Brian discusses his travails following an alleged incident of cyber-aggression.
Quite an ugly tale, with a number of cautionary elements to it.
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Category Archives: Ministry of Barbarian Affairs
Brian’s Troubles in Jeolla-do
July 3, 2008 – 9:21 am
Lots o’ Foreigners to Protest Candlelight Demonstrations: Hanguk Ilbo
July 2, 2008 – 3:40 pm
NOTE: Yes, I realize this story has something to do with Andy’s post below. I have no idea what’s what — all I’ve done here is summarize what I’ve read.
The Hanguk Ilbo reports that with tensions between protesters and anti-protest protesters on the rise, hundreds of resident foreigners will be attending an anti-candlelight protest demonstration.
The [...]
Equality for Foreign Husbands
July 1, 2008 – 12:09 pm
You hear a lot about the problems of “foreign spouses” in the Korean press, but as Michael Stevens points out in the Korea Times, we’re usually talking about foreign women married to Korean husbands. Foreign men married to Korean women, however, have their own set of problems that require addressing:
Sure, foreign men generally do not [...]
So, Am I to Take it You Want an Apology, Then?
June 21, 2008 – 6:23 pm
Brian in Jeolla-do wants an apology for 2002:
Thus, in order to properly normalize relations between cultures, it is proper that South Korea and its level-headed citizens apologize for the ugly behavior exhibited in the aftermath of this accident.
Apologize for attacking foreigners indiscriminately, and for holding all military members accountable for the actions of a few. [...]
English Teacher Found Dead in Jeollabuk-do
June 21, 2008 – 5:02 am
Korea Beat has translated a very short story from the Chosun Ilbo about the discovery of a foreign English teacher who had been dead for several days in his apartment. The cause of death is yet unknown. He was found after a neighbor alerted police.
HT to ROKdrop.
More on Attack on KH Editor
June 17, 2008 – 1:32 pm
Korea Herald editor Matt Lamers, who as we posted earlier had a bit of a rough experience last week when he was slashed by a broken beer bottle by unknown assailants, has posted what took place that night at Dave’s ESL Cafe.
He’s also decided to take the matter to the police, which I think is [...]
Get Well Soon, Matt
June 15, 2008 – 11:08 pm
Matt Lamers, the very soft-spoken gentleman who edits the Expat Living section of the Korea Herald, was apparently stabbed with a broken beer bottle by two college-age Korean men in Hongdae.
Fortunately, Matt suffered nothing more than a cut arm, but it could have been much worse. I don’t mean to slander the Hongdae area, but [...]
Brian씨, 힘내세요
June 15, 2008 – 9:53 pm
Brian in Suncheon is getting some unwanted attention some particularly enthusiastic netizens bent on tracking him down to correct his errant views.
Most netizens are fairly reasonable and pleasant human beings and a real credit to Korean society — it’s because of them that Korea has the vibrant online culture for which the country is rightly [...]
The Ugly Expat: Not Just a Korean Thing
June 14, 2008 – 1:27 pm
Was looking at an older post at The Joshing Gnome that linked to a 2007 Vanity Fair piece decrying the state of New York’s British expatriate community. Read it and see if any of it seems familiar.
AIDS Tests on Visa Applications
June 13, 2008 – 2:01 pm
Teacher and freelance journalist Adam Walsh thinks the AIDS test on visa applications is unnecessary.
What I found most interesting, however, is who must take the AIDS test — according to Mr. Walsh, that would be E-2 and E-6 visa applicants. Now, I think we can probably guess why Immigration thinks E-6 (”entertainer”) visa applicants should [...]
Michael White Drowned: Autopsy
June 11, 2008 – 5:17 pm
Some news about the Michael White death near Daegu — police have concluded the 14-year-old drowned in a pool at the sauna:
Police have concluded that the cause of death of a 14-year-old American boy, Michael White, who was found head down in a pool at a sauna in Gyeongsan on May 10, North Gyeongsang Province, [...]
Professor Defends His Woman in Seoul Restaurant, Lives to Write Story in NYT Magazine
June 9, 2008 – 11:50 am
Gabe Hudson, a creative writing instructor at Yonsei University, had a difficult experience with his girlfriend at an Insa-dong restaurant… and wrote about it in NYT Magazine:
About a month ago, Ja-Won and I sat down at a restaurant in this neighborhood — a traditional place with mandu dumplings the size of tennis balls. The food [...]
Enlightened Bay Area Man Writes KT, Plays ‘People Get Ready’
June 4, 2008 – 4:47 pm
Not being one of the “enlightened progressive population” of the Bay Area (see comments), I have no fucking clue what any of this KT column means, but the man does have soul:
(HT to Hamel)
So Much for Being a ‘Dongpo’
May 28, 2008 – 9:48 am
The Ministry of Justice is reportedly prepared to deport some 1,000 Chinese of Korean ethnicity (joseon-jok) who have overstayed their visas.
The deportees will be barred from entering Korea for three years.
Memorial Day
May 27, 2008 – 8:28 am
Time zones being what they are, it is Memorial Day back in the States right now. I would just like to share one quote this year.
Robert Fletcher, who spent 33 months as a POW of the North Koreans (and who went from 180 pounds to 90 pounds in the process), is emphatic when asked if he [...]
Cultural Differences At Fault?
May 23, 2008 – 1:33 pm
Reacting to this piece on the death of Michael White in the Korea Times, Brian in Jeollanam-do examines the “cultural differences” meme as it works in both Korea and the United States.
Fundraiser for Stephannie White
May 23, 2008 – 1:03 pm
If you’re in the Daegu area on Saturday evening, there will be a fundraiser to help raise the cash needed to take Michael White home for burial. You can also send your support in other ways. Read on:
Hello Friends
Bring Michael White Home!
14 year old Stephen Michael White tragically died in a sauna on May 10, [...]
Voter registration in Busan: May 29
May 23, 2008 – 12:43 pm
I just got this in an email from one of my contacts at Democrats Abroad:
I’m still planning to do the voter registrations and have scheduled a meeting of DAK Pusan Chapter for 29 May 1200 - 1:30 and the United Seamans Service Center on Pier 8.
I believe the Seamans’ Service Center is near Busan Station. [...]
Fingerprinting Long-Term Residents?
May 23, 2008 – 12:08 pm
I must confess, I’m having difficulty understanding this one:
Long-term foreign residents may have to have their fingerprints taken under a government plan to monitor them but this could trigger criticism from human rights organizations.
The Ministry of Justice Wednesday confirmed that it has been “studying” ways of resuming fingerprinting requirements for foreigners since the practice was [...]
Republicans Abroad, Democrats Abroad meetings coming up
May 22, 2008 – 12:24 pm
Republicans Abroad-Korea is meeting at 2:00 this Sunday, May 25 in the lobby coffee shop of the Millennium Seoul Hilton near Seoul Station.
Democrats Abroad-Korea will have an organizational meeting on Sunday, June 1st at 1:00 P.M. at the Wolfhound in Itaewon (Thanks for the info, ‘Phil A.’) If anyone has details, please leave a comment and I will [...]