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!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Daily Kor for January 7, 2011

I guess South Korea losing the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup means that FIFA doesn't need Chung Mongjoon to kick around anymore, so he's gone. And Bosworth is gone, off to Beijing and hopefully not to make some deal with the Chinese that will undermine the the unusual resolve of Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo to stand together against Pyongyang's calculated belligerence.

The other big news — literally — is that Asiana Airlines is ordering some Airbus A380 Dreamliners. On the one hand, I wonder if they wouldn't possibly have bought some Boeing 787 aircraft instead, had the long delayed KORUS FTA already been in effect. On the other hand, I wonder if this means that Incheon International Airport will become even more of a hub when it necessarily has to expand in order to service these massive planes (LAX is spending some $1.1 billion for such improvements).

In FIFA vote, Chung Mongjoon loses vice-presidency to Jordan's Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein (WSJ, Yonhap, Korea Herald)
Seoul rejects Pyongyang's offer for unconditional talks to ease tensions as "propaganda" charm offensive (Reuters, AP via WaPo, BBC, Xinhua, Bloomberg)

US envoy Bosworth moves on to Beijing (WaPo, AP via WaPo, UPI)

National Police Agency says Google is illegally collecting email and other data from unsecured wireless networks in South Korea (AP via WaPo, Yonhap, Korea Times, Korea Herald, Joongang Daily)
Asiana Airlines purchases six Airbus A380 aircraft to be delivered between 2014 and 2017, at cost of US$1.78 billion (Reuters, AP via WaPo, Korea Times, Joongang Daily)
Seventy thousand ROK troops to be deployed to fight spread of foot-and-mouth disease (Yonhap)

South Korean quarantine authorities to begin vaccinations of animals (Yonhap)

Pyongchang completes bid file for 2018 Winter Olympics (Yonhap, Korea Times, Korea Herald)
Seoul City Council goes ahead with controversial plan free lunch for all students (Yonhap)
Bank of Korea to focus on price stability in 2011 (Yonhap)

Beijing admits pandas are just unemployed laborers in bear suits (AFP)

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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)*

Friday, January 7, 2011

Daily Kor for January 7, 2011

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