Wednesday, July 14, 2004

how effective is going the legal route?

A conversation with the law-savvy Drambuie Man today leads me to wonder about the effectiveness of going the legal route against the Powers That Be. DM wasn't completely pessimistic, but he did note that there was very little chance of changing anything quickly by taking this tack. Also: the Korean Constitutional Court, he said, isn't interested in handing out "moral victories" to wronged parties; it's more interested in cases involving actual material results-- money, property, etc.

Dr. Hodges (whose letter got published in the Herald! but keep spreading it around, and get those Western bloggers involved!) privately noted that Korea operates according to a shame-and-honor system, which seems to suggest that embarrassment through negative press and world opinion might be a more effective strategy than taking a Western-flavored "guilt" route (i.e., appeal to law/principle as opposed to an appeal to standing/face). I tend to lean in the good doctor's direction, though I don't want to close off any options this early in the game. I remain... how shall I say... a methodological pluralist.

In any case, I've committed myself to the cause. A few of us might get together and do this Constitutional Court petition. I'll be adding my pawprint to it, with my full name (which is more than Kevin Kim).

It occurs to me that this blog might have to be sacrificed to appease the Gods of Moral Consistency. Kevin Kim might have a filthy blog that makes fellow combatants feel uncomfortable... but Kevin Kim Full Name doesn't necessarily have a blog. Just so you know how far I'll go: yes, I'm willing to be deported over this, and yes, my finger hovers over this blog's self-destruct button, if that's what it takes to move the fight forward. Now that I've made that decision, life is somehow easier.

UPDATE: New wrinkle-- Ed at Gumbi posts some disturbing news about the MIC banning "online demonstrations, like petitions." I'm sure Ed and Joel will be sending their petitions anyway, but this further illustrates what a complete shithole the MIC is. Go visit the formerly-FUCK boards and vent your spleen.

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