Category: Uncategorized

It looks like Naver is looking to crackdown on all the trolls out there in the blogosphere:

Korea¿s largest portal site, Naver, announced Friday that it has revised its news page rules so that the number of replies members write can not exceed 10 per day. The company explained that the measure was to prevent Internet users from writing slanderous comments about others and reduce the excessive number of spam-like replies. According to an internal analysis, some 5 percent of the site’s members post more than 10 replies a day.
It will also now be possible to read all replies posted by a member by clicking on their user ID, which will help detect those who habitually write mean-spirited comments. However, if a user deletes their previous replies, they can post a new reply for every one that they erase.

I like the idea of being able to trackback comments to detect the trollers but limiting people to 10 posts per day will cut down on some good discussions that happen from time to time on some websites.  What would the Marmot’s Hole be like with people only being able to post 10 comments per day?

Dumb asses:

South Korean police are investigating two U.S. soldiers in connection with the theft of money from a tip jar in an off-base bar.

Yongsan police station detective Jung Hyun-soo said the soldiers, both 23, were apprehended about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at Gecko¿s Terrace Bar in Itaewon.

During the initial questioning, Jung alleged, the soldiers admitted to taking about $200 in won and dollars from the jar for fun.

Well at least they were stealing real money.

Protesters against the Camp Humphreys expansion have once again violently clashed against the riot police after government hired construction workers moved in to close the irrigation canals that direct water towards the rice paddies.  The Donga Ilbo has particularly good coverage of the chaos:

On the day of the confrontation, the area around the Camp Humphreys relocation site resembled a virtual battleground. Four hundred local farmers adamantly refused to leave and cried out that the land belongs to them. The Defense Ministry, too, stood firm and said that illegal farming in those areas will further push back the date of the U.S. military base relocation.

Faced with such fierce resistance, the Defense Ministry decided to cut off three waterways going into the contested farmland in Shindae-ri, Hamjeong-ri and Dodu-ri. Without the water from Anseong Stream provided by the three canals, farming is literally impossible in the 2.85 million-pyeong lands.

Here is a picture of the chaos from the Korea Times:

The protest is on the left and on the right are girls visiting a US military installation on the same day.

This is one of the popular claims of why the protesters are refusing to leave:

The holdout residents complainingly point out, ¿The compensation from the government is about 140,000 won per pyeong. But land price in neighboring areas, which do not belong to the relocation plan, is 200,000 to 300,000 won per pyeong. We don¿t want to leave the place where we have lived generation after generation.¿

The Defense Ministry, however, responds with, ¿The ministry has offered a variety of options, but it¿s the local residents who reject them. It is the `anti-American military presence¿ outsiders who cause a stir among the locals most of the time.¿

The 200,000 to 300,000 won per pyeong price the anti-US hate groups keep quoting is the price of the land after the relocation was announced.  With more soldiers and investment dollars moving into the Camp Humphreys area; of course land value is going to rise.  The government is offering them what the price of their land was worth before the relocation was announced.  These hate groups are using the farmers to promote their anti-US agenda while the farmers are using the hate groups in order to advance their claims to more compensation money.  It is right now a marriage of convenience between the farmers and the hate groups, but it could crumble if the Korean government offers more money to the farmers.  However, if they do that than it could start a bad precedence for the Korean government because every time the government needs to move someone they will also react violently in order to gain more money.
The Joong Ang Ilbo has come out strongly against the protesters:

The real reason that such clashes occurred was the intervention of anti-American organizations that are trying to force out the U.S. forces that are stationed on the peninsula. These groups are turning a blind eye to our security situation. They don’t care that two huge armies are perched in a face-off on the inter-Korean border. Nor does it help to point out Korea’s tense geopolitical location – being stuck between China and Japan – which could erupt into an open conflict at any time. Like parrots, they repeat what the North preaches: Namely, that peace will come only after the withdrawal of U.S. forces or that the country’s reunification is being prevented by the United States.
Some of them changed their place of residence to Pyeongtaek after the area was chosen to house the relocated military installations, in order to more easily stir up trouble in the town. Villages are being plastered with anti-American slogans and pictures. They have brainwashed citizens with ridiculous arguments that the relocation of the military installations is part of a plan to foster a war, which will obliterate Pyeongtaek when it happens. As a result, many citizens, especially old people, are being turned against the relocation, defense ministry officials say.

