Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Daily Kor for November 15, 2009

Why does this weekend feel like last weekend? Again with the dearth of news stories and the focus on people protesting. The protest against ROK troops going to Afghanistan is far smaller than last week's labor rallies, but Western news coverage is about the same.

Of course, the biggest story may be the tragic fire in the indoor shooting range in Pusan. No doubt we'll hear more about that in the days to come, so I won't get into any more speculation than I already have about fire safety. From the Taegu subway fire (seriously, that place seems cursed) to the Taeyongak Hotel [대연각 호텔] fire on Christmas 1971, in which 163 lost their lives, fires with considerable loss of life seem a perennial theme in the ROK.

In upcoming days, as President Lee has a chance to meet with Obama, Hatoyma, and other regional leaders, we might end up hearing more about cooperation and new ways to work together, with more of the same when Obama visits South Korea later in the week. I'm an optimist at heart, and I see a lot of good will ready to be transformed into action these days. No matter what chinboista protesters may say.

Two hundred protesters hold rally in Seoul ahead of visit by US President Obama to voice opposition to Seoul's plan to send troops to Afghanistan (AP via WaPo)
Fire inside indoor shooting range in Pusan kills ten people, including seven tourists from Japan (links here)
South Korea to adopt the tougher of its two voluntary emissions reduction targets for 2020 (Reuters)
Speaking at APEC summit in Singapore, ROK President Lee Myungbak stresses economic cooperation and building of regional economic community (Yonhap, Korea Times)
US President Obama says the United States "will not be cowed by threats" from North Korea (Yonhap)
Paris-based Reporters san Frontiers (aka RSF, or Reporters Without Borders) to provide $380,000 to three anti-Pyongyang radio stations (Yonhap)
President Obama explains away awkward bow-like greeting to the Emperor of Japan: "The guy's like four feet tall and I was just trying to find him" (WaPo)

1 comment:

kushiboWednesday, November 18, 2009 5:01:00 PM
Oh, goodness. How prescient the last story was.
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Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

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九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.