Let’s see now…
- President Roh has proposed turning the DMZ into an ecological park. He’s also keen to ecologically restore the Baekdu Daegan, Korea’s mountainous spine. I doubt turning the DMZ into a park is realistic, but I will say this — when I went to Panmunjeom, the thing that struck me the most was not the North Koreans, but its natural serenity.
- Who said the Unification Ministry doesn’t have a set of balls? The Dong-A Ilbo reports that in its budget request for intra-Korean projects next year submitted to the National Assembly, the ministry asked for 411.6 billion won (about US$450 million) in “free funds” without specified use. The total requested budget for intra-Korean projects is a 30% increase from last year, although the “free fund” item skyrocketed threefold. The Unification Ministry explained that it asked for a lot of free funds to cover contingencies such as folow-up measures to the intra-Korean summit and six-party talks.
- The JoongAng Ilbo is disturbed that nobody asked Korea to participate in US-Japan-Australia naval exercises scheduled for this month in the East China Sea. Combined with Korea sitting out a seven-nation PSI drill also set for this month in Tokyo Bay, Korea is missing two big exercises, leading the paper to worry about Korea’s international standing.
- Hyundai is idling its Alabama assembly plant — at BusinessWeek’s Auto Beat blog, David Kiley says, “Here’s the mistake. Hyundai has asked marketing to justify huge investments Hyundai has made in product and manufacturing. It should be the other way around. Your successful marketing should drive production schedules and capital investments.”
- As Michelle Wie celebrates her 18th birthday, the LA Times looks at her phenomenal fall from golfing grace.
- You learn new vocabulary every day.
- Bibimbap and bulgogi at pojangmacha in DC?
(Hat tips to readers who sent me links)
28 Comments
Wow, so much to read and ruminate about. Thanks, Robert, and all the readers who sent links.
First off, I’m less enthralled with Moo-hyun’s idea about turning the DMZ into an ecological zone than I am the thought of restoring the Grand Baekdu Range. I’ve always wanted to visit Mt. Baekdu and, too, have thought the that southern part of the range was a bit underrated, excluding, of course, the already-well-known Mt. Jiri. While both ideas might be good ones on merit, I agree with the aforementioned questionable feasibility of the DMZ idea. I like the idea of the Baekdu Range project; the only problem I have with it is the fucking-up of the serenity and beauty of that widely-untouched area that inevitably will ensue. I live near Mt. Seorak here in Gangwon and I refuse to go there. It’s less a celebration of a beautiful mountain as it is a concrete monument to self-importance and commercialism. There is no such thing as subtlety when it comes to these types of things and it would be a shame to “restore” Baekdu Range in the same manner.
Secondly, it’s a shame that the Alabama Hyundai plant is idling because Hyundai makes damn good cars nowadays. I defend Hyundai cars to people I know elsewhere in the world when they trash them based on the old stereotype. I’m impressed with the strides made in this decade to making the Hyundai car itself not a laughingstock anymore. However, the ol’ mindset of how to run a business hasn’t improved and is still a laughingstock. With all the fanfare that occurred in the media here when the plant was being built and then when it opened, I wonder how much coverage there will be (or already has been) in the local press? I’ve yet to see anything about it, but perhaps the more savvy of you lot might have some links for us. It’s got to be a slap in the face to Korean automakers to realise that the Hyundai plant is idling after such a short time in existence while there’s believed never to have been an idling of a Toyota plant in the States.
Thirdly, Michelle’s parents need to have their asses kicked, especially that jackass of a father–BJ, I think he’s called. I realise that her handlers, sponsors, minions, lackeys, supporters, and coaches deserve their share of finger-pointing, as well, but it’s her stuckfick of a father that deserves the golden genital clampdown the most. Pushing her when she was so young, pushing her to come back quickly from injury, pushing to play men’s tournaments when she’s not even ready to compete and win consistently against women, pulling out in the middle of tournaments for alleged injuries only to be seen 48 hours later practising… ridiculous and sad. And, now that the young hottie is 18 years old, she deserves some of the blame herself. Tiger said it best when he referred to the fact that she’s never played on the amateur and junior circuits, which is where truly good golfers learn how to win. And regardless of Nike’s comments about supporting her for her potential, you can bet they deserve some blame for her demise, as well. Hell, so do the media deserve some stick for buying into all the hype just to sell copies and air time.
Damn, there’s a lot of blame to go around in Michelle’s case. Anyone else care to shoulder some blame? I guess I should take some for thinking her to be hot–when she was about 16…
And, finally, Joon-ang Ilbo: get over it. Korea’s not the international player you think it is.
Here is an article from the Montgomery Advertiser:
“Hyundai plant to sit idle for seven more days this year
Montgomery’s largest private employer will sit idle for 10 days over the final three months of 2007.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama is cutting production for an additional seven days this year…”
http://tinyurl.com/2cmpxk
Has some local comments too.
” the only problem I have with it is the fucking-up of the serenity and beauty of that widely-untouched area that inevitably will ensue. ”
Bingo.
I’ll take it one step further and say it’s a ploy. He’s testing the waters to see if they can get away with developping other areas in the DMZ for profit.
Re: #3 and the DMZ
I’ll bet a 10,000 Won note that a golf course will be the 1st or 2nd thing to be paved over the DMZ nature preserve if this thing goes through.
Remember, though, any American who supported the GOP when ANWR was up for debate would be completely hypocritical for critizing Roh for wanting to destroy nature for human development.
(Why some people are dogmatic about their political party of choice is beyond my comprehension).
