Korea news links for Wednesday, January 14, 2009

1. Bush aide warns incoming administration that North Korea will try to test President Obama. Kushibo's take: Pyongyang would surprise only if it didn't try to mess with a new administration in Washington.
2. South Korea's jobless rate jumps from 3.1 percent to 3.3 percent in December. Kushibo's take: It's still hella lower than in the United States, but there are a lot of people out there in the South Korean economy who would like a full-time regular 9-to-6 job but haven't been able to find one for years.
3. Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton says she and the Obama administration will support the six-party talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear program. Kushibo's take: Well, duh. At least Obama is providing some continuity, unlike the Bush administration in 2001 which stopped doing what Clinton was doing, took several months to decide what their North Korea policy would be, then after letting years of (meager) progress erode, went back to doing exactly what Clinton had been doing.
4. Eight people in Pusan are dead as a fire breaks out in a Korean karaoke (called a noraebang in Korean). Kushibo's take: Too many small businesses in Korean are too small. Too small to have proper fire exits. If you feel compelled to get drunk and belt out a few BoA tunes or oldies from the Eagles, get a room close to the front door. It's survival of the quickest.
5. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il urges the Obama administration to normalize ties with Pyongyang. Kushibo's take: North Korea may sound schizophrenic and/or bipolar, but you must understand there is news that's for popular domestic consumption, political domestic consumption, South Korean consumption, global consumption, Japanese consumption, and American consumption. Pyongyang wants normalized relations for two reasons: it makes any military attack by Washington less likely (though news for domestic consumption won't reflect that) and it opens up the doors to aid and trade. Aid and trade is what will save Pyongyang from imminent meltdown if they ever hope to get out from under Beijing's thumb. 
6. Baseballer Chanho Park quits South Korean team to focus on effort to join the Philadelphia Phillies. Kushibo's take: Is "baseballer" a real word?