According to this article in the Korea Times the closure of the Seoul Pub signals the death of the old Itaewon:
Master Jung pours beers at Seoul Pub in Itaewon during the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup. / Courtesy of John Redmond
Seoul’s most popular and famous expat hangout, Seoul Pub, is set to close its doors for the last time in over two decades, Sunday.
Centrally located in Itaewon, across the road from the Hamilton Hotel, Seoul Pub was for years Seoul’s most popular bar, blending a patronage of English teachers, U.S.military personnel and businessmen, offering affordable beer, pool and entertainment from the manager, Master Jung.
It essentially paved the way for more European-style pubs, thanks to former manager Gunther Kampf, who went on to open the original 3 Alley Pub.Its low-key, no-frills atmosphere became a magnet for foreigners tired of the cowboy bars catering to a U.S.military clientele.
First opened in 1996, the popular premises saw its popularity peak during the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup, as did many now defunct international bars. (……..)
The closure of Seoul Pub signals the death of old Itaewon. [Korea Times]
You can read the rest at the link, but I like the new Itaewon better then the old Itaewon even if it means older establishments like Seoul Pub are forced to close due to the increased competition.
At least this pedophile got jail time, but it seems to me he got off pretty light by receiving only three years for committing statutory rape of a 11-year old girl:
An elementary school teacher was sentenced to three years in prison for having sexual relations with a 12-year-old girl.
Suwon District Court handed down the verdict on Monday, finding the teacher 32, surnamed Shin, guilty of violating the Sexual Crime Act against Minors.He was also ordered to undergo 80 hours of anti-sexual crime education.
According to court documents, the teacher got to know the student, then 11, through an unidentified app in October last year.The teacher introduced himself as a 19-year-old and suggested offline dating.The two met at a cafe in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and had sex.He took photos of the girl’s naked body.
“He cannot be forgiven,” wrote Judge Song Kyung-ho in a ruling statement.“Despite his position as an elementary school teacher, he tricked the teenage girl, who has not reached the age to fully understand sexual relations.”
The teacher claimed he didn’t know his partner was an elementary student, but the court dismissed it. [Korea Times]
Considering this pedophile is an elementary school teacher I wonder if this was his first victim or are there others? I also wonder if after this guy is released from prison he will some how end up back in a classroom again?
Lim Soo-kyung, a resident of the southwestern city of Gwangju, carries the torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at Jangbul Pass on the city’s Mount Mudeung on Nov. 24, 2017. The Olympic torch relay in South Korea, which began Nov. 1, will cover 2,018 kilometers — the same number as the year of the games. (Yonhap)
Here is another example of strategic assets being used as a show of force towards North Korea:
The United States is planning to send six F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets to a joint air force exercise in South Korea next month in what is believed to be U.S. action to put maximum pressure on North Korea, military officials here said on Thursday.
“Six F-22 fighters from the U.S. Air Force are scheduled to join the joint South Korea-U.S. air force exercise Vigilant Ace from Dec. 4-8,” the officials said.
The fighters will fly to the Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan and stay at an air base in South Korea throughout the exercise, according to officials. Up to four F-35A Lightning stealth fighters are also likely to join the deployment, they said. [Yonhap]
It seems to me that if foreign players are banned in the Women’s Korean Basketball League it may give Korean women more playing time, but they will lose the benefit of playing against top foreign talent. This could ultimately cause a reduction in competitiveness for Korean women when competing in international basketball competitions:
KEB Hanabank player Hazmon Gwathmey, left, gives a high-five to Isabelle Harrison. / Courtesy of WKBL
Coaches from the six teams of the Women’s Korean Basketball League (WKBL) want to gradually abolish the policy allowing foreign players in the league.
Each team was allowed two foreign players, but only one could play until the league opted for a new policy allowing two foreign players to play simultaneously in the third quarter for the upcoming season.
The revised policy aimed to increase the league’s average score.
But some teams were concerned that they would be at a disadvantage if a foreign player was injured or if they had only one foreign player.
Yongin Samsung Blue Minx lost to KB Stars on Nov.18, without leading scorer Alyssa Thomas, while KB’s Damiris Dantas finished with a game high 28 points and 14 rebounds.
“At the coaches meeting, we talked about discarding the policy about foreigners,” said KEB Hanabank coach Lee Hwan-woo. “We can give Korean players more opportunity to play and use the budget used for foreign players to expand the base of women’s basketball.”
“We do not have a Korean ‘big man’ because we do not have many good Korean players,” said We Seong-woo, a coach form Woori Bank Wibee. “I think it would be right to diminish the proportion of foreigner players slowly and then abolishing the policy.” [Korea Times]
This photo, taken on Nov. 23, 2017, shows a barbed wire fence, which was inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, relocated to Gwanghwaun Plaza in Seoul. The fence will be set up at the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics after people attach ribbons carrying their wishes for peace to it. (Yonhap)
This is officially the stupidest thing I have read all day:
China may have asked South Korea to build a wall to block a U.S. missile defense system from monitoring Chinese military movements.
The request from Beijing comes at a time when Seoul is preparing for a summit between President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Munhwa Ilbo reported Thursday.
Multiple South Korean diplomatic sources are not sure how the request could be met, as the deployment of THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, was a joint decision with the United States.
“The Chinese side is demanding the installation of a barrier to block the THAAD radar, although this is not a decision to be made by [the South Korean] government,” the Munhwa’s sources said.
The South Korean newspaper’s sources also said the requests began as early as July, when China was engaged in unofficial sanctions against South Korean companies operating in the world’s second-largest economy.
On Wednesday Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-hwa in Beijing. [UPI]
You can read more at the link, but first of all this journalist does not seem to understand what the THAAD radar is. The THAAD’s AN/TPY-2 radar is not used to monitor military movements. It is used to detect and track ballistic missiles. Secondly if the South Korean’s built a wall in front of the radar then it would be useless for tracking North Korean ballistic missiles which defeats the point of having the THAAD there in the first place.
I wonder if the South Korean diplomats were able to keep a straight face or did they seriously consider this stupid idea?
