Does Korea have it’s own Brokeback Mountain? Some people in the gay community think so:

Just as “Brokeback Mountain” has become a pop-culture phenomenon in the United States, a gay-themed movie has racked up big box-office in South Korea.

“King and the Clown” – about a delicately effeminate male clown caught between the affections of a despotic king and a fellow performer – has sold more than 11 million tickets through Sunday since its Dec. 29 premiere, making it the third-most popular film ever in this conservative country.

Even President Roh Moo-hyun has seen it. (By contrast, President Bush said last month he’d yet to see the cowboy romance favored to win the best-picture Oscar.)

The surprise hit is about a troupe of entertainers condemned to die for an act mocking 16th-century King Yonsan, but who beg to be pardoned if they can make the king laugh with their racy skit lampooning him and his favorite concubine. The clowns succeed and become court jesters.

Kong-gil, the gentle-faced male clown who portrays the woman in the skit, draws the king’s attention – staging private puppet shows to Yonsan’s delight but evoking the jealousy of clown leader Jang-saeng, who has always protected his friend from other men’s amorous advances.

The gay story line is muted. The king and Kong-gil share one quick on-screen kiss.

The movie is based on a fictional play that was inspired by a brief mention in the king’s diary about his favorite clown.

I think it is a mistake to compare The King and the Clown to Brokeback Mountain because Brokeback was filmed to push a Hollywood agenda advocating homosexuality thus the hype for the movie. Who talks about Brokeback Mountain without mentioning homosexuality and pup tent scenes?

The King and the Clown on the other hand is drawing huge audiences due to the focus on a great storyline and fine acting not homosexuality.

Would love to hear opinions of those who have seen both movies.

Can anyone tell me why this is backpage news?:

North Korean diplomats were caught attempting to smuggle US$1 million and 200 million yen into Mongolia on Tuesday, the Mongolian press reported. Reports said the North Koreans told Mongolian authorities they were planning to put the money in a Mongolian bank account, according to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun.

The paper said that it was unclear whether the money was counterfeit or not, and what measures the Mongolian authorities will take. It said the incident revived concerns about North Korean involvement in money laundering.

I wonder if the South Korean government that is eager to defend North Korea from US counterfeiting claims will spin this to say that at least they were not smuggling drugs with them as well, as many North Korean diplomats before have been caught doing.

At least somebody in South Korea is willing to challenge both the South Korean government and the North Koreans over the laters counterfeiting activities:

Kim Moon-soo, a member of the conservative opposition Grand National Party, produced a U.S. $100 note dated 2003 that he said was counterfeit and had been bought from a North Korean intelligence official in Dandong, China, earlier this year. He said the North Korean was working in a cover job as an official at the North’s Shinheung Trading Company. Mr. Kim said he paid $70 for the $100 note, which he said had not yet been examined by government officials here.

“In South Korea,” he said, “an increasing number of bogus $100 bills are being discovered. There were 189 found here in 2001, 286 in 2002, 544 in 2003 and 667 in 2004. And last year through September alone, 1,900 fake bills were found in Korea.”
He demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, who was attending legislative oversight hearings, of conflicting remarks by Seoul officials about the counterfeiting.

Lee Tae-sik, Korea’s ambassador to the United States, has acknowledged North Korea’s role in counterfeiting, he reminded Mr. Lee. But, he continued, Kim Seung-kyu, who heads the National Intelligence Service, has said he knows nothing about any North Korean counterfeiting since 1998. He complained that Seoul should not be defending North Korea on the matter.

No North Korean since 1998? I wonder what he thinks of the fact a North Korean diplomat was picked up with possible counterfeit US currency in Mongolia?

Let this be an example if you are a female of what not to do in the barracks:

According to the woman’s testimony Wednesday, the two were among a group of friends who spent several hours socializing, first at a barbecue party and then at the off-base Bounce Club.

Later, she testified, she agreed to let Wheeler sleep in her dorm room and the two took a taxi to the dorm.

Once in her room, she said, Wheeler took off his shoes and lay atop her bed, even though they had “discussed him sleeping on the floor.”

Wearing a T-shirt, bra and panties, she joined Wheeler in bed. Wheeler, she said, began kissing her and she asked him to stop, reminding him she had a boyfriend.

Unfortunately to much of these rape and sexual assault cases happen in the barracks due to over consumption of alcohol. The Air Force may have a different policy but in the Army you cannot have members of the opposite sleeping in your room with you. A member of the opposite sex can visit your room but they must be logged in as a visitor with the CQ (charge of quarters) and the door to the room must remain open so the CQ can check the room.

These policies cannot prevent all sexual assaults but it helps. The best way to stop sexual assaults is to get soldiers to not over consume alcohol. I have yet to see a sexual assault case that has not involved alcohol. The airman in the Osan case IMHO is going to have a hard time being found guilty when the alleged victim has skeletons like this in her closet:

Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Capt. Gloria Downey, the woman said she did not scream, pound the wall to alert her suitemate or otherwise call for help during the incident. Downey is Area Defense Counsel at Osan Air Base.

The woman answered “yes” when Downey asked whether she has claimed to have been raped by six different men while in the Air Force, five of them while at Nellis Air Force Base.

“But, to this day, you haven’t reported the other five rapes to anyone?” Downey asked the woman.

“Yes,” she answered.

I wonder if Hines Ward is thinking twice now about that planned Korea trip too?:

The statement said a Korean reporter had been calling nonstop to say he knows who Dawson’s biological parents are but did not identify himself or say which media outlets he works for. He even called U.S. broadcasters NBC and ABC to say Dawson has found his biological parents. Spinello said Dawson wanted to look for his parents quietly after the games finish. He added Dawson was still proud of his Korean heritage.

