Comments on: Imperial tyranny, Korean humiliation

Imperial tyranny, Korean humiliation

mrjohnmuller — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:30:13 -0800

"This barbaric incident will leave a lasting stain on Korea-US relations."

Official English version of an editorial from The Hankyoreh, a South Korean newspaper, relating to the Sept 4 mass kidnapping of Hyundai factory workers in Georgia. South Korea has pledged to investigate reported humans rights abuses faced by the detainees. Although South Korea managed to repatriate the bulk of the 475 workers, some victims who were not Korean remain in legal limbo, or are "otherwise unaccounted for".

By: seanmpuckett

seanmpuckett — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:36:28 -0800

God the first article is tremendous in its clear-language explanation of what the fuck is going on in the US. I am not sure I have ever read it put more accurately and succinctly. Just indictment after indictment of the absolutely fuckery at play. It perhaps doesn't go far enough to get at the money making it happen, but it's one punch after another.

By: Pedantzilla

Pedantzilla — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:48:47 -0800

From the first link: " Its core supporters are low-income, poorly educated white Americans and evangelical Protestants." This is a common misconception (for a variety of reasons that I don't want to derail things here with) that has been debunked repeatedly. The core of MAGAt support is local gentry - the lords (and to a lesser extent) ladies of the manor who rule over their own local fiefdoms and who've always bitterly resented being told that they can't, for example, enslave their workers and force them to work in inhumane conditions for a pittance. The "low-income, poorly educated" etc may be the footsoldiers of their army, and have their own variety of reasons for supporting Chump, but they have little to no bearing on the policies and practices of the MAGAt machine and are in fact ridiculed by the monsters who control those levers of power. Otherwise, yes, a great article.

By: LionIndex

LionIndex — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:13:19 -0800

I think "core supporters" is fairly accurate - it's not calling them the shapers of policy, just supporters. The shapers of policy don't get in unless the supporters vote them in. If "gentry" make up the majority of the voting public we have a different kind of problem.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:20:32 -0800

Good summary on how these were all people that the US let in to help build a plant, with visas, and how they brutalized them. Good coverage from Jalopnik, a car site South Korean Companies Halt Georgia Investments After ICE Raid ICE Made South Korean Hyundai Workers Sign Voluntary Removal Papers: Report

By: Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon

Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:38:34 -0800

The geopolitical changes currently under way are not reversible.

By: emjaybee

emjaybee — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:45:59 -0800

I am sorry these folks or anyone had to go through this but glad they are loudly talking about it and that maybe some pro Trump types are feeling pain. Of course , everyone else is too.

By: mhum

mhum — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:18:27 -0800

From Time (Sept. 11, 2025), "After High-Profile ICE Raid, Trump Reportedly Wants Korean Workers to Stay in U.S.":

The detainees were initially set to depart the U.S. on Wednesday, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio told South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun during negotiations for their release that Trump wanted to "encourage" the Koreans to remain in the country, a foreign ministry official told South Korean news agency Yonhap. "That led to a halt in the departure process, in order to first hear Korea's position on whether the detained nationals, all of whom are skilled workers, want to return home or stay in the U.S. to continue working and help train American personnel," the official said, adding that the detainees—who had been restrained in handcuffs and ankle chains at their arrest, according to footage released by the U.S. authorities—were "extremely shocked and exhausted" and should return home first but could return to the U.S. at a later date. [...] "Each person was allowed to choose, and the U.S. government said essentially, 'If you want to go, you may go; if you want to stay, you may stay,'" South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said at a news conference in Seoul on Thursday. One South Korean detainee chose to remain in the U.S., Lee said.

From Reuters (Sept. 10, 2025), "South Korea asks US to let detained workers leave without handcuffs":

South Korea asked its ally the United States on Wednesday to allow hundreds of Korean workers to leave the country quickly and without handcuffs after they were detained in an immigration raid on a Hyundai construction site in the state of Georgia.

