K-Blogs Making News in the Main Stream Media

It is interesting to see the recent attention that K-Blogs have received the last couple of weeks. First of all you had the Newsweek article on Hines Ward that was largely sourced by members of the K-Blog community including this humble site. Then one the major Korean newspaper’s website the Joong Ang Ilbo is now running a series of articles covering the K-Blogosphere. Finally the king of K-Blogging the Marmot’s Hole has been featured, in the Korea Times. Here is some of what Robert the Marmot had to say in the article:

Although blogging for many English-speaking expatriates is an outlet to blow off steam, Korea blogs are essentially akin to blogs elsewhere, he said.

But he agreed that one could certainly get the opinion that English-language Korea blogs are simply a collection of Korea-hating rants by right-wing, white men.

According to him, people here began making blogs in earnest because a blog is a good place to jot down thoughts that might be used later. “Blogs are really an archive of thoughts.??

It is true that the majority of K-Blogs are white males, but I have to disagree that K-Blogs are dominated by conservatives. I think there is plenty of variety in fact. First of all you have probably the most well written K-Blog the Asia Pages which is written by Jodi a female blogger which I wouldn’t call a right wing conservative. Then you have the Oranckay who is kind of like the senior statesman of the K-Blog community who I would not classify as a conservative. Plus you have the well known commenter/blogger Kushibo who I think is safe to say has liberal views. Than you have old school K-Blogger Brian from Cathartidae who I’m sure would be offended to be considered part of the supposed “right wing, white men” blogging conspiracy.

I’m just saying that for every white male conservative out there, there is an alternate point of view which keeps the K-Blog scene interesting.

Now why do we “bitch” so much:

The bitching by Western bloggers in Korea is actually in keeping with what you could read on a lot of Korean blogs, he said. It is what everyone does in Korea. There was this poll reported in the Dong-a Ilbo that said some 40 percent of young people would emigrate given the chance.
“Bitching is in keeping with the local culture,?? he said.

I admit it, I “bitch” or to better define it, criticize certain things that I feel strongly about, like the violence from anti-US hate groups towards soldiers and the riot police, the treatment of North Korean refugees in Korea, President Roh’s governments ass kissing towards North Korea and their use of anti-US or anti-Japanese rhetoric to boost popularity, the treatment of mixed race children and orphans in Korea, the Dokto Riders, the media orgy over Hines Ward, among other things. No place is perfect and Korea has it’s issues just like anywhere else, but if people don’t point them out how are things going to get better?

With that in mind I think Korea has a lot going for it and I try to point that out to. Korea is a beautiful country with an under appreciated culture, interesting history, great food, and vibrant people which I have posted on plenty as well. All of this is what makes Korea the land of endless blogging. There is always something going on here. You have the anti-USFK protests, finger chopping madness over Dokto, endless articles about the wonders of kimchi and Korean superiority with chopsticks, people digging tunnels to smuggle beer out of Yongsan or better yet Yongsan burning down. Not to mention North Korea and their pigmy dictator who has threatened to turn Seoul into a sea fire. The list goes on and on, where else provides this much good blogging material?