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!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Daily Kor for December 11, 2009: Anti-climactic

Envoy Stephen Bosworth has returned! Boy, no one saw that coming. Anyway, a whole litany of news agencies have lined up to report that there's a whole lot of nothing to report. But the talks were "useful" and North Korea knows we're serious about wanting them back at the six-party talks.

Hmm... did they not know that before? I guess the talks are a success if only Santa Bos didn't know offer any presents to Kim Jong-il. He's firmly on the "naughty list" and doesn't even deserve lumps of coal.

US envoy for North Korea Stephen Bosworth ends visit to Pyongyang; says talks were useful but got no commitment from DPRK on returning to nuke talks (ABC News, LAT, WSJ, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNN, Aljazeera, Yonhap, Fox News, WaPo, USA Today, Korea Times); ROK Unification Minister says international efforts will resume (Xinhua, Yonhap)

Bosworth did not meet with Kim Jong-il and did not deliver letter from Obama (Yonhap)

Bank of Korea to keep its base rate at 2% (WSJ, AP via WaPo, Yonhap); BOK governor says rate increases shouldn't be delayed too long (Bloomberg)
Faster-than-expected recovery means South Korea will likely avoid negative economic growth for 2009 (Yonhap)
KEPCO and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co buy 10% stake in Niger uranium mine (Bloomberg, Yonhap); Mmm... yellow cake
MBC's largest shareholder rejects network president's offer to resign (Korea Herald)

Despite tremendous medical advances in South Korea, epidemiologists at the ROK Centers for Disease Control say the primary cause of premature death in men appears to be nagging (Yonhap)

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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.

Oh, and play nice. Please don’t make me regret this.

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.

Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Friday, December 11, 2009

Daily Kor for December 11, 2009: Anti-climactic

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