Loose change for March 6, 2009

 Economic news 

• Daewoo has chosen Nova Scotia for its wind turbine factory. The plan is to give Canadians jobs so they'll stay out of South Korea. 
• The South Korean foreign minister says the country's economic recovery is on track. Thank goodness the government never lies, sugarcoats, or gets it wrong. Reuters also has the story.
• South Korea has signed a deal to mine copper and molybdenum in Armenia. If I were the Korea Resources Corp, I'd double-check that the latter is actually a real thing... sounds like an Armenian scam if you ask me.
• SK, KT, and LG are looking to come together to create a joint app store that can compete with those of Apple and Google's Android, just as soon as they figure out what words can be spelled by combining S, K, K, T, L, and G. 

 North Korea news and stuff 

• The ROK government knows the identity of the four South Koreans who ventured into North Korea, but hasn't divulged it. There are concerns that Pyongyang will use them as a bargaining chip. I hope they're happy.
• Yonhap has a news focus addressing President Lee's efforts to build up ROK defense against the grave threat posed by North Korea.
• While we're at it, let's compare North Korean military babes with South Korean military babes. And some more of that.

 Other Korea-related stuff 

• According to the Donga Ilbo, USFK is well on its way toward normalizing tours in South Korea by making them three years and allowing 14,000 family members to join them.
• The US may propose a regional missile defense shield covering South Korea.
• South Korea ranks high among countries whose citizens go to the movies to escape reality.
• The Wall Street Journal has a focus on the Youido Full Gospel Church, the scary (to me) mega-church that my mom tried to drag me to.

• South Korean tourists to the US will be charged $10 as part of new program signed into law by Obama to charge extra fee for visitors from countries that have a visa-waiver. And why is the Korean tourist chick blonde?!
• A government research institution thinks that cell phones communicating with each other can warn drivers of impending road dangers and prevent accidents, like by showing two cell phones coming fast toward each other.
• A Korean national will serve as ambassador of a foreign diplomatic mission in Seoul, apparently for the first time.
• South Korea seeks a slimmer but stronger armed forces.

 Miscellany 

• China is keeping the torch for the 2010 Asian Games close to home so that nobody will annoy the Chinese citizenry with their pesky notions of free speech or free determination.
• Sony may soon release a new device intended to compete with Apple's iPad: something that will blur the divide between netbook, e-reader, and PlayStation Portable.
• Toyota may recall the Corolla, the world's best-selling car. If this continues, I think someday we will recall there was a company called Toyota.
• Japan and Russia are still reeling from their poor showing in the Olympics. And that reel's still playing in the Chosun Ilbo's head.
• Quite by accident, I ran across London Korean Links' best pictures of 2007. Tomorrow, my review of the Gutenberg Bible.