OUTRAGE: OLD KIMCHIS KILL YOUNG VIET MAIL-ORDER BRIDES!!!!

Two more young Vietnamese, mail-order brides were murdered by their Korean husbands in South Korea over the last three weeks, according to Vietnam's English-language newspaper, Thanh Nien (the Daily Youth).

South Korea, along with Taiwan, Singapore, and China, has been importing Vietnamese brides for its loser bachelor population since the Southeast Asian country embarked on doi moi (economic reform) in 1986. Driven by extreme poverty, a number of rural Vietnamese families have effectively sold off their young daughters to old, undesirable men from these countries.  Often, these mail-order brides are subject to physical, sexual, and psychological torment at the hands of their husbands and/or in-laws. Tragically, quite a few have been murdered or driven to suicide.

Here's the link to the story:  http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/second-vietnamese-bride-murdered-in-south-korea-within-3-weeks-35461.html

迎 恩 門 (Yeongeunmun)...Gate for Welcoming (Chinese) Imperial Benevolence

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia.com

Korean political history and culture are inextricably linked to China's .  The picture above of 迎 恩 門 (Yingenmen or Yeongeunmun in Korean) was where Chinese imperial envoys were welcomed by Korean kings.  Korean kings also knelt and bowed toward the direction of Beijing as the envoys left the gate.  Thus, the name of the gate, Gate (門 ) for Welcoming (迎) Imperial Benevolence (恩).

In fact, Koreans were so crazy about all things Chinese that they named a lot of their important cities and rivers for China and the Chinese.  For example, the Joseon capital (what is now Seoul) was Hanseong or 漢城 (Hancheng, or City of the Han Chinese).  Similarly the Han River that runs through Seoul is 漢江 (Hanjiang, or the River of the Han Chinese).  Interestingly, the modern name for Korea (in use since 1897) 韓國 (Hanguo in Chinese or Hankook in Korean) is based on the ancient Chinese state by the same name during China's Warring States period.

Because of modern-day nationalism, Koreans don't emphasize the Chinese origin of their place names. That's really too bad because history should not be rewritten to suit modern taste.  Let's give back to history its own voice...