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, March 12, 2010

Daily Kor for March 12, 2010

The war games continue, but with an interesting twist: the experts who would be responsible for plucking out North Korea's nukes and other weapons of mass destruction have joined the exercise. Pyongyang will declare that this is a sign Washington and Seoul are preparing an invasion, but what it really means is that someone in the allied capitals doesn't think the DPRK regime will last much longer.

US forces' anti-WMD troops join ROK-US joint military exercise (AFP, AP via WaPo, Korea Times, Korea Herald, Joongang Daily)
South Korea's continuing low interest rates may increase inflation threat (Bloomberg)
Hyundai Motors brings on heir-apparent Chung Euisung as board member (Bloomberg, Yonhap)
US President Obama says FTA ratification will enhance ties with allies South Korea, Panama, and Colombia (Yonhap)
Pusan rape suspect denies all charges (Korea Herald)

Law enforcement accused of botched police work as victim may have still been alive when search belatedly went into full gear (Joongang Daily)

Pŏp Chŏng, popular Buddhist monk and essayist, dies at age seventy-seven (Yonhap, Korea Herald, Joongang Daily, Chosun Ilbo)
Kim Jong-il's personal shopper says he was turned down when he sought asylum in 2006 (Yonhap)
Kim Yuna wins bronze in post-Olympic flatulence contest; coach Orser believes she can win gold in Sochi after adult-onset lactose intolerance kicks in (AFP)

5 comments:

AnonymousFriday, March 12, 2010 2:54:00 PM
"Kim Yuna wins bronze in post-Olympic flatulence contest"

That was cruel and evil!... Hell burns a little hotter for Yuna heretics like you!!!
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kushiboFriday, March 12, 2010 7:56:00 PM
Would it have been better had she won silver or gold?

This is all in good fun, and I'm actually of course a big fan of Ms Kim. I'd like to think that if she saw this, she'd have a good laugh.

Of course, I know you are just channelling rabid netizen super fan, for fun, but I just thought I'd point out my actual devotion for her nonetheless.
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LastnameKimSaturday, March 13, 2010 1:53:00 AM
Man...there's just no end to Yuna's talents. She's awesome!
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AnonymousSaturday, March 13, 2010 4:57:00 AM
Yes... I'm sure her farts smell like Glade floral air freshener... ;)
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kushiboSaturday, March 13, 2010 5:30:00 AM
Yes... I'm sure her farts smell like Glade floral air freshener... ;)

In the cut-throat world of women's post-Olympic figure-skater flatulence contests, that's probably why she only got the bronze.
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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.