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Glamour Teachers Wanted
2008-05-15 04:09:00 We recorded the latest episode of the SeoulPodcast last night with the director of ESL-Planet recruiting. If anyone has scanned the board at ESL Cafe, you’d know him as the one who posts the ads that say stuff like “Ugly Teachers Wanted ” in response to schools whose only requirement when they called him was that the teachers looked attractive. Here are a couple of examples: POP STARS REJECTED!!!!! The new E2 visa laws in Korea make it very difficult for most pop stars to get a gig teaching in South Korea! Seeking time away from the spotlight, many celebs contact us about teaching in the lucrative ESL industry in Korea, unfortunately we have had to refuse the following applications: TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN E2 VISA IN SOUTH KOREA, YOU MUST: * be an ENGLISH SPEAKER… EMINEM …REJECTED! * be between 21 and 54 years old…Neil Diamond …REJECTED! * hold a university Bachelor’s degree…Jessica Simpson…REJECTED! * be of good physica... More About: Glamour
Kickin’ It in Itaewon
2008-05-14 18:44:00 The EV Boyz (Kickin’ It in Geumchon) will be performing on Saturday, May 31st around 11:00 PM. They will be performing at both The Wolfhound and the Rocky Mtn Tavern in Itaewon. Maybe they’re performing at both. This is a benefit to help support the Little Travelers, which is an AIDS awareness and prevention group in South Africa. More info is here. And a reminder, the SeoulPodcast did an interview with the EV Boyz a while back.
Google Earthing the USFK
2008-05-13 03:25:00 GI Korea at ROK Drop is again giving the enemy more details. This time he’s mapped out Google Earth locations for various USFK facilities, along with stats and histories. It’s pretty fascinating, especially for us who can’t shop at AAFES.
Labor Leader Crackdown
2008-05-13 03:07:00 Matt at Gusts of Popular Feeling informs us that two leaders of the Migrants’ Trade Union will be deported next week. He then goes into detail on how the scaremongering over illegal workers is just a charade. I just gotta say that Tom Rainey-Smith at ATEK maybe should double check to see if all his paperwork is in order. More About: Labor , Crackdown , Leader
The New Seoul Mascot
2008-05-02 12:03:00 A syphilitic dog from Ghostbusters on wheels. (HT The Marmot) More About: Seoul
Music Lover’s Guide to Concert Music in Seoul
2008-04-30 03:35:00 Gord Sellar has posted a comprehensive guide on how to buy tickets for concert music events, along with how to get the best experience by avoiding the well-dressed posers who are there to be looked at rather than for the music itself. More About: Music , Lover , Concert , Guide , Seoul
The Pretty Faces of Nationalism
2008-04-28 07:27:00 One point of view. And another. These images were passed on from The Western Confucian and The Marmot. State worship at its finest. More About: Faces , Pretty , Nationalism
SeoulPodcast: Super Survival Korean
2008-04-27 10:30:00 The latest SeoulPodcast is up. This time, we go over the Korean we wish we knew when we got off the plane. Also… some good time wasters. More About: Super , Survival
10 Years for National Pyro #1
2008-04-25 07:17:00 So, the 70-year-old guy who burned down Nam–Sungnyemun has been sentenced to ten years in prison. (HT to the Marmot) More About: National , Years , Pyro
We Have Celebrity Bloggers in Korea?
2008-04-25 02:19:00 SeoulSteves has noticed that there’s another voice in the Korea blogosphere, and it shows how insulated we are that we have not found it before–considering how many comments are on each of this person’s posts. Elyse Sewell, from America’s Next Top Model, has been living in and blogging about Korea. What’s funny is that it looks similar to many of the other ex-pat blogs–taking pictures of Engrish, talking about food, and dealing with creepy people on the subway. …Oh, and even celebrity models have to do visa runs to Japan. More About: Celebrity , Bloggers
Colbert vs. Rain–Rematch
2008-04-25 02:08:00 It looks like Steven Colbert and Rain are at each other’s throats again. This time, Rain learned enough English to do a video response to Colbert’s challenge.
