The Lost Nomad

The Korea Herald on "unqualified" English teachers

Another example why the KH is one of my favorite English edition tabloids newspapers.  But then, what do I know - maybe there's some truth to this after all.  I've heard some horror stories about English teachers here in Korea, but I don't know any personally so I can't and won't pass judgment.  I do, however, agree that there should be higher standards for hiring and recruiting those that teach the language.

Some foreigners boasted of their sexual experiences with Korean women and made fun of Korean culture on the message board of a job-recruiting Web site called English Spectrum last month, and a group of angry Korean netizens launched an online campaign to "expel low-quality foreign teachers."

Then, Gyeonggi police caught 47 foreigners who were illegally teaching English since all they had were tourist visas and no permission to work. In addition, some were only high-school graduates who language institute directors had passed off as having university degrees. Both incidents highlighted flaws in the hiring of English teachers - mainly a lack of reference checks and any laws to enforce regulations.

[...]

Jennifer taught English to elementary school children at high-profile English institutes - YBM and ECC - for five years and did recruiting of English instructors for two years in the Gangnam area.

She said some foreigners come back to South Korea a few weeks after breaking contracts and start working again. "It isn't like crimes that are left as a record," she commented.

Under the immigration law, a person can start over with a new E-2 visa in another workplace after the previous work visa becomes null. "Some instructors do not have English as their mother tongue," Jennifer said. "I had a colleague who was from Quebec, Canada, and his English was too bad to be true." But the Education Ministry does not have much control over the quality of foreign instructors. It said that the law does not require institute directors to check the background of instructors.

Bush thanks Roh for Iraq role

I'm a little confused by the below paragraph which comes from the Chosun Ilbo.  Who did George call; President Roh, or Prime Minister Koizumi?  Or both?  And was it on Friday or Saturday?  Or is this 2 stories woven into one?

In a phone call Saturday, U.S. President George W. Bush thanked Korean President Roh Moo-hyun for the role the Korean government has played in stabilizing Iraq and its support for the Iraqi general elections, said Cheong Wa Dae vice spokesperson Kim Man-soo. Bush called Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro on Friday. During the phone call, President Roh stressed the need for an early reconvening of the six-party talks, and said that all concerned parties needed to redouble their efforts, including Korea-U.S. cooperation. Spokesperson Kim said Bush expressed his agreement on these points.

Planes, trains, and automobiles

About 57% of the population, or roughly 27 million people, are expected to travel by car, train, or bus to their hometowns during the lunar new year holidays.

The number of cars on expressways will be 13.9 million, 5.6 percent more than last year. Over 44 percent of those surveyed who were going home were likely to depart on Tuesday, and some 45 percent plan to return Thursday.

We always luck out because my wife's immediate family lives in Seoul and that's where the rest of the in-laws come for the holidays.  So in our case, it's smooth sailing on the way there while we look at the gridlock going out of Seoul, and then coming back home it's the same thing all over again - highway 1 becomes a parking lot heading into Seoul while southbound traffic flows right along.  Unfortunately I won't be able to make the trip this year as I have to work, but I'm sure Mrs. Nomad will bring me some goodies like my her Mom's home-made mandu .

A bit of history

From today's Stars & Stripes comes this article on an annual ceremony held here at Osan Air Base marking the anniversary of the Battle of Hill 180:

A hard-fought Korean War infantry action best remembered for a frenzied bayonet charge was commemorated here Friday in a quiet ceremony on the hill where the battle raged five decades ago.

The afternoon ceremony marked the 54th anniversary of the Battle of Hill 180, also since known as “Bayonet Hill,” fought Feb. 7, 1951, on high ground in what is now Osan Air Base, 48 miles south of Korea’s Demilitarized Zone.

The battle is dear to the hearts of the U.S. Army in South Korea and to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who each year hold a ceremony at the hill and recount the ferocious fighting that took place there.

The battle saw infantrymen of Company E, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, in action against Chinese infantry dug in on a knoll with three small knobs. It was marked on military maps as Hill 180, for its height in meters.

