exaggerated in Korea as a political attack,'' says John Kim, a Korean-American political commentator.
''Image is a big issue in the Korean culture, so people automatically assume that Yoon's action is going to taint the image of the entire country,'' he said. ''But that's not how people think in the American culture.''
Hundreds of people have commented on Yoon's scandal on various online news discussion sites, where the former spokesman's act is heavily criticized but few are discussing how ''shameful'' it is to the nation.
''While I am not South Korean, I don't think we should generalize the actions of one man against whom the action was taken,'' wrote a user named Ki Ki on a CNN news forum. ''There are bad apples in every society.''
Another user Mike Hunt wrote, '''He diminished the dignity of South Korea?' How so? Americans are quite aware that this man's actions are his own and do not represent the whole of South Korea.''
''He represents the country for things like negotiations and speeches. If he says or does something shameful in those regards, then he brings shame to the country as a whole. If, however, he does something shameful which is not related to his job, then his actions are his own and nobody else should feel shameful about it,'' he added.
Kim pointed out that even after many ''foreigners'' committed serious crimes in the U.S., it is rare to see Americans blaming and hating on the entire country.
''In Korea, we often see a lot of generalization. For example, if an Italian does something wrong in Korea, people might start disliking Italy entirely. But for Americans, that's something that may simply sound absurd.''
![[INTERVIEW] Ecolab helps Korean partners profit from ESG management](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/7a924189dbb7426ab12275ba98702309.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[ANALYSIS] Has N. Korean leader's daughter been confirmed as heir apparent?](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/e65868a1b5834cc3aef853378637d1fd.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'Lifeline for migrant workers in Korea' - Rev. Kim fights for foreign employees' rights](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8fb4b5d381da49df90276394550f2889.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Korea to work with US, Japan to fight climate change](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/800d9054a14b4a0f9cc576366cc1b914.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[REVIEW] Preview gala sets stage for grand premiere of 'La Rose de Versailles' musical](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7528d2924cd43c8a469cd46e6f56127.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
