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The Final Cut Makes the Cut
2008-06-05 03:58:00
Mike from The FInal Cut is in this Yonhap News photo holding a sign that says “-4.” No, he’s not protesting American beef or the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (very obscure joke… study the picture).  Read here to find out what he’s doing.
More About: Final , The Final Cut

SeoulPodcast with Brian in Jeollanam-do
2008-06-05 02:50:00
Our latest podcast has Brian Deutsch from Brian in Jeollanam-do.  Pretty funny episode.  We talk about the U.S. beef protests, scary sex ed classes in Suwon, and the use of flatulence in English pedagogy. [SeoulPodcast #11: The Brain Deutschland Show]

One of Those Stories
2008-06-04 05:37:00
For some reason, this conversation LadyX of eel slipper had with “the boy with the mind problem” I found touching.
More About: Stories

Awesome Gun Cam Video
2008-06-02 10:28:00
This was taken during an Airsoft Korea game.  Airsoft Korea is a open-membership club of ex-pats and Koreans who get together on Sundays in Anyang (near Indeogwon Station) for a little wargaming with some high-powered pellet guns.  I’ve been to one of the games and survived one round by pure luck.  It’s a major adrenaline rush, and some of these guys are hardcore, modifying their guns more than Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon. If you’re interested in doing some airsoft yourself they now have a Facebook page and extra equipment.
More About: Video , Awesome

F#%*ing Smile!
2008-05-29 07:23:00
Gord Sellar has written about a Korean Internet troll who turns out to be, well… you gotta read it for yourself.  The retaliation bit is the most amusing.  Clever!
More About: Smile

“Tank You”
2008-05-29 07:14:00
Amanda has a touching story about her final day teaching in Korea.
More About: Tank

Lao-Ocean-Girl and the Tea Fields
2008-05-28 02:44:00
Lao-Ocean -Girl just got back from a trip to the Boseong Tea Fields , and the pictures she took, along with an anecdote or two, are worth a glance. Matt from my nice day! (have you noticed there are a lot of Korea ex-pat bloggers named Matt) also went there recently. I guess it’s the cool place to go.  I didn’t get the memo.

How to Eat Sushi
2008-05-27 05:23:00
Former Korea and recent Japan resident Miss Koco has found and posted a hilarious video on Japanese sushi culture. [sushi]
More About: Sushi

A Big Welcome to Foreign/er
2008-05-27 04:54:00
I’m a few days late on this, but I can forgive myself so you will have to also. Joy from Foreign /er is finally in Korea.  Hers is the only blog that I picked up and put in the ZK cue before the author actually stepped foot in Korea.  We have been watching her pack and get ready for her adventure.  And now she’s here. Welcome to the Land of Anything but Morning Calm!!

Faking Drunkness to Go to a Job Interview
2008-05-27 04:45:00
Whitey at Through Whitey’s Eyes tells the story of a young co-worker and her creative and oh-so-Korean plan to take off work to go to a lucrative job interview. [My Student Will Fake Being Drunk]
More About: Interview

Choi Hong-man’s “Special Friend”
2008-05-27 04:42:00
(…not that there’s anything wrong with that.) The Joshing Gnome translates a piece from Star News that talks about the special relationship between K-1 fighter Choi Hong -man and “talent” Kim Jeong-wook. Basically they’re shackin’ up together. Those who know the pair who built up their friendship to the point where they live under the same roof explain that they have something like a mother-daughter relationship. Choi loves Kim’s cooking skills and when he’s hungry he calls to Kim ‘Mommy~’ and asks him to cook cutely. [Choi Hong-man Gay?]
More About: Friend , Special

PK In Defense of the Crystal Skull
2008-05-27 04:29:00
Psychedelic Kimchi takes apart the arguments of the uber-geeks who have been actively trashing the new Indiana Jones flick–as if their heightened images of their own childhoods are sacrosanct.  Geez, people!  It’s always been a homage to cheesy Saturday matinées from the ’50s.  If they can put skin-melting religious artifacts and hearts being slowly pulled out while beating–aliens can fit there too. It’s like the people who didn’t like Transformers because the physics of the helicopters latching on to Bumblebee were all wrong and the genetic science in Jurassic Park didn’t fit perfectly with the latest peer-reviewed journals. Lighten up, folks. The movies and shows we watched as kids weren’t that great to begin with.  People are confusing sentimentality for their childhoods with great filmmaking.  And they get upset when someone makes pretty much the same type of movie that was made way back then but the viewer is more jaded watc...
More About: Defense , Crystal , Skull