Commanding Easy Company was Capt. Lewis Millett. Millett had served in World War II, where in Europe he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and a battlefield commission.

At Hill 180 he was to earn the Medal of Honor.

Continue reading "A bit of history"

This is odd

How can he complain about the cold when NK just received 50,000 briquettes of charcoal and 400 heaters?

Unless - he doesn't know

Plastic surgery craze in the spotlight again

This time the BBC, not Oprah is telling the tale of Korea's obsession with plastic surgery and self-image.

The streets of Seoul are thick with impeccably groomed young women in miniskirts, seemingly immune to the sub zero temperatures of the Korean winter.

Women of marriageable age are under intense pressure to look their best at all times and one of the consequences has been an explosion in plastic surgery.

A woman's magazine recently advised its readers to spend 30% of their incomes on looking good.

The reason, you will end up with a better and richer husband and that has to be a sensible investment.

As much as I like to see the young women wearing their mini skirts and looking as good as they can, I do find this whole thing a bit comical and superficial.

It is no longer enough just to correct perceived flaws. The trick these days is to stand out from the crowd and be the envy of your friends.

By conservative estimates, 50% of South Korean women in their 20s have had some form of cosmetic surgery. And in a recent poll, 70% of men said they would also consider surgical improvements.

Yep - natural beauty and personality are out.  It's not what or who you are, but what you project because it's all about image and what others think about you.  Reality often takes a back seat here in the land of the morning calm.  But, there is a price to pay:

South Korea has just 1,200 certified plastic surgeons. Many thousands of others are operating without proper qualifications.

It is a highly lucrative business and everyone wants a slice of the action.

One qualified surgeon told me he knew of psychiatrists doing liposuction and radiologists performing double eyelid operations.

The results are predictable enough.

Cosmetic surgeons tell hushed stories of botched noses, damaged faces and women who cannot close their eyes at all after too much of the lid is cut away.

Some of the practitioners have no grasp of basic surgery. Patients asking for liposuction are literally risking their lives on the operating table.

Qualified operators say their old classmates from med school constantly badger them for lessons on lucrative cosmetic operations.

The result has been a dramatic drop in the price of plastic surgery, making it available to all. A second eyelid for the price of a night out.

And for those who want an even cheaper job, there is always the massage woman at the local sauna who is handy with the botox injection and the scalpel.

Amazingly, malpractice suits are few and far between, and the damages paid to victims are derisory by international standards.

Most complaints are settled quietly out of court in deals brokered by the consumer association.

The certified plastic surgeons are pushing for tougher regulation and more accountability, but they are up against a powerful lobby of doctors who fight any restrictions on the right to practice.

There's more, and you're more than welcome to read the rest on your own.

US to Dispatch 690,000 Troops to Korea in Crisis

Or so says this article in the Korea Times.  According to the article, the Ministry of Defense's "White Paper" states that in the event of a war on the peninsula, the U.S. would dispatch 690,000 troops, 2,000 aircraft, and 160 naval craft.

About 690,000 U.S. troops along with 2,000 military aircraft and 160 warships would be mobilized to defend South Korea in the event of a war on the Korean peninsula, according to a document released by the Ministry of National Defense Friday.

The Defense White Paper said the U.S.' contingency plan included the deployment of 70 percent of its Marine Corps. The remaining forces consisted of 50 percent of the U.S. Air Force and 40 percent of the U.S. Navy.

The planned increase in forces is mainly designed to provide strikes against North Korean field artillery located near the inter-Korean border in the early stage of any war and ensure sea and air superiority with several aircraft carriers, the paper said.

That's packing quite the punch and yes, even with the current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, I believe the U.S. could and would be able to meet most, if not all of those numbers.  The 'White Paper' also had some details of NORK capability:

The document said that North Korea has strengthened its missile and artillery forces in an apparent bid to increase striking power with the smallest financial outlay.

