- Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook — who may be the DP’s candidate for Seoul mayor — is going to be indicted for bribery. This really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Going after Roh, I understood, but going after Han? For maybe — maybe — pocketing US$50,000? Don’t get me wrong — it’s not like I wouldn’t welcome 50 G, but in terms of bribe money, it’s chump change.
- North Korea said it would declare the West Sea border zone a “shooting zone.” More in the Chosun Ilbo here.
- Speaking of North Korea, they are apparently modernizing their apartments. You know, I can’t really explain why, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Pyongyang architecture… perhaps because I don’t actually have to live there.
- Korea gets an invite to next year’s NATO meeting on Afghanistan.
- So… will Korea be purchasing AgustaWestland T-129 attack choppers? See more about the chopper here. All I can say is it looks nice, and ultimately, isn’t aesthetics the most important factor in weapons procurement?
- Alrighty then…
- My guidebook got reviewed in the JoongAng Ilbo. I’d like to think it’s slightly more useful than a coffee table book, but to each one’s own.
- MUST SEE: Check out this guy’s photos over at Flickr. Beautiful, beautiful night shots of Seoul.
Odds and Ends 22/12/09
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{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
“This really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Going after Roh, I understood, but going after Han? For maybe — maybe — pocketing US$50,000?”
How much do you think people should be allowed to illegally accept before being indicted?
Also, the “maybe – maybe” is the reason they’re indicting her.
How about having Han give the $50k to the gal suing Lee Byung-hun, and calling it a wash?
DLB
Nice pics! Personally, my favourite night time shots of Seoul are these ones, processed using HDR:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?ss=2&w=95572727@N00&q=seoul&m=text
Those are great pictures. I’m almost certain they were taken from the Seoul Finance Center, which is directly south of the start of Cheonggyecheon. I have an unobstructed view of SFC from my desk, but I don’t have the view of Gwanghwamun that they do.
“…isn’t aesthetics the most important factor in weapons procurement?”
Of course it is. That’s why Boeing’s entry to the Joint Strike Fighter project never had a chance…
Accepting a bribe while in office is a serious offense, and the penalties are severe, probably because they catch them so seldom. That’s easily ten years.
Awesome pictures. Some of the best night shots I’ve seen in awhile, actually.
I wonder if your book (Robert) would want a companion website that contains information about restaurants only? That sort of information changes often and putting it in a companion site would make it easier to update such without going to print. You could also make access to the site contingent upon inserting a word from page # inside the book. That means you could put in more photos as well.
I worked on a project with an artist and we found this two-media approach to be beneficial and an excellent contemporary solution to avoiding printed revisions.
North Korea labels the West Sea as a ‘Shooting Zone’….reminds me of when my older brother used to repeatedly punch his arms in the air, walk towards me, and say, “Hey, if you get in the way, it’s your fault for getting hurt!”
I think the Mangusta is also cheaper and more reliable than the Apache.
I can’t agree with Mr. Koehler here. Is his position that all politicians who accept “small” bribes deserve to get off scots-free? Besides, further investigations often yield “larger” bribes in these types of cases anyways.
I think Robert’s position is that, given the widespread bribery in Korean politics, prosecutors’ going after $50,000 in bribes would not have happened unless it was Han, a former leader of the Roh administration. Shake down the members of LMB administration and the GNP assemblymen, and there will surely be many who accepted as little as $50K.
But I don’t think it can carry as much ordinance and it is not as combat tested.
Then again… that has its disadvantages if combat tested means being show down and mission killed from a WWI era rifle…
I think that’s an urban legend.
Hahaha… okay, fair enough.
Call me cynical but i’d rather have a moderately corrupted poilitician who’s also competent than an honest idiot, after all it makes good business sense to hand out a decent productivity bonus to your most valuable employees. Problem is nowadays we’re mostly stuck with abysmally ineffective and horrendously corrupted offiicials
I think I will always associate Han Myeong-Sook with the new “draconian” E-2 visa regulations, so yeah take her away!
I pretty much agree with you here.
Rob,
That coffee table comment by the article was way too harsh. However, it did have a few good points. Perhaps you should create a Seoul guidebook lite for those who want to keep it in their pocket (or not, that’s what backpacks are for, right?) and a restaurant guide (maybe in conjunction with Mr. Zenkimchi) that rates restaurants not only by taste but also tourist friendliness.
Wow… what is it with Asians and Virginia Tech?
