Comparing Asian Nationalities | Asian American Poll

COMPARING ASIAN NATIONALITIES
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:22:53 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

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WHAT YOU SAY

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Don't be jealous,

Get real. Coreans epitomize everything that is tragic comic. High cheekbones? You must be thinking about the starving North Koreans with cheekbones too defined! Then there are the ones who look like they have had more than enough to eat like Kim Jong-il and Margaret Cho, who have big round heads, husky torsos, and thick thighs, Tungusic types.

Great language? Korean, with the exception of Japanese, is one of the most difficult languages to learn, with its Austronesian core vocabulary origin, Tungusic SOV language structure, majority of vocabulary and sounds borrowed from southern Chinese dialects, mixed in with English words. In contrast, Chinese is the most concise and grammatically simple language in the world. Chinese written characters are making a big comeback in Seoul to lure Japanese and Chinese tourists money. Korean is useless in the international scene, not even an official language in the United Nations. With just a thousand Chinese characters in just six-months’ of study, one could travel all of China, Japan, read Classical Korean and Vietnamese texts and the menu of the restaurants in the hundreds of Chinatowns in over a hundred countries.

Great culture? All Coreans ever do is copy someone else's culture and go to the extreme. Now Coreans are big into Jesus-cults. The bad types are into ghetto talk, baggy pants, and “fakin’ the funk.”
Korea is a Little Dragon Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 06:48:38 (PST) [209.232.28.171]

Dont be jealous. One word.
Deluded.
Emmi Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 02:12:03 (PST) [202.61.184.130]

I think there are some people on this forum who are taking Korean pride a bit too far. Your attacks on China are also irresponsible. Let's not forget that Korea has always been dominated by foreign powers. China dominated it for thousands of years. Then, Japan colonized it. Now, China continues to look after North Korea, while the U.S. dominates the South and has troops stationed on her soil. In essence, the percentage of time in history when Korea was truly independent is very, very small. Some revisionists like to talk about Koguryo. Well, the Tang Dynasty crushed Koguryo and many former provinces of Koguryo are now part of China. Some revisionist like to talk about how Koreans sided with the Mongols. This could be further from the truth. When the Mongols attacked Korea, they launched huge massacres and atrocities, and made sure the royal family would forever have Mongol blood. Still other revisionists talk about the Manchus as if they were related to Koreans. Well, when the Manchus invaded Korea, they almost wiped out 50% of the population in their zeal to kill.

So, let's not get too proud here, OK?
Realist Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 02:03:29 (PST) [210.0.188.194]

Dear "Korea is not First in the World"

first of all, for those truly interested: read this article on TIME: http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/korea_econ/

You write, "Its (Korea's) industrial base is quickly being hollowed out and transferred to China. It is all going to be downhill from here. That means that its chances of catching up to the other three little tigers are slim in the future, even though they too have stalled."

You are correct in that Korea's industrial base IS being transferred to China. But those industries include textiles, footwear, accessories, and many other light industry/low-technology consumer goods. There's nothing wrong with moving those industries to a country (China) where the per-capita income is lower, where business is more profitable for the owners of companies. If you owned a Nike factory, and Korean workers demanded an average of $20/hr and Chinese or Vietnamese workers demanded an average of $5/hr, where would you move your factory? (just compare GNP/capita data... or average wage data)

However, when it comes to more "advanced" technologies, Korea is still going strong. In fact, in just the last 4-5 years, Korea has moved up tremendously in the world's cell phone market, DRAM chips, flat-screen monitors, computer equipment, semiconductor technology, etc. In the 80's and even in the early 90's, much of Korea's industry was based on textiles, shoes, accessories, light industries. But the country has consciously moved onto dominance in industries that cannot merely be matched by offering low wages, fully aware that China will be a force to be reckoned with when it comes to industries involving minimal technology and wages.

Yes, what about those cheap Korean cars? Hyundai, Kia, and Daewoo in the past have had a bad rep as the "lower-end" model automobiles in the United States: however, did you know that the three Korean auto companies recorded FAR higher growth rates than any other Japanese auto firm in the last 3 years in terms of profits and production? This fact is well known in the auto industry.

