Daily Lessons from Life 08 May 2012 - S. Korea cracks down on China baby flesh capsules

"S. Korea cracks down on China baby flesh capsules - AFP 08 May 2012

SEOUL: South Korea has intensified a crackdown on the smuggling of capsules from China containing the powdered flesh of dead babies, taken by some as a cure for disease or a way to boost sexual performance, a customs official said Tuesday.

The gruesome practice came to light Sunday when Korea Customs said it had uncovered 35 attempts to import a total of 17,451 such capsules since last August.

The pills -- filled with the dried and powdered flesh of foetuses or dead infants -- were intercepted in the mail or in customs searches at airports.

The customs service said that apart from ethical questions, the capsules were contaminated with "super bacteria" and other disease-causing organisms.

Bringing in such pills breaches a regulation banning items that "violate social dignity and customs", he said.

No organised attempts to smuggle in the capsules have so far been detected, Kim said, and most offenders were individual travellers. Some claimed they were unaware of what they were carrying.

Chosun Ilbo newspaper said the human-flesh capsules sell for 40,000-50,000 won (US$35-44) each at some oriental herbal medicine shops.

Experts say the practice stems from a superstitious belief that eating body parts of young infants will give one special physical strength or cure disease.

Maeil Business Newspaper urged the Chinese government Tuesday to crack down on producers of the human-flesh capsules and impose heavy punishments, calling the practice "truly shocking."

"No government in the world could possibly understand the Chinese government for letting such an inhuman practice go unpunished," it said in an editorial.

It added that desperate cancer patients and construction workers from China undertaking gruelling work were the main customers in the South.

"I'm trembling with shock that people who eat such stuff are my compatriots," one anonymous South Korean Internet user commented. Another called the practice "absolutely hideous"."

A terrible, horrible, and sicked practice for sure for normal human being. IF NOT for the mention that 'desperate cancer patients (not sure about those 'desperate construction workers')' from China were the main customers, I would have totally dismissed it as idiotic and absolutely ignorant!

Lessons for me are:

1. if this practice is true and if the government knows SOMEONE is making these capsules, and more importantly how the dead babies or foetus were obtained, it is indeed a very dark day for the Chinese and the government when no enforcement efforts were taken;

2. while it shows some section of the human race are STILL very superstitious or desperate to avoid death, they can do ANYTHING!! Anything!! Is it right to judge them by the 'normal' standard? Obviously YES if the 'anything' that they do include killing innocent babies/feotus to get the raw materials for the capsules. As the same time, IF these are legitimate, can this practice be considered one of those taboos documentaries that we see on NGC or Discovery Channel where some human being in this world DO perform shocking rituals or EAT unbelievably nasty and stomach churning food or drink, or in this case, 'medicine'? I was ready to condemned until I read about the 'desperate' cancer patients;

3. still, by most standard, this practice is unhealthy and based on ignorance. At the same time, it is also economically profitable judging by the prices the capsules supposedly command. Is this another case of the 'black hearted merchants strike again'?

May the capsules' raw materials be legally obtained type rather than through murders! As for should this practice be allowed? I say 'No' though I am not sure the 'desperate' cancer patients will acknowledge that the capsules are just a lie by the 'black hearted merchants'!!