UPDATE: We got an audio interview with several of the main players, along with some pretty disturbing descriptions of police misconduct, coercion of testimony, and even alleged lying to the Canadian embassy when asked if media were present — the officer communicating said they weren’t, although the picture taken by one of the suspects shows a different story.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Expect some kind of story, with accompanying video, about a “ring” of foreigners involved in drugs and gambling, from tonight on the national news.
From a tip to Korean Media Watch, a group of Americans/Canadians were having a poker game that was raided. Apparently, someone called in a tip. There were 8 members at the raid, one of whom was female but was not asked to come down to the station to pose for the cameras today. 6 others NOT present at the poker game but had been players before were “asked to come down and make a statement” at which time they were told to take urine drug tests. The original 8 had already done so. Apparently, two of the original 8 tested positive, although no drugs were apparently found. This morning at the station, it was a press field day, with cameras called in and set up around a makeshift poker table IN the station. They were even asked by the Korean press to re-enact the game around the table for the cameras, which they refused to do. They also refused to grant any interviews.
From the station.
One reporter, who seemed a bit disappointed or confused about what was actually going down, informed a member of the group that they had been called by the police, who had claimed to have busted a “drugs and gambling ring.” This is apparently how the police want things to go appear, as this is the context under which the press was called. A few things seem obvious — that the police are primed to turn anything involving foreigners into a “big story” and are directly involved in calling the media down to the station, as well as spinning the story. No matter what particular trouble any members of the group might be in, it is certainly a stretch to call a poker game a drug and gambling “ring,” or to link this story to other “foreigners acting wild” yellow journalism already out there. Considering the pattern of media vilification of foreigners, expect lurid closeup shots of a poker table (provided by the police), exaggerated unnecessary implications about other crime “rings” being conducted by foreigners, and most importantly, linkage of this story to other bad journalism already out there.
We will do our best to get their side of the story out there, at least, and to keep things in context. However, it must be expected that the media will follow the general pattern: wildly exaggerate the facts fo the story, generalize that story to the greater population, and pose this generalized population as a “threat” to the Korean public, especially to children.
In the beginning and end, all from a poker game. No drugs on the premises or the persons in question, no reasonable evidence for a gambling “ring.” But that’s how the police are spinning it.
One suggestion from this writer and others: watch your Facebook accounts and updates. There is a lot of suspicion that certain interested parties are now watching Facebook, for various reasons related to the specifics of how this and related stories went down, and that calls are being made, tips being given, from watching Facebook, one suspects status updates and event announcements. From the appearance of this story, it seemed like an easy setup and tipoff, with the police ready and prepared to spin a finished story, poker table included.
This pattern of foriegner vilification has institutional momentum, from an over-eager police force ready to make a poker game into a criminal drug and gambling “ring,” to a media equally ready to run any lurid story involving foreigners, whether illegal acts are involved or not. With a police force working hand-in-hand with the media for “the next big scandal,” the results should not be surprising.
[...] a tip to Korean Media Watch, a group of Americans/Canadians were having a poker game that was raided. Apparently, someone [...]
I thought only Koreans were forbid from gambling, but foreigners are allowed to.
Also- Does Korean Media Watch have a lawyer on retainer or a friend who is a lawyer. Seems the trends of the 1980’s dictatorship here in the ROK are returning: go after you enemies, vilify them, throw them in jail, ruin their reputation…
[...] Original post: Developing Story: Foreigner Drugs and Gambling “Ring” « Korean … [...]
Korea Media Watch,
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shellview.htm?articleid=2009070217043038834&linkid=33&newssetid=470&from=rank
[...] Media Watch has the story of a group of foreigners who were arrested in Itaewon while participating in a private poker game, apparently on an anonymous tip which may have been based on what they wrote on their Facebook [...]
Thanks — nice to hear good words from the foreign community, instead of the usual negative crap that foreigners tend to throw whenever anyone tries to rock the boat a little to fix things. Such comments are encouraging! Love ‘em!
