Comments on: NYT on S. Korean video game ban

By: green spacer

green spacer — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 07:47:56 +0000

you have to go and see this!
http://greenspacesg.blogspot.com/

By: dda

dda — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 04:06:46 +0000

“Korea’s already got a bad rep for piracy, now it will get one for suppressing free speech and legal commerce.”

Well, the censorship issue isn’t exactly new either. But when censorship meets piracy, what do you get? Mercenaries, Ghost Recon et altri sold in Yongsan in the very light-grey market…

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 02:54:48 +0000

What I would really like to see happen is international condemnation of marking products made in Kaesong as “South Korean” when they are made with N. Korean labor in opaque circumstances with no international oversight. We know the N. Koreans are working for less money than their “brothers” in the South–that’s the whole point of setting up in Kaesong–but don’t know much about their working conditions or the financial arrangement that has them working there. It just looks like a giant sweatshop for S. Korean companies to profit from cheap N. Korean labor with no competition (companies from other countries haven’t been invited to set up there) and a non-transparent cash flow to Pyongyang. It should be brought up at the WTO.

By: Wedge

Wedge — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 02:35:27 +0000

In this vein, I expect a post on our ambassador mentioning the Norks as running the first state-sponsored counterfeiting operation since Hitler [cough, Marmot]. Bad ambassador, don’t you inderstand? It’s better to not anger our brothers up north. They’re not responsible for their actions, only we are.

I was at a party once and bullshat with a newly minted Secret Service agent for a while. He mentioned that as part of their training they were asked to identify flaws in a North Korean “super note” (i.e. $100). After long, intense scrutiny the whole class gave up. It turned out the Norks added one extra brick to Independence Hall so they could identify their own fakes.

In the 19th Century wars were started over less provocative state actions.

By: rowan

rowan — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 01:57:23 +0000

I’ve just been reading some accounts of north koreans, and for some reason its really shocked me. not that there was really anything that i haven’t heard before, but it really hit home for some reason. i am wondering what we can actually do other than just discuss this on an online blog that really has very little impact (no offence).

I was wondering if a boycott korea campaign with some stories from north korea, and south koreas reaction, or lack there of may be effective in drawing some more attention to korea, and perhaps hitting them where it hurts (the hip pocket). perhaps i’d be beter served asking this over at one free korea, but just thought i’d ask it here, and i’ll prob ask it there too.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 00:58:27 +0000

S. Korea loves to boast about its “online penetration” (my, what a big cable you have) and how that puts them up with the “advanced” nations, but when it comes to content, when the country isn’t busy pulling the plug on Web sites (remember, Mr. Marmot?) it’s looking the other way on piracy:
“Korea leads the world in broadband penetration, and its citizens are among the most Internet-savvy in the world; yet its marketplace in every kind of copyrighted work is plagued by excessive levels of piracy, especially online, and much of its legal infrastructure is outmoded for a world of e-commerce in copyrighted materials.”
(From the International Intellectual Property Alliance 2005 report on S.K.)

Korea’s already got a bad rep for piracy, now it will get one for supressing free speech and legal commerce.