Category: Uncategorized

Looks like the PATRIOT guys in Suwon are in trouble again. I don’t know much about Suwon Airbase but it sure knows how to air it’s dirty laundry:

The Army in South Korea is investigating an allegation that a male soldier carried out or attempted a sexual assault on a female soldier in a barracks at Suwon Air Base last week, Stars and Stripes has learned.

According to a unit member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, an incident occurred last week and led to the woman accusing the soldier of sexual misconduct toward her.

The issue of sexual assault is not just a Suwon Airbase thing but a problem throughout the Army and USFK as well. Just for whatever reason the PATRIOT guys seem to be taking the brunt of the publicity surrounding sexual assaults in USFK. I guess we will see how this turns out. I know one thing, if this guy is guilty no one will tear his rank off in court this time.

The Mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung Bak is reporting that the city government is in negotiations with the Walt Disney company to build a theme park here in Korea:

Seoul, South Korea, Mayor Lee Myung Bak says the city is in talks with The Walt Disney Co. about opening a theme park there, according to media reports Tuesday.
The park would be Disney’s third in Asia. It opened one in Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, and the company’s newest park, Hong Kong Disneyland, opened Sept. 12.

According to reports, a theme park in South Korea could boost the economy by nearly doubling tourist visits. Hong Kong Disneyland officials have said they expect the park to generate $19 billion in benefits to Hong Kong over a 40-year period. It is expected to attract 5.6 million visitors each year.

I doubt Disney will build a theme park in Korea because it would dilute the two theme parks they already have here in Asia. However, if Disney does build a theme park in Seoul it would be a major coup for Mayor Lee and would probably solidify him as a front runner for the next Korean presidential election.

THEN:

The skyline in downtown Seoul in 1971 viewed from Namsan mountain.

NOW:

Here is downtown Seoul today viewed from Namsan mountain.

Some of you may remember last month’s controversy surrounding the Hollywood Bar and Grill in Itaewon after a patron made the claim in the Korea Times that the bar was racist in it’s reasons for denying service to three of his Nigerian friends. The manager of the bar has now responded with his own article in the Korea Times disputing the racism allegations:

Finally, the owner never asked for ID until he was provoked to do so. A man ordered what the owner thought was “two draft beers.” When the owner brought the two beers, the man got irritated and replied that he really wanted “two screwdrivers.” When the owner brought two screwdrivers, the man laughed and said he only wanted one. The man’s friend, realizing he was being difficult, offered to pay for both drinks anyway. It was then and only then that the owner requested to see the man’s ID. As it so happened, the man was a Nigerian citizen. The owner then warned the man that if he continued to act in this way, he would be asked to leave. The man then responded with gross profanity and threatened the owner. At this point, the owner and manager told the man that he would have to leave. The man and a few of his friends continued to curse and threaten them as they left. Yet, how did the owner respond to all this? He completely refunded them for everything. That’s right, everything.

This is a good example of why it is important to get both sides of the story because if the above narrative is true I would have to say the owner did in fact have good reason to deny service to the three men. Read the rest of the response where the manager brings up some more good points and draw your own conclusions.

Here is another example that Americans are in fact the world’s biggest anti-Americans. Sorry South Korea protesters but you are not as nearly as repulsive as these people.

This week’s picture is a little bit harder than last week’s but should still be pretty easy.

Well known Hollywood stars are quickly losing their appeal in Japan:

A Hollywood in-house secret, Japanese TV commercials were once talked about with a wink and a shake of the head. Piles of cash were paid to stars willing to peddle anything from whiskey to cigarettes, cars to coffee, instant noodles to cafe latte — as long as nobody told the fans back home. Hey, did you know Dennis Hopper did one for bath products? How much do you figure Leonardo DiCaprio got for that SUV spot? A million? Three?

Sadly, the days of seeing, say, Harrison Ford guzzling Kirin beer may be over. American stars have not vanished from the Japanese advertising landscape, but their numbers have dropped dramatically since the heyday of the 1990s, when even Mickey Rourke was considered bankable here.

So who is taking the business from the Hollywood stars? Asian film stars are, led by the remarkable success of Korean film star Bae Yong-joon or otherwise known in Japan as Yon-soma:

“The Hollywood brand isn’t the best anymore, and Hollywood actors aren’t effective enough anymore,” said Yukio Mori, president of Systrat Corp., a marketing and promotion consultancy in Tokyo. “Consumers are in favor of singers or artists who are familiar, rather than foreign movie stars.”

It’s a demographic that makes marketers swoon, too. Yon-sama is now the biggest foreign star in Japan. Bigger than Brad. Bigger than Leo. Dozens of Japanese companies are desperate to attach their brand to Yon-sama, or at least to find the next great Korean star.

I don’t much care for Hollywood stars any more either, so I can’t blame the Japanese public getting turned off by them. Today’s Hollywood actors seem more concerned about promoting themselves and their politics than actually making good movies. Were there any good Hollywood movies this summer? The Fantastic Four was absolute crap.

They still love Nicolas Cage however:

Four years ago, a Japanese company that makes the machines for the wildly popular gambling game pachinko was looking for a way to add a little glamour to the industry’s less-than-savory image.

CAGE (screaming maniacally): “I love pachinko!”

I agree with the reporter, let’s see Yon-soma pull that off.

Interesting article about Russia Town located in Pusan in the Korea Times:

Walking down the streets in that area, you will see many foreigners wandering among local shops selling clothes, shoes, bags, electronic appliances and international food.

