Korea Life Blog - One Car

Whether it's a luxury automobile or a sports car you want, there seems to be only one of each kind to aspire to among Korean brands. Equus, a car with a look and a name that is strikingly similar to Toyota company's Lexus, is the luxury car associated with success. If you have this car, you've conquered Korea. It's the ultimate domestically made status symbol. On the sport's car side is the rather humble in price, Tuscani, also known as Tiburon. It seems to be the only sport car made by a Korean auto company and therefore, seeing as it's affordable, it is very common here. It's a nice looking car actually. One of my adult student's has the newest model. He took me for a ride in it one day, something I will never do again. There's really no point in having a sports car in Korea with the traffic and dangerous back roads. I really thought I was going to die as he took me full throttle around Nowhere-dong. It was one time I prayed to get pulled over. However, there seems to be a lack of traffic enforcement here. We zoomed all over the place without hassle. I was never so happy to get out a car in my life.



Sexy promotional girls show off the latest Hyundai Tuscani model. Yeah, I need to get me one of these. (Car or girl, you be the judge). Maybe they come hand in hand.




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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Technomart



This is a nice shot of Technomart in Seoul. It's located next to Kam Byeon Station, stop 214 on Line #2. Inside this building is every electronic item available in Korea at the cheapest prices you will find except in the Yongsan area. Why anyone would purchase a computer or TV in a department store when you can get it for so much less is beyond me, either here in person or ordering it online. The same computer I saw for sale at a department store in Suwon was 400,000 Won less here at Technomart.


There is also a movie theater in here and a food court, if I remember right. The tall part of the building is for offices only. What I don't understand about Technomart is that they have store after store after store selling the exact same brands and models for the exact same prices by way too many salespeople. Seems to me if they cut out the extra stores, salespeople, and display models, they could lower the prices considerably. The day I went it, a Saturday, it wasn't busy at all. I mean on a given day, how many people are lining up to by 3,000,000 won notebooks and 8,000,000 won TVs? Yet Samsung has at least 20 stores in here selling the same items and hoards of salespeople standing around doing nothing and display models being wasted.




If you can dream it, you can do it. Hmm, I just dreamed I can get a Samsung X15 notebook by snapping my fingers. Huk! Foiled again.




Promotional girls hanging out front. I'm not sure what they're promoting, but they don't look too enthusiastic.


Here's the Samsung X15 computer I've been dreaming about:







I've also considered the new Hyunju notebook that came out this month, which is much cheaper and has pretty much the same specs and looks just as cool.




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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Examination Suicides


I was going to write a piece about the growing number of suicides after this week's national university exams, but everyone else is already doing it on their blog. Click here to see Jeff's write-up.



A girl jumped to her death from this building shortly after running away from the exam.


Click here to read other reactions.


To read an interesting article on the problems of the Korean education system click here.




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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Seaweed Chips!



Bringing the wonderful taste of the sea to your potato chip, it's new Seaweed Chips! If I had seen these a few years ago I would have cringed but I picked up a bag today, almost eagerly so. I love processed seaweed; I buy it every week. But this is the first time I've seen seaweed chips. At first I thought the idea is a little strange, especially seeing those two rolls of kim bap there. Then I realized seaweed is mostly salt anyway, so why not? Well, I was disappointed when I tried them. They taste just like ordinary everyday potato chips. There's not even the slightest hint of seaweed flavor. How frustrating!



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - A New Poll (4)

There's a new, exciting poll to vote on. Here are the results of the last pole, now deleted.


what makes you happiest?

pay day at last! assa! 26 (22%)
no tipping 12 (10%)
my korean lover/spouse 21 (17%)
my job 0 (0%)
korean food 6 (5%)
im not in my home country 5 (4%)
korea 8 (6%)
im never happy 3 (2%)
im only happy when im drunk 10 (8%)
korea life blog updated! assa! 27 (22%)



It was a pretty tight race between pay day and my blog updated. It's nice to know that an equal number of people feel just as good to see my blog updated as they do to get a huge wad of Korean won! Thanks everyone.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Events

All sorts of companies in Korea stage what they call "events." They are public promotions for their goods and services. I've always found them a little silly, but a lot of Korean people really enjoy them. They usually involve some kind of demonstration and a free sample gift, or a gift for signing up for some service or other. I was half tempted to take part in a Pepsi Event one day for a free can of Lemon Pepsi, but the line was much too long.