"Please stay so that we can continue treating you like criminals."

By: djseafood

djseafood — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:34:47 -0800

This is local-ish to me and really reeks of a benevolent F.U. to Brian Kemp the GA (R) Gov.

By: JustSayNoDawg

JustSayNoDawg — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:40:36 -0800

If I were South Korea, I would immediately bring my people back home and put a halt to further contact, except through diplomatic channels.

By: kaibutsu

kaibutsu — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:03:45 -0800

Metafilter: If I were South Korea...

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:11:19 -0800

God the first article is tremendous in its clear-language explanation of what the fuck is going on in the US. That's because everything our journalists seem to struggle to articulate is incredibly obvious to the rest of the world.

By: at by

at by — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:42:33 -0800

Every time I see an update on this story I think about the many, many military bases the US has in South Korea, and how this is going to affect South Koreans' opinions about them. The US has an extremely complicated relationship with South Korea and the current US regime is recklessly making it more complicated.

By: funkaspuck

funkaspuck — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:54:10 -0800

Korean Bluesky is uniquely united on this subject. Learning all sorts of swears.

By: treepour

treepour — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:36:01 -0800

I can see this harming relations for more than a single generation. What an utter discrace

By: dg

dg — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:45:18 -0800

kittens for breakfast: "God the first article is tremendous in its clear-language explanation of what the fuck is going on in the US. That's because everything our journalists seem to struggle to articulate is incredibly obvious to the rest of the world." I was kind of expecting some lightbulb moment after a few comments here, but the article, well-written, definitely, doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know about what's going on *waves hand in the air* over there. It's a shame more people from the US don't get to read such articles.

By: xdvesper

xdvesper — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:20:11 -0800

We had a vaguely similar visa issue in another country we had our factory in. We had to declare we were entering on a short term visa-waiver which does not allow you to work. The plan was to get past customs, then apply for an urgent work permit the next day which allowed you to work for up to 14 days. I was fine since the last time I worked in the country was before I switched to my new passport so there was no immediate evidence of it. But the directors travel more often, and had to put on their best poker face when being questioned by customs. "You are not traveling here for work?" "I am not traveling here for work." "But I see here on your passport that you came here for work a few months ago." "Yes. But I am not coming here for work now."

By: samthemander

samthemander — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:33:23 -0800

I'm embarrassed that I hadn't even heard of this story; I think Charlie Kirk news just swallowed the entire attention of people like myself who are in a "skim the headlines" phase of life. What a crazy time to be an American... I have no idea what we're doing, ugh.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:55:10 -0800

first off, highly accurate title, it is appropriate. this is a humiliation and why. to digress, one thing I've learned about power is that governments and individuals can hold a large portion of it but who really has a vast amount of power are those who build, to go down a rabbit hole, if this is some sort of geopolitical trick for some sort of business deal, I don't see it at least on the American scene. roughly 400 workers being detained with visas to me seems an act of political stupidity with plastic contrition. perhaps the top chaebol called their counter part in the US and asked what the hell is going on, then called the White House, or just left that to the president of thier country. perhaps this is what elicits the oh shucks we made a mistake business model of the new American economy and that's the weakness when one can't use other people's corruption against them anymore. and when you lose the power to corrupt or bribe or threaten, that's a problem in the capitalistic economic model. I think Trump overreached in his attempt to keep various business conglomerates at Bay.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:32:27 -0800

I hadn't even heard of this story As significant as it is [1] something like this is hugely impactful in Korea but just another Tuesday in the US. The arrest and deportment of hundreds of people legally in the US at a single event doesn't even move the needle anymore. It's why I've cancelled my plans to travel in the US. This kind of action directed at single people or small groups doesn't even get reported on anymore. I bet I hear victim blaming comments directed at vacationers who have been deported before the year is out.

