By Chung Ah-young
Bradley Ray Moore, a drummer of popular Korean indie band "Busker Busker" recently caused controversy for "disparaging" aspects of Korea in an interview with a U.S.-based music site.
In the interview with "NOISEY," Moore pointed out the nation's loose standards in hiring English-speaking teachers.
He said after just one year of teaching kindergarteners in Korea, Moore and Danielle Bacon, his wife, were able to land positions at Sangmyung University with 20,000 students in its Cheonan campus, South Chungcheong Province.
"Bacon saw on their career network that they could each make $2,000 a month teaching English to kindergarteners in Korea, without any previous exposure to the language or culture … One day I went to class, she applied for the job, and within 24 hours got notice back saying she'd gotten it. They didn't do an interview, or anything. So she replied, ‘My boyfriend wants a job, too,' and they said yeah, bring him along ― just make sure you graduate." Then, in one year, they went from being "crappy kindergarten teachers to tenure-track professors," he said.
He also revealed his band frontman Jang Beom-Jun received a call from "Superstar K3" of Mnet, an audition show, which wanted to feature some groups for its new season although Jang had been rejected in the preliminary rounds for both of the show's previous seasons. "They just needed diversity in their narrative, in their broadcasting―so they had us come in to make the show look successful," Moore said. The band eventually came second.
After the interview hit the Internet, CJ E&M, which owns multiple cable channels including Mnet, and Superstar K, explained his remarks were due to cultural misunderstanding.
Moore also posted a message on his Twitter, saying "When I was on Superstar K3, I didn't know Korean and Korean culture well and misunderstood things. But now I'm studying Korean hard and happy doing music and broadcasting. I am very thankful for Superstar K3 for all their support and their contribution to my life."
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