Line 5 is HOT!!
2008-04-23 10:34:00 Korea Beat tells us that a gay porn video is making its rounds on the Internet involving public acts on Seoul’s subway line 5. So now you know which line to avoid… or not. More About: Line
Korean Perceptions of the U.S. Military
2008-04-22 02:50:00 GI Korea at ROK Drop has posted a detailed link-heavy response with pictures to a four-part series in the Stars and Stripes about how Korean s view the U.S. military. The views in the article are predictable, but GI Korea’s responses are worth the read, pointing out details I was previously unaware of. Oh, and the Stars and Stripes article has a quote from the manager of Gecko’s saying that English teachers are now the bad guys in the bar, and the U.S. soldiers are the good guys. More About: Military , Perceptions
Yi So-yeon’s First Words Back on Earth
2008-04-20 16:37:00 Just got this in my mailbox. For anyone interested, here is video from the camera inside the capsule soon after the rescue team arrived after the rough touchdown miles from the planned landing site. Yi So-yeon speaks Russian and then some Korean in this clip, so go to the YouTube page for it to see the translation. More About: Earth , Words , Back
SeoulPodcast: Michael Hurt
2008-04-20 07:02:00 The mysteries behind Feetman Seoul are revealed as Michael Hurt joins us in a multi-part podcast. If anything, listen to it to hear Mike talk about beer coming in the mouth.
Welcome Home, Yi So-yeon!
2008-04-20 03:15:00 A little off target, a little more Gs than planned, but she’s back home okay. More About: Home
SeoulPodcast: Is There Life Outside Seoul
2008-04-13 16:53:00 The latest episode of the Seoul Podcast has been let out of its cage. This week we have Kim from Socius in Daejeon and Mike from BusanMike. We talk about living in places other than Seoul, the week’s news and controversies (Coreana, election noise, immigration stuff). More About: Life
Where to Go for Legal Help
2008-04-09 14:40:00 Brendon Carr of the Korea Law Blog has some info on a law firm that can help English teachers with labor cases. Wish I knew of them back then rather than going the public attorney route. CORRECTION: Brendon, who is a swell guy, corrected me on my information. Teaches me to type and record a podcast at the same time. Actually, Kangnam Labor Law Firm is not a “law firm” per se in that no attorneys work there. It is a nomu-sa firm, which is kind of a licensed paralegal firm with a practice area limited to labor and employment law only, and only permitted to represent clients before the labor tribunals of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). However, for most English teachers, this is exactly what they need. Since I know Mr. Bong-Soo Jung and his work, his character, and the fact that he cares enough about the English-teacher market to use the services of a native-speaker paralegal, I am glad to be able to share this information. See, Joe? I’m not so terrible. More About: Legal
Kim Tae-hee Wants to Taste Your Banana
2008-04-07 03:30:00 You know, this video has also been making the rounds. The story is that Cuteness #1 Kim Tae-hee is sans makeup in this ad, according to James at The Grand Narrative. I know. So what? I don’t know. But it’s popular on the Korean news sites. The most popular story, by the way, is the resurfacing of a 2004 bruhaha over Oprah saying that Korean women are too obsessed with looking white. Where would someone get such an idea? More About: Banana , Taste
Hitler Would Wear that Shade, Why Not You?