By: glaucon

glaucon — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:37:34 -0800

The US has an extremely complicated relationship with South Korea and the current US regime is recklessly making it more complicated. posted by at by at 7:42 PM on September 15 It's almost as if everything this administration is doing is meant deliberately to enable China and Russia while pushing US allies away at the most critical juncture of the post-world war 2 era

By: clew

clew — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:09:26 -0800

Looping back —

Its core supporters are low-income, poorly educated white Americans and evangelical Protestants."
This is a common misconception[...] The core of MAGAt support is local gentry

Consistent: The local gentry are the big evangelical Protestants. Car dealers and repeatedly-reincorporated contractors control the megachurches afaict.

By: jy4m

jy4m — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:35:40 -0800

Man if Korea manages to break out of the grasp of the American empire, you guys better not give Trump all the credit as if it's a bad thing.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 21:51:23 -0800

'Empire is forever until it's not' -History.

By: rory

rory — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:22:59 -0800

post-world war 2 era pre-world war 3 era 2nd inter-war era

By: at by

at by — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 01:15:54 -0800

> Man if Korea manages to break out of the grasp of the American empire, you guys better not give Trump all the credit as if it's a bad thing. South Korea and North Korea are still officially at war. There is no peace treaty, only an armistice. North Korea will continue to have the backing of China and Russia. Like I said, South Korea's relationship with the US was already complicated.

By: Spike Glee

Spike Glee — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 06:52:19 -0800

Another factor is that the woman who kicked this off is proud of what she did, and would do it again. Trump can say that he wants them to stay, but there's no guarantee that it won't happen again, and a lot of reasons to believe that it would.

By: mumimor

mumimor — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:13:41 -0800

South Korea and North Korea are still officially at war. There is no peace treaty, only an armistice. North Korea will continue to have the backing of China and Russia. Yes, but South Korea is in a completely different place today than it was in 1953. And so is China. Just like Europe is capable of defending itself and potentially interested in a peaceful relation with China, so are the Pacific Rim nations. We all just need to get used to it, and that is hard. And obviously, it is not in America's interest, but Trump and his band of fools don't understand that. The Trump regime is creating a completely new world order, and I won't believe anyone who claims they know how it will find its balance. The only thing I'm certain of is that the US will find itself in a much worse place in a not so distant future, and it will be very, very hard to come back.

By: I claim sanctuary

I claim sanctuary — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:24:48 -0800

I suspect Koreans are very carefully watching the situation in Europe, where an actual incursion of around twenty armed drones into US ally Poland - possibly US chief ally in the EU - met with not one word of support from Trump, never mind actual action. I suspect China will be left standing as the one empire that actually keeps its promises, and thus a reliable negotiation partner.

By: Gelatin

Gelatin — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:16:46 -0800

"Each person was allowed to choose, and the U.S. government said essentially, 'If you want to go, you may go; if you want to stay, you may stay,'" Until some other ICE fascist decides they need to make up Stephen Miller's impossible quota of deportations.

By: ob1quixote

ob1quixote — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:32:33 -0800

I fear the die was cast in 2014 when the United States and Great Britain failed to live up to their obligations detailed in the Budapest Memorandum.

By: at by

at by — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:57:19 -0800

> Just like Europe is capable of defending itself and potentially interested in a peaceful relation with China, so are the Pacific Rim nations. Japan, China and South Korea have all, within the past 15 years, antagonized each other, sometimes leading to sanctions, deportations, travel bans... They (plus Russia, North Korea and Taiwan) have ongoing territorial disputes with each other. I wouldn't expect these to instigate wars, but it means the quality of relationships is very different than countries in the European cooperative spheres have. And then there are the mechanics of cooperation. For example, Japan's constitution forbids military action outside its country. For Japan to offer assistance to South Korea if it's invaded, it will either have to amend its constitution or only provide humanitarian aid. The latter might be accepted but be of limited use, the former might not be welcome no matter how dire circumstances get in South Korea because Japan's previous occupation is still in living memory. And of course in a conflict China will not be assisting -- it's propping up North Korea. I'm not writing this to advocate for the continuation of US military presence in South Korea (and Japan and elsewhere). It's just... complicated.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:58:48 -0800

Spike Glee: "Another factor is that the woman who kicked this off is proud of what she did, and would do it again. Trump can say that he wants them to stay, but there's no guarantee that it won't happen again, and a lot of reasons to believe that it would." Say hello to Tori Branum!

