Babo-Palooza! Busted
The group of English teachers who put on Babo-palooza!, a sketch comedy show on December 1 and 2 here in Busan, were brought in for questioning (and released) early this week by the International Crimes Division for violating Immigration and Criminal Law. Pusanweb will be bringing you regular updates and hopefully a Webcast as the situation unfolds. You can also read about the story in the Korean media and in the Blogs. Read more to see the links.
UPDATE: The Korea Herald article. The reporter spoke to both the police and the actors. English Teachers Cross Line.
UPDATE: Corrections to the Korean news article can be read here.
The story has been picked up by the Korean media, and can be read here: Kyunghyang Shinmun (Translation at the Marmot's Hole) Daum News (if anyone is willing to translate this article, please let us know!) NEW Joonang Ilbo- Ajumma-baiting draws attention of Busan police
The Korean blogosphere:
This blogger wrote a positive Review of Babo-palooza! and a commentary on the questioning of the cast.
Daejeon's Sharing Community, Soucis, includes discussion on the arrests in People, Not Space Invaders.
CORRECTION: In the post, the author states:
"The two foreigners producers are now being fined one million won each."
This is not true. The police are still investigating. No punishments have been given yet.
The Marmot's Hole has a summary/translation of the Kyunghyang Shinmun news story. Over at the Scribblings of the Metropolitician is a short blurb about the show.
Finally, Homely Planet, the blog of one of the cast members will have regular updates of what's happening behind the scenes.
You can comment on the Babo-palooza! show or the current happenings in the Koreabridge Forums. Pusanweb will be updating the story as more information comes our way.
Comments
da film
Reply
As someone who has been
da show - not close but painfully aware
It WASN'T 150 each night.
I think it would be of
Agreed
Ahh, a voice of reason,
Babo-Palooza
Tyster,
As I understand it, the Busan Nine slipped the noose around their own necks by applying for a grant at City Hall.  I don't expect the cops will own up to this, but let's look at the facts:
Months before the show they applied for a grant at City Hall, the next building over from the one where  the "International Crimes Division" (gotta love that name for the over-reaction file) is located.Â
Then, on the first night of the show, before any bonehead got a chance to spread his malicious and unfounded rumors about drug use, a ladycop came in undercover and checked the thing out. She even spoke to a guy from the cast.
Hmmm. City Hall turned down our creative brethren for a grant, but is it unreasonable to think they might not have alerted their buddies one door down? The Korea Herald reporter (to whom I spoke about this) sure as hell didn't think it was unreasonable to think that... Hell, he pounced on it on his own and suggested it to me immediately.
This was always about content, and about restricting free speech. It's political. Those cops are taking orders from above. As you may have noticed, Korea's government has been stuck in scapegoating mode for about two years now... Approval ratings going down? Blame the Japanese! Blame the Americans! Anybody, but heck, gotta blame somebody. (As long as it's not the North Koreans, of course...)
And btw, the Herald talked to the cops plenty. Call them (the Herald, I mean).  According to what that guy said to me the cops simply kept repeating - over ands over - that this was never (check out the Korean websites to see what Koreans are making of this) never ever about content or restricting freedom of speech.
Well, if the locals don't believe 'em, I rather fail to see why we shoud.
So, to Pweb: good luck on the police fishing expedition. Just don't expect to be surprised. They're staying on message.
Charlie don't surf!
I can see how the content
Creative activities not included on E- visas
P-web,
Brendon Carr on the Marmot suggests E- visa holders get permission from their employers before engaging in creative activities - music, graphic arts, writing, etc. - to stay out of immigration trouble. This would involve a couple of trips down to immigration - one to pick up the requisite form and another to return it signed and stamped by the employer - as well as (I believe) a 20,000 won fee. I for one would hate to see any more of our creative folks get hauled in over visa violations for doing things that enrich our lives in this town. Maybe make a note of this somewhere on the front page?Â
Charlie don't surf!
Legality of our art
Pusanweb Replies
I think that in your first two paragraphs you're speaking to the Babo-palooza! organizers and not Pusanweb, is that correct? If I missed something, I'd be happy to address it.
Thus, I submitt that this site stirs the rumour pot more than it quells it.
Can you give me an example of this? With the Babo-palooza! issue, Pusanweb became aware that there was a lot of misinformation being published, so we spoke to the organizers and published 'Just the Facts'. No rumors.
Geez, if you want rumours why not get your ear around the person responsible for the part-time jobs skimming from the top and feeding his friends the best jobs before they ever get posted? Why not have a discussion on that?
This is the first I've heard of this. I am specifically in charge of the Classifieds and other than Jeff Lebow, the site owner, I'm the only one who has access to the Classifieds admin section (where the deleting, etc. goes on). The Classifieds are now post-moderated, which means that as soon as you hit 'post' your ad becomes visible. In the years that I've been a part of Pusanweb, I've never deleted a job ad for personal gain or for my friends. And any time I do delete a job ad, an email is sent to the poster explaining which of the rules they violated resulting in their ad being deleted. I think this is all in your head. Oh, and I'm a 'she' by the way.
Or (heaven forbid anyone getting sick of injured - no irony intended), is the same preferential treatment available from this site for anybody in need of 'blood' or real help.
Yes. When Taehyun's Omma posted in the Forums that she potentially needed blood, I read it, and put a notice on the front page. I've never met her but I heard that everything went fine. The point is, she asked for help and we gave it to her. If people need help and ask for it, we help them out as best we can.
And that should be held out there for anyone in need not just friends of the staff!
It most definately is. If someone has something to promote or needs something and I hear about it or read about it on the Forums or Classifieds, or if I get an email, I promote it. However, I can't read minds. I have to be told about something before I can do something about it.
Is there a clear and plain emergency help line available on the front page of this site - in case any one wanker/loser/new to this country and not in your 'in-group' needs some help?
As of RIGHT NOW, no there isn't but as soon as I finish typing this, I will add a blurb to the "Contact Us" tab at the top of the page along the lines that you're talking about.
And so to those that want to hide behind advertising and their jounalistic 'importance', in liew of an obvious blunder,
I don't know what you're talking about.
or pretend that we of the community, that you pretend to care so much for, have no idea of how you have been manipulating this site for your own or 'personal' gain and/ benefit
I have no idea what you're talking about. Is it the Classifieds thing? Because I have no idea how you dreamed that one up.
Helmut, has Pusanweb denied you help in the past? Have we refused to publish an event that you organized? Have we failed to reply to an email you sent in the past? Were some of your Forums posts deleted? You seem to be incredibly bitter, and I really don't understand where the bitterness is coming from, as I don't think I know you and as far as I know, I've never had any dealings with you that would have upset you so much. I've been part of the Pusanweb Management Team since around 2002 with a 10-month hiatus in there in 2004 and again, I have no idea where this bitterness is coming from. If you'd prefer not to publish your reply here, please email me at [email protected] and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Sarah
Pusanweb Manager and Koreabridge Forums and Classifieds Manager
da or duh
Pusanweb moderators have
Questions?
"I will keep up the questions and accusations to see if in fact they are answered"
What are your questions? What are your accusations?
Pweb ManagerYou make no sense. You are
What is He Talking About?
I GOT IT! LET'S CALL IT "BABO-GATE"!