Japanese game magazine runs 'defamatory' cartoons

A popular Japanese game magazine has stirred up a controversy by running cartoons that some consider insulting to Korea.

``Famitsu (www.famitsu.com)¡¯¡¯magazine ran cartoons on Seoul's Yongsan Electronics Market in its Dec. 15, Dec. 29 and Jan. 4 editions.

In the cartoons, the magazine alleged that Korea has an ``illegal copy culture,¡¯¡¯ giving rise to a controversy among Korean netizens who read the magazine on the Internet.

In the cartoon printed in the Dec. 29 edition, a Japanese man proposes to colleagues that they look around the shopping area, which he calls a ``thieves' market.¡¯¡¯

Another cartoon carried a caption reading, ``There are few cars in Korea whose bumpers are not damaged due to bad driving.¡¯¡¯

The controversial cartoons also appear on the domestic Internet site, ``Ruliweb (www.ruliweb.com).¡¯¡¯ Korean netizens had mixed reactions to the controversy. One said that he disliked the cartoons, but had to admit that they were true. Another said, ``The contents are true, but I feel upset because they defame Korea.¡¯¡¯