Category Archives: Korean Media

Korea’s Top 10 Internet Search Words for Last Week

The following according to Korea Times.  Well, I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief that Paris Hilton didn’t make the Top 10.

More Lousy TV Commercials? No Thanks

The Korea Broadcasting Commission recently gave permission to the regular TV broadcasters to run more commercials inside their programming, however more civic groups and commission employees are against such, citing that the resulting chaos in competition would degrade programming standards.  The commission should also consider that most people hate the excessive advertising that is already [...]

If Only it were True

As a magazine editor, I usually don’t poke fun at headlines (lest I read about my screw-ups on someone else’s blog), but Korea.net might want to rethink this one.

Violent Crime Against Women in the News

I’ve always felt Korea to be a really safe place to live. The safest place I’ve ever been, in fact. With the possible exception of the North Koreans dropping a nuke on my house, I’ve never felt worried that something untoward might happen to me, even at night.
In fact, the only areas I feel the [...]

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

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 [...]

키 키 키 . . .

The Joongang Ilbo has a mind-numbing description of Korean politics through the internet.  The awful “Die Hard”-Lee Myung Bak poster is so wrong on many levels (they think it is “hip” . . . ), not to mention the “boating game” on the Hanara site that boosts the infamous canal project of Hanara’s leading [...]

The Secret Beverly Hillbilly from Pusan

I was amused to read the following account of the current head of the NIS (National Security Director) in Korea, who invited hometown friends to visit his workplace.  A newspaper editorial mentions that they “drank fine wine at the NIS cafeteria and shot guns.“  Apparently, someone at the Chosun Ilbo is not impressed with this [...]

Foreign Money Is So Foreign

Per a Chosun Ilbo article, local banks are charging fees for depositing anything other than Won and U.S. Dollars.
Foreign banks, like HSBC, charge none. I thought Korean banks liked money too but I guess they like getting more money even better.

Reasonable Take on the Lone Star Saga

In the eDaily, lawyer and former lawmaker Lee Ki-moon discusses the decision facing the FSS regarding the pending sale of Korea Exchange Bank to HSBC and a possible end to the Lone Star saga. Below is a translation sent by a reader:

One More Chance to See Death Proof!

Calling fellow foreign bodies! Wanna see Quentin Tarantino’s new movie? For free? And you don’t even have to do anything, like give blood or register for a credit card.
Just show up and be ready to rumble – they want eager Americans and others who might “get” this film better than perhaps Korean crowds might, so [...]

BMW or Mercedes Benz?

For car buffs out there, the local media is speculating on what type of car that Pres. Roh will ride on his visit to Pyongyang.
The candidates so far, are a BMW 760Li or a Mercedes-Benz S600.  For Equus haters, the Equus is off the list, because unlike the German-made cars, it is not bulletproofed.
I have to [...]

Spot the Idiots

Last week the Bank of Korea, Korea’s central bank, raised interest rates. Why, well for the usual innocuous reasons. As the Joongang notes
the Bank of Korea raised its benchmark interest rate for the second month in a row due to fears that rapid growth in money supply could be fueling both inflation and an asset [...]

So, Where are All the Korean Reporters At?

The Hankyoreh (Korean) comments on something that personally I’ve found quite annoying about the manner in which the Korean press has covered the Korean hostage situation in Afghanistan.
Namely, the Korean press has done very little actual journalism work. Instead, it has concentrated on translating foreign press reports.
If you’ve been reading the Korean press, I’m not [...]

Whose Side is God On?

Once again Christianity is in the Korean news (or at least it will be by tomorrow). As many of you already know - the Foreigners’ Cemetery at Yanghwajin is something that I am very concerned about. By extension I am also concerned about the Seoul Union Church (SUC) - which is one of the oldest [...]

Imported baked goods make the news

There was the recent spat in the Korean media regarding US beef.
Now, the Korean media has switched targets to imported baked goods. According to the Korean media, preprocessed imported (one media outlet specifically stated US-made) baked goods which are then baked and sold as pies, doughnuts, cookies, and pastries in Korean discount retail chains (BTW, [...]

Christopher Hill’s son buys a Hyundai

Major Korean news outlets are reporting that Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill’s son Nathan had decided to buy a silver Hyundai Elantra(Avante in Korea).  Mr. Nathan Hill is reported to be “very satisfied” with his new Hyundai.  Assistant Secretary Hill is reported to have said that “Korean cars give good performance and that people should buy [...]

Latest twist in the US beef saga

Just when you thought the controversy regarding US beef was dying down, the Korean media are now reporting that Lotte Mart, the first major retail chain to start selling recently imported US beef, profited, by labeling and selling cheaper chuck-eye rolls as sirloin.
I don’t condone what Lotte Mart did, but one can’t help wondering if [...]

Well, At Least They Left Out the Bone in the Nose

In a recent story, the Munhwa Ilbo (Korean) complained that some “over-the-phone English classes” supposedly taught by “native speakers” were actually being taught by Filipinos without credentials to teach English conversation (which, apparently, falls into something of a legal gray area).
The article is all fine and good, but Jesus, with all the Filipino wives in [...]

A Crossword Puzzle

While there has been much complaining about President Roh’s attempts to control media sources and suits have been filed to fight for the perceived freedom of the press, several organizations were so infuriated that the decided to go even further than merely protesting the merging of pressrooms and are now pressing for the removal of [...]

They Report, You Decide - II

The Chosun gets results:
Import Cars Get Cheaper as Domestic Car Prices Soar - Chosun Ilbo, July 9, 2007
Tax Office to Investigate Mercedes-Benz Korea - Chosun Ilbo, July 10, 2007