Funny how this is so over glorified and yet there are over 10 other poker games at least going on where hte cops don’t seem to care in Orange Tree, Friends Bar, Hollywoods, Phillies, at one time Zen Bar, and who knows where else all of them taking rakes and this game that was busted didn’t even take a rake. Stupid police and how is it legal to assume that just because they’re playing poker that they’re on drugs. I like how the foreigners were forced to take a drug test, when in reality there is no reasonable assumption for them to have to. Police in Korea are so corrupt it’s not even funny.
I think what Korean Media Watch is trying to do is good. Journalism in Korea is definitely still maturing, just like its infant democracy. But calling it ‘korean yellow journalism’ really smacks of racism.
Damn, I hope they get out of this easy! Korean Media Watch would have us believe that they will be locked up for life for being foreigners first and innocent poker players second. Lets hope not.
I liked hearing their voices in the audio, but I don’t know if it helped their case. Ultimately, this will come down to whether they broke any Korean laws. It will not be about the virtues of playing poker. It was implied in the interview that they do play with money, if not that evening at least in the past.
I hope they play their cards smart, and get out of this easily. From the anecdotal evidence I’ve heard so far, blaming police brutality and Korean ignorance about the virtues poker does seem to be a good road to go down.
that last sentence should say:
….the virtues of poker does NOT seem to be a good road to go down.
This is a joke…what about all those illegal slot machine casinos in the alleys of Jongno? What about Koreans that PAY Chinese migrant workers to go into the casinos to play for them? Eight people playing poker at home? A joke!!! It is all part of the recent smear-foreigners campaign. Now if the Korean press wants some REAL news, why don’t they start covering the serial rapist story in Itaewon? Nothing EVER appears about that in the news. We all talk about it…but nothing ever comes of it. I’d like to see the police step in and do something about THAT. But of course it wouldn’t look good to have stories about a Korean man raping and beating both foreign and Korean women in the “foreigners’ ghetto” now would it?
Does anyone have a transcript of these interviews?
I see no reasons why non-Koreans should get a free pass on breaking the law. I don’t agree with the law, but they should still follow it.
This is about being found guilty of simply gambling, which is a minor offense, and beyond which they are certainly NOT guilty. The offense that the cops are trying to pin on them, if you listen to the explanation is one akin to RACKETEERING or running organized gambling outfits for profit. They are NOT guilty of that, even though the police would like them to be. Having a little illegal gambling game and getting caught yields you a fine. Being accused of running an illegal gambling OPERATION gets you in jail for 3 years, like a gangster.
That’s the crux of their legal problem.
As for how they might be smeared in the media, the line that the police and some members of the media are pushing is a BOTH an illegal gambling and DRUG ring. That’s also totally out of line with the evidence at hand, and these guys don’t deserve anything more than what they are actually guilty of. They’re not Al Capone reborn in Korea.
Would anyone care to make one? That would be a nice way of helping out!
No one’s asking for a “free pass.” Where did you get that idea?
They are simply being asked to be held responsible for the laws they actually DID break, which are minor. Having a game between friends, while illegal, holds a fine and no jail time, and certainly isn’t running a gambling RING.
The police is trying to pin racketeering charges on them for running an illegal drugs and gambling ring. Even if two of them did piss positive, they’re guilty of no more than pissing positive. That test is no longer even used by Korean immigration because it cannibis is legal in other countries. They could have gone to Thailand and smoked out, for all the cops know. And the point is, even if they DID smoke out, it’s not the same as being a dealer and distributing it, which is what the cops are also trying to say, based on zero evidence in that direction. They simply WANT them to be a drugs and gambling operation and are doing everything in their power to make it look that way.
Based on no actual evidence and bad assumptions, i.e. they had so much poker paraphernalia, such as posters and decorations, it MUST be used as a professional gambling room. The cops even tried to argue that the host bought chips and refreshments, and surely charged the guests something, which would apparently make him guilty of making a “profit” off the game. Chips and drinks. That’s how desperate they are.
Being guilty of speeding doesn’t make one a professional car thief. One is not the other.
Have they been charged with “RACKETEERING”? No you say? Oh, then why the Chicken Little routine?
But now that I think about it, and have read more about it, I am starting to think that what they have done may meet the legal definition of “RACKETEERING”. “Racketeering is the act of operating an illegal business or scheme in order to make a profit.”
