I wouldn’t think the South Korean government includes the Korean diaspora in its figure of 2 million addicts, but I can say for certain that my wife is one of them. It has become a major point of contention in our marriage and I have met stiff resistance whenever I try to restrict usage to [...]
Author Archive > Mark
Ajumma Sparkling!
I’ve got some ajumma stereotypes of my own, but I’d best keep them to myself before I end up in the dog house again. They’re known as ajumma, a word long applied to married women with children but which in recent years has taken on a pejorative connotation that irks Kim. Among many South Koreans, [...]
Virginia Tech Anniversary
Today is the third anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, and there will be various memorial events on campus…. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, was found already dead by his own gun. His toll: 32 people–27 students and five professors–were dead. It was the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, [...]
“Korean Night” in Oklahoma
Interesting juxtaposition…Koreans in Oklahoma. Korean Night promoted better understanding of both traditional and modern Korean culture Monday at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. “We’re basically trying to spread the Korean culture across the campus, and get to the general student body so they can learn more and appreciate the Korean culture more,” said Jason Kim, Korean [...]
Sonata, Sparkling!
I find it very interesting and innovative that Hyundai is ditching the V6 engine for its 2011 Sonatas. This might not bode well in the US where consumers will probably be reluctant to give up their horsepower…. The availability of a heavier, bulkier and brawnier V-6 meant that many of the old Sonata’s parts had [...]
Hub of…China?
Looks like Korea has laid another claim to China…. MBC, the South Korea’s second biggest TV station, reveals some shocking secrets on a program called "Mysterious TV Surprise." In its program on March 7 this year, it claimed that Zhu Yuanzhang, the builder and first emperor of China’s Ming Dynasty, could possibly have been a [...]
Cambodian Brides Non Sequitur
This doesn’t make sense. If foreign brides are so damn happy in Korea: Despite a wide age and academic gap, over half of foreign spouses married to Koreans showed relatively high satisfaction with their lives here, according to survey results released yesterday. The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs surveyed about 131,000 foreign spouses [...]
Bloodless Bullfights
This is pretty cool. I didn’t know the Koreans did bullfighting…. Two bulls enter the oval arena, bellowing loudly, and exchange momentary glares. Then they clash head to head — and there’s not a matador in sight. Centuries after the tradition began, Korean bullfighting still draws frenzied crowds who don’t seem to miss the bloodshed [...]
Who’s lying now?
South Korea says that North Koreans are in South Africa working on World Cup stadiums, but the South Africans themselves deny seeing any Koreans at the work sites. Does this mean that the South Korean press is just a puppet of North Korea, or is this just another case of sloppy journalism based on rumors [...]
C4I Cop-Out
You’ve probably heard about the American plans to hand over operational control or OPCON of military operations in Korea to the South Koreans themselves. SEOUL – North Korea’s rhetoric is such a familiar noise during United States-South Korean war games that most people don’t pay attention. Nor does anyone outside the US and Korean military [...]
Hub of Data Theft
If you use Korean e-commerce sites, your information may have been sold to highest bidder…. SEOUL (AFP) – South Korea said Friday it would launch a probe into security systems of major retailer Shinsegae and 24 other companies after private data on some 20 million customers was leaked. The move came a day after police [...]
Harmony in Honolulu
This Korean movie will be showing in the US, or at least Hawaii. "Harmony," a touching story about four female prison inmates who create a choir, has been inching toward the 3 million attendee mark since its release in Korea on Jan. 28, much to the surprise of the film industry. For this film genre, [...]