Re: DPRK slush fund
I’m surprised it’s just $450M. When KDJ visited the DPRK in 2000, that cost $500M in cash alone. I wonder how much Roh’s procession to kowtow to his Emperor has cost the ROK taxpayer ?
Re: Korea excluded from Asia/Pac naval events
Mixing either of Korea, Japan, or China in the same naval exercise is a recipe for disaster. There would likely be some “accident” with no shortage of blaming and penis-enlarging bellicose hot air to go around. In other words : Korea would yet again make an international fool of itself. So, I support keeping Korea on a short leash as long as Noh and his lackeys are in power.
hey! Michelle Wie is 18??? where is her obligatory “Where Are They Now?” tv special?
for that matter, where are the usual excuses for her fall; drugs, sex, booze, molestation, man-trapped-in-woman’s-body, sexual repression, etc.?
If Korea wants to be invited to international military exercises, perhaps it should think about the consequences of scaling back participation in exercises on their own soil with its supposed biggest ally.
Michelle Wie - the Anna Kournikova of golf.
There is a real apples/oranges quality to that comparison, if anyone actually thinks about it. Assuming they can break free of their dogmatic political beliefs.
Richardson’s being generous with the Apples/Oranges. At least they are both types of fruit. That was gratuitously stupid remark.
It’s a target rich environment, if you’re hunting.
The DMZ should be kept free from “development” and the enroachment of so many sons of Nolbu that just want to make quick Won from it. It has become a preserve of nature and something that should be preserved at all costs as a symbol of the past and for the preservation of those flora and fauna that is unique, if not characteristic to Korea.
Seeing how the avarice and stupidity of old men has triumphed at Saemanguem, I can only wonder if Koreans have enough collective pride and sense to keep the DMZ intact as a nature preserve.
Denied yet again.
I can think of no better way to make a pristine ecological haven than to surround it with chain link fence, razor wire and concrete walls, line each side with one million armed, pissed-off men, and fill it with anti personnel landlines… (yeah, so the occasional Bambi gets exploded, give it a few millennia and Darwin will give us mine resistant deer)
It seems to me the great pretender has sunk so low he has got to propose things that have already been done for him to have any success in life.
The JoongAng Ilbo is disturbed that nobody asked Korea to participate in US-Japan-Australia naval exercises scheduled for this month in the East China Sea.
What is the purpose of the US-JAPAN-AUS naval exercise? Isn’t it to counter China’s growing fleet of Kilo-class submarines? Now why would SK want to get involved with that, esp since talks with NK depends much on China’s goodwill and cooperation?
Combined with Korea sitting out a seven-nation PSI drill also set for this month in Tokyo Bay, Korea is missing two big exercises, leading the paper to worry about Korea’s international standing.
What is the purpose of the PSI drill? Isn’t it to interdict shipments of weapons of mass destruction by NK? That would send all kinds of mixed signals that could muck up the peace process.
Yeah, that’s what’s mucking up the peace process. Uh-huh.
Or maybe it’s the older of the only two fat men in North Korea?
I like the new word ‘nomhyunish’, meaning disappointing.
# 7,
Yeah, I say pretty much the same thing here.
Michelle’s got the case of overambitious ajushi-itus hanging on her back… constantly… in the form of BJ Wie.
Re: Korea excluded from Asia/Pac naval events
That ship sailed a longtime ago (pun intended) and it looks like Seoul has ceded veto power over those kinds of decisions to its communist neighbors.
Can someone explain the nuances of 넘현스럽다 (”Nomhyunish,” as Babarian put it) for those of us who don’t have the mental capacity to glean it from the linked article? I could guess, but I’d like to know how Koreans are using it….
I’m such a fool. 놈현스럽다, not 넘현스럽다.
#17 - Nice piece on Wie. Is she the only Korean-American (other than Kristina Kim?) among all those successful Korean LPGA players?
I stopped paying attention to Michelle, but it was always my impression that sports and mainstream US media referred to her as Hawaiian (from Hawaii) if they mentioned “heritage” at all. The word Korean never came up when she went on Letterman 2 years ago, shortly after she got her drivers license.
I wonder if media in Korea will demote her to American now that her career is stuck in a deep sandtrap.
The father BJ Wie should be whacked upside the head with a Big Bertha for turning his daughter’s life into a money-making enterprise.
“What is the purpose of the US-JAPAN-AUS naval exercise? Isn’t it to counter China’s growing fleet of Kilo-class submarines? Now why would SK want to get involved with that, esp since talks with NK depends much on China’s goodwill and cooperation?”
Excellent point…but maybe the paper is conveniently forget this in order to drum up some anti-American/anti-Japanese sentiment.
The chica is making $12.5 mill a year in endorsements. Not bad for not having won a single tournament. As long as her old man hasn’t pocketed it all, and he legally can’t from now on, she can live comfortably without working another day in her life. I’d call it a masterful working over of the pathetic American sports media.
Regarding the Joongang’s whinging, I’d bet a man-note that Korea was quietly asked to participate, but quietly decided not to offend their new Chinese and Nork overlords.
# 21,
I’m not all that sure. I think we can consider Grace Park a gyopo, right? She did come to the states at age 12, but I believe her passport is South Korean.
sewing, Nomhyun is the shortened form of Nohmoohyun. So nomhyunish is ‘like Nomoohyun’ which is considered ‘disappointing’. That’s why The Silly Fella was very upset when he heard the news that the dictionary was going to be published including such words.
Wiesie shot an 18 over par–not last!.
And no, Grace Park can’t be considered a gyopo.