Right now we don’t know all the facts, but those characters sound like the type who have been doing this for a while. Somebody making money on it, seems believable.
They got drug tested and came up positive you say? That is not good. This whole think is giving me the feeling that the Korea Media Watch has it’s own Tawana Brawley.
It sounds like this blog entry is “Based on no actual evidence and bad assumptions”.
I had to LOL about this- “That test is no longer even used by Korean immigration because it (sic) cannibis is legal in other countries.”
Is this an immigration issue? Thought not. Likewise, I suggest you don’t advise them to use that “cannibis is legal in other countries”, as a legal defense. LOL
I like the idea of this blog, but you are wasting the good will of your readers
“Being guilty of speeding doesn’t make one a professional car thief”
No, but if you are speeding away from a hit and run, then you should be charged with hit and run. And they were on drugs, lets not forget that.
I think if they get a lawyer, this whole mess will go away.
“but those characters sound like the type who have been doing this for a while. Somebody making money on it, seems believable.”
Sure, INDIVIDUALS make money on it. But for racketeering charges to stick, THE HOUSE has to make money (ie. a percentage of money anted). The way things have been explained, “the house” didn’t make anything; they were simply a venue to allow others to gamble. That is not racketeering or a gambling RING.
Wow. No wonder rumors spread so easily.
“They were on drugs.”
Come on. No drugs were on the premises. 2/8 tested positive in a pee test administered in dixie paper cups and allowed to sit unrefrigerated for 1.5 hours before being tested. And even that suggests that the two who tested positive maybe smoked within the last few weeks, not that day. If drugs had been on the premises, you can be guaranteed there would have been a press feeding frenzy. There is ZERO evidence they were “on drugs.” Why do you make such patently unfounded statements. You’re as bad as the Korean press.
“If you are speeding away from a hit and run, then you should be charged with hit and run.”
You might be a suspect, at which time they’d test your car for chipped paint, sign of an accident, match up samples, do a BAC test, all things that might be relevant to doing a HIT AND RUN. But if there’s no evidence for anything other than speeding, in the end, you can’t charge them for a HIT AND RUN. And this is where the analogy breaks down — perhaps, as a suspect in a hit and run, or even in speeding, doing a BAC might be relevant. But for playing a game of poker? Why would that lead to a drug test? If drugs had been found in the ROOM, then that seems relevant. But as it was, say I was arrested for say, illegally tutoring. Why would I be tested for drugs, again? That’s the point.
Wow, your illogic is impressive. Let me break it down.
“We don’t know all the facts…”
We know quite a few, actually. And the burden of proof — one is still guilty until proven innocent, remember? — is on the police to produce PROOF that they were playing for profit. And that, in the end, is the only thing that matters. Not that they “seem like the type” or whatever other stuff you might want to think. Police are supposed to be about evidence, not your prejudicial assumptions or even if you just don’t like a person.
“They got drug tested and came up positive…”
2/8 did. And that proves nothing more than maybe 2/8 did cannabis within the last month or so. That has nothing to do with running a house of gambling for profit, nor with the sale or distribution of drugs. How dense does one have to be to not see that?
“…the Korea Media Watch has it’s own Tawana Brawley.”
I’m not the arbiter of whether they’re guilty or innocent, but whether they’re getting a fair shake. And they are most certainly not. And the accusations made against them simply don’t match the evidence needed to back them up.
“I had to LOL about this- “That test is no longer even used by Korean immigration because it (sic) cannibis is legal in other countries. Is this an immigration issue? Thought not.”
Hmm. How dense are you, man? I brought that up to demonstrate that AS A TEST, it only proves that a person smoked out within a given period of time, not that they committed a crime by having smoked it IN KOREA. Which is why it was dropped as a test. The reason for bringing it up has nothing to do with immigration, BUT IMMIGRATION’s rationale for not using the test IS the point, my illogical friend. It doesn’t prove a crime happened. One could have, but not necessarily, especially if I flew in from Thailand the next day. And in any case, as mentioned before, a drug test doesn’t prove that they bought or sold drugs, got them for free, were passed a joint at a party, ate a pot brownie, what have you. At most, they can be used as evidence of drug USE — not being a drug dealer, or even a buyer. Does that compute?
