Friday, December 11, 2009

CBC radio reports on Anti-English Spectrum

CBC Radio's The Current had a report today about Anti-English Spectrum. This follows on the heels of the National Post reporting on them last week (hat tip to Brian). The report featured interviews with ATEK's Dann Gaymer, as well as Andrea Vandom and Benjamin Wagner, and also had a statement from the Korean Embassy and a comment from a Canadian teacher busted for pot (whose story I'd be curious to hear more about). It was nice to hear the Korean Embassy say that most foreign teachers behave in Korea and have a good experience; it'd be nice to hear people in similar positions in Korea say such things about foreign English teachers behaving, however.

I'll have to give it another listen before I make any more comments. It's nice to see AES getting some negative attention, considering how I've been doing my best to shine a spotlight on their negative aspects (such as here and here).

A description of the show (and the ability to listen to it) is here, while an mp3 of the report can be downloaded from here (right click and 'save as' - keep in mind the link will die within a few months).

(Just in case, the podcast page is here.)

5 comments:

Viking said...

Hmm.........I think it's high time that ATEK/Vandom or any other affected person should do a write- up on Wikipedia about the AES. At the moment there's nothing and if the BBC/CNN/Reuters/AP are to continue what the CBC started with there recent radio expose then a source of reference for AES is needed. Remember, it needs to remain neutral, unbiased and a fair description of who AES are- a Korean-racial supremacy/ quasi-terrorist group who issue death threats, spread malicious rumours about the activities of ex-patriots in Korea and stalk/harass members of the international community in person, in the media and on their website. What also needs to be mentioned is that parts of the media and government are complicit in the acts of this ultra-nationalist group of Nazis. Above all, the Wikipedia article needs to mention their threatened and actual acts of violence against members of the public (including Korean nationals who keep company with foreigners who have also been threatened and abused).

Anonymous said...

"I think it's high time that ATEK/Vandom or any other affected person should do a write up on Wikipedia about the AES."

How about you do it? Seriously, get it done. It's a good idea.

Viking said...

I'd need some help with this though 'cos there are quite a few standards to follow to ensure that a permanent reference to AES goes up on Wikipedia. I want to make sure what goes up is balanced and well referenced with all the correct sources and so on. Any volunteers to help on this one?

Anonymous said...

There is more than enough material on this blog alone to make sure it's well referenced. As for balanced why not use the articles penned by the AES leader himself? Most of them have been translated either here, or at the Marmot's Hole, or at Korea Beat.

Anonymous said...

Guys and girls,

The BBC run a daily news/discussion programme called 'World Have Your Say' which reaches around 80 million people.

Please e-mail them to ask that they spend an episode dealing with racism in Korea, in particular the Neo Nazi hate group 'Anti-English Spectrum' and their recent move into paramilitary and terrorist acts of violence and death threats against foreign and Korean nationals.

worldhaveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/suggest-a-debate/