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Ingratitude, Thy Name Is South Korea
Townhall.com ^ | July 12, 2011 | Dennis Prager

Posted on 07/12/2011 8:40:59 AM PDT by Kaslin

South Korea has joined with only two other countries in the world in dropping the name of the forthcoming film "Captain America" and using the subtitle, "The First Avenger." The other two countries are Russia and Ukraine. According to the New York Times report, "Although that country (South Korea) is one of Hollywood's top-performing territories, resentment about the continued presence of the United States military runs deep."

For years now, I have intended to write a column about the most glaring case of international ingratitude of which I am aware. The "Captain America" story has finally pushed me over the edge.

For decades, there have been anti-U.S. demonstrations in South Korea. And each time I wonder the same thing: Do these people have any idea what the living hell known as North Korea is like? Do these people understand that the United States is the reason they are so free and prosperous, completely unlike their fellow North Koreans who had the horrible luck not to be liberated by America? Do these people know how many Americans died to enable them to be free?

Whenever I confront someone who claims that America's wars abroad were fought for economic gain or to extend its alleged imperialist empire, I ask the person about the Korean War: What imperialist or economic reasons were there to fight in that country?

The answer I most often receive is, "Frankly I don't know too much about the Korean War." And it's a good thing for the critics of America's wars that they don't know much about the Korean War. If they did, they would either experience cognitive dissonance or have to severely modify their position on America's wars.

Just five years after a war-weary America celebrated the end of World War II, Americans were asked to fight the successor-evil to Nazism, communism, in Korea, a country most Americans could not identify on a map or did not know anything about. In an earlier version of what happened in Vietnam, the Soviet Union and China backed a communist attempt to take over the southern half of the Korean peninsula -- the northern half had been communist since the end of World War II -- and install a Stalinist tyranny over the non-communist southern half.

Over 36,000 Americans died in America's successful attempt to keep South Korea from becoming communist. And another 92,000 were wounded.

So, forgive me for the contempt I feel for South Koreans who demonstrate against the United States and for the two-thirds of South Koreans who, according to a 2002 Gallup-Korea poll, view the United States unfavorably. Whenever I see those anti-American demonstrators or read such polls, all I can think about are the tens of thousands of Americans who died so that South Koreans would not live in the communist hell their fellow Koreans live in.

Younger South Koreans want American troops to leave their country? Do these young people not know that on planet Earth no other country suffers the mass enslavement, mass incarceration, mass death or the deadening of the mind and soul that North Koreans endure because of the psychopaths who run that country?

And if they do know all this about North Korea, how do they explain why South Korea is so different?

Here is a suggestion: The South Korean government should conduct a national plebiscite on whether America should withdraw its troops from that country. Before the South Korean people vote, the United States should make it clear that if it withdraws its troops and North Korea later invades the South, we will send no troops to die again for South Korea -- but we will vote to condemn North Korea's aggression at the United Nations.

If a majority of the South Korean people wants us to leave, we should.

The beauty of such a plebiscite is that if a majority of the South Korean people wants American troops out, we have no moral obligation to stay there. And if a majority wants us to stay, the South Korean left and other ingrates in that country should shut up.

I have been to South Korea, and I live in a community with many Koreans. I have always admired their industriousness, work ethic and strong families. But South Korea is surely the most ungrateful country in the world. Which is all the more remarkable since it is also the luckiest.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: dennisprager; korea; koreanwar; northkorea; prager; southkorea
Lets bring the troops home from South Korea and Japan, and then see how South Korea defends itself against an attack from North Korea
1 posted on 07/12/2011 8:41:00 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
WE keep an air mobile division in Korea not just to protect Korea.

I can tell you just as many stories where Koreans thanked America for our support too when the Chinese were ethnic cleansing their country. I spent 13 months in Korea too.

I believe it's time for a unified Korea & it's people. The Korean People more than realize they wouldn't be where they are today without America staying there for 60 years.

Do you remember when Park Chung Hee was dictator? A strong man was necessary for 20 years after the war, but with time the people demanded an elected form of govt. Park wouldn't let go when it was time for the page to turn, there was a coup to remove him. Now maybe it's time for America to come home from Korea, but it's not ingratitude.

2 posted on 07/12/2011 8:59:11 AM PDT by Eska
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To: Kaslin

Hmm, I don’t know what to think of this other than there are 2 sides to every story.

