Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
“Another player, from the Pohang Steelers, is accused of allegedly betting on the match after finding out the outcome would be rigged.” It looks like some major sports in Asia have fallen on hard times, ethically speaking. You may remember the huge sumo scandal in Japan last February, when it was discovered that 25 wrestlers and coaches were implicated in fixing matches and forced to retire. The scandal also forced the cancellation of all the regular sumo tournaments until this coming July. Well, in South Korea it looks like match fixing is at the center of a breaking scandal in that country’s professional soccer league. At least 10 players from three teams, the Daejeon Citizens, the Pohang Steelers, and Gwangju FC, have been accused of taking huge bribes to throw games or manipulate the outcomes. Needless to say, the South Korean sports ministry is furious, and intends to impose fines, jail terms and lifetime banishment on any soccer player found guilty in the match-fixing scheme. (BBC News Asia-Pacific – South Korean Soccer Bribes)
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“Choi’s voice simply astounds, proving that you really never know who has an amazing talent.” Okay, you may have heard about this story already, and perhaps seen the video. What no one can deny is that Korean Song-bong Choi does have an amazing voice, and most of his personal story is tough and heart-rending to hear. But, as is sometimes the case with these talent shows in various countries, the singer’s story is not as straight-forward and upfront as presented on TV. Choi, for example, didn’t just walk off the street from his day laborer’s job and start pumping out opera-quality vocals. He attended a high school for the performing arts, where he received vocal training. This fact was conveniently edited out of his conversation with the judges he spoke to on Korea’s Got Talent. Not a huge controversy, but enough to give us pause yet again when considering how seriously to take TV talent shows. (Huffington Post – Hard-luck Korean Songbird) Additional details about Song-bong Choi from TIME Newsfeed: Korean Singer Had Training. [youtube]KOWL_UFA-lI[/youtube]
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