The Chosun Ilbo published an interesting article about the growing popularity of Korean movies:

In Japan’s all-time blockbuster list, there are three films that were produced before the 1990s. In the U.S. chart, there are two. In Korea’s case, the oldest film in the Top 10 list, “Swiri,” was released in 1999. That mirrors the development of the industry in Korea, where multiplexes did not arrive until 1998. It is also related to the fact that “Swiri” was the first Korean movie that attracted the international spotlight for its commercial potential. One look at the lists shows that Korea’s film industry is hotter and more dynamic than those of Japan and the U.S. Koreans love the Korean movies that are gaining increasing recognition from international critics.

I would have to say that Korean movies are getting better and better and I do enjoy watching them. Here is the current Korean movie all time top 10 list:

Top Ten Korean Movies at the Korean Box Office

Rank / Title / Tickets Sold
1. Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War / 11.75 million
2. Silmido / 11.08 million
3. Friend / 8.20 million
4. Welcome to Dongmakgol / 6.58 million as of Sept. 8
5. Joint Security Area / 5.82 million
6. Swiri / 5.80 million
7. Memories of Murder / 5.21 million
8. Marathon / 5.18 million
9. My Wife is a Gangster / 5.07 million
10. Marrying the Mafia / 5.02 million

The movie I have saw in that list I liked the most was, Memories of Murder. It was a suspenseful movie about Korea’s first serial killer, made more shocking by the ending. Plus like many great Korean movies, it is a true story. Some other movies in the list I have saw and enjoyed is Silmido, which is another true story about a secret South Korean commando team that wowed audiences a couple years ago. JSA and Swiri are two older but definite must sees. Taeguki, a movie about two brothers fighting in the Korean War, is the movie that has recently put Korean cinema on the map internationally. Friend is a gangster movie but has a great story line and characters that make this movie much more than just your typical gangster flick. Finally My Wife is Gangster is a fun movie to watch with its high flying martial arts action.

I was a little surprised that Old Boy didn’t make the list but the movie did take time to build in popularity in Korea. It only became more popular in Korea after the attention it received internationally. Old Boy is for people who like a really smart, plot twisting movie. Another movie I was also little surprised didn’t make the list was Musa. Musa is every bit as entertaining as Gladiator and features the beautiful Chinese actress Zhang Zi Yi.

So if you are interested in seeing Korean movies the above list gives you a good place to start. Korean video stores are scattered all over Korea and you can rent these movies on DVD that feature English subtitles. Just make sure you have an all region DVD player and you will be good to go. So go check out what the Korean cinema has to offer. I guarantee you it will be better than watching the Fantastic Four.

One of my favorite places in Korea, Ulleung-do Island located off the East Coast of Korea has been heavily damaged by Typhoon Nabi:

Scarred by Typhoon Nabi, residents in the Seo district of Ulleung Island, off the east coast, have been isolated in darkness for three days.

The most damage occurred in the villages of Namyang, Guam, and Taeha in the Seo district of the island, where 564.5mm of rain fell Tuesday and Wednesday, causing a massive landslide that blocked the 14-kilometer road that connects Namyang and Taeha villages. Rain flooded two creeks, completely destroying 35 houses and damaging 170 others.
The 450 people whose homes were damaged are currently living at relatives’ houses or in churches. At night, candles provide light, and drinking water is drawn once a day from a fire engine. Yesterday, government officials and residents began clearing torn branches and waste, but they have not been able to begin major restorations yet.

The small villages located around the island are built adjacent to very steep cliffs and hillsides. With the amount of water dropped on the island it is easy to imagine some pretty damaging flash floods.

The government has been constructing a new highway around the island but most of the existing highway is still a very narrow road perched along steep cliff sides. If the road gets washed out that is the only access by vehicle to the areas around the island. With the ferry cut off for the past six days as well, the people on the island must feel extremely isolated. The people on the island are very hearty bunch and I’m sure they will be able to handle the aftermath of this typhoon. I don’t expect the islanders to go on a looting and criminal rampage

Oh My News has an interesting interview with former South Korean soccer coach Joe Bonfrere. Bonfrere provides some really interesting insights into what has gone wrong with the South Korean soccer team. Judging by the article it appears there is more wrong with the South Korean soccer team than just the coach:

That started a long time ago. They believed that they are No.4 in the [2002] World Cup and that they can easily win all the games. And that didn’t happen. After the 2002 World Cup they started to believe and to dream and to sleep — we are good, we don’t have to do anything anymore. Until the Maldives game that was 0-0 [the former national coach Humberto Coelho’s last game with Korea in March 2004]. Then they were shaken up. But then it was almost too late, because they went and played on with the 2002 World Cup players and you know that if you don’t renew some players sometimes, some players get sleepy, get lazy, ambition goes down — like France has done — and the team collapses.

