<$BlogRSDURL$>
Reading

Hannu Salama: Kosti Herhiläisen perunkirjoitus
Flickr photographs
www.flickr.com
More of my Flickr photos
∙ Current position: Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Researcher, Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Helsinki
∙ Ph.D. dissertation Neighborhood Shopkeepers in Contemporary South Korea: Household, Work, and Locality available online (E-Thesis publications a the University of Helsinki). For printed copies, please contact me by e-mail.
Contact ∙ Personal
cellularmailmy del.icio.us bookmarks
my photographs at Flickr
Anthropology at U. of Helsinki
Finnish Anthropological Society
Powered by Blogger

Anthropology, Korean studies and that

Savage Minds
Keywords
Golublog
photoethnography
antropologi.info
Solongseeyoutomorrow
Constructing Amusement
Otherwise
Frog in a Well

Often visited

The Marmot's Hole Gusts Of Popular FeelingSanchon Hunjang Mark RussellLanguage hatMuninngyuhang.netSedisKemppinenJokisipiläPanun palsta
Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com


Google this blog
Download Hangul Viewer 2002
Download Hangul Office Viewer 2007

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Taedo (大盜) becomes sodo (小盜)


Cho Se-hyôn going to trial in 1983
In the late 1970s and early 1980s and it was possible and I guess it still is to become a sort of a people's champion by relieving rich people of their money and diamonds by thievery. It is recalled that the exploits of taedo (大盜, "big thief") Cho Se-hyông in the late Park Chung-hee and early Chun Doo-hwan era, directed at rich people's houses and belongings, woke sympathies among the "ordinary people" (seomin), as the riches that he stole were often perceived as not rightfully earned. Mr Cho was in the end arrested in 1983 and sent to jail for 15 years. In late 1998 he walked free, and proclaimed that he had become a believing Christian, and his life seemed so turned around that he was employed by a security company and went around lecturing about preventing crime. His release was a quite a big news back then, and I guess the bad state of economy and increased differences of wealth contributed to the newsworthiness of the release of the former "big thief".

The next time Mr Cho appeared in the news was in early 2001 when he had been arrested in Japan for burglary, and got 3.5 years. After his release he returned to Korea and continued his religious activity, until the news yesterday told that Mr Cho had once again been arrested for burglary (Chosun Ilbo). It was told that Cho shouldn't have any economic reason for burglary as his wife, whom he married around '99, makes enough to support them. A psychologist that Chosun quotes thinks that Cho is an incurably habitual burglar, who can't let a chance pass.

Hankyoreh tells today that the reason Mr Cho gave for the recent burglary he was arrested of was that he needed money in order to retribute to the Japanese police who shot him in the leg when he was arrested in Japan in '01. When arrested Mr Cho, aged 67, claimed that he is homeless Pak Sông-gyu, aged 48, who did the burglary in order to get money to start a street stall business (nojômsang). The young constable did not recognize Mr Cho, but his older collegue with a longer experience felt something familiar in the arrested person, whose identity they could confirm with fingerprints.

Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang:

Comments to note "Taedo (大盜) becomes sodo (小盜)" (Comments to posts older than 14 days are moderated)


Write a Comment