This idiot killed a student in a very violent manner… he entered a plea of guilty today.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/21/virginia.tech.death/
That was basically the promise of the LMB administration, but now we have corrupt incompetents instead of (relatively) honest incompetents.
I don’t agree with your premise that the Roh cabal was “honest.”
well i’ll raise some shit with this probably…but i think the low crime rate of Asian societies and communities around the world is turning more and more into a myth.
It would not surprise me if Asian cultures would start suffering in the next decade the same problems the West has enjoyed for a while (teenage violence, widespread drug abuse, complete moral corruption etc. etc.)
But Korea overall seems still to be able to work ok despite the poor performance of her politicos…well at least better than most Europe: i would take any day LMB over Brownie Brown, Sarko, Zapatero or Silvio Caligula
You know, in response to that I’d say that East Asians cultures, overall, have greater social cohesion, but that more shocking crimes, in the mists of long standing stability, between crimes are the norm.
I think the statistics will likely bear that out.
An example is that there are far more homicides per capita in the U.S. than in Korea on a yearly basis, but the greatest “spree killer” (if you will) in recorded world history is a Korean, Woo Bum-kon with over 57 deaths in just 48 hours. The worst spree killing in U.S. history is of course the Korean national, Cho Seung-hui.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woo_Bum-kon
I think if you were to take statistics on Asian American crime, you’d probably find something similar as well.
Who gives a flying fuck about veggie-friendliness in a guide about Korea? Seriously…
All the contract workers from India?
There are quite a few of them in Seoul from what I’ve heard.
It’s rather hard not to appear honest while standing next to a 차떼기당.
My Indian friends who studied in Seoul just cooked at home – or practiced their Korean by explaining what they wanted – or didn’t want, rather, in their food.
Korean food is not about vegetarianism, and that “reviewer” was way out of line. Easy to criticize, especially with a very US mindset — I get the definite feeling she’s a kyopo, too…
Regarding the Han Myeong-sook affair: the ham-fisted manner in which Han-nara has been operating has alienated many Koreans. I have yet to run into one person that has anything really positive to say about the current administration and that surprises me. I wonder just how far the lack of enthusiasm will go during the next election.
This reminds me of one of the films from 6개의 시선. Some of the things people put their children through is disturbing to say the least.
Fixed.
Maybe Han Myeong-sook took the money, maybe she didn’t. If she did then she should be punished. However, the prosecutor’s office in Korea has long been associated as the tool of the government/dictator in power. In Korea, the prosecutor’s office ranks as one as the lowest trusted institutions (for good reason, especially during the days of Park and Chun). The Democratic Party has good reason to believe that this investigation is politically motivated.
Notice the water in the bathtub. Someone call the Culligan man.
Well well well, this is wonderful news. Looks like The Soccer Genius (don’t laugh) is finally coming into form and will be in tip top shape for the World Cup. In recent memory I don’t recall any korean player in one of the european leagues scoring goal in 3 consecutive matches.
Smaller bribe takers will be sacrificed by larger bribe takers for the appearance of “taking a stand”. Gimme a harumph.
Joint US – Korea research effort creates “First Functional Molecular Transistor”, according to WIRED magazine.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/functional-molecular-transistor/
I concur. Case in point is that of Park Jin, the GNP legislator and current chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee who was just adjudged guilty of accepting around 50K in bribes from the Taekwang Chairman, who was the spider at the bottom of the Roh web of corruption. In this case, though, not an instance of a larger bribe, but rather the way in which assiduous investigation of one spot of rot can lead to others just as bad, systemically-speaking. Too bad, as I rather liked Park (whom, in the interests of full disclosure, I also know pretty well). Also for the record, Park continues to deny the allegations and has appealed. If he loses on appeal, he loses his seat in the National Assembly.
For years, the ROK Army craved the AH-64D mainly because of its mast mounted Longbow radar. They not only want a helicopter to replace the AH-1 and take on NK tanks, but also a helicopter that can take on NK infiltration boats. The T-129 with its more powerful engines and Israeli-made mast mounted radar gives the ROKA an another option to the Apache or at the least a bargaining chip to be used during price negotiations with the Americans.
Of course considering that the Korean government has for years being going back and forth on the issue of procurement of new attack helicopters, I wonder whether the Cobra is the only attack helicopter in ROK markings that we’ll see in our lifetimes.
Correction :
being -> been
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