The cops are trying to bust them on a drug and gambling RACKETEERING beef. Comprende?
The issue is police ethics and violations in operations procedure. No warrants, falsifying/tampering with evidence, police coercion into giving false statements, and intimidation tactics that threaten violence.
This kimchi stinks of an agenda of xenophobia.
LOL How dense are YOU man? You DON’t know when they took drugs only that they failed the pee test. It could have been hours or days. You choose to paint it as weeks ago, when it could have been every day. In any event, I think Kushibo sums things up well.
“The poker fiends describe their own arrest (MP3 file found here). It’s just rich, starting with the biased-but-whoops-I-shouldn’t-be-biased description by the Korean Media Watch representative at the beginning and one of the arrestees’ comment that “poker was allegedly being played,” as if he didn’t know for sure. Ha ha ha… It’s only been a minute and already the guy’s being self-servingly deceptive. What are the odds he might just say all the stuff that will make him look as much like an innocent victim as possible?
The audio is all kinds of stupid. The supposedly objective “Korean Media Watch” is feeding lines and editorializing, and if it’s the interviewer’s voice I’m hearing, offering at least a little inaccurate information.
You’ve got the professional poker player saying that’s what he does for a living — bad move. You’ve got them admitting inadvertently that they have played these games in the past, perhaps regularly, and they have a whole set up (extra decks of cards to replace missing cards) that indicates it’s a serious endeavor.
And then there’s the whole part about how the Korean police should understand that Texas Hold ‘Em is common in North America, no big deal, and they should understand the culture.
And then there’s the whole thing about how “we’re foreigners” so we can gamble anywhere in Korea anyway.
Ignorance and arrogance, driving a self-serving justification of having done something illegal. But it should be okay, though, because they’re foreigners.
And the interviewer says, “It seems there are some legal differences between North America and here, but also some cultural differences.” Nice downplaying, but it’s still illegal.
The female interviewee is saying, she hasn’t smoked marijuana in 2.5 years but it somehow came up positive.
The other guy hasn’t smoked marijuana in six years. And based on his experience with drug tests, the tests may be faulty because they didn’t refrigerate his urine right away. I have doubts about this because this is Urinara, where people know urine.
There’s a big hubbabaloo about the tests being faulty. There’s also a hubbabaloo about treatment from the cops. Frankly, it sounds a bit self-serving, like they’re trying to look for a way out from the mess they’re in… if justification of their actions doesn’t work, then go after the police for being abusive.
I’ve had several situations where I had to give statements to the police, including one or two times where the policeman in charge thought I had been in the wrong, and frankly the stuff the one female interviewee is saying about the statements sounds a little exaggerated (also, I wonder whether the cops were speaking to them in English or Korean and, consequently, how well the non-native speakers of either language understand it). Anyway, I did stand my ground on a statement that the officer refused to accept or believe and I got my points in the record.”
HarGar,
You’re a moron.
“But now that I think about it, and have read more about it, I am starting to think that what they have done may meet the legal definition of “RACKETEERING”. “Racketeering is the act of operating an illegal business or scheme in order to make a profit.”
Right now we don’t know all the facts, but those characters sound like the type who have been doing this for a while. Somebody making money on it, seems believable.”
There’s my proof
I am starting to think that you’re the type of character who has been making bad assumptions for years now. thanks for your opinion, just realize that you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
Seoul survivor, you said,
” Sure, INDIVIDUALS make money on it. But for racketeering charges to stick, THE HOUSE has to make money (ie. a percentage of money anted). The way things have been explained, “the house” didn’t make anything; they were simply a venue to allow others to gamble. That is not racketeering or a gambling RING.”
Obviously the word HOUSE can mean a couple of things. The person playing the role of the HOUSE in the poker game or the host of the regular events. I might have missed it, but I don’t remember hearing or reading anything about the HOUSE in the poker game being the host of the events or if the HOUSE was taking a cut. I do remember hearing from the host that he did not lend money, nor purchase food for the guests , nor charge people to enter the game. (I think). Maybe a tricky thing here is that an “ante” can be seen as a charge to enter the game and that the “host” by entering the game can potentially profit. I don’t know?
