Last week I headed up to the 9th floor of my office building to take care of some routine duties. The floor is filled with young interns, dressed in the tattered jeans and flannel shirts that are the trend during Korea’s wintry weather. Turning a corner I bumped into one of them, a young man [...]
Filed under: America, Asia, Korean War, Opinion, Politics, history | Tagged: America, bow, China, history, Japan, Korean War, Obama, Politics, US | Leave a Comment »
Via Reuters comes an analysis of the success that South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have had in recent months, particulalry in comparison to their Japanese rivals. Hyundai has also struck gold with big operations in India and China — two of the fastest-growing markets. And ingenious marketing such as an offer to allow buyers [...]
Filed under: Asia, economy | Tagged: FTA, globalization, Japan, Korea | Leave a Comment »
Excellent piece in the New Yorker by Seymour Hersh on securing (or not) Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal in the face of increasing attacks by the Taliban and radicalization of the nation’s military. A senior Pakistani official who has close ties to Zardari exploded with anger during an interview when the subject turned to the American demands [...]
Filed under: America, Asia, Headlines, North Korea, Politics | Tagged: America, China, Japan, Korea, North Korea, Obama, Politics | Leave a Comment »
Hans Blix, former head of the WMD inspection team in Iraq and chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, says engagement with the North is the only way to convince the country that “a piece of paper” will guarantee its safety more so than a nuclear stockpile. Perhaps a piece of paper could be [...]
Filed under: Asia, Headlines, North Korea, Politics | Tagged: China, Japan, North Korea, Politics, pyongyang, Seoul | Leave a Comment »
Reuters reports that N. Korea launched its rocket at around 11:30 local time, citing Japanese government sources. S. Korea has confirmed the launch. Japan said the rocket’s second booster stage had splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, indicating the launch had been successful. “The projectile launched from North Korea today appears to have passed over [...]
Filed under: Headlines, North Korea, Politics | Tagged: Japan, Korea, North Korea, Politics | Leave a Comment »
Isolated, impoverished and universally hated North Korea is going ahead with some sort of space launch. It can’t keep its cities lit or its roads full. It can’t even feed its people. But it can keep the entire region on alert as it ratchets up the kind of tension that has proven to be a [...]
Filed under: America, Asia, Korean War, North Korea, Opinion, Politics, Seoul | Tagged: America, China, Japan, Korea, Korean War, North Korea, Obama, Politics, pyongyang, Seoul | 1 Comment »
An article in the IHT by Norimitsu Onishi about the buraku of Japan and their slow rise out of the traditional depths of Japan’s ancient social hierarchy, a rise — and article — that took inspiration from Obama’s election in the U.S. What caught my attention was a short graf in the middle that referred to [...]
Filed under: Asia, Identity, Korean Society, buddhism, history | Tagged: history, Identity, Japan, Korea, media, Obama, Politics, religion | Leave a Comment »
He strutted around like he owned the place. With this bow-legged bounce that would have been comical if it weren’t so damned authentic, like Toshiro Mifune in all those samurai flicks from the 60s. Short, squat and covered in ink, he sat down across from me and started to slap his chest and face, letting [...]
Filed under: Asia, Daily life, Identity, Korean Society, Seoul | Tagged: culture, Japan, Korea, sauna, Seoul, tattoos, travel, Yakuza | 1 Comment »
An editorial in yesterday’s Korean language JoonAng attacked local media coverage following the suicide of South Korean actor Ahn Jae-hwan, who was found dead in his car on Sept. 8 after inhaling charcoal fumes. Ahn was reputed to have incurred an enormous gambling debt, some say totalling upwards of $4 million dollars. The author specifically [...]
Filed under: Asia, Daily life, Korean Society, media | Tagged: Japan, Korea, media, Suicide | Leave a Comment »
A string of articles appeared the other day in Korean media, timed with World Suicide Prevention Day on Wednesday, reporting that Korea ranked highest among OECD member states in terms of its suicide rate. Commentators expressed bitterness over the grim statistics. the suicide rate in South Korea surged by 90.8 percent in the 1997-2007 period… [...]
Filed under: Daily life, Korean Society, religion | Tagged: India, Japan, Kerala, Korea, Suicide | 1 Comment »
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