By: the sobsister

the sobsister — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:00:35 -0800

pre-world war 3 era 2nd inter-war era I prefer to think of it as L'entre deux guerres 2: Boogaloo Électrique

By: mumimor

mumimor — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:16:06 -0800

I'm not writing this to advocate for the continuation of US military presence in South Korea (and Japan and elsewhere). It's just... complicated. I agree, that's why I'll dare anyone to predict what is going to happen. But... England, France, Germany, Austria and Spain were each other's enemies in various constellations for at least 1000 years before May 1945. When the conditions change, politics change. When the US becomes irrelevant or worse, unpredictable, who knows how the new conditions will change alliances? Russia and North Korea are failed states that are basically vassals to China, and they have nothing but fossile fuels (Russia) and slave labor (NK) to offer.

By: pwnguin

pwnguin — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:19:32 -0800

I suspect China will be left standing as the one empire that actually keeps its promises, and thus a reliable negotiation partner. Problem is most of China's promises sound more like threats. This is a country that quietly redraws maps in its favor, and constantly sends fishing boats into foreign waters, and builds secret bases in South China Sea to expand its claims. This is like negotiating with a tiger on what's for dinner.

By: subdee

subdee — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:19:40 -0800

By: glaucon

glaucon — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:14:11 -0800

The USA was a major obstacle to the rest of the world meeting climate goals and if our standard of living permanently falls, it will at least reduce global carbon emissions. I'm glad South Korea isnt allowing this to stand and is taking maximum action to punish the Trump admin economically. If everyone did this the regime would quickly collapse. posted by subdee at 12:19 PM on September 16 First, I don't believe S. Korea is taking economic action. They've pledged to investigate this action, and an op-ed was written in clear, cogent language that the government of South Korea should negotiate tough terms with the Trump admin instead of caving a la Japan. Second, the US standard of living can fall way, way farther and the administration and oligarchs can grab more control by buying up assets (state and otherwise) on the cheap. Third, I would love for there to be collective action from other nation states in a unified way. The US has far too much economic, political and military power for these countries to do that, not to mention many western nations are dealing with their own insurgent far right factions. In short, I would love for what you wrote to be true. I doubt the possibility pretty much all the way.

By: glaucon

glaucon — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:15:28 -0800

Separately, is anyone aware of a collection of great reporting from outside the US about the current state of things in the US? I know I can search, I'm curious if anyone anywhere is curating pieces like this.

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:20:02 -0800

Metafilter: If I were South Korea... i mean this is kinda funny given how many non-koreans in these threads like to opine so much about korea and its culture

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:30:42 -0800

First, I don't believe S. Korea is taking economic action. they may not need to, directly, anyway but the chaebol are recalling their workers; a gm plant in tennessee just saw a bunch of koreans there to help fine-tune manufacturing just leave. but also, that $350b investment thing trump keeps touting isn't set in stone yet, and the conservative cjd (chosun, joong-ang, and dong-a; hani/hankyoreh, which was linked in the op, is center-left) newspapers aren't tearing the center-left president lee a new asshole, which tells you how the ground is shifting like seeing joongang quote a diaspora leftist in one of their articles about the raid is certainly... something. --- as far as china goes, skorea already knows it's an... unreliable partner, given how china completely fucked over the lotte duty-free chain (lotte group) and emart (shinsegae group, spun off the samsung group) in the last decade in china to the tune of billions, the branch's bankruptcy, and exit from the market because skorea under a conservative president decided to set up a few anti-missile batteries against the north