Here's a pic of some kind of bizarre SMEX brand clothing event sent in by a kind reader. This show looks pretty ridiculous yet somewhat funny. I can't imagine how stupid those workers must feel. However, they are probably used to this sort of thing. They likely work for a promotional agency. Perhaps tomorrow they will be in grocery stores shouting into megaphones to promote peanut butter and the next day in sexy clothes dancing in front of a bar.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - What's on TV? (1)

I was pretty bored this afternoon. Let's see what was on TV. I took some pics of the screen to show you. While the camera made the reception look all distorted, you can get the idea.



Some kind of Korean puppet show about history. Looks pretty exciting.



A cooking show on Arirang. This is the only station to watch Korean shows with English subtitles. I don't feel like waiting while he "prepares the meat," however.



Is it me, or is this kind of performance always on TV? Lots of weird singing and drum banging.



I have at least 5 home shopping channels. Who sits at home and orders meat off the TV?



Another shopping channel. This time bedding is for sale. I like Korean bedding, but I don't like watching commercials in Korean about it.



Great. Another soap opera is on AFN (American Forces Network). I usually watch this channel at night. They run "Jay Leno" and "David Letterman." Most Koreans hate Jay Leno after he made fun of that Korean skater that got the shaft in the Winter Olympics. "He was so angry he went home and kicked his dog," was the joke. Personally I think he'spretty funny. I can't get enough of those headlines.

I ended up reading a book. That's the good thing about not having much of a selection on the tube, you aren't glued to the set all day.




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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - A Short Trip to Fukuoka


I have now finished the section on my trip over to Fukuoka. It's pretty long and there's a lot of pics. I apologize to dial-up users. Click on the flag and go out for a nice ride in the country. By the time you get back it should be loaded. DSL users click and then grab a Coke from the fridge, come back and enjoy.








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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Kim Jong Il Comic Book





Anyone know where I can get a copy of this book in the Korean version? I read that it was pulled off shelves here at the start of the Sunshine Policy (though I'm not clear on whether this was translated or the Japanese version). I bet it would be a great collector's item.

I read about the book before, then I saw it Japan at the airport bookstore this weekend. Of course I could never read it in Japanese, so I didn't buy it. It looked pretty interesting, thumbing through it. There's a lot of drawings of him getting angry and murdering people and a load of scenes of him and various women in bed.

I'll check Amazon, but I don't think they made an English version...yet.


Here's the brief description of the book which got me interested:


"A comic book on North Korea, written by Mr. Lee, a renowned South Korean comic author, was published in Japan and is selling well among the Japanese people. The book was banned in South Korea.

The comic book depicts a variety of aspects of North Korea including the abduction of Japanese civilians by North Korean spies, nuclear weapon development and the private life of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il which is top secret in North Korea.

Particularly in the story of Kim Jong Il's private life, the comic book tells vividly how the North Korean dictator approached female dancers, singers and nurses in an attempt to seduce them. The name of each woman in the story was identified.

The comic book was originally published in 1998 in South Korea, however, immediately after, it was banned due to the 'sun shine policy' of Kim Dae Jung, the then South Korean President, toward North Korea.

The comic book is titled in Japanese, 'Introduction to Kim Jong Il,' and was published in Japan in July. The book has been selling very well."


By the way, when I was searching Amazon.com I came across this book:





Yes, it's by the leader of North Korea and it's his views on Opera and "Independence, peace, art, literature and friendship..."



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Back From Fukuoka


Sorry I haven't updated the last few days. I went to Fukuoka, Japan for the weekend as my tourist visa was up. Now I'm back with another 90 days to figure out what I'm doing for the long term. I'm tired now but I'll do a post on my trip sometime during the week. I was only there for one night, and it rained half the time, but it was fun and I've got a few interesting pics and stories...surprised? It was the sixth time I've visted Japan, the first time I had a digital camera with me. I wish I had more time.




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written by shawn matthews    -|link