So then I came and I had to start over, build up the team, look for new players, play a new system and do the qualification games. Then if you had seen 2002, Korea played [defensively] against Portugal, against Germany, which is normal when those teams are stronger. Then Korea can do the counter attack. But we cannot play counter-attack against Lebanon, against Vietnam, against Kuwait — which was playing 10 players in defense [the Asian teams mentioned are relatively weak and when playing Korea, often defend in great numbers] — so we had to change the system. And then they say, yeah, but this is not our philosophy, because our philosophy is counter-attack.

Basically Bonfrere was trying to bring in some different players then what was used in the 2002 World Cup and create a system suitable for those players. His changes ruffled feathers with the KFA who wanted to keep the system and players Korea used in the 2002 World Cup. Eventually the KFA wanted Bonfrere gone and may have according Bonfrere interfered with game preperations by not giving him up to date video tape of opponents.

Bonfrere also discusses the the weak state of the K-League in Korea and how players for the national team would show up for practice two days before a game and then expect to compete at a high level.

Once again interesting reading worth checking out. However, I don’t envy the next South Korean soccer coach.

In preperation for the anti-American hatefest tomorrow at Freedom Park in Inchon, anti-American Korean folk singer Park Seong-hwan has released his latest hate song:

The song blames MacArthur for the massacre of Korean civilians in Jeju Island on April 3, 1948 and the slaughter of civilians at Nogeun-ri during the Korean War. It joins calls for the statue to be pulled down.

“I released the song ahead of protests planned for Sunday calling for the statue to be removed,” singer Park Seong-hwan told the Chosun Ilbo on Friday. “I wanted to teach people about the side of MacArthur ordinary people don’t know about.”

Asked if the lyrics might be too radical, Park said, “MacArthur is a war criminal who directly ordered massacres of civilians… As UN commander at the time, there are things he must take responsibility for.”

Between verses two and three, Park adds his own narration. “Seize Seoul. There are girls and ladies there. For three days, Seoul will be yours — UN Commander Douglas MacArthur, September 1950.” Park says historical records confirm that this is an authentic quote by the maverick commander.

Of course it isn’t an actual quote but if you repeat the lie enough times people will believe it. You see that tactic used over and over again here in Korea in regards to rewriting history. If you blame America and in this case MacArthur for every bad thing that has happened in Korean history over and over it becomes imbedded in the minds of the citizens here.

It isn’t just the hate groups that do this either. The Korean government as well, are masters at this tactic led none other by the master history distorter Unification Minister Chung Dong-young.

The Korean media is also well versed in this tactic. A perfect example of this is that the Korean media continuously pushes the notion that GI’s that commit crimes in Korea and not prosecuted in Korean courts because of the SOFA agreement, even though there are plenty of GI’s sitting in Korean prisons today that were prosecuted and sentenced in Korean courts.

So the rewriting of history by useful idiots such as Park Seong-hwan continues to be a extremely effective tactic by the North Koreans and their sympathisers who are behind many of these hate groups that preach anti-Americanism.

Here are some more good links to check out about the current General MacArthur controversy:

One Free Korea

Korea Sojourner

About Joel

Anti-American hate groups are holding a protest Sunday demanding the removal of the General MacArthur statue located in Freedom Park in Inchon. This park has been the scene of prior protests for and against the statue and looks to be a battle ground again this weekend:

Civic groups calling for the removal of the statue will rally at 3 p.m. Sunday to demand an end “to 60 years of U.S. occupation and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Korea.” Organizers have notified the authorities of some 3,000 participants, but the groups’ membership is nearer 10,000. The groups reportedly chose Sunday, Sept. 11, because it coincides with the anniversary of terrorist attacks on New York in 2001.

