- Kevin at Big Hominid “crapped quite a big cyber-log” upon returning from Japan, and there’s quite a bit of insight stuck in it. Among other things, Kevin deals with the American-born Korean Zen monk Hyungak Sunim latest dharma talk, Koreans and moderation (or lack there of), modern Korean values, and the relationship between karma and pedophile priests. Just a teaser:
Anyway, back to the values question. Rich, well-traveled, thoroughly modern and technologized Koreans may take advantage of the trappings of Western culture, and the shape of their society may, in its legal and administrative aspects, be quite Westernized… but make no mistake: Koreans remain thoroughly Korean. I don’t think any truly fundamental Westernization has happened here.
- Ian at Kyungnam to Kyunggi Journal touches on the positive aspects of recession:
There’s some good financial news coming out of Korea. Overall, Korea has entered a recession, unrivalled since the currency crisis in 1997. That’s not the good news. Frankly, I don’t care, though. It’s the obvious outcome of all that B*S* last year, which continues to this day, whereby South Korea panders to the North and alienates it’s largest trading partner and ally, the U.S. Good on them. The good news is that the U.S. government has anounced intentions to investigate certain Asian countries that it suspects are artifically keeping their currencies low to aid their export business. Why is that good news? Because to escape the dragnet, the Korean Won has been going up, and up and up… As far as sending my savings home goes, we’re back in the money.
- Richard Bridle, UNICEF’s outgoing rep in North Korea, serves up a stinker in the Korea Herald. Just the ending:
Sustainable development in North Korea is said to be controversial. I can’t say that I feel there is anything controversial about more drinking water and more of the right food for the youngest children.
But, as I leave North Korea, don’t worry about my feelings. Give the children hope.
Rich, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about your feelings, and the only way kids in the DPRK will get any hope at all is when the Big Red Monster killing them is done away with once and for all.
- WIth the 6-party talks starting soon, Seoul’s planning to cave early - starting with its keynote address, apparently.
- Would someone help me understand this appointment?
- Last, but most certainly not least by any stretch of the imagination, Adam Morris over at PRC News deals with some of the questions leading up to the 6-party talks next week, including the (in my humble opinion, occasionally overemphasized) issue of face:
I cannot stress enough how important this aspect will play out. For example, without giving North Korea’s security in some public manner no deal can possibly be reached concerning nuclear weapons, for the North will have lost face (it’s made clear time and time again that’s what they want). China will not be willing to really go to bat for the US unless they can come out of it having gotten much credit and/or a high rise in international standing, which goes back to Sino-US relations. South Korea and Japan also will have their “face” issues, although their stake in it isn’t as high as is China’s.
And don’t miss Adam’s post on Chinese media coverage of its latest mustard gas victims.
3 Comments
Marmot:
I think in the south korean context you are right about the face issue. It’s overemphasized. However, in China and especially in politics the idea is very strong. Remember when the plane landed in Hainan? All of that back and forth was about China gaining face over the issue.
I want to read the SK keynote address in full. It will be very interesing to see just how bad it is. Will Noh make SK’s aid contingent on NK ending its nuclear program?
I say “overemphasized” because I believe there’s a tendency for the West to take the concept to extremes. And it’s not like the West lacks its own concept of face - although we tend to refer to it as “national prestige.” Anyway, I think Chuck Downs had a pretty interesting take on this all - during the ‘53 Korean War armistice negotiations, American negotiators were told to go out of their way to save their opponents “face” - this, they were told, was how Asians negotiate. The Chinese/DPRK side, on the other hand, was under the impression that Westerners a) lack face b) respect strength, and c) feel guilty when the other side acts if they were somehow grievously insulted. Both sides going into negotiations with such cultural misconceptions, the negotiations took on a rather bizarre format, with Communist negotiators repeatedly insulting American negotiators, and American negotiators bending over backwards to protect their insulters’ “face.”