Korean computer skills (well, at least the computer skills of one Korean) are not to be messed with (El Universal):
The information found in the computers of the deceased leader of the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), Raúl Reyes, was not manipulated by Colombian authorities, according to an Interpol’s report to be released next May [...]
My latest KT piece is on the candidacy of a Korea-American for Congress. The unusual part is that he is running in North Carolina, a state that generally sees ‘ethnic politics’ in black and white terms.
There is a Korean connection, besides his immigrant status:
His journey into politics began in 2002, when he returned to Korea [...]
The FTA is doomed.
The man, the myth, the Marmot’s Hole favorite, Kang Ki-kab is on the case (Yonhap):
“The first, second and the third goals should all be enhancing the public livelihood by solving economic polarization and protecting the lives of the underprivileged,” Kang said. “It is critical to block the FTA for that very purpose, and [...]
I am now convinced that Joshua at One Free Korea has a file of pithy quotes saved on his computer ready to whip out for any occasion.
Today’s evidence, along with some background:
President Lee, it should be remembered, has made an issue of restoring the public order that Roh had allowed to erode. If he lets [...]
We are in the middle of North Korea Freedom Week, a series of events in DC sponsored by (among others) the North Korea Freedom Coalition. If you are in the area, please drop in on some of the events and post a report in the comment section.
Here is a brief report on NKFW in the [...]
April 30, 2008 – 10:17 am
The fallout from the Chinese student riot continues.
The Chinese ambassador to Seoul offered as close to an apology as one would expect in this situation (AP):
China’s ambassador to Seoul, Ning Fukui, said he regretted the “extreme behavior” of the Chinese protesters and offered sympathy to wounded South Koreans, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said.
If Beijing [...]
OK, I will continue carry the banner of the Yi So-yeon around here (and don’t you naysayers try to shake it loose). Cheers to her as she came back to Korea yesterday and will soon start her new gig(Chosun).
Having earned a doctorate from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in February, Yi will now work [...]
It is nice to see that North Korea did not let politics interfere with the the spirit of the Olympics (CNN):
The relay began at the Juche Idea Tower where Kim Yong Nam, the head of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, handed the lit torch to 72-year-old Park Tu Ik, a hero of his country’s 1966 World [...]
The Defense Security Command says that it is going to get tough on Nork spies who have been getting a free pass over the past ten years.
However, other intelligence officials say the thing lacking over the last ten years was not arrests of spies but announcements of the arrest of spies (Yonhap link above):
The officials at [...]
In order to keep the ongoing (and boy is it ever ongoing) Democratic primary race from clogging the other threads, here is a special zone just for that subject. HRC beat BHO by 10% in Pennsylvania today (which is yesterday today in Korea….)
To warm things up, here is my vote for quote of the day:
Is [...]
She landed safely about half-an-hour ago. Congratulations, Miss Yi.
(I stuck this post under “IT Korea” since I couldn’t think of a better place to stick it.)
One Free Korea reports that there is a bill in Congress to address to force the deadenders at State to do their legally required jobsstreamline the resettlement process for North Korean refugees to the USA. It is not a moment too soon. I hope it will prevent reoccurence of this.
The bill notes that only 43 [...]
As a break from all the heaviness the Hole has been experiencing lately, I present the lovely (but apparently not so talented) Moon Ji-eun.
Yonhap quotes Radio Free Asia as saying that the US and North Korea have reached a deal in the two six party talks. I don’t have years of diplomatic training, which might be the reason why the purported deal strikes me as just plain stupid:
Under the secret agreement, reached at a meeting of the top [...]
Via the Agenzia Giornalistica Italia
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will not be present at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 “due to other scheduled appointments”.
Spokesman Marie Okabe said this, specifying that this is the present situation and that the final decision will be taken later. In any case Okabe underlined that it [...]
5:50 Time for the fun. I have YTN on the TV and two web pages open, so I should be able to figure out something pretty quick once the polls close. I won’t be able to post much tonight. I have to write on a KT piece this evening.
Of course, other writers on the blog [...]
If your eyes can take the pain, my latest KT piece is a quick review of the major (and some not so major) parties in Wednesday’s National Assembly elections. While I barely mentioned a couple of parties, I felt the need to write a few paragraphs on the “Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance” (친박연대):
One problem the GNP has to deal [...]
The Donga has an interesting piece on a survey of local government officials. Among the findings, they noted that most local officials were not happy with the results of the previous administration’s ‘balanced regional developement’ policies:
More than half of local government heads flunked former President Roh Moo-hyun’s drive for so-called “balanced national development” policy. 53.7 [...]
I know. I know. All of the readers at the Marmot’s Hole have the same question on their minds: How does a party qualify for the 56 proportional representation (PR) seats in the upcoming National Assembly Election?
Well, stop wondering. Our friends at the National Election Commission have the answer:
Seats of the proportional representative National Assembly [...]
(This is a little old, but I didn’t find it in the Hole. If this has been posted here before, will our Dear Leader please delete it.)
This story from The Japan Times starts out innocently enough:
Yoon, a feisty 32-year-old Korean woman with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, is happy to be living and working in her newly adopted [...]