The anti-US hate groups are experts at manipulating people just like their idols in North Korea are masters at manipulating South Korean politicians.  You would think the government would be tired of these small scale riots all the time and just lock these people up and seal the place off once and for all to complete the project.  The Camp Humphreys expansion is really turning into a true test to see what the South Korean governments commitment to the US-ROK alliance really is.  If the Camp Humphreys expansion fails, it will signal the end of the US-ROK alliance.

If you are new to Korea and have wondered why Korean people especially women ask you what your blood type is well there is a reason for that.  Below is a graphic I graciously ripped off from the Japundit that lists what each person’s blood type means:

The worst blood type you can have is a type B. Type B people are supposed to make poor marriage choices due to their aledgedly unpredictable personalities.  This notion of blood type influencing personalities has even been made into a popular Korean movie, My Boyfriend is Type B. So the next time you are out on the town and someone asks for your blood type they are not sizing you up for an organ transplant, but as a compatible partner instead.  However, you might not want to tell them you are a Type B if you are.  Just give them your zodiac instead.

Koreans really love their kids which explains the tendency to spoil and go to great lengths to educate children in Korea, however something went terribly wrong with this man from LA’s Koreatown:

Authorities said that Yun told his wife on Sunday that he was taking Ashley, 11, and Alexander, 10, to a movie and would return a few hours later. Around 4:40 p.m., he drove his Toyota Sequoia into a deserted alley near his former business, they said.

Los Angeles Police Department detectives believe he splashed fuel around the interior of the vehicle.

Witnesses told police they saw him arguing with Ashley outside the car before forcing her into the back seat. They said they watched in horror as Yun climbed into the front passenger seat and the SUV erupted into flames.

Seconds later, he rolled out onto the ground, his legs engulfed in flames. Firefighters arriving at the scene found that the vehicle had burned to its frame and the children had died. Yun was under guard and listed in critical condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with burns to his hands, face and legs. He is expected to survive, police said.

“We see horrific crimes, but this is a particularly sad one and very hard to understand,” said Lt. Don Hartwell.

Mr. Yun was once a successful garment manufacturer in Koreatown and reportedly began having marriage difficulties including beating his wife in 2004 due to his business suddenly failing due to the IRS forcing him to pay $100,000 in back taxes. His wife filed for divorce last week and apparently this guy just snapped and burned his children to death in the car. This guy will probably try and use the insanity defense but how a parent could burn their children to death is beyond me. If you want to go burn yourself so be it, but leave the kids out of it.

(Hat Tip: June Cho)

The new 2ID move to print counterfeit money did not get off to a good start; from the Marmot’s Hole:

Apparently the North Koreans aren¿t the only ones on the peninsula trading in funny money. Up in Uijeongbu (of course!), a 21-year old U.S. Army private (of course!) is under investigation after he paid a taxi driver (of course!) with three counterfeit 10,000-won bills.
Police have asked USFK to turn the private over so that the source of the counterfeit bills can be determined.

This incident reminds of a prior incident a few years back also in the 2nd Infantry Division.  A soldier was caught passing counterfeit won bills to an ajumma selling chicken (rat) on a stick at a vending booth in the ville.  The ajumma walked over to the MP shack next door and handed the MPs the counterfeit bill and they promptly brought the GI’s in for questioning.  The GI who passed the bill said he didn’t know they were counterfeit but was detained anyway.  The other soldiers said they didn’t know anything about it.  The MPs let the other guys go and one of those guys had his hands in his pocket and pulled them out to open the door and walk out.  After he pulled out his hands from his pockets a counterfeit bill fell out and he was detained as well.

