I agree with you. It is terrible to reveal that kind of information about the parents. Apparently there has already been grafitti in their home town that says "kill Cho's family." More killing of innocent people. Isn't there enough of that going on in the world???????? The American media is not about reponsible reporting - it is about sensationalism..everyone knows that. .

i cant believe they would do that. Dont these people think before they start putting stuff like that int he papers. LIKE SERIOUSLY!! Cho's parents are going through a hard time as other families who were affected in Cho's madness. Its not fair to Cho's parents to have their personal information all over like that.

IMHO, I think his parents owe it to society to start talking. Where were/are they? What did they do or not do to contribute to this tragedy? Their experience might benefit others, or, at least, help explain what happened. Their distance and silence disturbs me. Perhaps it's no wonder Cho was so disturbed.

dear diane, please get a clue.
cho's parents are currently hospitalized because of shock. your pedestrian opinion disturbs me.

no one will really know how intimately they knew their son's illness. sources report he was diagnosed with autism when his family came to the states in '92. furthermore, i think it's actually up to the university bureaucrats to start talking since they had numerous reports concerned about cho's behavior and mental state, yet did nothing. and they did little more than that after the first killings in the dorm.

his parents' lives are destroyed, and the media is, as this blog states, distateful, sensationalist, etc. in their acquiescence to give the personal information of his parents, as well as airing his footage.

let's think about how this country deals - or doesn't - with mental health issues and access to handguns. just to start.

Diane, unfortunately it is because of people like you that Cho turned out so disturbed. The boy had deep psychological issues and it took years for him to get to this tremendous eruptive point. I know exactly the type of family and situation he grew up in. All of my cousins are like Cho - born in South Korea, brought here with their parents in search of a better opportunity. Cho's parents are immigrants and they came here to make a better living so they could send their son to a good school and give him a better chance to live a prosperous life...the life they could not make for themselves. That is what korean parents DO.

I don't forgive or even begin to accept Cho's actions or reasons for his actions, but what has happened has happened and what people need to focus on is - what do WE, as a COMMUNITY of MANY cultures learn from all of this. How do we teach our children to learn from this? Evil begets evil, it is up to us to ensure our children become BETTER people because of the terrible actions of one. If we don't, we might as well keep doing what we've been doing and make snap judgements about things we know nothing about.

Diane - Cho's parents have not spoken publicly for reasons we don't know and we WON'T know until they speak up. They just lost a son, in more ways than one. They lost their son, but they also discovered that their son was deeply disturbed - a reflection of failure on them as parents. They also discovered the immense guilt towards those mourning because of their failure to raise a good son. They have more to deal with than you are giving them slack for because YOU want answers. They don't OWE us anything. They have plenty to live with for the rest of their lives...thanks to their son and all of those individuals along the way who helped him become who he became.

This is a tear in the basic fabric of the American culture...the sad part is, its always been there...we never do an adequate job as a community to stitch it up properly. The time is now. We must not perpetuate the hate, but teach love. If we don't, there is very little hope.

JP, THANK YOU. Cho's parents don't OWE us anything. They feel bad enough and people like you are going to torture them furthermore by your simpleton ranting? Get a clue and get an education.

If out of nothing else but respect for the families of the people that this Cho slaughtered, his parents need to step up and say something... anything... if they can't speak English, i'm sure someone would interpret for them. Saying "we're sorry" can't be that much of a stretch. I don't feel a thing for them.

sk8rgurl, they did. Check out the following statement issued by his sister on behalf of the family.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070420/ap_on_re_us/virginia_tech_shooting

Wow sk8rgurl, I give you the award for most ignorant comment.

I imagine they speak english, they run a business in their home town and their children were both educated in the United States at excellent schools (Virginia Tech and Princeton).

Most likely, they did an excellent job raising their children as JP has pointed out. At 23 years of age, the only person responsible for Cho's actions are Cho.

His family must be going through pains that no family should ever have to endure.

They owe us nothing. We owe them some privacy.

Personally, I don't blame sk8rgurl for her ignorance, the media from day 1 has made sure that the world would view Cho as not just a killer, not even an Asian killer, but a Korean immigrant or Korean National killer. They are making this out to be a racial issue and it's just pathetic. That's why ignorance is born out of the community. They start thinking, they weren't real Americans so that makes them the enemy. They probably can't speak English.
Yes, they are deeply sorry for everything that's happened but I agree with Ryan when he says that we owe them some privacy at the moment. Let's stick with the old saying that until you walk in their shoes, don't be so quick to judge them. I feel for the victims' families and am praying with all that I have for their losses and their strength to deal with their losses. But I also pray for Cho's family too- they shouldn't be excluded.

