Wiesenthal Center Denounces Nazi-Like Depiction Of Jews By Prolific And Popular Korean Author

translation: 1) The reason why Arab terror struck at the despised America. 2)destroying the WTC with a suicide attack. 3) Jews use money and publicdiscussion as weapons to make America do what they (the Jews) want.

The Korean comic book "Far Countries, Neighboring Countries" has become a best-seller thanksto its easy and interesting introductory lessons on countries of the world. But three panels in the America volume of the series will be deleted for insinuating that Jewishinfluence on money and power led to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The book's author, Professor Rhie Won-bok, and its publishing house apologized forthe panels and said they were sorry for any hurt they may have caused.

The protests against the comic book were led by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the sameorganization whose protests helped lead to the shuttering of "Marco Polo", a monthly Japanese pop culture and politics magazine. In a 1995 "Marco Polo" article, a Japaneseneurosurgeon claimed that while the Holocaust was a true story, the notorious gas chambers at Auschwitz and other concentration camps may have been an exaggeration.

The article immediately drew condemnation from Jewish organizations, and the Israeligovernment made an official issue of it. The magazine's chief editor proposed to carry a story that would represent the Jewish argument, but the idea was rejected. Jewishorganizations compelled sponsors to react, and businesses like Cartier, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, and Philip Morris canceled their ads. The Japanese government issued an officialstatement calling the article inappropriate, and the incident came to an end after a person committed suicide by disembowelment. In a joint press conference, Rabbi Abraham Cooper,the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Kengo Tanaka, the president of the Bungei Shunju publishing house, announced that the publication, despite its circulationof 250,000 readers, would be discontinued and its entire editorial staff dismissed.

In 1995, I was studying in St. Louis, the U.S, where I tutored a child from a Jewish-Americanfamily. Their house stood in an upscale residential area. On my way from the house on a Saturday afternoon, I dropped by a garage sale where I bought two small tables, at agiveaway price, for my stereo speakers. The designs on the tables reminded me of those from Biblical picture books or movies, so I asked the woman of the house, "Are these fromIsrael?" Her face suddenly turned icy cold. She said, as if interrogating me, "How did you know? So, what?" I was simply curious, but the woman's reaction was defensive. Theparents of my student were wealthy and had a high social standing, with the father a bank president. But their faces always showed hints of unease.

Andy Grove, the CEO and one of the three founders of Intel, was born to a Jewish family inHungary. After growing up in Budapest, he fled to the U.S. where he studied and eventually found fame and success. In the first chapter of the 2006 book "Andy Grove: An AmericanIcon", Grove said that he wants to neither return to Budapest nor remember the time he spent there. Many Jewish figures, including academics, bankers, entrepreneurs, andfilmmakers, are still uneasy -- so they teach their children not to let their guard down. Keeping deep in their hearts their 2,000-year history of persecution, the Jews instructtheir children not to tolerate any anti-Semitic activity, anywhere.

In South Korea, the Jews are seen as a brilliant people with a long history, but also partlyresponsible for the discord in the Middle East. But from a broader perspective, we can understand and sympathize with the painful wounds they have suffered. We can understand whyJewish groups took issue with the comic book, just as we are especially attuned to the public hearing on comfort women currently underway in the U.S. Congress. The publisher'sspeedy decision to revise the comic book was the appropriate reaction. Furthermore, South Korea, surrounded by powerful nations, should be viewed as an attractive neighbor byother countries and their peoples, while we should have a deeper understanding of those countries and their peoples.

The column was contributed by John Shin of VeritasBooks.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.
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