belated thanks

The Infidel doesn't want to be dragged into the spotlight, and my timing is horrible with this, but he deserves a special thank-you for two reasons:

1. He was the first (ex-)blogger I'd read who focused in on the problem of the indifference of Western bloggers to censorship in South Korea, and

2. He just sent me one of the most horrifying links you'll ever see. There's no nudity, but I do wonder whether this abomination rates as work-safe.

Regarding the problem of Western bloggers' indifference... I have to admit that I've been guilty of ignoring the plight of so many Chinabloggers, who rightly point out that they've been under the veil of censorship since the beginning and consider proxy-hopping to be a mundane fact of cyber-existence. It's a mark of South Korean freedom, I suppose, that we Koreabloggers have had it so easy for so long. But again, as Kevin at IA pointed out, the current censorship really isn't surprising. The government has shown its true colors.

My point is that, while I'm chafing at Western bloggers' indifference to our situation, it's only fair to note the Chinabloggers' situation. We're in the same boat now, and perhaps therein lies a way to spin this: to shame South Koreans into realizing that this censorship (which many of them still don't know exists) is a huge step backward for the country.

In the meantime, Western bloggers do need to take a look at this situation. The major disanalogy with China is that this sort of censorship isn't routine in South Korea. It might be unsurprising, but it's also abnormal.

Can some Korean-savvy (and slightly crazy) person translate the following message and start slapping it up on Korean message boards? Message follows:

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IN ITS BID TO BLOCK DISTRIBUTION OF THE KIM SUN-IL BEHEADING VIDEO, THE SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ENGAGING IN A MASSIVE CENSORSHIP CAMPAIGN THAT HAS BLOCKED MILLIONS OF WEBSITES, INCLUDING BLOGS. MOST OF THESE SITES AND BLOGS ARE NOT DISTRIBUTING THE VIDEO, BUT REMAIN SUBJECT TO THE BAN. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION ARE BEING SERIOUSLY CURTAILED IN A MOVE REMINISCENT OF THE REPRESSION NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GOVERNMENTS LIKE CHINA'S, A COUNTRY WITH COMPARATIVELY LITTLE CONCERN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.

PERSONALLY, I SYMPATHIZE WITH THE KOREAN POPULACE'S FEELING THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE KIM FAMILY. I ALSO SYMPATHIZE WITH THE ARGUMENT THAT THE VIEWING OF KIM'S BEHEADING MAY BE LIKE "KILLING KIM TWICE." HOWEVER, I ALSO BELIEVE THAT SOUTH KOREANS SHOULD BE ALLOWED THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO VIEW THE VIDEO; THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR HUMAN HEARTS AND MINDS.

I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THE SOUTH KOREAN NETIZENS WHO ARE AIDING THE GOVERNMENT'S REPRESSION THROUGH THEIR PASSIVE AND ACTIVE COLLABORATION. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DEEP HYPOCRISY AT WORK HERE: IF THE DEATH OF KIM SUN-IL MERITS THIS KIND OF PROTECTIVE REACTION, THEN THE DEATHS OF DANIEL PEARL, NICK BERG, AND PAUL JOHNSON ALSO MERITED THIS. BUT ANGRY SOUTH KOREAN NETIZENS AND THE GOVERNMENT HAVE INSTEAD CHOSEN TO REACT IN A SHALLOW AND OVERLY EMOTIONAL MANNER. THEY DID NOT CONSIDER THE FEELINGS OF THE FAMILIES OF THE PREVIOUS BEHEADING VICTIMS; IT WAS ONLY WHEN KIM SUN-IL WAS BEHEADED THAT ANYONE BEGAN TO TAKE STRONG MEASURES TO SUPPRESS VIDEO DISTRIBUTION. AS I SAID, THIS IS HYPOCRITICAL. IT IS UNWORTHY OF A TRUE DEMOCRACY.

SOUTH KOREA ALSO PRIDES ITSELF ON POSSESSING A SUPERIOR INTERNET CULTURE, BUT THIS PRIDE IS UNJUSTIFIED THANKS TO THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS. THE MARK OF A DEMOCRACY IS THE ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN DEBATE, DISCUSSION, AND THE FREE, UNIMPEDED EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, NO MATTER HOW PROVOCATIVE OR PAINFUL. "PUBLIC HARMONY" AND "MORALITY" ARE AS MUCH MATTERS OF TRUST AND FREEDOM AS THEY ARE OF DISCIPLINE AND CONSCIENCE.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT AND DEMAND THAT THEY STOP THIS CENSORSHIP. MAKE IT CLEAR TO PRESIDENT NOH'S ADMINISTRATION THAT FUTURE CENSORSHIP WILL NEVER BE TOLERATED BY A FREE AND RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE.

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Somehow, I doubt the above will make much of an impression, but if someone would care to render this in Korean and start seeding some websites, that would be très cool.

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