Even before the 1997 crisis, South Korea's economy was the tenth biggest in the world in terms of total trade volume and production. Since the IMF crisis of 1997, Korean conglomerates have streamlined their companies to focus only on industries that are profitable. Hence, the business-government-consumer relationship and overall infrastructure of the nation has improved to levels equal to those of America and European nations, in my humble opinion. Yes, the cheaper products are now being produced in China. But industries for mobile devices, cellular equipment, computer flatscreen displays, semiconductors, advanced shipbuilding (little Korea is the largest producer in the world), automobiles? Please stand up, South Korea. China is a force to be reckoned with, but you guys are still 10-20 years behind Korea and Japan (whose current economic recession is longest in its history, EVER).
Seung-Joo Lee seungjoo2@yahoo.com Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 23:06:21 (PST) [199.74.76.231]

non sinitic:
Japanese would still be in stoneage without Koreans. The Japanese are basically not Altaic. They are related to Ainus and some Pacific headhunter and cannibal cultures. Because they have that different background the Japanese dislike all people from the continent.
i would have to disagree..... but i do agree with that fact that japanese people have ainu and pacific islander's blood in them, but the influx of Altaic peoples from Siberia, Korea and Tungus people have migrated to Japan in greater proportion than did the other two groups... like you said, if it were not for the KOreans, the Japanese would be living in the stone ages, there by, many Koreans or Altaic peoples have settled on that island, what we know as the rising sun. The pacific island peoples are prominent in Okinawa, but not northern areas like Tokyo and Hokkaido..
in addition, i have Japanese relatives, and they agree that they are originally from Mongolia, not any where else... In fact most Japanese agree on this, but they don't claim it as loud as Koreans....

yy:

We can see that the Han racial element in Uygurs is probably even more prevalent than the Turko-Mongol ones.
You moron. you tell a Uygur that he's chinese and he'll slice your head off.
Like i said in the past, northern chinese are originally of ALtai descent and your southern sorry ass should shut up..........
Uygurs look more llike Koreans as they had never married with the original chinese from the south....
KOrean Altai Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 21:42:18 (PST) [130.63.236.220]

latinalovingkoreanhombre,

At those times, I don't think any army can withstand the Turko-Mongol cavalries. You probably know how the Europeans had fared against Attila, the Magyars, Bulgars, Cumans, Pechenegs, Mongols and Ottomans?

At least China had a Great Wall and military strategists to protract battles with the nomads.

You see, even the Huns, Xianbei, Khitans, Jurchens, Tangut Tibetans had only took parts of northern China and not all of China.

Mongols were able to take Jurchen Jin, because the Jurchens and Song had battered and exhausted each other out. When Mongols appeared on the Great Wall, the native Han Chinese serving Jurchens had opportunity to take vengeance on their Jurchen overlords whom they hate. So, they opened the gates and deserted over to Mongols. But, Song Dynasty still fought decades against Mongke Khan and Mukali.

The Manchus didn't fully outright conquer Ming China. They were let in and decided to stay. There 2-3 times in its history when Ching Dynasty Manchus almost lost the throne. In the last one (Taiping Rebellion) they were only to defeat southern Chinese Christians and northern Chinese Muslims through dividing the Hans and also using European aid.
yy Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 20:59:15 (PST) [64.130.235.33]

Korean Altai,

Uygur speech, depending of which city of Xinjiang is infused with some Chinese lexicons and they also have a lot of Han Chinese loan words.

I heard that the Iranians far mistreat their Turkic ethnic minorities much more than Chinese do. At least in Xinjiang, they are allowed to speak their native languages and use it in writing.

In the northwest parts of Iran, the Tabrizi Azerbaijan people (who are also Turkish) are not allowed to speak nor write their language. They are fast on their way to becoming 100% Iranicized soon. Compare that to what Chinese are doing to Uygurs.

I would only laugh if a Turk truly accepts a Corean as his "brother." Even the Central Asian Turks whom they claim to be "kardashlar" (brothers) are used only for political and oil purposes. When they see Central Asians in the streets, they are often greeted as "agha", which has 2 meanings. One can mean master or the other one can also mean country bumpkin.

There is no such thing as Altai nation or Turan. Nomadic people are on decline and will perish with the winds of history.

And, I will not go on a terrorist website which is probably owned by non-Uygurs or Uygurs who have never lived in China.

Xinjiang does not belong only to Uygurs. There are 12 ethnic groups living there for thousands of years. Half of them are not Turkic in speech.

