Category: Uncategorized

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.

A 76 year old Korean War veteran has finally been awarded the nation’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor:

Rubin, 76, was born in Hungary and sent to the Nazi concentration camp in Mauthausen, Austria, as a boy. His parents and a sister were killed during their imprisonment, but Rubin survived for 14 months and was freed when American soldiers stormed the camp.

“My English at the time wasn’t so good, but I told them I’d have to go (with the POWs),” he said. “I wouldn’t want to leave without them, because I had my brothers there.”

Rubin’s story is really amazing. This guy was liberated from Nazi death camp by US soldiers and then four years later he was serving in the very Army that liberated him from the death camp. A really inspiring story and a great man worthy of the nation’s highest honor.

You can get a more detailed background on Rubin from the Mudville Gazette by clicking here.

This is interesting, Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is being considered for the UN Secretary General role:

It was revealed on September 22 that the government is actively considering Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon to be a candidate for the next secretary general of the United Nations who will be elected late next year.

A senior official of the government said on that day, “There is a consensus within the government that Minster Ban is qualified to be UN secretary general in all aspects such as capacity, experience and relations with other countries.”

This would probably be a positive development for the United States if Minister Ban does run for the position and is selected. Minister Ban is one of the few people in the current South Korean government that actually seems to know what he is doing and has a good relationship with the United States as well. Good luck Minister Ban.

There is going to be a new sheriff in town shortly:

U.S. Army Europe commander Gen. B.B. Bell, who oversaw the deployment of Germany- and Italy-based soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan and also wrote the plan to downsize the Army’s presence in Europe, has been nominated to be the next commander of U.S. Forces Korea.

A Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday he did not know if LaPorte was retiring or being reassigned and did not know who would replace Bell at USAREUR headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany.

Here is what General Bell gets to look forward to:

Issues that would confront Bell in South Korea include the scheduled reduction of U.S. forces there from 37,500 to 25,000 by 2008; the possible rotation of troops into war zones; and ensuring U.S. and South Korean troops are prepared to defend the nation against aggressors.

The U.S. is undergoing a major repositioning of its forces in South Korea in which the number of its installations would be reduced from 41 to 10. The goal, U.S. Forces Korea officials have said, is to create a less intrusive, more flexible configuration of American forces on the peninsula.

I don’t know much about General Bell but feel free to comment those that do.

It seems like USFK is actually getting serious about cracking down on the black marketers for once. There have been numerous arrest over the course of this past year. Here are some more arrests that led to one AAFES employee committing suicide:

Seoul Customs Office officials are recommending that 17 South Koreans, including two AAFES employees, be charged with conspiring to evade South Korean tax law in connection with the sale of 56,000 cases of beer from Area I bases to local businesses, according to U.S. and South Korean authorities.

Kwon Ju-sung, of the customs office, said the case was to be filed to the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, where officials will decide whether to press charges.

Kwon said an 18th suspect, whom he identified as an AAFES store manager, died Aug. 1 after jumping from the roof of his apartment building.

These arrests are just a drop in the bucket to a much larger problem with black marketing. I really understood how bad the black marketing problem was here, when I traveled to Ullong-do Island out in the East Sea and a restaurant I ate at had black marketed condiments.

Not that this is a surprise or anything but the Norks are already back pedaling on the deal they struck 24 hours ago:

The North Korean Foreign Ministry on Tuesday offered an idiosyncratic reading of Monday’s agreement, saying the country would rejoin the Non-Proliferation Treaty and come back into full IAEA compliance “when the U.S. provides us with a light-water reactor that can be the basis of bilateral confidence.”

It said Pyongyang was “fair and square, consistent and deep-rooted like a rock. The U.S. should not even dream of asking us to give up the nuclear deterrent we already have before providing a light-water nuclear reactor. That is the security of building bilateral confidence, physical security.” The statement of principles was understood to be merely envisaging “discussion” on the thorny issue that had threatened to scupper the talks.

The only thing surprising about this is that it occurred only one day after the original deal. The Norks want that reactor not for power but for when in the future they need to build nuclear weapons again to extort more international aid. The Norks want agreement that gives them the aid they want plus allows them to still have the capacity to make nuclear weapons in the future if needed. That is why they not only want a reactor but will never allow inspectors full access to their country, even though they are saying so now.

So in the mean time they will continue to bicker over this reactor until everyone else involved in the talks pressures the US to give them the reactor just to shut them up because the international community wants to see this issue go away. Hopefully the US doesn’t give in and work out a useless deal like the 1994 agreement just to make everyone in the region happy.

In the mean time the North Koreans will full fill their energy needs by getting free power from the South Koreans. The South however, is saying they will review the energy request now after yesterday’s developments. Just like we all knew the Norks would renege on the deal, we also all know the South Koreans will give into the North Koreans and give them the power anyway, along with fertilizer, food, etc. that they need.

How come I don’t see Unification Minister Chung Dong-young taking credit for this?

Then:

Namdaemun Gate shown in 1900. Namdaemun was the southern entrance into the old walled city of Seoul. Markets tended to form near the gates outside the cities, which you can see in this picture.

Now:

Today Namdaemun still stands in central Seoul after reconstruction from the aftermath of the Korean War. The old Namdaemun Market remains adjacent to the gate and recent renovations around Namdaemun have transformed the surrounding land into a really nice park area for the citizens of downtown Seoul.