However, the most striking distinction of Choryang is that Russians have begun appearing since the early 1990s, and their dominant presence has made the area become known as “Russia Town’’ in Pusan.

This area of Pusan has long been known by GI’s as Texas Street, but it has definitely been taken over by Russians in recent years, so Russia Town is a more fitting name. Anyone who has been there knows that the area is known more for it’s bars than its shopping:

Though Russia Town in Pusan is quiet in the daytime, nowadays, it still turns into a bustling town at night with the buzzing neon signs of bars and clubs.

If any man steps out in Russia Town at night whether he is Korean or Russian, he will soon find himself solicited by ladies from Russia and other CIS countries to have a drink in a bar.

For some reason I think they are soliciting more than a drink.

If you are in the Shinchon area and are looking for something interesting to do, besides head down to the Hongik University area, there is always the Erotic Art Musuem you can check out instead:

Nestled behind the Hyundai Department Store next to Sinchon subway station, the Erotic Art Museum would be easy to miss save for a shiny golden replica of Michelangelo’s David outside that evokes both the elegance of some exhibits and the tawdriness of others.

“A culture of sex has been lacking in this country,’’ he said, “and I want to contribute to increasing the level of sex education among Koreans.’’

I find it very ironic that Mr. Won thinks Korea lacks a culture of sex when you are literally surrounded by the sex industry here. Just about every US Army camp and Air Force Bases have clubs that offer prositution right outside the main gates. Than there are multiple red light districts in every city here, not to mention the barber shops, massage parlors, and tea shops that offer their own sex services.

He did have some interesting things to say in regards to sex within the Yangban class during the Chosun dynasty:

Under Korea’s obligations as a vassal of China, sons of Koryo monarchs were required to live in China for a time, during which they would both find a wife, and learn of the more liberal and sophisticated sexual mores of the Chinese court. By contrast, as Choson kings set about applying a rigorous form of Confucianism to Korea, beliefs about sex, especially as far as women were concerned, became suffocatingly straight-laced.

Elsewhere, there is a wide array of phalluses, used for everything from preventing disease to promoting fertility to fighting infidelity. Apparently, in Choson times it was believed that if women in the village were committing adultery, it was a sure-fire sign of too much “umgi,’’ the feminine form of “ki,’’ or the “life-force’’ which is central to much Eastern philosophy and medicine. The placement of a large wooden phallus in the village was considered the best way to deal with this problem.

Maybe we need to put some of these phalluses out on our military bases as well.

The ROK Army apparently wants to become more Americanized by relying on hi-tech weapon systems and volunteer forces to down size their military:

A major battle is underway in South Korea, between the government and the army. At issue is a proposed reorganization of the armed forces. The politicians, and most of the voters, believe it is inevitable that the communist government in North Korea will eventually collapse, and no longer be a threat. The reform plan, which has been in the works for years, will take fifteen years to complete. But by 2020 the army would have six corps instead of 13, twenty divisions instead of 47 and 26 percent fewer troops (500,000 instead of 680,000). The reserves would be reduced even more, from 3 million to 1.5 million. Conscription would not be eliminated, but it would be used less. The army would provide higher pay for the Special Forces (sort of like the U.S. Rangers), to encourage volunteers. Conscripts who wanted to make the army a career, would immediately receive much higher pay once they agreed to stay in, when their conscription service was over. Ultimately, an all-volunteer forces would be preferred. But right now, that would cost too much money.

I have been reporting for a while that the ROK Army cannot in the long term remain a conscripted force due to the changes in Korean society. Before, mandatory service was looked at as serving your country and as being the last gate to pass before you became a real man. Now it is at best something to be avoided. Korea’s younger generation has more important things to do like go to college, work and earn more money than what they would make in the ROK Army, talk on their cell phones, and let’s not forget play Starcraft. These are all activities mandatory services cuts into.

Here is something interesting:

The reform also includes turning the coast guard into a police organization, and stationing specially trained brigades to watch the DMZ, rather than combat divisions full of conscripts. The special DMZ brigades would contain more volunteers, and be able to cover the DMZ using fewer troops (and more robots and high-tech sensors.) The reforms also include greater use of precision missiles, rockets and bombs. One of the proposals is to organize missiles and MLRS units (firing GPS guided rockets) into a separate organization.

The ROK Army is looking at forming an all volunteer force to patrol the DMZ? This will be a tough sell to get people to volunteer for this duty. Much of the DMZ is remote and rugged terrain without much creature comforts. I hope the ROK Army plans on also greatly modernizing the military facilities along the DMZ as well.

Here is why the ROK Army thinks Americanizing their force will work:

In all, the reforms want to make the armed forces smaller and more lethal. In this respect, the reformers have been much influenced by the American experience with volunteer troops and high-tech. American combat units have been stationed in South Korea for over half a century, so South Koreans have been able to observe the changes in the American army since the draft was eliminated three decades ago. The South Koreans have also been impressed by the American performance in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. South Korean units that train with American troops have also experienced these changes up close. The better trained, and now combat experienced, U.S. soldiers are clearly better at fighting. So, the South Koreans are headed in that direction. It’s expected that many of the current generals will fight the reforms, if only because the smaller army (a 36 percent cut, to 350,000 troops) will mean fewer jobs for senior officers.

This is going to be a huge fight with the brass of the ROK Army, but currently the ROK Army generals have little influence with the current ruling government and they have little prestige with the Korean public due to past military dictatorships and current corruption scandals. The brass will lose on this issue and the ROK Army will probably be better off for it.