Dawson has received more than 200 e-mails and a constant barrage of phone calls and is worn out, the statement said. But it said no-one had taken a DNA test that would prove their paternity.

North Korea has agreed to discuss the abduction of South Koreans to North Korea over the past 50 years:

To date, a small number of South Korean families whose family members are believed to have been abducted by North Korea had been briefly reunited in the family reunion sessions of the two Koreas. Officially, however, North Korea flatly denies to have kidnapped any South Koreans during and after the war.

The South Korean government estimates that more than 500 South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) and some 480 civilians, mostly fishermen, are still alive in the communist North.

“We consider it progress in that the North agreed to work toward resolving the issue of confirming the fate of South Korean POWs and abductees, which it has been denying until now,’’ an official at the Unification Ministry said. “We will continuously make efforts to resolve the issue on the government level including the ministerial-level talks as well as the Red Cross talks.’’

It is an absolute embarrassment that South Korea has done so little to secure the release of so many of their illegally kidnapped citizens, especially after Japan was able to win the release of some of their kidnapped citizens.

I wonder if this development has anything to do with this?:

South Korea has informed North Korea that it will provide 150,000 tons of free fertilizer to the impoverished communist country to help it enhance its agricultural productivity, the Unification Ministry said Wednesday.

Seoul’s decision came three weeks after the North requested 450,000 tons of fertilizer from South Korea, which has so far provided 1.9 million tons to North Korea since 1998.

The ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said decision was made “on humanitarian grounds to ease food shortages of North Koreans by increasing agricultural productivity.”

Coincidence? I think not. South Korea gives aid in return for meaningless talks of reconciliation from North Korea to show the “Sunshine Policy” is working though it really isn’t. I have seen this game one to many times but the South Koreans love to fall for it so I can’t blame the Norks for continuously scheming to get aid from the South Koreans.

Here is an interesting article from Yahoo News that talks about the protest culture in Korea. Here is a sample:

Down the street from the Japanese embassy protest, a group of about 20 South Korean victims of World War Two and their relatives demanded more compensation from the government.

Less than a minute away, a solitary man was holding a protest in front of a mobile telephone company over a high telephone bill he says led his son to suicide.

At the next building, there was a protest against an insurance company over perceived unfair practices.

Those protesters would change places at the spot by the nearby U.S. embassy with a new group of demonstrators attempting to thwart free trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington.

Diagonally across the street, Chinese residents of South Korea were protesting at a building that houses Taiwan’s mission, while a group of Taiwanese faced the crowd of about 100 and held their own signs in protest against the protesters.

“Protests are just a part of life in Seoul,” shrugged one police official.

What I am wondering is how is the cell phone company responsible for the suicide of someone with a high phone bill?

Where are these stadiums located?

I have been meaning to get to this, but I have now answered the tag put on me by the Nomad and the Katolic Shinja. With no further wait here it is:

Four Jobs I’ve Had
McDonalds (This job can best be described as hell.)
Holiday Inn (I was a busboy/waiter/cook/front desk/etc. and made good money working there for 3 years.)
Country Bar Bouncer (I took this job my last year in college and every night could best be described as interesting.)
Obviously I have moved on to bigger and better things since I am in the Army now.

Four Movies I Watch Over and Over Again
Dumb and Dumber (My favorite comedy)
Tombstone (I love westerns and this is the best one)
Star Wars (Best sci fi movie series ever)
Lord of the Rings (best fantasy movie series ever)

Four Places I’ve Lived
Colorado (native)
Arizona (went to college here and would love to live there again)
Korea (multiple tours here)
Iraq (I don’t know if this really counts for a place I have lived, more like survived)

Four TV Shows I Watch
Sopranos (currently watching the season 3 DVD)
Survivor (for whatever reason Survivor just doesn’t get old like the other reality shows)
South Park (This series is even funnier if you are from Colorado)
Lost (my current favorite series)

Four Websites I Visit Daily
Numerous K-blogging sites (you know who you are)
Mudville Gazette (the founder of milblogging)
Coming Anarchy (let the anarchy begin)
Japundit (the best Japanese blog out there)

Four Places I’d like to Be Right Now
Korea (I’m on temporary duty stateside now and believe it or not I can’t wait to get back to Korea)
Japan (I wish I could get stationed there. I have enjoyed every trip I have taken there)
Australia (I have never been there but have always wanted to go)
Colorado (God’s Country)

The next victims:
Gangwon Brian
Skippy-san

Korean residents return to Dokto Islets:

Two of the three Koreans who are registered residents of Dokdo islet, Kim Seong-do and Kim Shin-yeol, moved back home yesterday after 10 years. The couple left the islet in 1996 after their house collapsed in a storm. Dokdo is claimed by both Japan and Korea. The Maritime Ministry has repaired the couple’s home, and private groups raised funds to buy a new fishing boat for them.

Although the Japanese government has made no efforts to regain the island except for occasional assertions of its sovereignty and suggestions to take the matter to international arbitration, Koreans have been riled by incidents such as last year’s designation of Feb. 22 by Shimane prefecture as “Takeshima Day,” the island’s Japanese name. The timing of the announcement of the couple’s return to the islet was probably no coincidence.

I love that last line “probably no coincidence”. Yeah, I would have to say so. However, I don’t how these people can like living on Dokto. These two rocks are small and far from anything. I’m willing to bet the residents won’t be living there indefinitely.

For more on Dokto the Party Pooper’s February Dokto Post is a must read.