By: sotonohito

sotonohito — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:52:51 -0800

While Korean/Japanese relations have been getting a lot better lately, the positive and concerned tone in the article about Japan and it's acquiescence to Trump is an example of just how quickly Trump is turning our former allies into, at absolute best, begrudgingly leaning our direction neutrals. And how much the drive to be shown as hateful towards anyone who isn't white and deporting as many of those people as possible has overtaken more or less every other consideration that the Trump Regime has. The top priority for Trump is maximizing how many non-white people he can deport and maximizing the number of mass arrrests and deportations he can arrange. If it hurts an alliance? If it screws the economy? He still wants to do it. To the Trump Regime deportation is all, and he'll even sacrifice his own extortion of other nations to get a good ICE photo op. Koreans are pissed, and rightly so. Their fellow citizens were abused, shamed, and arrested while they were in America to do something Trump wanted them to do.

By: snofoam

snofoam — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:46:55 -0800

This is a common misconception... posted by Pedantzilla Eponysterical

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:24:25 -0800

see how they run, see how they hide. flagellation with a napkin mode. "On Sunday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed regret over the recent ICE raid that detained 300 South Korean workers at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia. Landau met with Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo in Seoul and discussed a new visa category for Korean professionals, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry. On Friday, the South Korean workers landed in Seoul to cheering crowds at the airport, a week after being chained and handcuffed by ICE. In a post on social media, President Trump wrote, "I don't want to frighten off or disincentivize investment." found a typo bit could be a real 'is is'

By: dg

dg — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:28:08 -0800

pwnguin: "Problem is most of China's promises sound more like threats. This is a country that quietly redraws maps in its favor, and constantly sends fishing boats into foreign waters, and builds secret bases in South China Sea to expand its claims. This is like negotiating with a tiger on what's for dinner." Hmmm, that sounds a lot like another country we all know...

By: ASCII Costanza head

ASCII Costanza head — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:18:57 -0800

Sort of related in The Atlantic: THE NUCLEAR CLUB MIGHT SOON DOUBLE As American power recedes, South Korea, Japan, and a host of other countries may pursue the bomb. Gift Link Archive Link I learned a lot about current feelings toward the US in Korea & Japan.

By: dg

dg — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:13:32 -0800

Unless things change soon, lots of people in the US are going to learn about how other countries really feel about the US.

By: Didymus

Didymus — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 18:14:33 -0800

Unless things change soon C'mon, dg What can change soon or in 10 yrs

By: Pouteria

Pouteria — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 20:32:20 -0800

The only thing I'm certain of is that the US will find itself in a much worse place in a not so distant future, and it will be very, very hard to come back. posted by mumimor Bordering on impossible. Whatever trust and respect the USA had around the world is now ashes. At the very least it has a full generation of work to do to regain any level of it, and that work clearly ain't starting anytime soon. It is not just due to the Trump era, the problems go back further than that, including that the USA's highly corrupting addiction to fossil fuels has been the basic reason why the world has been unable to deal promptly and adequately with critical issue of climate change. We here in Australia understand all that well and have been actively, if quietly, pivoting away from the USA for some time ever more to the Asia-Oceania region (particularly the SE Asian part), the non-USA Anglosphere, and Europe. A lot of that is for straight economic reasons, for many years now, and would have happened anyway. But increasingly in more recent times for political, military, and cultural reasons. We realise that the USA is not a reliable and safe ally any more, and that our interests are diverging. So there's that.

By: Pouteria

Pouteria — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 20:38:30 -0800

A lot of that is for straight economic reasons, for many years now, i.e. Starting well before the Trump era.

