I am a Korean woman and I have been a tourist in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao,

and Burma for the past seven weeks. I have traveled much and seen many beautiful

and wonderful things, but one thing I have seen that is not beautiful and wonderful

is the Ugly Korean. This makes me so ashamed!

The international school hostage crisis in Siem Reap was the result of a Korean man

who was being an Ugly Korean and beat his Cambodian staffmember. The staffmember

then killed a small boy because of this beating. I know that the Korean man did not

kill the boy, but the Korean man started the events that ended up in his horrible

death.

To all my fellow Koreans in Southeast Asia, I have been watching you and I do not

like what I see. We are rough and unskilled in being with other people. We are loud

and rude. We beat our local staff when we are angry. We get drunk and scream, then

vomit in public. I have returned to my hotel five times and cried myself to sleep

because of my shame during my travels - we appear as savages in such a kind and gentle

land.

To the father and mother of Maxim Michalik, I offer my condolences. On behalf of

the Korean man at Arirang Restaurant in Cambodia, I deeply and sincerely apologize.

To all people of Cambodia, and other nations in Southeast Asia, please forgive Ugly

Koreans.

Kim Mi Sook, Tourist