April 4
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A consulting firm said Thursday that it was putting together a group of plaintiffs who would sue U.S. comedian Jay Leno, accusing him of making racist remarks about South Koreans.
The host of American NBC-TV`s ``Tonight Show` angered many South Koreans in February when he joked that South Korea`s short-track skater, Kim Dong-sung, who was disqualified in a Salt Lake City Olympic race, must have been angry enough to have kicked and eaten a dog when he returned home.
MCIC Group, a Seoul-based consulting firm, posted an appeal at its Web site (
www.mcic.info) asking South Koreans to join a lawsuit against Leno.
``We believe the underlying logic is that `All South Koreans eat dog. Kim Dong-sung is a South Korean. So, Kim Dong-sung eats dog,` said the Web site`s statement. ``We have concluded that this was an absurd remark based on racial discrimination against all South Koreans.`
The Web site gave no further details of its legal plans. MCIC officials were not immediately available for comments late Thursday.
In the Winter Olympics` 1,500-meter race, Kim crossed the finish line first, but was disqualified for impeding the course of American Apolo Anton Ohno, who was awarded the gold.
South Korean officials angrily protested what they believed was a ``misjudgment.` Their appeal was rejected by Olympic officials.
South Korean fans posted numerous anti-American statements on the Internet ridiculing Ohno and criticizing the Olympic ruling.
Angered South Koreans have launched online campaigns to boycott U.S. goods. The campaigns fizzled out in a few weeks.
Many South Koreans, mostly men, eat dog meat, which they believe enhances their sexual prowess. But others shun canine flesh.
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