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!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Daily Kor for February 10, 2010: Slapstick comedy

Okay, then. We've got the UN envoy heading to Pyongyang to talk denuclearization, while the North Korean envoy heads off to Beijing. Meanwhile Beijing asks Kim Jong-il to pay a visit... Is it me, or is this sounding like a bad sitcom episode? Anyway, I wonder how things would play out if the Dear Leader really were to head to China.

With dissent over the Great Currency Obliteration of 2009 and the government acknowledging how badly they mucked things up (not to mention with the designated heir Kim Jong-un said to have been in charge of that muck-up), Pyongyang may be ripe for a coup.

UN envoy Lynn Pascoe arrives in Pyongyang to urge return to six-party denuclearization talks (AP via WaPo)

North Korean nuclear envoy visits Beijing (Reuters via WaPo, AP via USA Today)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reiterates pledge to denuclearize the Korean peninsula (links here)

US says North Korea must act on nuclear pledge (Bloomberg)
Kushibo hopes his denuclearization plans don't involve using all the ones he already has.

China extends invitation to Kim Jong-il (Korea Herald)
Magnitude 3.0 earthquake with no injuries gives bored, snowed-in Seoulites something to talk about (Korea Times)
Toyota Korea recalls all Prius hybrid vehicles in Korea (Joongang Daily)

Toyota recall spreads to luxury Lexus brand (Chosun Ilbo)

KRW gains as government vows to keep policies accommodative (Bloomberg)
South Korea ranks #4 globally in patent findings (Korea Times)
Economists from Korea, Japan, and China propose single East Asian currency (Korea Times)
South Korean producer inflation at a ten-month high (Reuters via CNBC)
President Lee Myungbak will push US bid for Uzbek base (Joongang Daily)
Korean PKO advance unit leaves for Haiti (Joongang Daily)
Pyongchang's olympic bidding committee lobbies in Vancouver (Yonhap)

And why not? It's not like there's any snow to play in.

North Korean Juche obelisks to feature prominently in Illuminati-themed sequel to Angels & Demons; Says author Dan Brown: "No, I'm not running out of ideas. Why do you ask?" (BBC)

2 comments:

SUPER EAGLEWednesday, February 10, 2010 6:49:00 AM
i totally saw a delegation from sochi in matching jackets walking down the street when i was in gastown the other night and i didn't know what's up but now i'm scared they're going to meet the pyongchang delegation and have a rumble
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kushiboWednesday, February 10, 2010 3:01:00 PM
Well, the Sochi crowd won out when Putin threatened Western Europe, so what would they need to fight for?

I guess they should be worried that the hard-drinking mountain men from Pyongchang County might be holding a grudge.
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Ask Kushibo.

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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.

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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.