Anyway, from the info we know so far, in the least, some of these folks can be charged with the 1st part of Article 247 as mentioned by one of the fellas interviewed. This is the minor offense resulting in fines.
Speaking for me only, without the knowing the law or its history:
Instead of blaming police brutality, unfair coverage, and the Korean ignorance of the poker game, a smarter approach maybe to find out why the law is in place in the Korean context. Then argue that the original intent of the law is no longer relevant to the contemporary Korean context. Just sayin.
It seems that some – HarGar in particular – aren’t recognizing some salient points.
1) If there were no drugs found in the house, the urinalysis constitutes an illegal search. There was no evidence linking them to drug use. In the US, even if the suspects DID test positive, that wouldn’t be admissible in court due to the fact that the test was administered without probable cause. I don’t know about Korea, though. I agree that speculating on when the two men used cannabis is useless. Biassed persons on both sides will assert their own beliefs, but nothing can be proved. I think we should focus on the legality of the search in and of itself.
2) The police station was transformed into a movie studio, complete with a big poker table, and the suspects were actually asked to re-enact the scene. I didn’t know anyone had the audacity to do that. Why in the world would the suspects agree to that? I’m glad they didn’t. The police called the media before they were even finished with their investigation! Most professional, driven, ethical police officers would be worried about media coverage confusing the investigation, but not these men. What business do police officers have setting up a studio in their station and re-enacting exciting busts? These are the people protecting citizens? How many burglaries, murders, and rapes could have happened while they were adjusting lighting and setting up the scene? I would think Koreans would be outraged that their police force would rather make up fantastical stories and put on a little play than actually protect people.
By the way, I have to agree with HarGar that cultural and legal differences between the two countries are irrelevant. By entering and living in a country you agree to abide by their laws, and your cultural background really doesn’t – and shouldn’t – matter.
No, alex. A smart approach would have been keeping their mouth shut. “I want to talk to a lawyer” and “No comment” should have been the only words out of their mouths. Let the lawyer do the speaking.
It’s not 1981. They can sue the cops if they try to intimidation.
I see it like this:
Nailing them for gambling, but then railroading them for charges of racketeering is like arresting someone for using a hooker, then trying to railroad him for running a house of prostitution. The lesser charge is fine, but going for the name-grabbing headlines with the larger charge is ridiculous, especially when there is zero proof for the larger charge.
The drug issue is separate. The only reason there is even a drug issue at all is because they were tested after the fact. Only 2 tested positive, but it can’t be proven WHEN they took the drugs; no drugs were found, but doesn’t mean they didn’t take any that night, but it also doesn’t mean that it wasn’t weeks ago, either.
Fine them for gambling and let them go home. Deal with the 2 drug charges as a separate issue.
“Maybe a tricky thing here is that an “ante” can be seen as a charge to enter the game and that the “host” by entering the game can potentially profit.”
Of course ante is a charge to enter the game. It is the minimum allowed before you can sit down at the table. However, that minimum bankroll is sitting in front of you in chips, none of it goes to the host/house. For the host to make a profit, he’d have to sit down at the table with his own bankroll and win.
Running a house of gambling, you can make money WITHOUT sitting down and playing. In fact, most do not actually sit at the table using their own money. They provide a place to play, and receive a cut from everyone in the game.
With all the info we have, the latter was not the case at all. The host was not running a poker business and profiting from it. He was playing a poker game and TRYING to profit from that. Big difference between playing a game with your own money and running a business on the backs of others’ money.
Seoul survivor, I must have missed something. Has anyone been charged for the second and more serious crime? Sounded to me like everyone was out awaiting what will happen next.
Do you know for a fact what qualifies as running a gambling house as a business under Korean law? Sounds like you do. If so, I guess you are right. If not, I am suggesting that your original observation,
“But for racketeering charges to stick, THE HOUSE has to make money (ie. a percentage of money anted).”,
leaves open many possibilities of attack for a prosecutor. This isn’t to say that your interpretation does not make sense. But does Korean law see it the way you see it. Again if you are will versed in the Korean law concerning this case, I defer and I am an idiot.