2008-04-07 03:10:00 Brian in Jeollanam-do posted this past week about Coreana’s ads which use Nazi imagery and even used Hitler by name to sell cosmetics. He posted the videos on YouTube, and Coreana contacted him, by means of commenting on his YouTube site, demanding he remove the videos. YouTube itself removed them. As of now, you can still see them here and here. They have since replaced the phrase “Even Hitler didn’t have the East and West” with “Nobody could have the East and West.” Yet we still kept the Nazi imagery, including a Nazi symbol on the models cap. The story made the front page of CNN.com and has also hit the German news. One Free Korea has a letter from Korea’s best friend, the Simon Wissenthal Center, subtly pointing out Coreana’s international faux pas. It’s funny and sad (isn’t there a German word for that) that Coreana’s response was to harass a lone blogger rather than, you know, GET IT, and write the ad campai... More About: Wear
SeoulPodcast: ExPat Jane and EV Boyz
2008-04-03 06:16:00 The latest episode of the SeoulPodcast is up. We talk about Seoul Fashion Week with ExPat Jane (Regina Walton). We also have one of the FIRST interviews with the EV Boyz (”Kickin’ it in Geumchon”). More About: Expat
Check Your Light Fixtures
2008-04-01 17:00:00 Joshua from An American in Geoje recently found that his bathroom light didn’t turn on. While removing the fixture to replace the bulb, the entire thing fell down to reveal the picture above. Hot electrical appliances and plastic ceiling coverings aren’t good matches. I’m sure his landlord is getting an earful. Note to all: today is check your light fixture day. More About: Check , Light , Fixtures
Government to Fund Pouting as National Treasure
2008-04-01 02:58:00 The Joshing Gnome reports that President Lee Myung Bak will create a new Ministry of Bbijim to promote the unique Korean “sense of injustice one feels when something that never should have happened, happens.” More About: Government , National , Fund , National Treasure , Treasure
Feetman Seoul Declares Andre Day
2008-03-31 17:01:00 After declaring himself “King of All New Media,” Michael Hurt announced that Feetman Seoul has pronounced April 1st International Andre Kim Appreciation Day. “I have a thing for anything spacey. We all know I’m friends with Astrogirl Lee Soyeon, who is claimed to be Korea’s first astronaut. Nonetheless, we all know that Andre Kim himself came from outer space to grace us with his wit, wisdom and STY-Y-Y-YLE on the peninsula.” To honor International Andre Kim Appreciation Day, everyone must dress up in his or her best Andre Kim spaceman uniform. It is unisex, so there should be little worries. In case the suit frightens small children, wear one with bright colors.
Not Again, ExPat Jane
2008-03-31 17:00:00 First it was the taxi driver running out for some cigarettes. Then it was the bus driver running out of the vehicle to use the bathroom. Now, again, ExPat Jane has been abandoned by the driver a vehicle, this time a jetliner on its way to L.A., as the pilot went out to get a sports beverage. “Is it me? And it must really be the off season when I’m the only one on the plane.” More About: Expat
It’s “Pablo,” not “Babo”
2008-03-12 22:12:00 A Geek in Korea has an amusing class anecdote involving Mr. Picasso. (Even though I just gave away the punchline.) More About: Pablo
A Little Light Posting Ahead
2008-03-12 21:54:00 Wow! I’m heading back to the U.S. for the first time in four years. It’ll be a quick trip, but I won’t be able to keep on top of things as I usually do. Forgive me if I’m a bit slow in approving comments from new posters, all you–new posters. More About: Light , Ahead
The Association of English Teachers in Korea
2008-03-12 04:17:00 This has been getting some legs lately. There has always been talk of creating an organization for English teachers–other than KOTESOL, which is more of a debate society. A union started in Seoul a few years back with a few teachers from Berlitz. I knew some of the founders at the time. One was talked about last year before the Global English Conference. Now it looks like it’s being picked up again. What’s funny is that knee-jerk white-collar college kid aversion to anything that reeks of union, even though unions are part of the natural checks and balances of a real free market and have brought us things we now take for granted like five-day work weeks, employer provided health care and pension systems. Anyway… I grew past that Ayn Rand superman myth stage in 12th grade. So now ATEK, the Association of English Teachers in Korea , has been formed. So, it’s not only being talked about on Ye Olde Negative Circle Jerk (it took a record 12 commen...
Breakin’ and Poppin’ with Alfonso
More articles from this author:2008-03-12 01:07:00 I wanted this so badly when I was a kid. Like ice cream at Baskin Robbins, I vowed to get this when I was older and had my own money. And it comes with its own “Rap Sheet!” More About: Breakin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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