Comments on: Well, I’ll be damned http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/ Korea... in Blog Format Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:10:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: dogbert http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13840 dogbert Mon, 11 Apr 2005 17:20:20 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13840 For HK, just take a look at the modelminority.com or soompi.com forums. You can find many kindred spirits there. For HK, just take a look at the modelminority.com or soompi.com forums. You can find many kindred spirits there.

]]> By: baduk http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13839 baduk Sun, 10 Apr 2005 14:49:50 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13839 Ditto your post, Non Korean. I like to add one more thing. You forgot to mention China is still a poor country. China's per-capita income is about 1/20 of Korea's. Poor countries when they become your master, they take your stuff: your jobs, your cars, your houses, your food and your women. Moving close to China is a big mistake. Ditto your post, Non Korean.

I like to add one more thing.

You forgot to mention China is still a poor country. China’s per-capita income is about 1/20 of Korea’s. Poor countries when they become your master, they take your stuff: your jobs, your cars, your houses, your food and your women.

Moving close to China is a big mistake.

]]> By: wooj http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13838 wooj Sun, 10 Apr 2005 14:10:54 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13838 Marmot - No, I don??t have to explain anything to you. [...] Jesus, first Gerry with the ?橫I??m avoiding sensitive topics,?? and now you with the ??I??m trying to make Korea look bad.?? As I said before, I have no intention what so ever of explaining myself to you. I will say, however, that if you don??t like my blog, don??t read it...[snip] Look on the bright side. It at least means that lots of people give a damn about what you say and think they mean something. Nobody sure as hell asks ME what MY credentials are or question MY accountability for the stuff I write. Marmot -

No, I don??t have to explain anything to you.
[...]
Jesus, first Gerry with the ?橫I??m avoiding sensitive topics,?? and now you with the ??I??m trying to make Korea look bad.?? As I said before, I have no intention what so ever of explaining myself to you. I will say, however, that if you don??t like my blog, don??t read it…[snip]

Look on the bright side. It at least means that lots of people give a damn about what you say and think they mean something. Nobody sure as hell asks ME what MY credentials are or question MY accountability for the stuff I write.

]]> By: non korean http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13837 non korean Sun, 10 Apr 2005 01:06:37 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13837 Sa Hwa Dong. I'm not saying Korea should move away from the US, only that it could in the future IF there was a democratic tradition in China. Korea should be friends with both in that case. If Korea was unified and there was a democratic China, there might not be a need for US troops and the alliance does not have to be as strong as it is today (correction as it was a few years ago). Noolji. I think it is a huge mistake for Korea to play both sides at this point. Over a hundred years ago Korea was trying to play sides with a few sharks and was taken over. Right now China is a shark and the US is a puppy dog. Play with the puppy dog until that shark turns into a dolphin- if it ever does. If not you might be a sharks dinner AGAIN. Don't repeat the same mistakes of Korea's past. It is up to China if they will ever be a superpower- not the US. If China becomes a truly democratic nation not bent on taking over other countries and not giving them back, the US and China can coexist very well. Again that is a big IF. Sa Hwa Dong. I’m not saying Korea should move away from the US, only that it could in the future IF there was a democratic tradition in China. Korea should be friends with both in that case. If Korea was unified and there was a democratic China, there might not be a need for US troops and the alliance does not have to be as strong as it is today (correction as it was a few years ago).

Noolji. I think it is a huge mistake for Korea to play both sides at this point. Over a hundred years ago Korea was trying to play sides with a few sharks and was taken over. Right now China is a shark and the US is a puppy dog. Play with the puppy dog until that shark turns into a dolphin- if it ever does. If not you might be a sharks dinner AGAIN. Don’t repeat the same mistakes of Korea’s past.

It is up to China if they will ever be a superpower- not the US. If China becomes a truly democratic nation not bent on taking over other countries and not giving them back, the US and China can coexist very well. Again that is a big IF.

]]> By: noolji maripkan http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13836 noolji maripkan Sat, 09 Apr 2005 23:16:50 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13836 'if china becomes democratic, why would korea have to move away from the us?' sa hwa dong doesn't matter if china becomes a democracy since the us (most likely under republican presidents) will do whatever it can to prevent china from becoming a superpower. therefore the central question for korea is how it can best benefit from the coming antagonism between the dragon and the eagle. japan has chosen sides too quickly. korea should not make the same mistake. ‘if china becomes democratic, why would korea have to move away from the us?’ sa hwa dong

doesn’t matter if china becomes a democracy since the us (most likely under republican presidents) will do whatever it can to prevent china from becoming a superpower. therefore the central question for korea is how it can best benefit from the coming antagonism between the dragon and the eagle. japan has chosen sides too quickly. korea should not make the same mistake.

]]> By: Zhang Fei http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13835 Zhang Fei Sat, 09 Apr 2005 22:39:37 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13835 It makes sense for South Korea (aka Outer Gaogouli Autonomous Region) to be China's buffer region - that's the role it's served for hundreds of years. I don't think the Chinese actually think of Korea (North or South) as a balancer, though. It's more like a speed bump. It makes sense for South Korea (aka Outer Gaogouli Autonomous Region) to be China’s buffer region - that’s the role it’s served for hundreds of years. I don’t think the Chinese actually think of Korea (North or South) as a balancer, though. It’s more like a speed bump.