“Has anyone been charged for the second and more serious crime?”
AFAIK, no, which is why I used the term railroaded. The cops were obviously trying for the sexier name-grabbing headline by claiming it was a gambling ring rather than a poker game. AFAIK, it hasn’t gone any further than claiming it was.
I know that some in the expat community in the blogs are up in arms about how the media treats foreigners in Korea. But I have not heard anything in the news (via said blogs) that characterize it as a gambling ring. I only hear that from the angry commentators, this blog via accusations made by the suspects in the interview.
From a policing stand point, it stands to reason that they would aggressively interrogate the suspects in order to expose the most serious crime. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be doing their job.
Some serious accusations were made by the girl in the interview at the police. In honesty, her description didn’t sound all that harsh of a treatment. But if she is serious, she should pursue it in the legal courts.
So far the only account of how the media portrayed the events (that I have seen) comes from a commentator at Marmots Hole:
“our family gets mbc, kbs, sbs here in the states and this was just reported on mbc morning news. it basically said some english teachers were gambling. a police representative was interviewed saying something about cultural differences. the news also stated two of the guys had used hashish before. it also showed one guy at the poker table asking for a warrant. the police brought a cameraman in the raid? i didn’t think the media portrayed the guys too harshly but when they showed clips of foreigners all pixelated, it looks more sinister than reality.”
[...] has been talked about on Brian in Jeollanam-do, Korea Beat, the Chosun Ilbo (Korean only), and Korean Media Watch already. If you’ve not read the story – somebody posted an event on their Facebook page [...]
There is absolutely no reason to drug test people at a gambling ring. I don’t know what the laws regarding probable cause are in Korea, it could very well be that anyone at anytime can be tested, or maybe just e-2 visa holders. If this is in fact the law, then so be it. We must abide by the conditions of our visa.
What is damning however is that the tests are administered in situations such as this.
What does marijuana have to do with gambling? Nothing.
If the procedure followed was completely legal and above board, it, in fact, makes the Korean legal system look even WORSE in regards to its shoddy and xenophobic policy regarding E-2 visa holders in this country.
[...] Developing Story: Foreigner Drugs and Gambling “Ring†[...]
“The cops are trying to bust them on a drug and gambling RACKETEERING beef. Comprende?”
1) I am still waiting to hear that they have been charged with this, so far all I have heard is terrified screams of doom (chicken little).
2) How is this a Korean media issue?
It’s not a media issue when they collude with police?
C’mon Seoul survivor! Get off that bandwagon. But by all means get back on if there is more to chew on. The police called the press and tried to put on a show. Thats par for the course. According to the audio, the press were a little disappointed with what they got. Using words like “collude” and “railroad” are value added exaggerations based your stereotypes and prejudices. Its silly. If any real evidence of dirty play shows up, press or police, I’ll be the first to jump on that bandwagon. For now there is not much to go on other than the fact that some of the suspects look guilty of gambling.
They do collude with the police. And I’m not referring to this case alone. This applies to MANY other Korean cases, too. It’s not difficult to find dozens of such examples. Police throw them a bone (“sensational” headline) htye throw one back (cop’s name in paper). Dozens of examples.
As for “railroad”, judging by accounts of their tactics, that’s exactly what they tried to do. That was the whole point of the dog and pony show for the press, wasn’t it? To give them that meatier headline about a gambling ring instead of just a bunch of guys gambling in their house? If this was all just the Good Cop, Bad Cop routine to get a confession, then there was no reason to tell the press this.
The only reason the police didn’t get that headline was because, in this case, the press saw through it and wouldn’t give it credence.
But what if they had?
Do I have stereotypes and prejudices of the police here? Absolutely. I’ve had to deal with them in one way or another for 13 years, and I’ve always been on the wrong side of their bad decisions. I’ve seen more of their incompetence, deliberate tomfoolery, and refusal to enforce laws than you could possibly guess at. This was just another attempt that this time was, thankfully, not picked up by the press.
I am not sure what you mean that it wasn’t picked up by the press. Are you refering to the term “Gambling and Drug Ring”?
