Somebody is either smarter than I expected, or reading this blog. Yesterday the government announced measures to fight inflation. Among them are reducing some tariffs on food products.
While I find it a good step, I find it curious at the same time the exact products and their new tariffs are not given. As I noted [...]
Sorry, I cannot stop laughing to start this post. I think I just might pee my pants.
Many around me are disappointed I have not drank the Lee Myung-bak Kool-aid. Much like Obama-maina in the US at the moment, Lee is supposed to be “break” from the past, and more importantly is “different” then all before him. Somehow Lee is to waive a magic wand and cure all the problems with South [...]
I am now happy with the prostitution laws after this story pushes my mirth level past the needed quota.
A quote from the Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, Cho Suck-rai,(their phonetics, not mine) that inadvertently singed my nose this morning as I drank coffee:
The new government should establish a stable society where the market economy is respected and law is observed.
I could snipe and point out how staunchly the FKI defended this [...]
Apparently he was serious. Lee is trying to find his prime contractor for the canal project.
Since the Marmot nicely gives me a bigger megaphone than the comment line, I thought I would breathlessly give my thoughts on recent election as the rest of the contributors have done, or will do.
First, I really got to say something about the campaigns. If I needed any more reason and a vote, Chung Dong-young [...]
The Kim Kyung-jun case is not really well chronicled here. I have only half paid attention to it since it suspiciously looks like a smear campaign, and because, let’s face it, “corruption” stories in Korean newspapers might as well be weather reports (morning light extortion and influence peddling, leading to bribes and price fixing in [...]
Fake art degrees? Government officials calling themselves national heroes to cash in? Chairman of the Independent Commission Against Corruption taking bribes from the sad clown? Just to show things can get sillier, check out the fake belly-dancer in Kwangju.
I hate it when people are predictable. Anyone want to start up a betting pool on when Lee Kun Hee will be in the hospital for “stress” or whatever they call it to avoid jail/investigation? Those of you with longer memories will remember he went to the US for “health” reasons the last time the [...]
I usually discard the “cultural differences” trope, especially in business. Most conflicts arise for specific reasons that would arise no matter what the culture. That all said, this guy really, really, really should not have joined the senior ranks of a Japanese company.
The crack Samsung PR department strikes again. They give us another delicious juxtaposition, this time in the Chosun Ilbo, and it includes the obligatory comment from Samsung CEO Lee “Sandwich” Kun-hee:
Corporate Culture at Samsung Is Changing
…The Samsung Group is leading the way in improving corporate culture because of a realization that the “creative management” stressed [...]
From the Korea Herald:
Kia Motors…will hold a survey until Oct. 25 to select the name of its new sport utility vehicle (SUV)…Anyone can vote for one of the three candidate names: “Mohave,’’ “Windriver’’ and “Opelia,’’ on a popularity poll of the firm’s Internet homepage.
“Mohave”? as in “The Mo’work, the Mo’have”? By the way, that is [...]
Taxi drivers in Korea have a certain… uh… reputation. While I am quite sure that it is only a few proverbial bad apples, we all know what the same proverb says. Accordingly, there is something delicious about this story. Even more so when you remember that it’s a two way street, and nobody is sticking [...]
Most everyone knows I am a big fan of free-market economics. Normally I would reject anything looking like price controls out of hand. So I approach the discussed recent moves for the Korean Fair Trade commission to more rigorously control prices with trepidation.
So has the Federation of Korean Industries, whose criticism forms the basis of [...]
The former “Supreme Scientist” of Korea, Hwang Woo Suk, has fled to Thailand. Why?
The South Korean government banned Hwang from research using human eggs after his claims that he created the first human stem cells through cloning were ruled to be bogus last year…
“Dr. Hwang and his team moved into Thailand to continue with their [...]
Was not going to comment on this observation, but I figured this Chosun Ilbo article made if fair game for ‘da hole. Apple Computer has released new iPods in time for the holidays. When I saw it on the homepage I literally drooled reading about the iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is basically an [...]
Last week Seoul High Court finally made official. Chung Mong-koo will go free on a three year suspended sentence for stealing just shy of US$200 million from Hyundai Motor and causing about the same amount of damage to the company. This is hardly surprising. I am pretty bitter about this all, especially the ludicrous argument [...]
Apparently we will now have to make a “mandatory donation” to fly out of Korea. “Mandatory donation”?
Korea News via Google