Tag: South Korea

It looks like Korean trains are getting increasingly packed due to the Rail-ro pass program:

At Seoul Station, Kang Yea-na, a 22-year-old student, boarded a Mugunghwa train bound for Gyeongju, a popular destination on the southeastern coast. She did not have a normal ticket.

Rather, Kang was boarding the train on a Rail-ro pass, along with many similarly young travelers holding passes that allow them to take free or standing seats aboard trains.

The Rail-ro program, run by the Korean Rail Corporation (Korail), allows pass holders to hop on and off trains by taking standing or free seats. The program is limited to Koreans under the age of 25, and Korail releases roughly 10,000 tickets per day.

The name Rail-ro is a portmanteau of “rail,” which is also a homophone for “future” in Korean, and “ro,” which means “path.”

The program has gained popularity ever since Korail introduced the passes in 2007. Rail-ro travelers have been coined the nickname “railers,” and ridership has increased each year.

During the program’s first year, the number of railers was close to 8,000. By 2014, the number surpassed 192,000.

Korail sells Rail-ro passes only twice a year, in the summer from June to September and in the winter from November to March. Five-day passes cost 56,500 won ($50) and seven-day passes go for 62,700 won. Railers are free to board most types of trains, including the ITX-Cheongchun, ITX-Saemaeul, Saemaeul, Nuriro and Mugunghwa.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but has any ROK Heads traveled around Korea using this pass?

We haven’t had any Dokdo nonsense in a while here on the ROK Drop so here is the latest issue on this front:

Lizzy from K-pop girl group After School has been facing criticism from Japanese netizens after posting several photos of Dokdo Island on Instagram.

The photos showed Lizzy holding the Korean flag and cheering for the Korean guards on the island off Korea’s east coast. In some photos she said: “Dokdo is a Korean territory.”

Japanese netizens responded with fury, with some attacking her personally. They said “Lizzy should not come to Japan, ever,” “Dokdo is Japanese territory,” “You are not very considerate of your Japanese fans” and “Your caption is very offensive to Japanese fans.”

But Korean fans embraced the singer, whose real name is Park Soo-young. They said “We are proud of you,” “Dokdo definitely belongs to Korea” and “You are a patriot! Don’t mind the malicious comments.” [Korea Times]

She must have sagging sales because it seems like these Dokdo promotional events by politicians and celebrities always seem to get them the spotlight they are looking for. I would have been more impressed if she would have ate a Japanese flag, chopped her finger off, stuck a knife her gut, drank weed killer, or covered herself in bees. That is how real defenders of Dokdo show their patriotism.

Here is an interesting question I saw posted over on Reddit.  If you are gay and on business trip to Korea is being gay something you should disclose if asked?:

• I’m a man, and I am married to another man. We’ve been together for three years. I wear a ring. I’d rather not remove it and risk losing it. It has emotional value to it.
• I am traveling to Busan on a business trip for two weeks. I’m visiting the South Korea location for my US-based company. I am a senior member of management. There are no client visits; all business will be with internal teams.
• The evenings and some weekend activities are being planned by our South Korean work hosts (dinner, activities, etc.).
• They will see my ring, and will ask about my family as a way to get to know me and my US-based team. I don’t plan to come right out of the gate and say “I’m gay” or “I’m married to a man” but the question will likely come up in conversation about my personal life.
• I have no issues with coworkers in the US regarding my marriage.

Should I lie and talk about my “wife” while I’m in South Korea, or should I be truthful? I am very proud of the accomplishments for equality in the United States; however, I realize that other cultures might not be ready. But what if it’s worse when they find out that I’m married to a guy (they will; we will be working closely for years to come) and they know that I lied? But then what if I explain and they understand my reason for lying because I was fearful of their reaction?  [Reddit]

You can read the reactions to this posting at the link.  Unfortunately I have no experience with this topic other than to say that older Korean males tend to be the less open minded about something like this.  Are there any ROK Heads with insights to share on this topic?

People from veterans’ groups and other conservative bodies chant slogans as they take part in a rally in front of Seoul Station on July 27, 2016, to support the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), in the town of Seongju, a county some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The rally came on the heels of a July 13 decision by South Korea and the United States to deploy a THAAD battery in the town to counter North Korea’s missile threats. (Yonhap)

This is actually a pretty good idea which also makes me wonder if it can also help deter North Korean submarine activity as well in the area?:

North Korea on Monday condemned the artificial reef structures being placed in the West Sea by South Korea to control Chinese illegal fishing activities, calling it part of Seoul’s military provocations against Pyongyang’s maritime demarcation line.

In March, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) said it will set up a total of eight artificial reef structures in the eastern waters off Baengnyeongdo, Daecheongdo and Socheongdo, all located south of the northern limit line (NLL), to prevent Chinese fishing vessels from intruding into the South Korean waters.

