Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Daily Kor for April 7, 2010

Though I included it in yesterday's Loose Change, the sudden proliferation of late stories in the general media on the Toyota Korea recall — not to mention the apology — necessitated turning it into a top news story today.

Meanwhile, we have the Obama administration trying to threaten Teheran and Pyongyang with a very big stick. As I wrote at One Free Korea, the US restricting the use of nukes except for countries like Iran and North Korea that pursue their own nukes may be the one thing that finally works to bring them back to the table to negotiate an earnest move away from that path. Let's pray that works.

ROK Navy destroyer reaches hijacked South Korean oil tanker (links here)
US announces restrictions on its use of nuclear weapons, except on countries like Iran and North Korea which pursue their own nukes in defiance against international community (AP via WaPo, Reuters via WaPo, WSJ, Bloomberg, Yonhap, Joongang Daily)
Bad weather stalls salvage of sunken Chonan (Yonhap)

USFK commander General Walter Sharp confident US will be able to help South Korea in probe of Chonan's sinking (VOA)
General Sharp says he has seen no link to North Korea in sinking (Yonhap, Korea Times)
Blue House reportedly critical of Defense Minister's remarks on North Korean involvement (Joongang Daily)

Head of National Intelligence Service says Kim Jong-il will visit China around April 25 (Yonhap, Korea Times)
Samsung announces record-high operating profit for 1st quarter of 2010 (WSJ, Reuters, Joongang Daily)
Head of Toyota Korea apologizes to Korean consumers as Toyota recalls 13,000 vehicles (Bloomberg, Reuters via CNBC, AP via CNBC, Korea Times, Joongang Daily)

Toyota calls South Korea move "precautionary" as no incidents have been reported (Bloomberg)

ROK Foreign Ministry slams Japan for asserting claim on Tokto islets in its latest diplomatic bluebook (Yonhap, Joongang Daily)

Blue House also condemns Tokto remarks (Yonhap, Korea Times)

With little headway made on the East Sea front, Foreign Ministry announces plans to rename Indian Ocean as New Sea of Korea (Yonhap)

No comments:

Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

Oh, and play nice. Please don’t make me regret this.

九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.

Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Daily Kor for April 7, 2010

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts