Category: Korea-General Topics

Should bars in Korea that deny entry to foreigners be prevented from doing so? That is what this academic working in Korea believes:

“Oegugin churip geumji,” said the doorman. Entry prohibited for foreigners.

This article was nearly a very angry one. After I was denied entry to a bar two weeks ago for not being Korean, I was fulminating internally over the piece that I would write.

I was going to write about the closemindedness and inherent insularity of Korea that the “no foreigners” rule reveals. Why should anyone support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo if the people it seeks to attract are not welcome here? Why should Scottish distillers or Belgian brewers sell their products to Korean pubs that refuse entry to the very people who created that precious nectar? Why should woke fans abroad laud K-pop as something special or somehow anti-racist when some of the genre’s biggest stars (members of BlACKPINK and Twice, for instance) could themselves be banned from the country’s pubs?

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but denying entry to foreigners in certain bars has been going on for decades. It also works in reverse where some bars near US military installations would not let in Koreans. The academic that wrote this article was so upset he took his complaints to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). Personally I just don’t have the time to worry about being denied entry to a bar much less file a complaint to the NHRCK. Instead I would just walk to one of the vast majority of bars in Korea that have no problem accepting business from foreigners.

This is probably something that minors across the world should be allowed to do. If fact I would support raising the age to something like 21 to allow people to erase online content:

People dress up as cartoon and game characters at the 2022 Seoul Pop Culture Convention held at COEX in southern Seoul on Aug. 25, 2022. [YONHAP]

Young people now have the ability to erase digital records made when they were minors, the Personal Information Protection Commission said Monday.      
   
They can remove private information, such as names, addresses, ages and photos from internet searches and social media posts.  
   
People who started using smartphones at a young age will now be able to delete any shameful posts they uploaded as kids.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

President Yoon reasons for pushing forward cooperation with Japan for security reasons make perfect sense considering the hostile neighbors South Korea is surrounded by. Why not make friends with the one neighbor that doesn’t want to destroy or subjugate your country?:

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R), alongside first lady Kim Keon Hee, waves at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on April 24, 2023, as he embarks on a six-day state visit to the United States. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol reaffirmed his commitment to moving relations with Japan forward, saying in an interview published Monday that he cannot accept the notion Japan “must kneel because of our history 100 years ago.”

Yoon made the remark in an interview with The Washington Post, referring to Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea during which a series of atrocities were committed, such as mobilization of Koreans as sex slaves and for forced labor.

“Europe has experienced several wars for the past 100 years and despite that, warring countries have found ways to cooperate for the future,” Yoon was quoted as saying during the interview. 

“I can’t accept the notion that because of what happened 100 years ago, something is absolutely impossible (to do) and that they (Japanese) must kneel (for forgiveness) because of our history 100 years ago. And this is an issue that requires decision. … In terms of persuasion, I believe I did my best,” he said.

Yoon also said South Korea’s security concerns were too urgent to delay cooperation with Tokyo, though some critics would never be convinced.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The reality has set in with South Korea’s youth that North Korea has become such a different country that unification is not likely:

This file photo, taken March 13, 2023, shows the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint industrial park in the North’s border city of Kaesong. (Yonhap)

About 60 percent of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s said unification with North Korea is not necessary, a survey showed Sunday, amid a prolonged impasse in inter-Korean relations and denuclearization talks. 

The survey, commissioned by a civic media group called Barun Media Citizen Action, found that 61 percent of people in their 20s and 30s say Korean reunification is “not absolutely necessary.” 

In comparison, 24 percent of them say unification with North Korea is “absolutely necessary.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the good news from this survey is that 67% percent of Korean youths had a positive opinion of the U.S. For Japan the number was 63% had a positive view which shows that all the politically demagoguery towards Japan has not caused the majority of Korean youths to despise the country.

With the increasingly hostile neighborhood that South Korea lives in it is not surprising that a majority of South Koreans now support developing their own nuclear weapons to defend themselves:

About 56 percent of South Koreans support developing nuclear weapons to counter North Korea’s escalating nuclear threats, a survey showed Sunday. 

The survey of 1,008 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter last week, found that 56.5 percent of respondents say they support building own nuclear weapons and the issue needs to be discussed at an upcoming summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden. 

In contrast, 40.8 percent said they oppose developing nuclear weapons.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is going to be interesting to see how well this new traffic law is going to be enforced:

A new road traffic law obligating drivers to stop when turning right at intersections to better protect pedestrians will be formally enforced, beginning this weekend, after a three-month grace period, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.

The NPA said it will begin to crack down on drivers caught violating the new right turn rules starting Saturday.

Under the new rules, drivers must make a full stop prior to a right turn not only when pedestrians are on the crosswalk but also when they are trying to get on it. Even if a right turn is permitted according to the traffic signal, vehicles must stop immediately if a pedestrian is spotted crossing the crosswalk.

At intersections where a right turn signal is installed, drivers cannot turn right on a red light and are allowed to turn right only when a green arrow signal is on.

Violators could face fines of up to 200,000 won (US$150) or detention for under 30 days. If violators pay certain penalties, however, the fines or detention will be exempted. The penalty is 70,000 won for a van, 60,000 won for a passenger car and 40,000 won for a two-wheeled vehicle.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It will be interesting to see if this new policy has any effect on the amount of bullying in Korean schools:

This is a still image of Netflix’s “The Glory,” which revolves around the revenge-driven female character who survived horrifying abuse in high school. (Netflix)

Students with a history of bullying or school violence will have their records reflected in the regular college admissions process starting in 2024, and the current bullying record retention period of two years will be extended to four years after graduation, the government said Wednesday.

School violence records will be submitted to colleges “voluntarily” in the admissions process for the 2025 school year, but will be reflected on a “mandatory” basis for admissions in 2026. According to the Education Ministry, bullying records would not be included in this year’s college admissions because changes to university criteria and admissions guidelines must be announced two years in advance.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.