Let me give a little background on this picture. In Korea, there have been protests against the new South Korean president and about American beef import and oh so many other things revolving around and caused by Mr. Lee Myung Bak. He was elected in December, and though his approval ratings have improved slightly, at the peak of the protests in June, the president's approval rating bottomed out at a ridiculous 17%. If any of you read my blog back in the times of the beef crisis that was plaguing Korea, you may have more information pertaining to the hatred of this man. That being said, I would like your opinions on this picture. I'm refraining from posting my opinion until, hopefully, I hear from some loving admires of my blog. Being as that may be all of two people (that's a high estimate), I will eventually get around to discussing this picture further (even if it is for my own health).
Note 1: The president's nickname is MB and the sign reads "Even Jesus Hates MB."
Note 2: Another nickname for the president is 2MB (이, the president's last name, in Korean means 2). MB stands for Myung Bak. All together it means that he only has 2 megabytes of brain power.
1 comment:
Stacey, first of all thanks for visiting my blog! I took some time to read your posts, including ones on your North Korean trip.
I will be in Seoul very shortly and I am looking forward to my stay, which will be a month or two.
"2MB" - never heard of that moniker. I love it!
The so-called "Korean style democracy," which is really "my way or the highway" authoritarianism combined with crony capitalism, is well beloved by the Korean conservatives, the Korean-Americans, and their overlords at the US Republican Party. 2MB's approval ratings are sky-high right here in Los Angeles, home to a large Korean population (virtually all Christian, conservative, and Republican - and working hard to get gay marriage banned in California).
I do know that there are affluent leftists in South Korea, but given that real democracy hasn't had a chance to mature there yet, they are still a rare species. And they are unheard of in Koreatown Los Angeles.
Another beloved right-wing politician of note is 2MB's primary opponent last year, Park Geun-Hye. Park splintered off and formed her own party, named Pro-Park Alliance. Why is she important? Her late father, Park Chung-Hee, was a right-wing idol credited with the industrialization of the South Korean economy (he fattened the likes of Samsung, Hyundai, and LG at the expense of small businesses, laborers, foreigners, and more). He's loved the same way the Chinese love their Mao Zedong (nostalgia, but no thanks on reverting to his style).
The elder Park, who ruled for 18 years before being assassinated, was also responsible for sending Reverend Moon to the US and funding his pro-Republican activities, so that the US wouldn't abandon him like it abandoned South Vietnam.
Rach
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