Opinion - The Korea Times

'Ching-Chong Ding-Dong'

By Jason Lim To briefly summarize for those who have been living under a rock, The Colbert Report did a skit mocking Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, who recently announced the creation of the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation, founded “to provide meaningful and measurable resources that provide genuine opportunities for Tribal communities.”This was a fairly transparent attempt by Snyder to build up enough public relations capital to stave off a growing call for him to change the name of his football team because it’s offensive to Native Americans. To do this, he used the same offensive racial epithet in naming his new charity that was supposed to benefit the community that was being offended.Probably not a wise choice and a natural fodder for a liberal current affairs comedy commentary show like The Colbert Report, who promptly highlighted Snyder’s hypocrisy ― in an exaggerated, outlandish way that a satirical comedy show is wont to do ― by announcing his own “Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to O

Apr 4, 2014By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

White privilege in 'Frozen'

By Jason LimWhat does it mean to be white in today’s world?We know that white does not denote a specific ethnicity since those considered white today weren’t always considered white in the past. White is more of a popular-consensus label to recognize certain select populations for their political and socioeconomic status. And since status is a relative measure, some populations, such as the Italians and Irish, are welcomed to the white club when they were shunned before.Of course, human beings are visual first and foremost, and I don’t foresee a time in the near future when Nigerians or Chinese would be considered white because they have reached a certain mysterious threshold.However, it does seem apparent that being white is largely a flexible label used to denote populations that share a certain desired trait or characteristic. In short, being white is generally good because it signifies a certain privilege compared to the non-white population. This myth of the white privilege has been so well entrenched that it’s almost dogma.But what privilege? What’

Mar 21, 2014By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

East Sea vs. Sea of Japan

By Jason Lim I am a Northern Virginia resident who votes in local elections. And this column is not about local politics, but more of a question about the best ways that Korean-Americans can expand their footprint into mainstream local and national politics.With the above disclosure, let me lay out several things that I believe.One, I believe that Dokdo is and should be Korean territory.Two, I believe that the Sea of Japan should be renamed the East Sea. If not a total replacement, East Sea should be used in parallel with Sea of Japan on all official maps.Three, I believe that Japan has never truly apologized in both words and spirit, and should engage in a transparent and inclusive way with neighboring countries and people who were victimized by imperial Japan’s aggression in the first half of the 20th century. It should ask for forgiveness for the suffering and rebuild the relationships on a foundation of mutual respect and recognition.Four, I believe that the Japanese people were the biggest victims of imperial Japan’s aggression, undergoing unspeakable suffering

Mar 9, 2014By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Citizenship as a commodity

By Jason Lim Viktor Ahn’s gold medal winning performance in the men’s 1,000-meter short track competition triggered a cascade of self-recrimination over how a corrupt and nepotistic sports authority drove Ahn away and forced him to defect to Russia to continue competing. When President Park also wondered out loud in public whether some ingrained problems with how sports are managed resulted in Korea losing one of its best skaters, self-recrimination became a full-fledged Salem Witch Trial, with bureaucrats and national assemblymen outdoing one another to jump into the fray.But almost lost in this trial by media is the fact that Ahn chose to renounce his Korean citizenship to adopt a Russian one. It’s not as if Ahn had some historical or cultural connection to Russia. He himself admits that it was a purely business decision because he wanted to continue skating and competing under the best conditions possible, which he couldn’t get in Korea. He had also probed the U.S. for opportunities but decided on Russia because it offered the best deal.In short, this

Feb 21, 2014By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Why do women stop working?

By Jason LimAccording to most studies, around 70 percent of Korean women aged between 25 and 29 are part of the workforce. This number drops precipitously to 55 percent when women reach their 30s, and rises only slightly for those in their 40s and older.According to OECD, Korea registers a 55.2 percent economic participation rate for women, compared to Japan’s 63.4 percent and the U.S.’ 67.6 percent. This means that Korea is missing out on the production potential of about half of its female population, not to mention the diversity of perspectives, insights and other intangibles that can positively drive a workplace.This is a huge loss that will not be sustainable, especially in a country that suffers from a chronically low birthrate overall. For Korea to sustain its success, it must utilize all the human resources it has.At a Cabinet meeting in January, President Park Geun-hye said, “Making a Korea that does not have a woman suffering from an interruption of her career due to child-bearing and rearing should become our goal.” Her Cabinet responded to her chal

Feb 7, 2014By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Why Ahn is not a terrorist