Carmen, I did read the apology, I still don't feel a thing for them. I also watched the interview w/his great-aunt and even she called him an idiot...if you took offense, certainly i meant none. So thanks for calling me ignorant, you made my day.

sk8rgurl, first of all, I was not the only one calling you ignorant. Actually, that's a really harsh term and I apologize for the name-calling (I was just feeling a little on-edge over all these VT stories). Your statement "I still don't feel a thing for them" kind of troubles me. I think that you are just being really cold. Imagine if your brother went on a murderous rampage. Would you hold your parents responsible? Or would you feel nothing for your parents? Think about if it was your family. And then make your statement.
BTW, the fact that his great-aunt called him an idiot doesn't justify that the rest of us should feel nothing for the family. And let's not forget the victim's families. One of the victim's mother has been interviewed saying that she feels sorry for Cho's family and that it's not their fault for what happened. If this woman can understand and feel for his poor parents and sister then why can't the rest of us?

No one called you ignorant, I called your comment ignorant. Reading it over again I stand by my statement. There is no other way for me to interpret your words: "if they can't speak English, i'm sure someone would interpret for them. Saying "we're sorry" can't be that much of a stretch. I don't feel a thing for them."

Memorial and Tribute to Cho Seung-Hui

Its unfortunate that over time you felt the need to finally carryout your pain on so many people, that had no idea why you did what you did.

Did they know that for years you had been made fun of, mocked, slapped, laughed at, poked at, spit on, yelled at, beat up, snickered at, called racial slurs, had pranks played on you, things stolen, given pharmaceutical drugs to cover up your pain, told what to do, never listened to, made fun of speech, and looks, shunned by women, talked about behind your back, and so many cruel and inhumane treatments reserved only for those that do these things to others, that are ignorant of their ignorance.

There is no real understandable excuse for murder, as their is no real understandable excuse for the taunting and ridicule you received for so many years. You only did what you felt would cease the torment. Who do we directly blame? Not you, Cho Seung-Hui for you vented the only way you knew how considering the circumstances. You cannot blame your parents or relatives for your decisions, but only those that tormented you, and made fun of you without regard to your feelings as a human. You found it in your heart to take back the lives of 30 plus people and change the destinies of many more. You have finally gotten the attention of the President of the USA, and many other celebrities. You will be remembered in history as a madman that murdered so many people at Virginia Tech University and by others, that a human being died that day.

Cho Seung-Hui, you will be remembered as a human being who cried out for help, and nobody cared to listen until now. Your death will no doubt change many laws and procedures in mental health, as well as the educational system.

You did not die in vain Cho Seung-Hui.

Some will honor your death with humble forgiveness.

Cho Seung-Hui, this short letter is a Memorial of your death, because despite your faults and reasons, you too were a human being created by God.

Cho Seung-Hui , you succeeded to almost finish your 4 year degree at a very prestigious university almost undetected. That deserves recognition as does all of your other unknown accomplishments that only you, your family and a few others are aware of. You were a proud Korean and an American Citizen by rights also deserves recognition.

You used parts of the American system to gain your revenge, as do others that wish to carry out acts of violence.

Cho Seung-Hui, the tribute, is for you being a good son to your parents and siblings , again despite your faults, as we all have. You will be missed by many people and hated and despised by a nation of lost sheep, who cast stones at glass houses.

Cho Seung-Hui, you have been forgiven for what you did.

While people of America are shocked, families of the dead at Virginia Tech are mourning, lawyers shaping their pencils, news media enjoying ratings, political capital being gained, movie deals and books in the wings, the world still moves forward.

God will have mercy on your soul, Cho Seung-Hui because God knows how to forgive and forget.

Thru all of this madness, Cho Seung-Hui, I wanted you to know that you too died of the 32/33, and were a student at Virginia Tech, a Korean/American who had feelings, as do we all and that you to, are Memorialized with reverence.

Sincerely,

A Human Being

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

In Memoriam
We Remember

Ross Abdallah Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian Roy Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Cho Seung-Hui
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee
Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O'Neil
J. Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Daniel Alejandro Perez
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole White

To Human Being, I understand that we should try to understand Cho and forgive him for what he has done- but I think you have gone a little far by posting a memorial and tribute to him. As a minority, I know what it feels like to be a victom of racism, but people like me don't get bottled up with anger. SICK people like Cho should be locked away forever or executed like Ted Bundy. Cho has ruined too many lives to be forgiven so easily. I know somebody who is in critical condition because he was shot in the face, and his life will be changed forever due to Cho's unspeakable actions.