Drawn by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, the NLL is the de facto sea border between the two Koreas, although the North has not recognized it as such.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the West Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) said South Korea’s new artificial structures can only be seen a encroachments on its waters.

“The fish-breeding reef, structure weighing dozens of tons, is being set up in the sensitive waters which witnessed three skirmishes in the past, a fact clearly showing the provocative nature,” KCNA said.

Such provocative acts have revealed Seoul’s “sinister intention” to spark a military conflict in the world’s most dangerous waters, the North’s state-run media outlet claimed.  [Yonhap]

Health officials conduct fumigation to control mosquitoes at a sports park in a residential neighborhood in eastern Seoul on July 25, 2016. (Yonhap)

A ROK Drop favorite Bruce Klingner has an article published which provides his response to critics of the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea:

South Korea critics claim fears of radiation risks from the missile shield’s radar, saying it would kill bees and irradiate melons. The U.S. invited South Korean media to the missile shield’s deployment site on Guam for independent tests. Measured levels of the electromagnetic waves emanating from the radar revealed the system operates at an intensity far safer than required by Korean law, i.e. the radar emitted only 0.007 percent of the 10 watts per square meter allowed under Korean standards. Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, told South Korean reporters that there have been no signs of environmental impact nor any noise complaints from the defense system’s deployment on the island.

Critics fail to understand that North Korea will continue to develop nuclear-tipped missiles regardless of whether the advanced defense system is deployed or not. If THAAD were to intercept even one North Korean nuclear missile, it would save hundreds of thousands of South Korean and U.S. lives.  [The Daily Signal]

You can read more at the link, but Mr. Klingner is absolutely correct that North Korea is going to continue to develop their nuclear and missile programs regardless of what happens with the THAAD issue.

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has taken another swipe at South Korea:

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump denounced the free trade pact with South Korea as a “job killing” deal Thursday, pledging to totally renegotiate what he called “horrible” trade agreements.

It was not the first time Trump has voiced criticism of the Korea-U.S. trade agreement, but Thursday’s remark carried greater weight as it came in his first speech since formally winning the nomination at the national convention under way in Cleveland.

In a nationally televised nomination acceptance speech, Trump criticized his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for supporting many trade deals hurting the American middle class, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and for supporting China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization.

“She supported the job-killing trade deal with South Korea. She has supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP will not only destroy our manufacturing, but it will make America subject to the rulings of foreign governments,” Trump said. [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but considering how the Korean left was against the US-ROK FTA does this mean that the Korean left are fans of Donald Trump? Now that would be an odd pairing.

Here is the answer:

Korean workers’ annual salary rose to 32.81 million won ($28,880) on average last year, up 470,000 won, or 1.5 percent from 2014, the Federation of Korean Industries reported.

Median yearly income from wages was 25 million won, while the average yearly salary of the top-10 percent of workers reached 64.32 million won. The FKI has made its analysis of annual salary by income class by using the data of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

According to the analysis, the annual salary of the top-20 percent of workers was 46.25 million won or more, the top-30 percent was 36.40 million won or more, the top-40 percent was 30 million won or more and the top-50 percent was 25 million won or more.

The average yearly income of regular workers at large businesses came to 65.44 million won, putting them in the top 9.5 percent of the income class. That of regular workers at small to midsize businesses was 33.63 million won, putting them in the top 34.1 percent.

The number of workers who received 100 million won or higher a year totaled 390,000, or 2.7 percent of the total number of workers, those who made 80 million to 100 million won came to 410,000 (2.8 percent), 60 to 80 million won, 960,000 (6.5 percent), 40 to 60 million won, 2.03 million (13.8 percent), 20 to 40 million won, 5.54 million (37.7 percent), and less than 20 million won, 5.35 million (36.5 percent). [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but seems like it would be tough to get by on $28,880 a year for someone living in Seoul unless they are living with relatives or in a dual income family.

Here is the latest on the THAAD protesting front.  Only getting 2,000 protesters in Seoul to include people that were bused in from Seongju is not very impressive.  This is not a good sign for the Korean left if they think the anti-THAAD issue is something that can evolve into another 2008 US beef crisis:

Protesters, especially residents of the farming region of Seongju, fear the system’s powerful radar will be harmful to their health as well as the environment and the economy despite insistence by U.S. and South Korean officials that it is safe. Many also accuse the government of a lack of transparency in making the decision.

About 2,000 people, including many bused in from Seongju, rallied outside the main train station in the capital, Seoul, on Thursday. Wearing yellow capes and waving banners that said “No THAAD,” they called on the government to reverse its decision. Many protesters refused to talk to the media.

A small group of THAAD supporters gathered nearby. “This is very important for the national security,” said Jaechul Ahn, chairman of the World Peace Freedom United group. “We should know that North Korea never changes their goal of the colonization of the whole peninsula.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.