Winter Olympics: NBC ditches analyst Joshua Cooper Ramo over Korea remark

[Ken Burch]

Source: BBC News

NBC has removed one of its Olympic analysts after he made a comment about Japan and South Korea which sparked anger among South Koreans.
Joshua Cooper Ramo said Japan, which occupied Korea from 1910-45, had served as a key "example" in South Korea's transformation.
South Koreans called the comments, during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, ignorant and hurtful.
A petition calling for an apology from NBC drew more than 13,000 signatures.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43028421

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Even, uh, better...the guy is "is vice chairman and co-chief executive of Kissinger Associates, the consulting firm of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Cooper_Ramo

[Corgigal]

1. How was he qualified to be an Olympic analyst?

Ok, I'm putting in for that job too. No one needs a background in anything, anymore.

Will not offended any country, promise.

[EX500rider]

2. Stupid for him to say but not entirely wrong either.

Yes Korea is less then fond of the way they were treated by pre-war Japan.
But post war starting in the 70's and 80's they most certainly did admire and try to copy Japan's economic success, especially in electronics and car manufacturing. Korean cars were a joke till they imported some Japanese expertise in manufacturing and quality control.

[lunasun]

3. Only surpassed by China in negative opinions of Japan . Centuries back the whole area issues

According to a BBC World Service Poll conducted in 2014, 79% of South Koreans view Japan's influence negatively, and 15% express a positive view, making South Korea, behind mainland China, the second country with the most negative feelings of Japan in the world.
Here is why
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Japanese_sentiment_in_Korea

[EX500rider]

4. Yeah but you can hate them and still want to copy their economic successes.

And they did.

[Ken Burch]

6. I'm thinking it was the "Any Korean will tell you" part of it.

It would have been one thing to say Korea may have been influenced or helped by some things Japan did, but you can't expect a subjugator nation ever to express thanks to its subjugator.

(On the other hand, I'm now imagining a Korean re-write of the "What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us?" scene in MONTY PYTHON'S THE LIFE OF BRIAN).

[LanternWaste]

7. No doubt, it's important that we instruct the South Koreans

No doubt, it's important that we instruct the South Koreans on what not to be offended by. As Americans, that's pretty much our new role.

[matt819]

5. Next up

The Jews should be grateful for the Holocaust for its helping to create the State of Israel.