Half of people in Xinjiang are Han Chinese. Whenever you claim there are radioactivity there (which is exaggerated) it also affects the Han Chinese. So, it is ludicrous to believe you.

Why you always mention Koguryo? It is a long and sad part of both Chinese and Korean people's history. Over 100,000 slaves from Koguryo were taken back to Tang, and 50,000 were also taken from Paekche. Their blood is mixed into our Chinese race now. So what? You claim to take back Koguryo is a ridiculous statement because Chinese are probably more true descendants of Koguryo people than the Koreans (who are 100% Shilla descended).
yy Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 20:50:27 (PST) [64.130.235.33]

non-sinitic,

Basically, the Kazakhs cannot survive without the whites (ie Russian and Ukrainian). If these whites are gone, you will find the nomadic Kazakhs suddenly embracing radical Islamism. I have never heard of nuclear tests conducted in Kazakhstan. Even if so, it must have surely been done by Russians and not Chinese.
yy Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 20:28:13 (PST) [64.130.235.33]

Think before posting,

The Ming Dynasty were of native Han Chinese race. The Manchus were the Ching. Obviously you know nothing of history.

There is no famine in China, but almost everywhere in North Corea. If you lived in the northeast parts of China, you probably would not be too proud to be Corean.

North Corea's problem is because 1/4th of its population is militarized and almost all of the economy is spent of military purposes. They are only now showing signs of slight change to curry favor with the USA.
yy Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 20:23:38 (PST) [64.130.235.33]

your one too.,

Whoa. thats interesting, jackie chan knows some hapkido? i heard him mentioned before but i didnt know he actually knew some. anyways, Just thought I'd clear something up. Jeet Kune do isnt an actual style. Its an approach to martial arts. Kind of like a philosphy. It teaches the practitioner to develop ones own style by picking and choosing techniques that better fit the person. so its usually recommended that one knows one or several styles when taking jeet kune do. therefore jeet kune do isnt necessarily derived from tae kwon do or hapkido though it can be to certain idividuals. and on a side note, Bruce Lee's martial arts background is actually wing chun a southern chinese style.
noname Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 20:02:11 (PST) [66.72.132.174]

"we [Coreans]make the most money per person"

That comment cannot be accurate if being used in the world and even in Asia. Where did you get that statistic?

Coreans have much to admire for and do pretty well economically speaking among Asians, but I don't believe that it is accurate to say they make the most per person.
Han Yueh Pingpu Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 19:14:09 (PST) [68.4.86.32]

Korean Altai,

>>>I could care less of what you say about Korea's relations to Altai, fact is we are of Altai origins and not from the south of the great wall of china..

Gee, can u make up yr mind. U guys r saying u r a part of the ancient Dongyi people who certainly lived south of the Great Wall. Dont self- contradict. It looks so silly on u.
Jamie Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 18:53:58 (PST) [202.166.126.231]

Korean Altai
"as for Vietnamese people.... I admire their courage and strength and do resemble similar traits with Koreans.. Both have been invaded by foreign dogs and both have always been able to peresevere and maintain autonomic identity....
I don't know how you guys did it, masters at jungle war fare...
first were the Mughuls, then the chinese, french, and the biggest upset by the master minded Ho Chi Minh, the americans...
Vietnam has made ASian military shine in a new light............
Respects to VIETNAM and Ho CHI Minh's peoples'!!! "

My Response: Respect to you and Korea,
There should be more people like you in here!!
Phong sbb@yahoo.com Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 17:39:36 (PST) [12.246.194.43]

