Category: Korea-General Topics

Anti-dogmeat ad in a #Seoul subway station https://t.co/YzkHnZKUGT pic.twitter.com/jxWwKDeoaq

— J. D. McPherson (@ZenKimchi) August 18, 2016

Busan One Asia Festival to be Held in October https://t.co/CjWRNfXegs #Korea #kpop #hallyu #busan #music pic.twitter.com/1tjrvvtN4n

— Haps Magazine (@hapsmagazine) August 17, 2016

Considering all the black face and big nose caricatures used in the Korean media, South Koreans really do not have much of a moral high ground to stand on with this issue:

South Korean football fans became upset when a spectator allegedly abusing Asians was shown on TV as South Korea beat Fiji.

At the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, Brazil, on Aug. 5, a man made “slanted eyes,” a Western gesture to make fun of Asians’ eyes.

Some regard the act as racially offensive.

South Koreans were even more embarrassed when they learned that the man was cheering for South Korea.

He was holding a national flag and wearing a red T-shirt just like South Korean fans.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

I saw this video from LG-U posted over at Reddit that describes the struggles multicultural families have in Korea:

I am willing to bet some of the struggles the woman in the video has, a lot of other people can relate to as well.

Seoul Selection has a good article about some of the great hiking sites around the Gapyeong area to include Bonghodong Waterfall.

This is pretty significant if the South Korean government moves forward with this suggestion:

North Korea provocations are making Seoul reconsider intelligence sharing strategies with Tokyo.

Seoul’s defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun told reporters Thursday the radar information from the U.S. anti-missile defense system THAAD could be shared with Japan, local news service Newsis reported.

That response was a departure from a previous statement issued July 19, when Defense Minister Han Min-koo told parliamentarians the information from the THAAD radar would not be shared with Japan.  [UPI]

You can read more at the link, but keep in mind that the South Koreans do not need THAAD to share data with Japan.  That is because the ROK already has their Israeli bought Green Pine radars installed with coverage of North Korea that could also share the data with Japan if the ROK wanted to.

Even in Korea winning the lottery turns into a curse for some people:

When Mr. Kim won the lottery late last month and instantly went from rags to riches with nearly 3 billion won ($2.7 million), his life-changing story was told by none other than his own mother. Unlike most other winners who wish to keep their profile as low-key as possible, and who often urge their close family members to do the same, the 79-year-old woman refused to follow the norm and is now gaining media attention for the “tragedy” that has unfolded ever since.

She held a demonstration last Friday in front of the Yangsan City Hall in South Gyeongsang, holding a large picket sign describing how her own son became her worst enemy.

She wrote that her son “abandoned” her after winning the lottery, and that she felt betrayed because she had raised his children. Last week, when she knocked on the door of his house, he refused to meet her and called the cops to force her away.

A picture of her solo rally has gone viral online over the weekend.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

Read up on these 10 unexpected things that might happen to you after moving into Korea! #SouthKorea #Unexpectedhttps://t.co/hicWMzcqCG

— 10 Magazine Korea (@10_Magazine) August 8, 2016

It looks like the student protesters won their argument to keep Ewha University as an elitist institution plus they will face no punishment for detaining professors for 46 hours.  Despite this they are still not happy:

Ewha Womans University President Choi Kyung-hee has filed a petition calling on authorities not to punish students who blocked four professors and a school worker from leaving a school building for 46 hours during a sit-in protest against the school’s plan to set up a night college for workers.

Choi visited Seodaemun Police Station in central Seoul Friday morning to submit the petition, which read that the professors and the worker do not want the students to face action.

Hundreds of Ewha students began the sit-in on July 28 and prevented the five people from leaving. School officials asked police to intervene and some 1,600 officers were mobilized to remove the protesters on July 30.

Police are identifying the students by reviewing video footage. A police officer said, “The petition will not affect the ongoing investigation. It may affect the level of punishment if they are indicted, but it’s up to the court.”

Following the protest, Choi said the school would scrap the night college plan. But students are still staging the sit-in, demanding Choi’s resignation. [Korea Times]

Another example of someone using their position of authority to take advantage of young people:

Pastor Lee Dong-hyun, head of popular Christian teenage evangelical community “Rise Up Movement,” has admitted sexually molesting a female follower for years.

Lee, 48, harassed the high school girl ― who was 17 ― from 2005 until 2008, consistently demanding her to have sex with him, according to NewsNJoy, an online news outlet, Tuesday. When the victim refused, he threatened her, saying: “Your life will be ruined once our relationship is known among Korean society” and “How will you manage to get married after you had sex with me?” the report said, citing the victim, now 28.

NewsNJoy said Lee preferred female followers as his aides and when he took a small group of teenagers to Europe, he often slept in the girls’ room.

With the scandal becoming viral, Lee said on the “Rise Up Movement” web page Tuesday he will no longer chair the group. The site said the community will cancel a mass Christian gathering planned for Aug 7. The group, established in 1999, has been holding an annual mass gathering at Seoul Plaza, drawing about 30,000 teenagers and parents.

“I committed a mistake when I was still a neophyte as a Christian leader,” Lee said, according to Hankook Ilbo. “I admit the whole wrongdoing. I am sorry to all the students who followed my leadership.” [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but this has nothing to do with being a neophyte as a Christian leader.  This guy knew exactly what he was doing just like policeman, school teachers, military leaders, etc. that have been caught before doing the same thing.