By Jason LimOn Oct. 26, 1909, Ahn Jung-geun shot dead Hirobumi Ito at Harbin railway station in Northeast China and instantly became a hero to the Korean people who were then just beginning a period of forced annexation under Imperial Japan. Ahn caught the imagination of the Chinese as well, who were also being brutally subjugated by Japan. More than 100 years later, a memorial was recently dedicated in Harbin to honor him.This did not go over well in Japan, which is currently undergoing a resurgence of nationalism under Prime Minister Abe’s leadership. Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s Cabinet Secretary, stated that Ahn was a terrorist and “The coordinated move by China and South Korea based on a one-sided view of history is not conducive to building peace and stability.”Of course, Korea and China saw this as the pot calling the kettle black, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman hitting back by saying, “If Ahn is a terrorist, what do you call the 14 Class A war criminals at the Yasukuni Shrine?” And he didn’t have to add, “What else do yo

Jan 24, 2014By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

White men and Korean woman

By Jason LimAt the risk of dating myself, I taught English in a major language institute in Seoul for two years in the mid-1990s.In fact, for a brief but very interesting period of time (right at the time the Asian financial crisis hit Korea), I was the manager in charge of recruiting native English-speaking instructors for my institute, which meant that I came in personal contact with many young American, Canadian, and Australian men passing through Asia and moonlighting as English conversation instructors. I say moonlighting because many of them were obviously doing their “travel around the world” thing and trying to make enough money to go on to the next exotic Asian destination.And yes, they were mostly white men. This also isn’t surprising since there are far more male instructors than women, and Korean institutes would not hire any native English speakers who were not white. I remember being scolded for hiring an impeccably qualified Korean American girl who had just graduated from UCLA because she wasn’t white and therefore was not as marketable.And yes

Jul 26, 2013By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

The great inner wall of Korea

By Jason LimLast week’s crash landing of an Asiana Airlines jet spawned several interesting articles in the international media on the intersection of Korean culture and crisis management.An AP article titled ``Asiana Crash a Point of National Shame for Koreans” especially caught my eye for pointing out how the average Korean shares a sense of shame and guilt over something that a Korean company or person did or didn’t do.The article writes, ``South Koreans take great interest in the global profile of local companies and of ethnic Koreans on the world stage. Many feel pride, for instance, seeing Samsung billboards in New York’s Times Square. And when a company’s stumbles draw international attention, there’s collective sense of national shame, even for South Koreans who have no connection to the company beyond nationality.”No kidding. The tendency for group think and group identity over anything and anyone Korean is pretty extreme. Full-page ads in the New York Times claiming rightful sovereignty over Dokdo becomes huge news and a point of na

Jul 12, 2013By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

What if Robb Stark was African?

By Jason Lim For those of you living under a rock, Game of Thrones is the blockbuster HBO series based on “A Song of Ice and Fire,” George R. R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels. It’s violent, gritty, sexy, and incredibly addictive, with a wide following across the world.Although it’s a fantasy set in mythical lands, it pretty much looks and feels like England, with random exotic locations thrown in that resemble Southern Spain. And, of course, everyone speaks English. Oh yeah, by the way, all the characters are also white (except the unscrupulous black merchant who quickly got what he was due).Not that diversity is a requirement. This is not the U.S. Congress or some government organizations that should reflect the actual diverse makeup of the people. This is a work of fiction, a creative product that should not be subject to legal requirements.Also, just because the characters are white doesn’t mean that non-whites can’t identify with them. I mean, who in their right minds didn’t wince at the shocking murders of the three main c

Jun 28, 2013By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Speak Korean if you want to marry

By Jason LimI am no libertarian, but I always thought that choosing your spouse was a matter of personal choice.Granted, I am not entirely sure how I feel about some individual states in the U.S. allowing marriages between cousins; but if that’s what the lovely couple want to do and are willing to risk reenacting that banjo scene from Deliverance, then all power to them. Who’s to say otherwise?Actually, the Korean government will. Specifically, if you are a foreigner who wants to marry a Korean, then the Korean government has a lot to say.The Korea Times recently reported that the government is putting the final touches on a new policy that would require foreign spouses to pass a Korean language test in order to be granted a marriage visa. The new policy would also require the Korean spouse to prove at least a 1.1 Million Won monthly income, which is a little less than $1,000 today. But it’s the language requirement that’s really the critical part of this policy.So, why for the new policy? The Korea Times writes that the Ministry of Justice formulated this new

Jun 14, 2013By Jason Lim

Jason Lim

Read more

'Ching-Chong Ding-Dong'

White privilege in 'Frozen'

East Sea vs. Sea of Japan

Citizenship as a commodity

Why do women stop working?

Why Ahn is not a terrorist

White men and Korean woman

The great inner wall of Korea

What if Robb Stark was African?

Speak Korean if you want to marry

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