By: seanmpuckett

seanmpuckett — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 05:10:34 -0800

I did not have "new nuclear arms race" on my This Shitty Timeline bingo card, which was already full of shitty squares

By: ob1quixote

ob1quixote — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:51:33 -0800

ASCII Costanza head: “THE NUCLEAR CLUB MIGHT SOON DOUBLE”

doctor_venture_sarcastic_super_great.gif

By: sotonohito

sotonohito — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:14:48 -0800

Yup. Any nation that has both atomic energy and a decent industrial infrastructure can be manufacturing nukes in 12 to 24 months, maybe less if they really push things. The main difficulty wouldn't be practical, it would be political, both external and internal

By: cendawanita

cendawanita — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:16:13 -0800

Late, but just to refresh/remind/or even update, on this point: I suspect Koreans are very carefully watching the situation in Europe, where an actual incursion of around twenty armed drones into US ally Poland - possibly US chief ally in the EU - met with not one word of support from Trump, never mind actual action The background conditions is even more fraught but also clearcut: more than Biden era's pushed-by-circumstances-but-nevertheless-adheres-to-their-Atlantic-preference that's left the Asia-Pacific side more neglected leaving the Obama pivot mere lip service imo, now it's just a direct policy and matériel pivot away from the Pacific: Pentagon plan prioritizes homeland over China threat - This marks a major departure from the first Trump administration, which emphasized deterring Beijing. Notable for having prominent China hawk Elbridge Colby cited for leading on this shift. Unfortunately I don't have much to offer on the Korean side, but consider these background material. China watchers seem to find this bit of news indicative on how China may actually act with regards to SCS sovereignty if their neighbours aren't calculated to be US allies/proxies (eg: 'Skull Chart' math behind Trump's climbdown on all things China ), which honestly in combination with everything, is just bad news for the Philippines who sociopolitically cannot yet come down from its decades-long political position in the way its ASEAN neighbours have managed to, never mind the actual security framework: Vietnam island building in Spratlys may soon surpass China's, report says. Basically a sort of frozen border dispute common to SEA where there's an official political position while normative reality may feel differently. Anyway the larger US pivot away will definitely leave Taiwan in a lurch too. For personal reasons I've been very interested in the ongoing contemporary definition of Taiwanese statehood that's anchored by its indigenous polity rather than the Han Chinese majority because I think that's a potential way out but it's too far in the future (for one thing, a serious admission of this would include a renaming of the official country title, imo). But back to Korea, the public anger isn't going to be soothed soon. In addition to this new thing, an older part of this anger has resurfaced too (last week): South Korean women file landmark lawsuit accusing US military of systematic role in sex trade - 'Camptown women' allege decades of abuse by American military soldiers stationed at US bases in South Korea

By: epo

epo — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 04:25:30 -0800

This quoted article's headline and this thread's title are incorrect. S Korea hasn't been humiliated, there is no shame or dishonour for S Korea in this action by ICE. S Korea has been insulted by a nation which seems to be reverting to overt bullying and racism. Fair minded Americans have been humiliated. In the 60s when I was young, America was respected and envied around the world, these sentiments had subsided by the mid 70s but the USA was still thought of as an ally of the free world. Now even that is in doubt. I don't expect I shall feel respect or envy for the US again in the rest of my lifetime.

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 04:39:01 -0800

a) it's a korean op-ed piece, written by a korean for a korean newspaper and then translated into english, and b) do you not think that humiliating a country by demanding it invest in your own only to detain its nationals in conditions that violate their human rights when they do invest is a kind of insult?

By: epo

epo — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 05:25:12 -0800

Yes I do think it is an insult, that's why I said so.

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:50:44 -0800

This quoted article's headline and this thread's title are incorrect. S Korea hasn't been humiliated ?

By: pwnguin

pwnguin — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:38:45 -0800

? Recall the old Eleanor Roosevelt quote: "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent."

