The future is now

The mind-boggling events surrounding Dr. Hwang Woosuk's apparent cloning chicanery demonstrate the ugly side of some Koreans' drive to push the country (or themselves) ahead at the expense of integrity, honesty, ethics, and even safety.

But while excessive nationalism can poison otherwise noble aims, national pride in the right measure has been an incredible motivating influence in Korea's drive to make real progress. Koreans were willing to make necessary sacrifices, work long hours, and live frugal lives in a concerted effort to bring the nation's economy up to the level of advanced countries.

Technological and industrial achievement has long been geared toward competing with and beating former colonizer Japan in particular, as witnessed by the automobile, shipbuilding, electronics, and communications industries.

And on the pages of this blog, we have another case in point, the four tireless men whose sole mission is to bring the "Tokto is our land!" message to any venue possible. Their drive and determination has given them the will to plumb the deepest depths of human creativity so that they can develop the innovative technology needed to spread the "Tokto is our land!" message wherever possible.

We have already seen such results in this picture, the repercussions of which are not yet fully appreciated. These four men developed time travel, a truly amazing accomplishment that has the potential to benefit not just Koreans wanting to spread the "Tokto is our land!" message, but all humanity. Think of the potential to prevent wars, warn people of impending natural disasters, or allow non-profit do-gooder organisations to augment their meager budgets by making in-the-know bets on sporting events at Vegas casinos. Could any of this have been possible without a heavy dose of Korean jingoism?

And now we have evidence of this incredible breakthrough: These four visionaries have developed the necessary technology to give the Moon a livable environment.



Think of what an incredible development this is. Right now, we here on Earth are running out of room and resources, but a Moon with livable conditions will allow us to exploit that orb as well, thus forestalling complete destruction of our own planet for a few decades at the very least. Ironically, the availability of these resources brought to us by the "Tokto is our land!" drive may make Japan's claims on the islands, known to Japanese as Takeshima, unnecessary. Almost certainly, Korea and Japan will join hands and together exploit the Moon as the closest of friends (so long as the Japanese realize that 달도 우리 땅이다!).

Of course, further development of Moon-inhabiting technologies will be necessary. It is clear from these photos that the atmosphere there, while obviously oxygen-rich thanks to these four geniuses, is probably still too cold for comfortable human existence, as evidenced by the thick "North Face" clothing and the ice crystals forming on the moustache of the man on the far right.

But again, national pride will play a role in overcoming such hardship: Koreans wishing to be a part of this amazing national achievement will likely be lining up to live in the Moon's sub-freezing temperatures, just as long as one of them sets up a PC-bang or a video store, and maybe a "soju tent" with a space heater.