]]> By: gbnhj http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13834 gbnhj Sat, 09 Apr 2005 16:15:34 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13834 Teachers further benefit from a housing clause in their contracts. This single item represents a savings of thousands of dollars to a teacher per year, relative to a teaching position in Canada or the US. Of course, conditions of housing vary, and I do not mean to suggest that what teachers get is 'easy money' (I don't mean to suggest the opposite, either), but it's significant nonetheless. Factor in tax-free status in a teacher's home country (while paying significantly lower taxes to the Korean government), and it's easy to see that teachers are not paid poorly, whether by the standards of their home country or the teaching profession. For most of these teachers, such considerations are never consciously considered. As Jing notes (although I wouldn't use his calculus), it is the teacher's income in relation to per-capita income which marks their capacity to spend or save. Let's quit slagging and get back to the thread: Sa Hwa Dong wrote [Let??s say China goes democratic, why would Korea need to loosen ties with the US? It seems to me, the more eggs you have in your basket, the better off you are.] I agree with your logic, but do you really think that that's what's likely to happen? It seems to me that Korea's passionate embrace of ideas or issues leaves little room for any other to compete, so I could as easily see Korea-US relations languishing, while Korea-China relations develop at pace. Teachers further benefit from a housing clause in their contracts. This single item represents a savings of thousands of dollars to a teacher per year, relative to a teaching position in Canada or the US. Of course, conditions of housing vary, and I do not mean to suggest that what teachers get is ‘easy money’ (I don’t mean to suggest the opposite, either), but it’s significant nonetheless.
Factor in tax-free status in a teacher’s home country (while paying significantly lower taxes to the Korean government), and it’s easy to see that teachers are not paid poorly, whether by the standards of their home country or the teaching profession.
For most of these teachers, such considerations are never consciously considered. As Jing notes (although I wouldn’t use his calculus), it is the teacher’s income in relation to per-capita income which marks their capacity to spend or save.

Let’s quit slagging and get back to the thread:

Sa Hwa Dong wrote
[Let??s say China goes democratic, why would Korea need to loosen ties with the US? It seems to me, the more eggs you have in your basket, the better off you are.]
I agree with your logic, but do you really think that that’s what’s likely to happen? It seems to me that Korea’s passionate embrace of ideas or issues leaves little room for any other to compete, so I could as easily see Korea-US relations languishing, while Korea-China relations develop at pace.

]]> By: Jing http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13833 Jing Sat, 09 Apr 2005 13:54:43 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13833 Actually 30k U.S. Dollars annually after taxes is quite a nice wage in South Korea. While South Korea's per capita income based on purchasing power parity is around 18k per year, the raw exchange is only I believe close to 14k per year. So if one were to make 30k U.S. Dollars in South Korea, it is over 2 times the average salary and making one firmly middle class. To juxtapose it with America, earning 30k U.S. dollars would be the equivalent of nearly earning 70k dollars in America, a respectable income by anyone's measurements. Actually 30k U.S. Dollars annually after taxes is quite a nice wage in South Korea. While South Korea’s per capita income based on purchasing power parity is around 18k per year, the raw exchange is only I believe close to 14k per year. So if one were to make 30k U.S. Dollars in South Korea, it is over 2 times the average salary and making one firmly middle class. To juxtapose it with America, earning 30k U.S. dollars would be the equivalent of nearly earning 70k dollars in America, a respectable income by anyone’s measurements.

]]> By: Marmot http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13832 Marmot Sat, 09 Apr 2005 13:43:02 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13832 HK: English teachers are the only people I know of that move to a foreign country while complaining about how much that country sucks. I suggest you get to know more people then. HK: Can??t you find employment back home then? I mean, they don??t even pay you that much in Korea (and no?? $30k after tax is not a lot??? that??s what a high school kid makes). Surely, you can find a better paying job here in America. Beats me. Ask an English teacher. HK: English teachers are the only people I know of that move to a foreign country while complaining about how much that country sucks.

I suggest you get to know more people then.

HK: Can??t you find employment back home then? I mean, they don??t even pay you that much in Korea (and no?? $30k after tax is not a lot??? that??s what a high school kid makes). Surely, you can find a better paying job here in America.

Beats me. Ask an English teacher.

]]> By: hk http://www.rjkoehler.com/2005/04/08/well-ill-be-damned/#comment-13831 hk Sat, 09 Apr 2005 13:36:40 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1540#comment-13831 Someone wrote something about kyopos who live in the US who bitch and whine about the US. Let's see a link to some of these sites. I for one, have not seen a blog like this. That's the thing... English teachers are the only people I know of that move to a foreign country while complaining about how much that country sucks. Can't you find employment back home then? I mean, they don't even pay you that much in Korea (and no... $30k after tax is not a lot... that's what a high school kid makes). Surely, you can find a better paying job here in America. Someone wrote something about kyopos who live in the US who bitch and whine about the US. Let’s see a link to some of these sites. I for one, have not seen a blog like this.

That’s the thing… English teachers are the only people I know of that move to a foreign country while complaining about how much that country sucks. Can’t you find employment back home then? I mean, they don’t even pay you that much in Korea (and no… $30k after tax is not a lot… that’s what a high school kid makes). Surely, you can find a better paying job here in America.

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