It is just sickening to me that these protesters would use September 11th as a date to push their anti-American agenda. I hope the US media picks up on this. This story is slowly gaining steam in the US media and may be the reason why the anti-US group leader has been brought in by the police for questioning. The Korean government may now be fearing the backlash not of the US government, but of the US consumer if these protests make waves in the US media. Could you imagine the reaction of the American public if the US media broadcast the vile garbage coming from these people on the anniversary of September 11th? I doubt to many people would be buying a Hyundai after that and the Korean government knows it.

Some other Koreans know it to but they are not defending the statue because of Hyundai sales but because they believe in General MacArthur and America:

Defenders of the statue will demonstrate from 1 p.m. that same day, with about 200 people expected to take part. The Hwanghae Province Residents Association, one of the groups involved, changed the venue from the park to nearby Inseong Girls’ High School at the suggestion of police, who are concerned about a possible clash. But it said the groups could move on to Freedom Park depending on the situation. A spokesman from the group said one of the anti-MacArthur groups, “is even talking about forming an advance team and trying to pull the statue down with chains and ropes… We can’t just stand by and watch.”

They won’t be able to pull that statue down because there are riot police protecting the statue around the clock. However, it is still sad that riot police should have to protect this statue to begin with. No matter what the US public’s feelings towards the French may be, you will never see Americans demanding that the Statue of Liberty be torn down.

Korea has opened their own version of the US military’s National Training Center located in Ft. Irwin, CA.:

The Korean Army’s advanced Combat Training Center (KCTC) in Gangwon Province opened shop, which is a “masterpiece” that was completed within five years after the Korean Army bench marked the NTC of the United States. Forces there are engaged in virtual battles equipped with laser shooters and detectors, and the central control system receives detailed portrayals of battle scenes and evaluates them. Thanks to the KCTC, Korean troops may participate in the same training for real situations, while reducing training budgets to a great extent, resulting in double benefits.

Training in Korea is extremely difficult due to the lack of land and fear of traffic accidents. The KCTC is located in Kangwon province which is far from any 2ID installations so I am assuming the US military will not be using it.

I do suspect that the ROK Army probably still has a lot more work to do on the facility to get it up to NTC standards. The NTC in California is still the best training experience I have been through since joining the Army. Every soldier and piece of equipment wears what is called MILES gear which is sensors that pick up laser beans fired from real weapon systems. Every M16, tank, helicopter, etc. is equipped with the MILES gear on their barrels and when fired the laser beam will fire at the targets. Laser will then hit the sensors setting off a beep sound on the MILES gear meaning you are dead.

The opposing force at the NTC is world class and very professional. The planning process and actual engagements are all monitored by observer controllers that provide recommendation and feedback after battles to train leaders and soldiers. If Korea can match this level of training they will take a huge leap in further strengthening the ROK Army.

Hat Tip: Budaechigae

Thanks to Nomad for pointing out this great read.

If anything make sure you check out the looting police video here.

So what tribe are you in?

The world’s oldest fishing boat has alledgedly been found in Korea:

An unprecedented excavation was made in the southern part of the peninsula, where archaeologists unearthed a fishing boat believed to be the world’s oldest, dating back to 6,000 B.C.
A fishing boat, presumed to be 8000 years old, has been dug out of the ground at Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang Province. Archaeologists believe the boat, made of pine trees, is the oldest of its kind ever discovered in the world. The Gimhae National Museum has been digging in this area since November last year.

Judging from the picture this “boat” looks more like a canoe. I guess world’s oldest cane doesn’t sound as good as the world’s oldest fishing boat. Still even for a canoe, 8000 years is one old canoe. I wonder if Nomad or Gar would of fished out on one of those boats back then?

Speaking of Gar it looks like Daecheon Beach was the place to be this past holiday.

The Six Party Talks are about to begin again with North Korea on September 13th:

The talks will start again after a 37-day recess called on Aug. 7 when the U.S. and North Korea failed to agree on Pyongyang’s right to a civilian nuclear program. During the recess, Washington and Pyongyang held direct and indirect contacts but have not significantly narrowed their differences. A South Korean official said there was no cause for optimism about the coming talks.

Is there ever a cause for optimism with North Korea?

Then:

Notice the absence of buildings outside the fortress walls.

Now:

Today the densely populated city of Suwon features many high rise apartments near the fortress.