It was a long time ago. As a journalist who joined the National Police Agency in his early years, he met Dr. Shin in a private setting.
Dr. Shin, who is now deceased, was a war orphan born in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. While working in the U.S. military, he was adopted by an American family and later transformed into one of the few politicians who experienced both the U.S. university professors and the House of Representatives and senators, leaving many achievements.
Dr. Shin once said this when he met with a journalist a long time ago. “Why do Korean journalists keep calling Park Chan-ho the ‘Oriental Express?'” he once said.
Park Chan-ho, who became the first Korean to enter the Major League, rose to prominence by serving as an ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers, his then-team, since 1997. After winning 14 games that year, Park won 15-13-18-15, securing double-digit wins for five consecutive seasons. It was his heyday. It was a time when people used to describe Park as the “Oriental Express.” The Korean media mainly described Park as such.
Dr. Shin, who was a senator from Washington state at the time, was engaged in legislative activities to prevent the public use of the word “Oriental” in the United States. The simple dictionary meaning of “Oriental” contains the meaning of “Oriental” and “Oriental,” but the reality was different.
In the U.S., the actual meaning of “Oriental” is used to denigrate Koreans and other Asians. In other words, it is in the same vein as referring to black people as “Nxxxx.”
Dr. Shin’s hard work with the expression “oriental” has paid off. Washington state agreed with Dr. Shin’s idea and enacted a law to ban the use of the expression “oriental” in official documents used by all public institutions, including educational institutions. Instead, the U.S. government decided to use the expression “Asian” or “Asian.”
Dr. Shin’s years of efforts have prevented most public institutions and educational institutions in the 50 states of the United States from using the expression “Oriental” because it means disparaging Asians. A journalist who was well-influenced by Dr. Shin also tried to correct the expression “Oriental” when he caught sight of it.
Due to the influence of the Korean Wave, which is expressed in K-dramas and K-pop, various Korean foods are now available in the U.S. The popularity of Korean food is also beyond imagination. Korean ramyun has become so common in large U.S. retail stores. 스포츠토토
However, that was not the case just a few decades ago. And the English expression on most Korean instant noodles that were most popular at the time was “Oriental Style Instant Noodle.” I think they used the expression to mean “Oriental Style Instant Noodle.”
The journalist, who personally respected Dr. Shin, sent an e-mail to the company to introduce his legislative activities and suggested replacing the English name “Oriental” with “Asian.” The company gladly offered to replace the Asian style…The English translation was changed to “Asian Style Instant Noodle.” Recently, it has been further developed and changed to “Korean style.”
When I go on a business trip to the U.S. to cover the Major League scene, sometimes I see the English word “Oriental” on the sign of a Korean restaurant or grocery store. At the same time, I also recall the joyous smile that was Shin’s trademark while I was alive. Then I end up talking to myself without realizing it,
“Dr. Shin, I’m going to sell again. I’ll suggest you change the notation to ‘Asian’ instead of ‘Oriental’.”
I hope Park Chan-ho will no longer be described as an “Oriental Express” to honor the precious efforts and achievements of the late Dr. Shin.
