The country where “The Simpsons” cartoon is animated was finally featured in the long running series:
Homer sits in front of a statue of Podae Hwasang in Jogye Temple in the latest episode of “The Simpsons.” / Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Popular animated sitcom family The Simpsons have been all around the world. They went to Japan where Bart and Homer became fluent in Japanese in prison and they nearly died on a game show, Australia where Bart escaped the country’s supposedly brutal justice system, and Brazil in an episode that had the local tourist board threatening a lawsuit over its depiction as a crime-ridden slum. Now in their 30th season, the Simpsons have finally made it to Korea, the country where they are animated.
In the episode aired March 17 U.S. time, Bart goes to Seoul to participate in an esports tournament. The whole family comes along after Lisa, a practicing Buddhist, expresses interest in visiting Jogye Temple for its salt mandalas. On arrival, they drive past the “Simpsons Animation Studio and Casino” and stay at the “Courtyard by DMZ.”
At Jogye Temple, parents Homer and Marge both achieve “zen” by making salt mandala portraits out of salt and destroying them. Monks, including one voiced by Korean-American actor Ken Jeong, admire Homer’s sudden enlightenment and compare him to a portly Buddhist statue at the temple.
The episode ends with the esports match at Sangam World Cup Stadium broken up by riot police and robots as the theme to “M*A*S*H” plays.
Like past Simpsons vacation episodes, the story is entertaining if not examined closely. But The Korea Times got David A. Mason, a professor at Sejong University, and history researcher Matt VanVolkenburg to watch the episode.
Here is a good reminder to any Korean-Americans that immigrated from South Korea as a young man, check with the Korean consulate to make sure you don’t get detained for draft dodging when re-entering the country:
Tong Yi, known as Don to family and friends, poses in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, before going to a meeting there to discuss his case, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019.
U.S. Army combat veteran Tong Yi flew home on Monday, nearly a month after he was detained in South Korea for allegedly violating strict conscription rules. Yi, a 40-year-old Ohio restaurant owner who also goes by the name Don, traveled to Seoul last month to attend his father’s funeral. But airport authorities prevented him from leaving the country on Feb. 6 because he faced a decades-old accusation of draft dodging. South Korean police detained him for several hours. He was later released from custody but barred from leaving the country until March 2 pending review. Prosecutors later said he was guilty, but they decided not to pursue the case, according to Yi. Yi, who was born in Seoul but emigrated with his family at age 9, said he’s not angry about the experience. “I don’t think anyone meant me harm, and I believe they have these laws in place for a reason,” he told Stars and Stripes in a text message Monday from the gate while waiting for his flight. He said all the officials he met were “sympathetic to my situation and were very professional.”
Are there any ROK Heads living in Korea excited about this news?:
The Seoul High Court ruled that the import of sex dolls should not be prohibited on grounds that that it corrupts public morals.
In 2017, a company made an import declaration of a 159-centimeter-tall headless sex doll made of silicon that resembles a female body, but Incheon Customs put the entry on hold, saying it corrupted public morals. (…….)
In reversing the lower court decision, the Seoul High Court said that while it may seem vulgar, it does not show the sexual areas in full display to justify the claim that it destroys human dignity.
The court added that the country should not interfere with one’s private life to protect dignity and freedom, and there are no legal grounds to regulate the import of sexual devices.
Below is a posting over at Reddit where one foreign woman describes how she felt she was drugged by employees at a club in Seoul:
So I recently went clubbing in Hongdae (which is common among foreigners) and I went to a few different clubs. The last one I went to was called Club Aura (PLEASE REMEMBER THIS CLUB AND AVOID IT!) They have multiple bad reviews pretty much everywhere about how they charge different prices based on how you look (race, wealth, etc) and how the security there is absolute shit and very violent. Anyway, my experience there was bad not from either of those things but because I got drugged. Im not sure what the hell I was drugged with but it made me forget everything and I was sick for a good 12 hours after, I was also super paranoid and ended up going home asap. The thing is, I wasn’t drugged by club-goers; I was drugged by girls who are hired to work there, who were giving out ‘special’ drinks only to girls. This has been a problem in every big city across the world, but I’ve lived in Korea for 6 months now and Ive always felt safe here, so I guess that was enough to let my guard down. PLEASE BE SAFE. PLEASE DONT GO OUT ALONE. AND PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS, EVEN IF YOU FEEL SAFE.
At the link you can read all the various comments from other readers who were complaining about the same thing happening in Seoul at other clubs where the drug foreign women and then try to hook them up with Korean guys.
Has anyone else experienced or heard of such activities going in Korean bars?
Of course, I detest the air pollution we have to deal with these days in Korea. But running close behind is how much I hate the pollution-measuring systems here. Their predictions are ridiculously inaccurate. Hard to make plans for the family when I can't trust the air quality.
This is one of the most absurd lines Trump said last night. At the end of the Obama term, there was no sign that US + NK were about to go to war. Then Trump started with his “fire and fury” and “Rocket Man” tweets in 2017. That increased tensions. https://t.co/hrFJkW8GUb
When it comes to religion, Koreans can be quite aggressive in promoting their churches, but this particular church seems pretty extreme:
A group of Turkish customers are seen in this photo provided by Seo. In the cafe located in Istanbul, Turkey, allegedly running by SCJ’s overseas recruiting team, K-pop fans gathers to dance to Korean music, write letters to the stars and learn Korean culture, according to Seo. Courtesy of alleged former SCJ member surnamed Seo
For a Korean woman surnamed Seo, 29, the last two years and three months have been traumatic.
Her passionate, can-do spirit drove her to leave her country, to pursue an ultimate goal to “take over” foreign countries by recruiting foreign members for Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ).
“I want the Turkish people to know what the group has done, and still is doing,” she said, as if confessing.
She said for two years and three months, she was one of “them” in Turkey.
With very little support, without telling her parents, her life was all about recruitment. All team members shared the same room, having only one or two meals a day. Some members were even forced to marry Turkish people, she said.
“Single members were often targeted for brainwashing, including me,” she said.