North Korea increased its field guns by 1,000 to 13,500 over the past four years and has established a missile department in its Defense Ministry, the paper said.

About 70 percent of the 1-million-strong North Korean ground forces are stationed south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line, which enables Pyongyang to launch a surprise attack without any redeployment.

The paper also said that North Korea is believed to have developed one or two nuclear weapons from weapons-grade plutonium extracted before the International Atomic Energy Agency conducted an inspection of nuclear facilities in North Korea in 1992.

Open mouth, insert foot (WTF department)

The following eloquent words were uttered by a 3 star Marine Corps general at a conference:

"Actually it's quite fun to fight 'em, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling," said Mattis.

"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis said during a panel discussion. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

"It's fun to shoot some people." "So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."  Way to go, Beevis!  Just like popping soda cans with your air rifle, right? 

No, it's not fun to kill another human being. 

Fishing, hiking, playing with your kids, blogging, flying a kite, holding hands with your sweetie, watching movies, listening to music, photography, exercising, girl watching, eating ice cream, mountain climbing, camping, traveling - these are some fun things.

Killing another human being is not fun.

Text of President Bush's State of the Union address

Just in case you missed the speech (like I did) and want to know what he said (I don't), here it is.

Enjoy.

Yet another virus

If you use MSN messenger at all, be careful.  There's a new worm out there that spreads through this popular chat program:

A new variant of the Bropia worm is fast spreading through popular Internet chat program MSN Messenger.

Computer security companies AhnLab and Hauri said Thursday that they found a variant of the virus which infects users of MSN Messenger by sending itself as a picture file.

Infected computers slow down to a crawl. The virus automatically sends itself to others in the user’s list of contacts.

“If you receive a file that you are not expecting, even if it is from someone in your contacts list, don’t open it.” says MSN. Users should download a patch program from security companies.

Almost as bad as rap

is anything BOA puts out.  Over-hyped, over-played, over-marketed.  Her latest album is titled "Best of Soul".  What does she know about soul?  Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown - now that's soul.

If you want to listen to a real voice, check out 박정현 (Park Jung Hyun, aka Lena Park), one of my favorite Korean female singers (The other is Lee Sun Hee, considered "old school" by most Koreans).

박정현's CD Op 4 was a masterpiece that I still listen to more than any other CD I own and the good news is, her newest was supposed to go on sale as of today so I'll be looking for it this weekend.

North Koreans 'eat worse than pigs'

No, I didn't make that up.  That's the headline for this article in the Asia Times by Jeremy Kirk. Here's a sample:

The slow, arduous exodus of North Koreans such as Ms Moon, 34, who wants to go to South Korea, is posing increasingly vexing diplomatic conundrums between South Korea and China, as both nations grapple with North Korea's decay and the resulting, unwanted fallout for Beijing and Seoul.

"Honestly, most families can't really eat well" in North Korea, said Ms Moon, working a low-profile restaurant job in this dusty city with a large population of ethnic Koreans, one hour into China from the North Korean border. "When I came to China, I learned  that people in North Korea eat worse than a pig in China." She asked that her full  name not be used.

The article also has some choice quotes by anti unification minister Chung Dong-young:

"To speak once again of the defector issue, the government clearly opposes organized defections," Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told the South Korean media recently. "For the people in the North to live their lives in the North with their families is necessary both for individuals and for co-existence and co-prosperity.

"With this in mind, it is not desirable for anyone to organize defections, intentionally bringing people out of North Korea," Chung said.

Wow.  This man is simply incredible.  It's only February, but he wins the Nomad "Assclown of the year" award for 2005, hands down.