Not the Most Sparkling Travel Article about Korea
2008-05-25 03:24:00
The Australia’s Courier Mail has a little travel piece about South Korea : As I walked down the street, I noticed people spitting on the sidewalk by my feet, others openly staring at me and a multitude of couples wearing exactly the same outfits. Not to mention the noticeable absence of rubbish bins on the street. Oh, this doesn’t look good.
More About: Travel , Article

Michael White Vigil Turnout and Fundraiser
2008-05-18 15:13:00
I just received this. It looks like the Korean media may start picking up Mike’s story. May 18th Update: The Sauna vigil went very well. We managed to get more Korean exposure as many families stopped by to see what was going on. Thanks to a previous coworker, Martine, many Korean mothers now know what mystery I’m facing in seeking answers for my son. There was also a reporter from one of the Korean dailies, so we should expect to see a story published sometime this week. A TV program has also been seeking an interview, and the time for that will be arranged tomorrow. I’m also bringing in a police statement by Corina Fransen to repudiate the Sauna’s claim that they made emergency annoucement over the intercom system. (Her daughter is also bilingual) I’ll be going to the police station about 11:30 tomorrow morning, so please… some prayers & thoughts to keep my strengh up. A fundraiser is planned at the Thunderbirds Lounge in Daegu. When: May ...
More About: White , Michael , Fundraiser

Always Check Your Laxatives
2008-05-17 14:31:00
More model fun from Elyse Sewell: In other news, the agency is going to send my bulimic colleague home. She was asking after laxatives the other day and my roomie directed her to the nearest pharmacy. She came back working a couple of pills free of their blister pack and plopped down in front of the TV. A few minutes later, she gurgled, “Are these supposed to be all…waxy like this?” Do I even need to say it? Suppositories.
More About: Check

SeoulPodcast: Tales from the Dark Side
2008-05-17 05:44:00
[Click here for the episode] This week we have one of those evil recruiters, Rowan Hall, from ESL-Planet Recruiting.  He actually has a lot of background info on the current trends in the Korean ESL industry and personal experiences and advice on how to navigate the new E-2 visa regulations.
More About: Dark , Tales , The Dark , Side , The Dark Side

Gwanghwamun Plaza
2008-05-17 05:37:00
Matt at My Nice Day has a quick rundown of the history of the Gwanghwamun area in connection with its current transformation into a grand central city plaza.
More About: Plaza

Gotta Spend More Time in Insa-dong
2008-05-17 04:16:00
Thank you, Korea Beat.
More About: Time , Dong , Gotta

Michael White Update
2008-05-16 07:25:00
Here is a message that has been forwarded to me giving info on a bank account having been set up and what’s moving along: There has been a bank account established in Mike’s name. S. Micheal White FUND (this is the correct spelling for the acct, but not the correct spelling of his name. the info: Daegu Bank 080-10-004509 My name (stephannie) is not on the account and there will be independant oversite with records kept. I have been to the police & have permission to host vigils. No picketing, no shouting, no “protesting” only silent compassion. The police will be present on Sunday at Gyeongsan to provide support for those at the vigil. everything has been printed up exept the prayer cards, which will be ready later today. I”m in touch with a lawyer that I will see today at 4:30 pm. He is working on the case pro bono.  He is necessary to gather evidence. The police dont gather evidence, that is the lawyer’s job in Korea. This is just how it i...
More About: Michael , Update

Help a Mother in a Tragic Situation
2008-05-15 04:32:00
A fund hasn’t been set up yet, but any help is good. This is from the Facebook page: I think most of us have heard stories of how unresponsive the police are in Korea. Here is something that will hit a nerve and evoke sympathy. On Saturday, May 10th, 14 year old Mike Stephen White was murdered in a jimjil bang in Daegu. Mike is the son of Stephannie White, who is an English teacher in Daegu. So far she has gotten very little help from the police. She is in the process of hiring a lawyer to help with the case. This is something that can happen to any of us. What can we do about the unresponsive nature of the police in Korea? The Marmot also recently posted some information. And, of course, Brian in Jeollanam-do has many details, including times and locations of vigils. Jennifer told me about it on the podcast late last night.
More About: Tragic , Mother , Situation

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