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:52:25 -0800

i mean, i just think it's interesting that it's non-koreans once again saying that a korean, writing an op-ed piece for a korean newspaper, in korean, for a korean audience, which was then translated into english, was wrong about what the whole affair means to them and what they should actually be feeling instead i feel like i called it in this thread

i mean this is kinda funny given how many non-koreans in these threads like to opine so much about korea and its culture

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:53:12 -0800

ah, fuck it. i don't know why i bother to even share in these threads, you western barbarians can have at it

By: Reverend John

Reverend John — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:01:06 -0800

FWIW, I took epo's comment to mean that it the United States which should feel ashamed for mistreating our South Korean friends and guests, and that the individual South Koreans did nothing shameful and South Korea as a country does not deserve to feel humiliated by this event. Given how badly we have mistreated the South Koreans in this episode, I can see how that comment might not have been received that way. For my part, this American would like to apologize for the actions of our government. Also, Gaza, climate change, etc. etc. etc.

By: Didymus

Didymus — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 14:16:04 -0800

i don't know why i bother to even share in these threads, you western barbarians can have at it whoah. Not necessary

By: cendawanita

cendawanita — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:09:10 -0800

IDK, I think we're in a moment that the part that's not necessary is invalidating how Koreans feel about the US even if from an American pov, what the US did is dishonourable and worthy of shame amongst the yankees. Feels too recentering, bringing it back to all about how bad Americans are supposed to feel, which is already a hard ask (at least this time it's not an episode directly involving the military because God forbid if people aren't appropriately sympathetic to economic circumstances that lead to colonial actions. It's just "Trump" and "ICE"). It's not the situation to tone police, imo.

By: demi-octopus

demi-octopus — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 06:38:06 -0800

Thanks cendawanita, I wanted to bring that up but wasn't sure how to phrase it. Pointing out that "it's only humiliating if you care about our opinion" is just a form of victim-blaming. Having images of yourself in a vulnerable or degrading position shared (widely!) is not the kind of thing most people can just shake off. (And that's setting aside the experience itself.)

By: i used to be someone else

i used to be someone else — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:42:48 -0800

whoah. Not necessary what's not necessary is in virtually every single fucking thread about another country americans decide to speak over the people of that country, whether they are sourcelanders or diaspora

By: cendawanita

cendawanita — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 21:36:10 -0800

Via Raphael Rashid: 1/ Posting on Facebook, President Lee Jae Myung said South Korea must shed the "submissive thinking" (굴종적 사고) that it cannot defend itself without foreign troops, vowing a shift to a smaller, tech-driven "smart force" and "complete independent defence posture." 2/ Lee outlined his vision: "AI combat robots capable of autonomous detection, judgement, targeting and firing, armed autonomous drones, ultra-precision attack and defence missiles" where "50 personnel can easily handle not just 100 enemies, but thousands or tens of thousands." More in the thread. Those security arrangements really came in quick as a consideration huh.

By: cendawanita

cendawanita — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 20:02:13 -0800

Buried in this piece: South Korea's President Lee says U.S. investment demands would spark a financial crisis Praises Trump handling of Hyundai raid Lee, a liberal, took office in a June snap election after his conservative predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was removed from office and jailed for briefly imposing martial law. Lee has sought to calm the country and its economy and said he plans to use his U.S. visit to tell the world that "democratic Korea is back." (...) This month Trump's administration rocked South Korea with the arrest of more than 300 South Korean workers at a Hyundai Motor battery plant in Georgia, with federal officials accusing them of immigration violations. Lee said South Koreans were naturally angered by the "harsh" treatment of the workers - the Trump administration published images of them in shackles - and has warned it could make companies wary of investing in the United States. But he said the raid would not undermine the bilateral alliance, praising Trump for offering to let the workers stay. Lee said he did not believe it was directed by Trump but was the result of overzealous law enforcement. "I do not believe this was intentional, and the U.S. has apologized for this incident, and we have agreed to seek reasonable measures in this regard and we are working on them," he said. Lee's office says there is no plan for him to meet Trump in New York and that the trade talks are not on the visit's agenda. What's the allowed level of shame here?