An interesting little piece of Korea’s early modern history can be found on the grounds of the Korea Banking Institute in Samcheong-dong. This building, the Beonsachang, was Korea’s first modern armory, built by Chinese laborers in 1884.
This was just a few years after Japan had forced Korea to open up with a little gunboat [...]
Yonhap (Korean) reports that an unknown number of Koreans have been abducted off a bus in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.
Two Germans and six Afghans were abducted yesterday.
A later Yonhap report quotes a Korean government source as saying about 20 Koreans, apparently young folk doing — you guessed it — missionary work in Afghanistan were kidnapped.
UPDATE: The [...]
These pics were taken during a ceremony marking the formation of a group called the “3 legged Crow Youth Corps”. (FYI, the 3 legged crow was the symbol of Ancient Koguryo). If some wackos want to set up a nationalist group, well it’s their business, but do they have to use the same type of uniforms [...]
Yesterday new poster here Minso beat me to a delightfully skeptical Korea Times piece about Korea’s renewed mission to become a “Hub”. Great post, good article, and questionable plan.
Regarding the plan, consider this about the leadership in the Yonhap:
The Ministry of Finance and Economy made the road map public after holding a second financial hub [...]
In an interview with the Shin Dong-A, Richard Lawless, the former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, stated that during the 2005 SCM talks the South Korean government requested that wording which reconfirmed the US nuclear umbrella for South Korea be deleted from the agreement. But the US turned down the South Korean request.
He also stated that anti-US [...]
Here is a mighty interesting (at least to me) quote I saw in the KTimes:
“Once pro-government presidential hopefuls win the hearts of the Jeolla provinces, they can also receive support from Seoul and its vicinity,” a Uri official said. “For those runners, Jeolla’s support is essential to gain more than 10 percent support nationwide.”
Now I [...]
A Korean-American man has been arrested on charges of lying about his activities on behalf of the South Korean government.
Park, 58, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, engaged in conduct in the United States on behalf of the South Korea by, among other things, obtaining information from officials of another foreign government and providing that [...]
You know, I don’t care that Mina (a.k.a. Miss World Cup) is actually 35 years old — she’s still smokin’ hot.
U Penn professor Lee Jung-sik (a really nice gentleman, BTW) claims it was Southern communists that killed left-wing independence activist Lyuh Woon-hyung, not radical rightists as is commonly believed. UPDATE: The Chosun Ilbo (English) has a better piece on this.
Now Lee Ji-yeong of KBS’s “Good Morning Pops” has been forced off the show for allegedly forging her degrees (allegations she admitted to in a phone conversation with NoCut News).
Speaking of blogging and food, if you’re in the Itaewon area, give the new Mediterranean restaurant “Ape With Pipe” (overlooks Noksapyeong Station) a try — you won’t regret it.
If you read Korean, the Hankyoreh’s “Esc Magazine” ran an interesting piece on how food bloggers can kill restaurants.
Just when you thought the controversy regarding US beef was dying down, the Korean media are now reporting that Lotte Mart, the first major retail chain to start selling recently imported US beef, profited, by labeling and selling cheaper chuck-eye rolls as sirloin.
I don’t condone what Lotte Mart did, but one can’t help wondering if [...]
Korea Times has admitted the obvious;
The government unveiled a series of ambitious measures to turn the country into an international financial center over the past few years but the hub dream has become a hollow slogan, many international analysts say.
But the Korean government isn’t giving up;
On Wednesday, the government announced the latest steps in its [...]
My latest Korea Times piece is up. It is on the current efforts to unify progressive parties, the attempt to field a single progressive presidential candidate, and how those two goals may conflict with each other.
Nine Inch Nails is playing in Seoul on September 11. I saw them during the first Lollapalooza festival in 1991 and use to listen to them back in my clubbing days. They give an entertaining show and I recommend a go for anyone who is into angry white guy music.
However, I plan to [...]
UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon warned President Bush against an “abrupt withdrawal” of US forces from Iraq:
“Great caution should be taken for the sake of the Iraqi people,” Ban said in a New York press conference Monday. “The international community cannot and should not abandon them. Any abrupt withdrawal or decision may lead to a [...]
Lt. Gen Stephen G. Wood, Commander of the 7th US Air Force here in Korea was given a back seat ride on the T-50, Korea’s domestically produced supersonic trainer, becoming the first USAF officer to ride aboard the T-50.
According to the Korean media, the general commented that the aircraft was “very good”. On top [...]
Two GIs with 2ID, including a 19-year-old private, were arrested (and turned over to US MPs) in Uijeongbu (where else!) after one of them punched a 24-year-old pedestrian in the face for staring at him. They also pushed the victim’s girlfriend to the ground.
