Brian provides more useful commentary on "The Poker-8". One can't help but agree with comments from Kushibo that in the audio provided by Korean Media Watch a certain amount of arrogance comes across from the protagonists as well as what seems to be a willing ignorance of Korean law concerning gambling.
Brian:
I've listened to the interview and read through most of the commentary available, and I have to say that while I've demonstrated a sympathy to foreigners being mistreated by the authorities, this group seems excessively annoying, ignorant, arrogant, and imbibed with a sense of entitlement
And as we all know, ignorance, is no excuse.
The fact that two of the eight tested positive for (presumably) cannabis use only strengthens the police case and that of the Media and it's sensationalist reportage. "The Foreign Menace" again makes it to the top of The Chosun Bimbo Ilbo's[한국어] home page for what might be the 4th day straight.
Kushibo also calls out Korean Media Watch for being biased:
starting with the biased-but-whoops-I-shouldn't-be-biased description by the Korean Media Watch representative at the beginning and one of the arrestees' comment that "poker was allegedly being played," as if he didn't know for sure. Ha ha ha... It's only been a minute and already the guy's being self-servingly deceptive. What are the odds he might just say all the stuff that will make him look as much like an innocent victim as possible?
The audio is all kinds of stupid. The supposedly objective "Korean Media Watch" is feeding lines and editorializing, and if it's the interviewer's voice I'm hearing, offering at least a little inaccurate information.
and
And the interviewer says, "It seems there are some legal differences between North America and here, but also some cultural differences." Nice downplaying, but it's still illegal.
I'm in two minds as to the bias or not of Korean Media Watch (and Michael Hurt the interviewer). Perhaps it's best framed as a high-road / low-road kind of thing. Take the moral high ground and win out eventually or play the Korea media at it's own game and get a few critical hits in while you're writhing around on the mat.
(Way too much UFC for me this week.)
Finally it's still not clear to what extent looking at events and people's Facebook profiles had in all this. A reality of Korean (if not straight up modern) policing is looking at posts and such on the internet. Much to my chagrin I have locked down my Facebook and Twitter, which is a disappointing but somewhat inevitable reaction to this little story.
It's a shame - especially considering the lack of any topless photos of me bombing beers through a funnel.
Oh well.
There's always The Bimbo I guess.