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, June 24, 2011

Daily Kor for Thursday, June 24, 2011

My goodness, gas stations running out of gas. That is serious, and it's no wonder that reserves are being released (a move also being done by the Obama administration).

Ruling Grand National Party unweils massive 6.8 trillion won (US$6.3 billion) blueprint for lowering college tuition, with a pledge to cut educational fees 30 percent from current levels by 2014 (Yonhap, Korea Times, Joongang Daily, Korea Herald)
Samsung to release results of probe into plant safety following leukemia deaths among workers (AP via WaPo)

Court order compensation for Samsung employees who died of Leukemia (Yonhap, WSJ)

South Korea to release 3.467 million barrels of oil from its reserves (WSJ, Yonhap)

Government asks refiners to maintain price cuts or raise prices slowly (Reuters)

USFK issues statement updating environmental probe, saying so far no trace of Agent Orange has been found at bases (Reuters, WSJ)

US military releases results of 2004 environmental study that found minute traces of dioxin, though its connection with Agent Orange cannot be substantiated (Yonhap, Joongang Daily)

Children of foreign residents in South Korea top 150,000 (Yonhap)
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy and Korea International Trade Association call for early implementation of free-trade agreement with US (Yonhap)

National Assembly passes bill to protect local industry from cheap exports after Korea-EU FTA takes effect (Yonhap)

Financial Services Commission to pursue tougher sanctions against executives and financial companies for breaches of computer security (Bloomberg, Yonhap)
Unification Ministry suggests arbitration over South Korea-owned assets at North Korea's Kŭmgangsan resort be brought to international court (Korea Times)
Despite 1-1 draw with Jordan, Korea Republic (that's South Korea, folks) advances to third and final round of regional Olympic soccer qualification (Yonhap)

Despite threat of flooding, Minot, North Dakota, goes ahead with annual tennis tournament (ESPN)

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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, June 24, 2011

Daily Kor for Thursday, June 24, 2011

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