Seoul Podcast has recorded a must-listen, special episode gathering the survivors of three expats who died under mysterious circumstances while they lived in Korea, and discussing the extreme difficulty they have had in getting cooperation or answers from the Korean organizations connected with the deaths, or responsible for the investigations.Thank you for joining us on a special SeoulPodcast. On this episode we stray from the usual format to discuss a serious issue that has been off the radar of the Korean media. The year 2008 was wrought with news of expat deaths, from three D workers to English teachers. That year was not significant because of an increase in tragedies. It was significant because more spotlights shined on a handful of cases.
Nonetheless, there is an extraordinary number of mysterious unsolved deaths in the history of expatriates on the peninsula. This stems from a lack of professionalism in police, hospitals and government and from a media that is more obsessed with national image than reality.
With us today are three survivors whose loved ones have passed on but have never received answers and can never find closure.
This is an important issue for anyone who either is, or is close to, an expat who considers Korea home, whether for a short or a long time. For the expat community here, this is something to know about, care about, and even to take action on, because tragedy can strike anyone, and knowing what must be done, and that there are people who have gone through, or are still going through, similar things, could make a huge difference for everyone involved; the battles these three people are fighting is cutting a trail that will help those who are touched by tragedy after them, and they deserve our support.
02/02/2009 at 10:46 am Permalink
Hold on… having issues. Will be back up in 30 minutes. (11:15 a.m. Feb 2)
02/02/2009 at 11:46 am Permalink
Does anybody remember the saga of Salvador Smith? Was that a hoax or was it real?
I’ll have to listen to the broadcast when I’m a little bit freer, but already I’m thinking of a few things that should be addressed in any such discussion, including the nearly criminal gross irresponsibility of many diplomatic missions in acting on their citizens’ behalf.
03/02/2009 at 11:05 am Permalink
“But if they were foreigners, they must have been doing something wrong to bring this on themselves.”
/sarcasm
03/02/2009 at 5:11 pm Permalink
I hope the ex-pat community gives those people their love, prayers and support, but I am not so sure they will benefit from sarcasm or jokes. I will do my part and pray for their healing and I hope others will do the same.