My neighbor fought in Korea, they pay for him to go there every year and he said they treat him with a tremendous amount of respect. He said they are very grateful even after all these years.


3 posted on 07/12/2011 9:01:47 AM PDT by ozarkgirl
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To: Kaslin

I FULLY agree 100% with every single idea and thought in your post!!!


4 posted on 07/12/2011 9:03:26 AM PDT by piytar (The Obama Depression. Say it early, say it often. Why? Because it's TRUE.)
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To: Kaslin
You are swallowing the author's BS
5 posted on 07/12/2011 9:05:46 AM PDT by verity (The Obama Administration is a Criminal Enterprise.)
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To: Kaslin

Korea and Japan are rich enough to defend themselves.

The same goes for NATO - why is the US still involved in NATO? NATO barely helped in Afghanistan (except for UK + Canada - and Australia which isn’t even in NATO). NATO installed a criminal/jihadist Gov’t in Kosovo, and is now involved in a ridiculous mission in Libya.

NATO’s mission ended 20 years ago. Time to put it out of its misery.


6 posted on 07/12/2011 9:14:41 AM PDT by PGR88 (I'm so open-minded my brains fell out)
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To: piytar

Thanks


7 posted on 07/12/2011 9:15:26 AM PDT by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: verity
Oh is that so?

‘Captain America’ title will be changed to ‘The First Avenger’ in Russia, South Korea

-- snip --

In private, Marvel insiders said that early on in the project’s planning there was talk that the title might need to be changed in numerous international markets but that there was a ”pleasant surprise” — the brand recognition of the comic-book superhero was so strong that it overrode those considerations in many places. That was not the case in Russia, South Korea and the Ukraine.

-- snip --

Three Countries Drop “Captain America” Title

-- snip --

Now, The Hollywood Reporter reports that only three countries have opted for the shortened version – Russia, Ukraine and South Korea.

-- snip --

From Syracuse.com

Source

-- snip -- But the only countries that took them up on it were Russia, Ukraine and South Korea.

8 posted on 07/12/2011 9:35:15 AM PDT by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: verity

AMERICAN movies are anti American did anyone notice?

The article is childish. Would anyone here go to see Captain Korea???

Grow up Americans. Conservatives even.


9 posted on 07/12/2011 10:08:57 AM PDT by Williams (Honey Badger Don't Care)
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THEY’RE NOT DONATING MONTHLY!


** help .. click **

10 posted on 07/12/2011 10:23:35 AM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list.)
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To: Kaslin

We have too few friends to get picky over the title of a dumb movie.

From all reports, aside from its title, the movie in questions has very little of patriotism about it. The ideology of Marvel is unremittingly liberal-leftist, its story lines as fantastic as its characters.

Korea is a very admirable country, with a higher proportion of Christians than any other country in Asia except perhaps the Philippines. As for Japan, they have supported us more consistently in internatioaln affairs than any of our European allies, and even more than Israel.

So, not so fast to jump on allies, please.

Perhaps we should be more concerned with our true enemies, like the ruling party in China: they support every evil regime and movement they can find in the world, and are themselves the custodians of a bloody, evil regime: a threat to evryone around them.

We should also take heed for our own internal weaknesses, and the anti-Americians at the helm of our own country.


11 posted on 07/12/2011 10:49:28 AM PDT by docbnj
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To: Kaslin

12 posted on 07/12/2011 11:58:28 AM PDT by The people have spoken
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To: PGR88
...why is the US still involved in NATO?

So we can defend West Germany from invasion by the USSR and the Warsaw Pact!

Oh .... wait a minute ....

13 posted on 07/12/2011 12:27:43 PM PDT by Forgotten Amendments (Days .... Weeks ..... Months .....)
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To: Kaslin
Prager is a neocon jerk. It's not 1951, 1961,1971, or 1981. It's 2011, South Korea is one of the most powerful countries on Earth and could easily defend themselves. Our troops there are redundant casualties in the event of a NK suicide attack. If you ask me, the South Koreans who want our troops out are patriots.

This is akin to calling those Americans who make French jokes "ingrates" because of what they did for us in the Revolution.

14 posted on 07/12/2011 12:38:40 PM PDT by Forgotten Amendments (Days .... Weeks ..... Months .....)
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