Korean Altai,

A. If CHina was never a great military power (Something I admit), what is Korea? If China is a dragonfly, than Korea is a gnat.
B. Northern Chinese and Southern Chinese of course will have conflicts. But so do Americans. In AMerica, you have New Yorkers talking trash to the Texans, LA people vs. Bay Area, etc. Does it mean the nation is not unified? For Chinese people, it's even more technical, Southern Chinese have conflicts with other Southern Chinese and same with Northern. That's how it is when you have so many people with so much diversity. But the bottom line is we are all Chinese and we can proud of that whereas South Koreans don't even see North Koreans as human. Yeah some class eh? You like to laugh at the impoverished and make jokes about it. Mainlanders are mainlanders, you think just because of minor identity conflicts, Northern Chinese would associate themselves with Koreans? Please, they would not associate themselves with a nation like North Korea. A country that starves it's own people to the point where they can't even allocate resources to feed their own people. On top of that, you have a crew cut nerd in a Mao suit showing off to the rest of the with his nukes. LOL and you have the nerve to talk about government bragging about military power. BTW you are also hiding behind your computer talking trash like everyone else, not bright enough to notice your own hypocrisy eh?
C. Atleast we have rats to eat, where's North Korea's food?
D. You are a virgin, don't brag about screwing Chinese girls. They are out of your league, whereas we Chinese guys can afford North Korean brides, haha.
I Own You Daily Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 17:38:02 (PST) [138.23.59.245]

"Ming dynasty wasn't Han Chinese but Manchus, Han Chinese were ruled over by much smaller barbarian armies for hundreds of years. Mongols, Manchus, Europeans so what are you so proud of?"
Think before posting Monday, November 18, 2002 at 14:16:34 (PST)

Practice what your preach. It was the Qing who were Manchu. *sigh...*

Korean Altai, there you go again. What do you know about Chinese folks? We're certainly much closer to one another than we are to the koreans of the south. To talk of Chinese polarity is rather silly when considering how it stands within the entire spectrum of things.

And seriously, does anyone see a significant resemblence between people in east Turkestan (Xinjiang) and those in Korea? After answering this question, you may want to consider having your eyes examined.

Ah yes, someone mentioned the Tocharians. It's true, there were full fledged blonde blue eyed caucasians in western China back in the day. And to think these accounts were once scoffed at by archaelogists. All that changed in 1977.
chinatown Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 17:05:26 (PST) [67.98.161.178]

Havent been here for a long while, but it looks like things havent changed any.
Sean
another voice Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 16:56:43 (PST) [68.9.169.159]

"Coreans are the epitome of what an ideal asian looks like...good looking, tall, bigger build, higher cheekbones, intellegent, great culture/personality, and of course a perfectly scientific language/alphabet rated second best in the modern world next to french, not too twangy/funky like chinese or too rough/gutteral like japanese. Perfectly in the middle. Chinese has too many characters, japanese dosent have enough for the language, Coreans like always are just right."

You should win a Nobel prize for your intelligent analysis. I kid.
another voice Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 16:46:20 (PST) [68.9.169.159]

Its industrial base is quickly being hollowed out and transferred to China. It is all going to be downhill from here. That means that its chances of catching up to the other three little tigers are slim in the future, even though they too have stalled.
Korea is not First World

Another attempt by a Chinese to discredit South Corea's achivements.
Comparing little coutry such as Singapore with maybe 3 million people to Corea's almost 50 million in per capita income is like comparing apples to oranges. I'm on to your tactic. Look at all the Chinese in China sneaking out of China. Life in China must be that good.
detective Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 16:33:11 (PST) [205.188.208.102]

Koreans know that their country has its shortcomings, and that it is most definitely not first world yet, but neither are the other dragon economies. Let me explain why Korea has the most potential among the four to become a truly powerful economy. First, Korea is the most prominent and developed among the four due to its advantage in population, higher level of technology (esp. IT), much greater importance to the world economy, etc. All this despite starting out with more disadvantages than the other three did combined. Next, Korea has supreme confidence ever since the IMF crisis in 97. With the exception of China, Korea's growth has surpassed that of its competitors since that year. Taiwan, HK, Singapore are stagnating whereas Korea is still surging ahead. And finally, the Korean resilience and fighting spirit is unmatched in Asia. You better believe that Korea will do everything in its power to maintain the momentum it enjoys.
a Korean who knows Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 13:12:28 (PST) [65.166.9.133]

Vietnamese are the friendliest people
steve Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 12:42:20 (PST) [208.250.81.107]

Don't Be Jealous,

Actually, you're wrong. It's the Indians in America that earn the most money. Not to mention the most educated. Nearly 89% out of all Indian adults graduated high school and an astonishing 67% have atleast a bachelors degree. Not to mention well over 30% out all MD's in the U.S. are of Indian descent. Funny thing is the most successful Asian group here in the U.S. are not even looked at as Asian to alotta people.
Anaheim Native Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 12:29:22 (PST) [138.23.59.245]

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