New Media’s (an Asian American publication) Kenneth Kim reports that a lot of Koreans in Korea (particularly netizens) are mad as hell with their Korean American ”brethren” regarding the whole U.S. beef debate.
Per the article:
Last week, Korean American community organizations across the United States held meetings to rebut the South Koreans’ protests over the safety of U.S. beef and [...]
The whole story was a little weird in the first place. It just got weirder. There actually appears to be some history behind it and the story is a bit more complex then one would think off hand.
It turns out that Tak Kyung-hyun’s Japanese name is Fumihiro Mitsuyama and he’s the subject of [...]
Sure, its politics are crap, but damn, the fight scenes are dope.
A group of Korean-American housewives have released a statement opposing the full opening of the Korean market to US beef, reports the Kyunghyang Shinmun.
The group, called in Korean the “Korean-American Housewives Group Demanding Renegotiation of Beef Imports,” refuted point-by-point a May 7 statement by another Korean-American group supporting US beef. The group said it felt [...]
Check out Mike Breen’s take on the students demonstrating against US beef. Quite funny, and ultimately asks some intriguing questions. Here’s a sample:
I must confess my first thought upon being confronted with protestors last Friday night and on reading the subsequent coverage was to link their rather ill thought-through cause to other historical moments of [...]
Also in the JoongAng Ilbo, it appears the kiddies are taking full part in the anti-US beef festivities, with university, high school and middle school students taking part in signature campaigns and candlelight protests against the evil mi (美) chinso.
The JoongAng — no doubt saving it for later use against the Korean Teachers Union — [...]
The JoongAng Ilbo reports that Hallim University Medical School dean Kim Yong-seon, whose thesis claiming that Koreans were particularly at risk of contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease sparked the whole US beef import uproar, has told friends that media reports have exaggerated his findings, and politicians are misusing them for political gain.
Hallim University Director Yun Dae-won, who [...]
A 41-year-old cattle farmer in Hampyeong killed himself after attempting to beat his Filipino wife and three children to death with a farm implement.
And leave it to the Hankyoreh to connect it with US beef imports.
(HT to Western Confucian)
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In this editorial on the controversy over US beef imports and the recent related MBC program, the editorial staff at the Chosun put the danger of contracting vCJD into perspective:
미국 쇠고기 반대운동을 벌이는 세력들의 거짓과 논리적 모순과 위선(僞善)은 한두 가지가 아니다. 우리 국민 1000만 명 가까이가 매년 광우병이 위험하다는 미국과 유럽 일본 지역에 태연히 관광 [...]
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 [...]
10,000 Koreans showed up at the Chonggyechon last night to hold a candlelight rally against the importation of US beef. (Image below from the KT)
On a side note, an online movement to gain signatures for the impeachment of LMB has so far gained 600,000 signatures, while his popularity rating has dropped to 35.1 percent.
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Seoul: The City of Haechi.
The fabled Haechi, a lion-like horned creature, has been chosen as the symbol representing Seoul, while the “Hi Seoul” slogan promoting the city from many years will be replaced by either “Soul Seoul” or “Soul of Seoul.” An official who participated in choosing new symbols for the capital said Thursday the [...]
As reported in two Chosun Ilbo articles, Koreans may be “going overboard” with mad cow disease. “PD Diary”, the famous MBC current affairs program, has claimed that 94 percent of Koreans have a “special” gene that makes them more susceptible to getting Mad Cow Disease vs. regular Americans or Britons (Canucks, Kiwis and Aussies were, [...]
Robert wanted to see it on Youtube, well how about Veoh? The video shown to Congress has been made public. Check out the chummy picture in 5:40.
Update
The Washington Post has published an interesting article theorizing why the administration has made public, seven months after Israeli jets destroyed the site, the findings. It also introduces an [...]
The KT has a brief writeup on the results of the Lee-Bush summit at Camp David.
Oh, and here’s the full text of the statement the Korean side released following the meeting.
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Looks like Korea has agreed to resume imports of US beef from May:
South Korea and the United States agreed on the resumption of U.S. beef imports Friday, removing a major hurdle to the U.S. ratification of the Seoul-Washington free trade agreement (FTA).
The agreement, which was announced hours before President Lee Myung-bak’s summit with U.S. President [...]
It seems the very, very cute former Oxford math wiz who was turning tricks for £130 an hour has moved up in the world (perhaps NSFW).
Things to ponder:
“People think escorting is sleazy and terrible but I don’t see it like that,” she says. “I’ve always had a high sex drive—and now I’m getting all the [...]
A study group composed of former high-ranking officials and experts has released a report on how to best rejuvenate the Korea-US alliance.
You can get the full report at the Korea Society homepage.
How the report represents a new beginning, however, is not particularly clear to me. From the Chosun Ilbo:
The group says it was a good [...]
The NYT’s Norimitsu Onishi talked with a tea-sipping President Lee Myung-bak ahead of his big road trip to Washington. The attention-getter was that Lee admitted that ties between Korea and the US has been hurt under his two immediate predecessors, although not fatally:
“During the last 10 years, this relationship, of course it hasn’t been damaged [...]
