Re-education for monks.
Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu led the first high-level central government visit to Tibet since the riots broke out this month. In the face of international criticism of China’s crackdown, he stressed that the government would “fight an active publicity battle” and solicit the help of Communist Party cadres.
His call for broader “patriotic [...]
If you ever needed proof that great minds think alike, Joshua at One Free Korea and I both used Monty Python references in pieces published yesterday about the ongoing (and ongoing and….) talks on NK nukes.
Joshua invokes the Dead Parrot Sketch when pointing out part of the problem with the six party talks and the Geneva sideshow in [...]
March 24, 2008 – 12:10 am
The South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, Yu Myung Hwan encouraged his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Friday to seek a peaceful solution to the deadly rioting in Tibet. Yu asked China to allow South Koreans traveling to the country for the Summer Games to enter the nation without visas.
Meanwhile the Chinese Government claims [...]
James Palmer has apparently written a book on one of my favorite historical figures, Baron Robert Nickolaus Maximillian von Ungern-Sternberg a.k.a. the Mad Baron, the White Russian warlord who actually ruled Mongolia for part of 1921.
Now, when I say “favorite,” this is not because Ungern von Sternberg had any admirable qualities — he was batshit [...]
China will build the largest embassy in Korea with a 24-story tower to go up at the site of their old embassy in Myeong-dong.
I just hope they keep the old Chinese embassy gate. At any rate, at least all the Chinese tourists who hang out around the fountain in front of the Bank of Korea [...]
March 18, 2008 – 10:46 am
As a follow up of events in Tibet, here is an interesting article from the NY Times and a report of blocking news sources from reporting on Tibet.
Update: Chinese police fired on protesters in Machu today. The Dalai Lama also said “he was opposed to using violence against Tibet’s Chinese rulers and said he [...]
Thanks to reader Gillian, who posted a link to a Flick collection of beautiful photos of Korea from the mid-1960s. Most pictures were taken in Seoul or Gyeonggi-do.
March 14, 2008 – 10:12 pm
The Tibetan people have had enough and are protesting Chinese occupation and, in response, the Chinese Army and security people are surrounding monasteries and chaos reigns. Here are some pictures and a first-hand account of the on-going protests against Chinese repression..
Update:
03.15.08 — The Chinese Government has begun expanding its efforts to suppress protest over Tibet [...]
Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests:
President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday called for a pragmatic diplomacy to maximize the national interest, adding, “I don’t agree with such concepts as pro-American or pro-Chinese policy.”
Lee made the remarks to Foreign Ministry officials at a ministry policy briefing. “If their national interests are [...]
I did the introduction to my American government class yesterday. As part of it, I was talking about hegemony. I asked the students something like “was there any country that was politically and culturally dominant in East Asia 500 years ago?”
….. (cricket chirping)
I tried rephrasing the question a few times, but still got nothing. I did a [...]
Be sure to check out Brendan Eagan (and Co.?)’s photo-documentary on Japan’s Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christian) culture. From the website:
The purpose of this site is to provide a visual record of our studies of Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians) in Japan. The site will display the photographs of artifacts, places, and people that put Kakure [...]
According to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), Koreans account for the largest number of international university-level students to Migukland.
Of the nearly 1 million international students in the US (as of Jan 15, 2008), 103,394 were Koreans. They were followed by Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese and those sneaky Canadians.
Business and management was reportedly [...]
As a Japanese pin-up model’s court case proves, large breasts are more than just nice to look at.
Bjork surprised her Chinese fans by shouting “Tibet! Tibet!” after her song “Declare Independence”. The audience did not react but was uncomfortable with this and left quicker than usual.
Updated: The Chinese Cultural Ministry has declared that they will “impose stricter rules on singers and pop stars” claiming that Bjork broke Chinese law — as if [...]
February 27, 2008 – 8:22 am
French animal rights organization One Voice has launched a pre-Olympics campaign calling attention to Chinese zoo conditions and the slaughter of dogs for consumption. There is an online petition form that will go straight to the desk of His Excellency, Hu Jintao! The audacity of One Voice in demanding that China treat animals better than its [...]
February 22, 2008 – 7:24 pm
Andrei Lankov has penned a VERY interesting piece in the Asia Times on possible Chinese intervention in North Korea and what it means for everyone involved. It’s a long piece, but well worth the read. Here’s just a snippet:
These days everybody who thinks about the fate of North Korean has to consider the Chinese takeover [...]
February 17, 2008 – 4:28 pm
A Chinese editorial on Sina is moved by the Korean response to the burning of Sungnyemun. The commentary notes the loud public condemnation of the government’s failure to protect the national treasure, the public apology from Mayor Oh and resignation of the Cultural Heritage Administration chief, and the genuine public remorse for the loss. The editorial draws a [...]
February 16, 2008 – 1:59 pm
A group of Japanese lawmakers are interested in building a railway tunnel from Japan to South Korea. The could connect Tokyo to London by rail, some time in the future.
This might actually be more feasible and useful than a canal that uses currently non-existent ship elevators and imposes unwanted hardships upon the local ecology.
Sphere: [...]
February 14, 2008 – 1:48 pm
Seems like our friendly neighbors across the West Sea have been using the burning of Sungnyemun Gate to have a little classless fun :
Curious to see how this tragic event was being covered in the Chinese media, I visited some internet portals and after browsing the news stories, I read the comment threads and was [...]
