Drunken Ramblings: Korea Has Some Seriously Fucked Up Journalism

For a country that is actually grabbing international attention for its pop entertainment industry, it simply astounds me that the majority of the articles written about Korean entertainment in Korea are barely intelligible.

I mean, fuck, the shit I write on here wasted as hell (like right now) is more understandable than whatever the fuck is going on over the pond.

Take this article over at allkpop for example.

I started out intending to write about this new restaurant jazz that SM Entertainment is trying to pull, but was instead completely and utterly distracted by the ridiculously poor writing that this article showcases. Now, granted, this is a direct translation, but even so, there are some writing crimes here that cross the language barrier.

Here’s an excerpt from the body:

SM Kraze will build upon the current Hallyu phenomenon and develop itself as a global business by advancing overseas, creating a steppingstone into the international dining market.

SM Kraze will reflect upon the demands of the consumers and create a new culture of dining by grafting various E-factors, creating a new business model in the restaurant business by fusing entertainment and fine dining.

SM Kraze will be launching their very first ‘new style of PUB’ flagship store in Chungdam-dong within the first half of the year.

Notice how these three consecutive lines each begin with “SM Kraze“? Yes, we get that you’re fucking talking about SM Kraze.

Maybe you need to restate shit like that for a three-year old that’s reading for the first time, but I assume that anyone reading an article on the Internet would at least have the literacy skills of a ten-year old. Moreover, repeating the same “SM Kraze will…” structure over and over again is just lousy journalism.

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What annoys me even more, though, is the author’s attempt at sounding intelligent through the shit-ton of cryptic and flowery language embedded into the article. “Hallyu phenomenon“, “grafting various E-factors“, and “‘new style of PUB’ flagship store“.

WHAT THE FUCK IS ANY OF THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!

The point of journalism is to inform an audience about a specific topic in layman’s terms. The only thing I got from this article is that SM is opening some kind of restaurant. There is no indication of what kind of food they’re planning to serve, what their business model is like, and there’s only information on one enterprise as far as when they’re planning to open these restaurants and where these restaurants are going to be located.

I’m left feeling confused, frustrated, and annoyed (more than I usually am).

I would gladly serve as the chief editor for any of these Korean news portals (pro bono!), if only to see this sorry excuse for journalism wiped from the face of the Internet.