The Chosun Daily has a look at Korea’s birthrate, which remains the lowest in the world. The older articles fit in with the newest one: article 4. They’re all interesting reading when taken side by side.
Article 1: Korea’s Birthrate remains lowest in the world. (from May 22)
Article 2: US posts Record-Breaking Birthrate in 2007 (from [...]
Archive > June 2009
Chosun On Korea’s Birthrate
Wondergirls Debut in Portland
In an aside from my usual comparative cultural commentary:
The Wondergirls opened their first show for the Jonas Brothers World Tour in Portland, on a stage-in-the-round, dancing to all four sides. Judge crowd reaction for yourself, via these fancams:
Nobody (English) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKqeGGKNRxA
Tell Me (Mostly English) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYFZU0srL4
Total Eclipse of the Sun Headed Our Way
Via The Washington Post:
A total solar eclipse will occur over Asia and the Pacific Ocean — for 6 minutes and 39 seconds — on July 22. Eclipse expert Fred Espenak, of the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, offers details.
There’s Class, and then there’s the Exact Opposite of Class
Via Extra Korea, Yonsei University’s Kim Dong-gil is not satisfied with ONE leftist ex-president’s suicide: he won’t be satisfied until they’ve both jumped off a cliff. He had made comments that Ex-President Roh should kill himself just days before the man actually did.
Because of the failure of the sunshine policy, Mr. Kim thinks Kim Dae-Jung [...]
More Teachers Hone English at Private Institutes
Crossposted at Chris in South Korea
From the ‘try-not-to-look-too-surprised’ column – Korean English teachers, nervous about upcoming government certification requirements, are going back to school to get their skills up to snuff. From the Korea Times (it’s not an exclusive as they claim; the Korea Herald has written briefly about it as well):
Ahead of the full [...]
Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/06/29-2009/07/01
거북이 달린다 (Running Turtle), 마더 (Mother) and 여고괴담 5 – 동반자살 (Whispering Corridors 5 – A Blood Pledge) continue entertaining the subtitled cinema going masses…
Mother is on at the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:
Monday (29th) – 1050, 2140 and 2410
Tuesday (30th) – 1050, 2140 and 2410
Wednesday (1st) – 1050, 2140 and 2410
Running Turtle is on at the [...]
Free Ali Khan! Another Expat Failing to find Justice?
I just got word about this guy. Ali Khan is a dude from Pakistan who’s been in prison for a few years. According to the accounts on the blog Free Ali Khan, he was falsely accused of murder, given biased translators (friends of the victim), and tortured into confession. It was covered in the Gwangju [...]
Driving in Korea vs. America
From Jumping the Asymptote:
There are definite differences in the Tao of Driving between the USA and Korea. In America, the rules of the road dictate our behavior. Drivers follow most of the rules most of the time. In the USA I’m always irritated when a car changes lanes or turns without signaling first, because it [...]
‘Mass Studies’ design the Korean Pavilion for Shanghai Expo 2010
Mass Studies, internationally renowned Korean architecture firm founded by Minsuk Cho in 2003, has designed the Korean Pavilion for the Shanghai Expo 2010. They also designed the grass covered (both inside and outside) Anne Demeulemeester store (2007) in Apgujeong and the notable Boutique Monaco Tower (2008) in Kangnam. The pavilion is located between the Japan [...]
First-person: Roh Memorial torn down
It’s one thing to read about it on the news – it’s entirely another thing to be there. Don’t worry, mom, I’m safe.
While I didn’t read Andy Jackson’s take on the Marmot’s Hole until I was already home (working on another unrelated assignment), I was in the area. I didn’t stay for long, but check [...]
Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/06/25-2009/06/28
거북이 달린다 (Running Turtle), 마더 (Mother) and 여고괴담 5 – 동반자살 (Whispering Corridors 5 – A Blood Pledge) continue their subtitled runs. Tomorrow may bring more surprises, but seeing as Transformers 2 has taken over most of the screens in Seoul, it looks pretty unlikely…
Mother is on at the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:
Thursday (25th) – 1100, [...]
More Nazi Imagery in Korea
You’d think people would learn, but…
PopSeoul reports on Girls Generation is gussied up in military-themed outfits decked with Nazi symbols.
It’s not the first time Nazi imagery has been casually used in Korea, but you’d hope people would learn to be more careful.
(For a bit of comparison between how Korea feels about Nazi symbols and how [...]