A "dad" moment

The little Nomad brought home her report card today.  It was good, and I knew so because she called me at work to announce she'd gotten all A's and one B.  And yeah, I'm damned proud of her.  I know sometimes she thinks bad thoughts about me because I won't let her settle for average or mediocre - not when I've seen what that brain of hers is capable of.  There's a difference between honestly not being able to understand the material and being too lazy to work it out, and I won't accept the latter.  I don't demand straight A's, nor do I expect them, but I do demand and expect her to try her best - at everything she encounters in life.  That's one quality I've worked hard to instill in her - to always, always, give it your best because if in your heart, you know you gave it all you had, and yet for whatever reason you still didn't make the grade, then, there's no shame in that at all.  But don't tell me you did bad on a math test because you were playing video games instead of studying.

Speaking of math - that's the subject she frets about the most, and once again, she got an A.  Being a dad rocks.

Libyan uranium tied to NK?

So says this article in the NY Times. 

Scientific tests have led American intelligence agencies and government scientists to conclude with near certainty that North Korea sold processed uranium to Libya, bolstering earlier indications that the reclusive state exported sensitive fuel for atomic weapons, according to officials with access to the intelligence.

The determination, which has circulated among senior government officials in recent weeks, has touched off a hunt to determine if North Korea has also sold uranium to other countries, including Iran and Syria. So far, there is no evidence that such additional transactions took place.

Just in time for Bush's State of the Union speech, eh?  I wonder if he'll mention this, or if he'll adopt a more conciliatory tone towards NK, as some are expecting.  Now the question is, how can anyone be sure that the Libyan uranium cam from NK?  The article gives an explanation how scientists try to determine that very fact:

Nuclear intelligence experts said the new clues that implicate North Korea as Libya's supplier involve the fingerprints of uranium isotopes, or different forms of the element. Federal analysts, they said, took samples of the Libyan uranium and compared its isotope fingerprint with those of uranium samples from other countries and, by process of elimination, concluded that the uranium had come from North Korea.

Uranium has three main isotopes. The most prevalent is U-238, which accounts for a vast majority of natural uranium. U-235 is rare, but it is prized because it easily splits to produce the bursts of atomic energy that power reactors and nuclear warheads.

To trace the Libyan uranium, the government sleuths focused on an even rarer isotope, U-234. They did so because it turns out that concentrations of that isotope vary widely among uranium deposits and mines around the world.

"The science is pretty clear," said a senior federal intelligence official knowledgeable of the secret North Korea finding.

Interesting article, but there's no conclusive evidence (as of yet) that the NORKS are guilty and I sometimes think we give them a lot more credit than they're due or capable of.  But then I'm not an intel specialist or a nuclear scientist so I'll leave the fact finding with them and just report on what I read.  As for the rest of the article, go read it on your own.

This could be bad news

Considering that Korean youth spend more time with on or their cellphones than anything else (at least from what I've seen).  It's not just a phone, it's a way of life!

The top public health official of Russia has claimed that mobile phones cause child cancer.

Through the government magazine Rossiskaya Gazetta on February 1, the head of Russia’s national health, Gennadi Onishenko, announced research results showing that mobile phones harmed children’s health in particular.

Dr. Onishenko said, “According to the Russian research center of medicinal plants, even if a child uses a mobile phone for two minutes, the child’s bioelectric activities remain unstable for two hours.”

[...]

Dr. Onishenko refuted phone manufacturers’ claim that the products were not harmful, saying, “Mobile phones cause insomnia, memory failure, and high blood pressure.”

He also stated that people who keep mobile phones close to their bodies, by wearing mobile phones around their necks, putting them in their pockets, or carrying them in their hands, were in more danger.

Read the article here.

I wonder if they need judges?

Participants plant kisses on a transparent acrylic board to show their love towards their partners and family at a “Kiss Me Festival” in a beer bar in COEX, Seoul on Tuesday in the run-up to Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. The 10 participants with the most beautiful lips will win prizes./Yonhap

Pic and text taken from here.

Jenkins adjusting well

According to this article from Yahoo News, Charles Jenkins says he's enjoying his new life in Japan:

"After 40 years in North Korea, Japan is very easy to get adjusted to," Jenkins told his first news conference since moving in December to Sado island, 300 kilometers (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo, to join his Japanese wife whom he met in North Korea.

