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!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Daily Kor for Saturday, June 4, 2011

From story #4: Former GNP chairwoman Park Geunhye, the Mitt Romney of the ruling party, meets with President Lee Myungbak, the George W. Bush (first term) of the ruling party. Ms Park's faction would like to focus on welfare issues while Lee's faction wants to cut taxes for corporations to boost the economy.

It's a rainy day with flood warnings here on Oahu, but I went for my daily run anyway. I used to worry about my iPod Shuffle getting wet, but after someone I know accidentally washed and dried an iPod Nano and it still worked swimmingly (ha!), I'm less concerned. Anyway, stay warm and dry wherever you are.

Pyongyang threatens "retaliatory military actions" after revelations that pictures of North Korea's "eternal president" Kim Ilsung, current leader Kim Jong-il, and alleged heir-apparent Kim Jong-un (AP via WaPo, Yonhap)
South Korean Foreign Ministry says "door remains open" for talks with North Korea, despite Pyongyang's revelations of secret talks (UPI)

Opposition parties lash out against ROK President Lee Myungbak over "hard-line" approach on North Korea (Reuters)

Meeting with Chinese counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates calls for more cooperation between Beijing and Washington on piracy, disaster relief, and North Korea (WSJ, AP via MSNBC)
President Lee and former ruling party head and presidential frontrunner Park Geunhye vow to cooperate to restore public trust and "put a focus on people's livelihood and move toward unity rather than division" (Yonhap, Joongang Daily, Korea Herald)
ROK Navy deploys second high-tech Aegis destroyer, Yulgok Yi I, to bolster defenses against North Korean belligerence (Yonhap)
KRW headed for third week of gain as demand for US dollar falters (Bloomberg)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says free trade agreements with US and Peru contained hundreds of translation errors (Korea Times)

Lee cabinet approves ratification of KORUS FTA (Joongang Daily)

Fendi show goes on in Seoul after reducing amount of fur used in show that had met with protests (ABC)
Formula One racing calendar changes date of Korean Grand Prix from October 16, 2011, to April 22, 2012 (UPI)
Korea Republic beats Serbia, 2-1, in soccer friendly (Yonhap)
Analysis of video recovered from Pakistan raid indicates Osama bin Laden spent years hiding out in a Seoul koshiwon (CBS)

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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)*

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Daily Kor for Saturday, June 4, 2011

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