A Korean Air Force F-16 has crashed in Chungju, South Korea:
Lieutenant Colonel Kim Jae-hwan, a spokesman for the Air Force, said the pilot ¿ identified as a 35-year-old major ¿ suffered only minor injuries and was in a stable condition.
The F-16C caught fire as it was taking off and crashed near the base’s perimeter fence after the pilot ejected. The Air Force immediately grounded all combat aircraft except those on crucial air patrols and is investigating the incident.
Air Force officials said F-16s have been deployed nationwide since 1986. Since then, seven have crashed, the first in 2002.
Here is one Japanese cultural transfer I hope makes it to Korea, Beerbots!
:
Japanese beer maker Asahi plans to give away 5000 personal bartending bots, each of which can store up to six cans of beer in a refrigerated compartment within its belly. At the push of a button the simple robots will open a can and pour the chilled contents into a glass for a thirsty owner.
To win one of the beer-bots, in a promotion for the company’s new low malt beer, contestants must collect 36 tokens found on the specially marked beers. But the competition, starting in February, is only open to those in Japan.
Some robotics experts see the promotion as a fun way to promote a wider interest in robotics. Others, however, say it is a gimmick that distracts from genuine robot research.
Via the Dram Man, (a good blog by the way worth checking out) here is a Samsung animator’s attempt on how to properly use a urinal in Korea:
Kind of reminds me of when I was in Japan and there they had to post diagrams on how to use the Asian style urinals there:
My elevator could of used the Samsung diagram when this person kept pissing all over my apartment’s elevator.
In an anticipated move, South Korea has agreed to reduce it’s movie quota system for foreign films:
Finance Minister Han Duck-soo said during a weekly briefing South Korea would halve the quota requiring cinemas to show local films for 146 days of the year to 73 days.
The United States, South Korea’s second-largest trading partner, has pressed Seoul to open the film market more, saying the quota system was a major impediment for negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement.
“The government has decided to take measures needed for the goal of reducing the screen quota to 73 days starting on July 1, after considering such quotas in other countries,” Han said.
Can we put a quota system on Hollywood films in America? Hollywood movies is recent years for the most part have sucked. If the Korean film industry continues to produce high quality domestic movies I see no reason why they should fear Hollywood.
I still can’t get over the money I wasted watching the Fantastic Four and other crap Hollywood movies this past summer.
Korean officials are currently meeting to decide the future of the US military’s Yongsan Garrison in Seoul:
The South Korean government held its first planning meeting this week to decide the future of the 600 acres in the capital city that is now Yongsan Garrison, according to a spokesman from the Korean prime minister’s office.
The Yongsan National and History Park Construction Promotion Committee met Monday to begin brainstorming ideas for the future of the land, which is about three-fourths the area of New York’s Central Park.
The land, which once housed Japanese military quarters and now is home to U.S. Forces Korea headquarters, could become a key part in linking the Han River with nearby Namsan Park for a large public space in this crowded city of more than 10 million people, the committee members said Monday.
How come I suspect that five years after the US military leaves Yongsan Garrison that the place will be filled with more high rise apartments than trees?
Here is a story in the Stars and Stripes that is another example of the good things that USFK soldiers do every day in Korea that they don’t get any credit for:
Three 718th Ordinance Company soldiers traveling to Seoul provided first aid to a South Korean man whose van overturned on Highway 1 last week.
The man’s leg was broken in at least two places, according to Sgt. 1st Class Robert Wells, 31, of Watertown, N.Y.
“He was standing,†Wells said this week during a telephone interview. “I don’t know how he was standing, because [the leg] was shattered.â€
Wells, an emergency medical technician, and two other soldiers offered first aid while another passer-by called South Korean authorities for help, Wells said.
“It seems like they’re really making a big deal about it,†Wells said Tuesday about the response from military officials. “We just stopped to give assistance. We just helped out. That’s what we were there for.â€
Nomad shares his thoughts on this as well.
This is just plain weird:
The Supreme Court has declared zero tolerance for the pinching of a child’s penis in jest during class time by his elementary school teacher.
The court on Thursday upheld the conviction of a teacher identified as Lee for calling a fourth-grader to the front of the class in March 2004 and pinching his groin to a call of, “Now, let’s see if you have a pepper (Korean slang for penis)!” The teacher reportedly repeated the act four more times until May.
The court heard the boy confided to his friends that he hated what the teacher was doing but could not bring himself to tell his parents what was going on. The situation grew so severe that the boy required counseling.
The court fined Lee a total of W5 million (US$5,000), reasoning that even if his actions stemmed from an intention to educate, the method was inappropriate.
$5000 dollars for sexually assaulting a student four times!? Could you imagine if a expat English teacher would have done this what the outcry would be? This guy should go to jail if the court wants to send a message that this type of activity will not be condoned.
UPDATE #2: This week I am reposting last week’s Korea Finder with an additional hint since no one could figure it out. The larger island to the left of the smaller island once housed a large POW camp during the Korean War. This hint should help name the small island located to the lower right of the picture.
UPDATE #1: Since this Korea Finder seems to have people stumped I am going to offer a key hint. The name of the island is inspired by a famous North Korean mountain.
Who can name the small island at the far right of the picture?
The Party Pooper has discovered the solution to violent protesters from Korea: Cane them Singapore style:
Singapore says they are ready to cane World Bank/IMF protestors who commit violent crimes during the annual meetings to be held there. (you can find a little more information here)
There is no mention of protestors from any particular nation, but I think it is clear who they have in mind.
I don’t know about you, but I’d pay good money to see a real country with real laws lay down the spank on Korean protestors who think living in a democracy means having the right to attack police and destroy property every time something doesn’t go your way. It’s unbelievable what protestors here do to Korean riot police (mostly just kids in their early 20’s doing their mandatory military service, by the way) and it’s incomprehensible why the Korean government lets them get away with it time after time.
This is the reason why I stay home during Lunar New Year in Korea.