"I eat Japanese food. I eat curry rice the most. Sometimes I watch television. I guess I like dumplings best of all," he said.

Asked for his opinion of North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Il's regime, Jenkins said: "Not anyone can say anything good about it other than a few stooges."

"I have never met Kim Jong-Il but he is an evil man," he said.

"It is a socialist country system exploiting and oppressing their people," he said.

"Not anyone can say anything good about it other than a few stooges."   Gee, I wonder who he's referring to?  Anyone we know?

I need a new drug

Hanchongryun elects first female leader

It's not as dramatic as it sounds, since she was the only candidate.  Had I known that, I would have enterd one of my two Shi-tzus, who would have won on sheer cute points (I've seen pics of the Korean female activists...ugh).  I introduce to you Coco, who could have been the next leader and president-for-snacks of Hanchongryun.

Psssst

Mr. Cho has a new column out in the Korea Herald aptly titled "Give credit where credit is due."  Allow me to present you with a small snippet:

I remember that dissidents like Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam opposed President Park's policies, especially those on the economy, at every turn. They not only opposed but also ridiculed the president when he ordered, for instance, that the nation's first highway be built with part of the money South Korea received from Japan. They also led a national campaign against the government plans to send ROK troops and a corps of engineers to Vietnam.

Today, there are few, I am sure, who could deny that all those actions undertaken by the Park administration contributed to the economic development, if not the eventual democratization of the nation. I have no intention of becoming an apologist for President Park's harsh and repressive governing style. Nevertheless, we must give credit where credit is due. More than anyone else, it was he and his successor who, in less than two decades, led the country to the threshold of a developed nation with a per capita income of more than $10,000 from the poverty level of $150.

Another hub plan

In the never ending quest to become the hub of something, somewhere, officials have now decided to start smaller and make Seoul the hub of culture and arts.  Which is great, I guess, although it won't affect me one way or the other since I stay away from all that is Seoul as if my life depends on it.

A performing arts complex dedicated to classical music will open on Nodulsom, an island in the Han River, Ichon-dong, Yongsan-ku, by late 2007, the city announced on Sunday.

The complex will not only include an opera house on which the city plans to spend over 40 billion won as revealed earlier this month, but will also house concert and recital halls and smaller music venues, becoming the home for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and other arts companies under its supervision.

Sounds pretty neat, eh?  But you want to know the reason for all this?

``The special law on the sex industry seemed to have had an effect on the number foreign tourists,’’ Mayor Lee Myung-bak said during an interview with Yonhap News on Thursday. ``From now though, we will seek to compensate for the losses with high culture to upgrade Seoul’s image in the long run.’’

The hell you say!  Tourists were only coming to Korea to get laid?  Not for the 4 seasons, polite drivers, clean air, pristine and unspoiled natural beauty, unpolluted waters, and friendly taxi and bus drivers?  Oops, I almost forgot about Yon Sama!

War Pigs

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death’s construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds, oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait ’till their judgement day comes, yeah!

Now in darkness, world stops turning
As the war machine keeps burning
No more war pigs of the power
Hand of God has sturck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings
All right now!

Black Sabbath - War Pigs

From the album "Paranoid", 1970

Snow? Who ordered snow?

And instantly, the parking lot turned into a playground.

Military ID card fraud

Here's exactly why you shouldn't let anyone (on or off-base), ever, make a copy of your ID card.  Seems a few cell phone stores around military bases have been selling this information to those who used it for illegal purposes.

More than 10,500 U.S. military identification cards have been fraudulently used by South Korean cell-phone dealers, according to a confidential Department of the Army memo.

The memo, obtained by Stars and Stripes and dated Jan. 4, refers to an investigation by the Cyber Computer Unit (CCU) of the Korean National Police.

The CCU reported to the Camp Casey-based 19th Military Police Battalion (CID), 6th Military Police Group, that South Korean national cellular phone dealers near U.S. Army installations routinely copied U.S. soldiers’ IDs when they purchased a cell phone.