It should be noted that 4 of the major networks in Korea covered the incident and as usual, KBS was the most sensationalistic of the bunch. Disgusting is an adjective that comes to mind. The other 3 weren’t nearly as bad as the KBS report.
And by the way, I know several of the so-called culprits personally. The story gets worse when you start learning some of the smaller details that haven’t been included on this website and contrast them with what was seen on the KBS broadcast.
More bloggers are chiming in. From the The Soju Sonsangnim
“I’m not going to talk too much about the legal/political implications of the case because the whole thing is just moronic. Basically, a bunch of dumb foreigners advertised a home poker game on Facebook. Someone ratted them out to the police, and two of the players who were arrested tested positive for drugs.
Legally, only foreigners can gamble in South Korea; however, the gambling must be done inside a casino. Private games are technically illegal, but carry no fines or jail time. The foreigners in question are accused of running a gambling ring. Whether they’re guilty isn’t for me to say. There are too many sources reporting too many different things about the case, and expat blogs are no less guilty of sensationalism than the Korean media.
What is clear to me, however, is the utter stupidity of the foreigners involved. The audio interview conducted by the Korean Media Watch does absolutely nothing to support their innocence. The female’s testimony reveals her complete and utter disregard for Korean culture. She claims that Koreans should be more understanding of American culture because Texas Hold ‘Em is a popular game in the States. Nevermind the fact that American laws are irrelevant in Korea. The male who hosted the poker game mentioned pictures of previous poker games hanging on his wall. That’s not going to do much to convince the Korean police that he isn’t hosting his own private casino. The final nail in the coffin comes from the second man interviewed, who mentions that he plays poker professionally, in clear violation of his E-2 visa.
It’s too soon to say whether the group is guilty. Judging by my past interactions with teachers from Seoul, I highly doubt their innocence. In my experience, it seems that teachers fight for jobs in Seoul so that they can shield themselves from Korean culture with a human barrier made up of other foreign teachers. It’s a hasty generalization that’s partially supported by the idiocy of the foreigners in the interview clip.
One thing I can say for certain is that there is no such thing as privacy on the Internet, especially on Facebook. You shouldn’t be doing anything illegal in the first place, but advertising your illegal activity on Facebook is just asking for trouble. Check your privacy settings, and don’t add people you don’t know personally to your friends list.”
[...] the crime of gambling has been added to the meme of the “criminal English teacher” from the recent bust of what appears to be nothing more than a private poker game, which the police claim to be a “drug and gambling ring,” emphasis mine. KBS has [...]
SS said- “And I’m not referring to this case alone.”
Indeed, at times you don’t seem to be talking about this case at all.
SS said- “The only reason the police didn’t get that headline was because, in this case, the press saw through it and wouldn’t give it credence.”
Lol, uhh, not a good effort from the police and the press at conspiring to cook up a story. Oh well, maybe next time.
SS said- “But what if they had?”
Try using that argument in court!
Hargar,
you truly are a moron. sound a tiny bit racist there too. you really need to get more informed on this story…otherwise you will continue to sound like a total wanker
?? What was racist? Not that I expect you to answer that. Troll
racist??? I’m puzzled too
okay so hargar,
you really must know what your talking about before making accusations. Yes they have been doing this a long time because these people have been playing poker for a long period of time and enjoy it. So therefore most people who enjoy things tend to study them. They do not come off at all as people who are operating a gambling /Drug ring. Oh and by the way i happen to know that it was not at all for all you bloggers here becuase i am one of the players who was not involved in the bust at all and have kept my distance because of the way the police are conducting themselves. So if you are highly doubting there innocence i hope this sets the record straight for you. They did commit an illegal act but in no way were they opporating a gambling/drug ring of any sort. You are now making accusations yourself and dont know much about the stituation at all especially because from what i’m hearing from you, you are uneducated about gambling or poker lifestyle in general. You may have given statements to the police before but i’m sure it was for something very small so the police didnt take it as seriously so do not try and combine your own situation with this one becuase it has no relevance. On the same page i could also accuse you of working with the police and the korean media and posting these statements to make it look as if foriegners are appauled by the situation. Sympathy should always be given to people whom have been wronged so dont sit there and judge when obviously you dont know anything and by the looks of it never will.