Both guys ended up admitting to digitally scanning the bills and printing them.  The ROK government turned the case over to the military and they received military punishment and were ultimately chaptered from the Army.  This case just like yesterdays case are definitely what I call a Great Moment in Stupidity.

For those not in the military, 2ID rigorously tracks alcohol related incidents and actually awards streamers and days off to units that maintain no alcohol related incidents for 6 months and one year.  With the amount of taxi cab related incidents maybe 2ID can track these too and give out streamers for no taxi cab related incidents as well?

UPDATE: The Chosun Ilbo and the Marmot are now all over the recent success and coverage of Lee Seung Yeop.
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Japundit has a really good profile of Korean baseball slugger Seung Yeop Lee. Lee was the hero of the World Baseball Classic for the Korean squad and helped the Chiba Lotte Marines win the Japanese World Series Championship last year. He is off to hot start this year in the Japanese league and is reportedly interested in joining the New York Yankees.

Check out the profile link to learn more.

I wonder if there is a CIA black helicopter conspiracy theory to explain this:

A South Korean astronaut was planned to hitch a ride on a Russian spacecraft in April 2007, but the United States has to take that seat to rotate crew at the international space station, according to the South Korean Science and Technology Ministry.

America holding back Korea from glory yet again.

A former North Korean refugee who escaped to South Korea is now once again trying to defect; this time to the United States:

This week may end the Odyssey of North Korean defector Ma Young-ae, who after settling briefly in South Korea defected again to the U.S. Ma is seeking asylum in the U.S. as a refugee from what she says is ?political oppression? in South Korea.A source close to North Korean human rights activists in Washington on Tuesday said Ma will have her final interview with U.S. authorities on the matter on Thursday. The source added her chances look ?extremely good.?

This could become a big political problem between Washington and Seoul if more and more North Korean defectors continue to seek asylum in the United States. To bad Hines Ward’s mom wasn’t a North Korean defector. Maybe then the South Korean government would bring more attention to assimilating North Koreans into South Korean society like President Roh is currently trying to do with mixed race Koreans.

Spring time has arrived and the Stars and Stripes has a good listing of some of the most popular cherry blossom viewing sites in Korea. Here is where the Stars and Stripes recommends viewing cherry blossoms:

Chinhae
Changgyeonggung Palace in Seoul
Children’s Grand Park in Seoul
Namsan Mountain in Seoul
Seokchon Lake at Lotte World
Seoul Land Amusement Park
Sip-ri Cherry Blossom Road
Walker Hill Road
Yeouido Yunjungno Cherry Blossom Festival

Just be warned these are the most popular areas which means floods of people will be there with you if you go. If you are like me and hate going where the crowds are it is best to find some areas that are not common tourist destination to view the cherry blossoms.

Here is a recommendation that is off the beaten path if you want to view cherry blossoms. Go to Gayasan Mountain just west of Taegu to get the national park. The road to the national park is lined with cherry blossoms trees. It is really a pretty drive. To get there go to Taegu and then head west on I-12 and exit at road 1084 which connects to highway 59 that leads into Gayasan National Park.

Another nice area is that is nearby to Camp Casey is Soyasan Park just North of Dongducheon. The road leading to the mountain is also lined with cherry blossoms trees. To get here just travel North of Dongducheon on highway 3 until you see the Soyosan park signs to the right just north of Camp Casey.

Finally another great area is Jirisan Mountain in the far south of the mountain. Many areas of the mountain have the cherry blossom trees as well as having the spring time azaleas blooming. To get to Jirisan Mountain just travel South from Seoul on I-35 which will lead you to multiple exits to get to the park.

Enjoy the spring time while it lasts. It will be hot and humid before you know it and we will all be talking about the latest wave of fan deaths.