“Investigation by the CCU revealed the phone dealers were selling the identities of the soldiers to unscrupulous individuals who in turn initiated cell phone accounts with the soldiers’ identities,” the memo states. “This was done in an effort by these individuals to disguise their true identities from law enforcement.”

When reached for comment, CID refused to offer details on its memo.

“For the past two years CCU identified approximately 10,500 ID cards, all belonging to U.S. soldiers throughout South Korea that were fraudulently used by the phone dealers, of which about 85 percent of the 10,500 victims (8,400) were identified as soldiers in Area I,” the memo continued.

Speaking of soju

When the old liver finally gives out, guess where you can get another one, if the money is right?

If you guessed China, you win the prize.

Economy down, tobacco & soju up

This article in the Korea Times blames an increase in tobacco and alcohol consumption last year on the economic slump.  On a side note, the Korean stock market has been on an uphill surge, and every time one reads the local papers, there's nothing but good news like huge trade surpluses and Korea becoming the world's 10th largest economy, but somehow all this doesn't seem to be filtering down to the average Mr. and Mrs. Kim.

South Koreans consumed the largest-ever amount of cigarettes and alcohol last year, as more people resorted to these goods to ease stress brought on by the prolonged economic slump.

On average, a Korean smoker bought 488 packs of cigarettes last year, while a Korean adult drank 86 bottles of soju, the most popular distilled liquor among Korean people.

[...]

Beer consumption recorded an all-time high of 1.73 million kiloliters, up 1.7 percent from a year ago. The amount of soju consumed was 1.08 million kiloliters, up 3.8 percent from the prior year’s 1.04 million kiloliters.

This means that the average Korean adult, or person aged 20 or above, drank 99 bottles (each of 500 milliliters) of beer and 86 bottles of soju last year.

Lunch, anyone?

Dog meat ramyon.  Mmmmm-mmmmm.

Pic stolen from Connect Korea.  The comments over there say this is something sold in China but marketed as a Korean product.

My wife just told me one of the ladies in our church went to China and brought back a bag of this as a souvenir.  She said the ethnic Koreans living in China are making this stuff and it really has dog meat in it.

NK not "main enemy" in new defense paper

South Korea has not printed its defense white paper since 2001 amid a growing dispute over the definition of communist North Korea as its "main enemy."
"We focused on putting an end to wasteful debate by thoroughly reviewing the 'main enemy' terminology, which flared up as a hot social issue," the ministry said in a booklet outlining its key policy lines.

The new defense paper will describe the North is a "substantial military threat that has posed a direct threat" to South Korea, but will stop using the term "main enemy," the ministry said.

SK officials are still trying to come up with a suitable replacement for the "main enemy" moniker.  Some suggested replacements so far are "those guys", "cuz", "bro", "homeboy", "slim", and "beeatch".

Read all about it here.

Yet another school scam

Hey, don't feel like sitting through a tedious college class when you could be out doing better things like taking pictures of yourself with your cellphone?  Just pay someone else to sit through the class for you!  Now why didn't I ever think of that?

We're sorry...so sorry

Some things just boggle the mind.  Hopefully you guys caught the Flying Yangban's excellent post on Chung Dong-young's anti-unification policies not too long ago.  Because today, I happened to read an interview Mr. Chung did with OhmyNews of which I'm only going to give you the very first paragraph (You can read the entire article right here):

Unification Minister Chung Dong Young, in a Dec. 2 interview with OhmyNews, said he found it "unfortunate and regretful" that inter-Korean relations have stalled following the ministry's nixing of plans by civic groups to send a mourning team to Pyongyang to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung and the airlift of 460 North Korean defectors from a Southeast Asian nation to Seoul. This is noteworthy as it's an official expression of regret from the Southern side to the Northern one over the two incidents.

Does anyone, anyone at all out there besides myself see something so wrong with this?  An official expression of regret for accepting NK refugees?  Amazing, simply amazing.