As for some of the topics that were discussed…

Korean privacy laws perhaps aren't as byzantine and unreasonable to the natives. The concept of shame as punishment in Korea is that shame is itself a greatly punitive measure. Shame is not merely a collateral consequence of a criminal conviction. Many Koreans would see incarceration and/or fines as being somewhat redundant if the criminal was sufficiently shamed. And on the same note, many Koreans would see heaping shame on the convicted to be "cruel and unusual" if other punitive measures were taken against the criminal.

Consider also that Korea is a pretty homogeneous society with not many surnames. If your child molester is named "Lee" then chances are, a sizable portion of Korean Lees is going to connected to him in one way or the other. If the entire name is published, especially with region of Korea where he's living in, the paper is going to piss off a lot of people whose family name is connected to that guy.

Same thing with publishing face. It identifies not only the suspect but also his family, friends, co-workers, and other associates. I think you guys have commented more than once that in Korea, it's who you know rather than what you know. Implicit in that is a notion that within a group of related (by blood, school, region, or whatever)people, you will have interaction and co-mingling that are greater in extent and intimacy than other arms-length interactions. So there is a great sense of shame in being associated with people who have been disgraced because the assumption (and the fact, in most cases) is that you have something in common with that person and have dealt regularly with that person in matters that you have perhaps obscured from others. If someone is accused of something heinous in the US and the media tracks down his friend, his friend will most likely say, "Yes I know him, we were friends, and I didn't know he was like that." In Korea, you'll most likely hear either "I don't know him" or at best, "No comment."

Regarding douchebag teachers. Certification of some sort probably will increase the quality of education and teachers in that it takes some planning and commitment on the part of the applicants. So while a certified teacher would not necessarily be a better human being than a non-certified teacher, it would attract a more career-minded people who would not "shit where they eat" as opposed to a stereotypical drifter who is more than willing to make a year in Korea a blackhole in his resume while he makes some money and bang some local women.

As for some of the topics that were discussed…

Korean privacy laws perhaps aren't as byzantine and unreasonable to the natives. The concept of shame as punishment in Korea is that shame is itself a greatly punitive measure. Shame is not merely a collateral consequence of a criminal conviction. Many Koreans would see incarceration and/or fines as being somewhat redundant if the criminal was sufficiently shamed. And on the same note, many Koreans would see heaping shame on the convicted to be "cruel and unusual" if other punitive measures were taken against the criminal.

Consider also that Korea is a pretty homogeneous society with not many surnames. If your child molester is named "Lee" then chances are, a sizable portion of Korean Lees is going to connected to him in one way or the other. If the entire name is published, especially with region of Korea where he's living in, the paper is going to piss off a lot of people whose family name is connected to that guy.

Same thing with publishing face. It identifies not only the suspect but also his family, friends, co-workers, and other associates. I think you guys have commented more than once that in Korea, it's who you know rather than what you know. Implicit in that is a notion that within a group of related (by blood, school, region, or whatever)people, you will have interaction and co-mingling that are greater in extent and intimacy than other arms-length interactions. So there is a great sense of shame in being associated with people who have been disgraced because the assumption (and the fact, in most cases) is that you have something in common with that person and have dealt regularly with that person in matters that you have perhaps obscured from others. If someone is accused of something heinous in the US and the media tracks down his friend, his friend will most likely say, "Yes I know him, we were friends, and I didn't know he was like that." In Korea, you'll most likely hear either "I don't know him" or at best, "No comment."

Regarding douchebag teachers. Certification of some sort probably will increase the quality of education and teachers in that it takes some planning and commitment on the part of the applicants. So while a certified teacher would not necessarily be a better human being than a non-certified teacher, it would attract a more career-minded people who would not "shit where they eat" as opposed to a stereotypical drifter who is more than willing to make a year in Korea a blackhole in his resume while he makes some money and bang some local women.

A few months back you had that guy write a letter to a Korean News Paper…Hunter Davis…ANyway here is his Myspace page…I'm only on the September podcasts at the moment…ie listening to them

A few months back you had that guy write a letter to a Korean News Paper…Hunter Davis…ANyway here is his Myspace page…I'm only on the September podcasts at the moment…ie listening to them