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The new documentary from Ken Burns

“Foreign Dispatches from Korea”

Covers writings from westerners living in Korea between 1855 and 1930

Narrated by Sean Connery

PANELIST
Panelist: Stanley Crocker, dietician

MAIN TOPIC

Don’t Kill Yourself Slowly

NEWS AND STUFF

Dokdo Madness

Dokdo Golf Course Flag

Seoul’s choice: Busan or Takeshima « AMPONTAN

Yes, But Really, Who Among Us Hasn’t Beaten a Pheasant to Death with a Hammer and Flung It at the Japanese Embassy?

Oh, the irony. They’re killing “Korean Pheasants.”

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Island row hits Japanese condoms

Mongdori’s Message Boards :: Korea Life Forum :: Dokdo Death Metal

South Korean government to build hotel on Liancourt Rocks. (B in J)

[NEWS ANALYSIS] Making Dokdo more ‘habitable’?
Top officials from the government and the ruling Grand National Party over the weekend announced a project to make the Dokdo islets “habitable,” as part of efforts to resist Japan’s latest sovereignty claim. But the…

Koreans are protesting in Tsushima right now

Reverend Moon Sun-myung Injured in Helicopter Crash (ROK Drop)

Privatizing of Korean Utilities May Be Scrapped (ROK Drop)

Meanwhile, in Vietnam (KB)
11 South Koreans have been arrested in Vietnam for running an illegal mail-order bride operation.

Seoul may halt Gaeseong tours
The government will consider suspending tours to the North Korean city of Gaeseong if the safety of tourists is not guaranteed, Cheong Wa Dae said yesterday. It will also push for prompt implementation of an inter-Korea…

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO WHAA?

Fan Death — Urban Myth? (Marmot)

The annual Fan Death Debate in the Korean media

Dog Meat ‘Debate’ Heats Up? (Marmot)

Seoul City is conducting sanitation inspections of dog meat restaurants, leading to fears in some circles that the inspections represent a first step in the eventual legalization of dog meat.

Lonely Planet Makes Seoul Look Bad, City Asks for Corrections

Dirty Japs Make Fun of Korean Hairdos! (Marmot)

A netizen at Media Daum posts that a Japanese TV morning program made fun of Korea’s now popular “mushroom hairdo.”

Galbijim.com » Blog Archive » Putting the screws on netizens

Seoul, July 22 (Yonhap) – South Korea’s communications regulatory body said Tuesday it plans to widen the range of Internet Web sites that require user identification prior to posting responses on news and other online content.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said it plans to compel Web sites with daily traffic of more than 100,000 visitors to implement the system as part of a comprehensive scheme aimed at strengthening protection of private information.

Currently, news-related Web sites with more than 200,000 visitors per day and general portals such as Naver.com with over 300,000 daily visitors have introduced the system to prevent users from posting defamatory comments on blogs and news content.

The measure, which the KCC plans to implement by the end of the year following legal and administrative procedures, will effectively enforce online gaming sites and other entertainment-related pages to follow suit with more popular news and general portal operators, such as Naver and Daum, that are currently complying with the system.

It also plans to amend related laws to require peer-to-peer file- sharing Web site operators to closely monitor illegal trading of copyrighted material and punish portal operators that do not immediately respond to reported victims of defamation through online comments.

Korean government mulling over scraping WIPI altogether (Web 2.0 Asia)

What % of your front page content is news? (Web 2.0 Asia)

The other day, a senator from Korea’s ruling Hannara Party proposed a law that can at best be described as “weird”.

According to the proposed “Internet Newspaper Law”, if over 50% of a given website’s front page content is found to be of journalistic nature, the website will be classified as “an internet newspaper site” and will have to follow relevant laws that are currently enforced on traditional media companies. On the other hand (I think this is even funnier), according to the proposal, if less than 50% of a website’s front page content is of journalistic nature, then the website is defined as a “non-news site”, and such a site cannot undertake any media activities such as reporting news or making commentaries.

Another Interesting One from the NYT: Korean Juries (Marmot)

Changes in U.S. Background Check Requirement

Foreign Residents to Teacher English (KT)

The government is seeking to recruit English speaking volunteers from among foreign nationals living here to assist in English education programs for elementary Korean students in rural areas during the summer and winter vacations.

It is hoped that members of the families of U.S. soldiers and foreign diplomats will participate in the program, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Wednesday.

[…]

Although it will not be pay-based work, Lee expects that many native English speakers will join the program as a way to contribute to the local community.

They will co-teach English classes with Korean teachers.

[…]

The education ministry is in discussion with U.S. army camps, expatriate communities and people from multi-national families for the recruitment of the volunteers.

Those interested in joining the program can apply through local educational offices. No special qualification is required but applicants cannot be illegal migrants or those on tourist visas.

Mobile Woes Over for Foreigners (Kim Min-Jung at The Korea Times)

Gone are the days when one needs to be accompanied by a Korean to activate a mobile phone. One need no longer worry about what’s in the fine print nor how to benefit from the most cost-efficient cell phone plans available in the Korean market.

Furthermore, unlike other telecommunication providers, foreign customers are not required to provide a deposit nor submit credit card information to activate their cell phone plan. Instead, LG Telecom has a much lower activation fee and only asks for one’s alien registration card and Korean bank account information.

When one visits the Seoul Global Center, I will do everything I can to ensure peace of mind when setting up a cell phone plan for new users.

Cafe for Women with Western “Butlers” in Tokyo (CNN)

TIME WASTERS OF THE WEEK

A Sparkling Journey, Indeed (Marmot)

A promotional video produced by the Korea Tourism Organization has apparently won a prize at the 12th International Festival of Tourism and Ecology Films that took place in Romania.

Filmfest offers a summer haven for indie fans
Sultry summer days drive people to seek shelter. Getting a comfy seat at an air-conditioned movie theater is a fine ch…

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Best Dinner Party Jewelry: Finger Food Rings

The Vice Guide to North Korea Featured on CNN (ROK Drop)

PLUGS
**Donations**
Ex-Pat Living (The Korea Herald)
SEOUL Magazine
ZenKimchi.com
KOTESOL

NEXT WEEK
Topic: To Korea and Back
Panelist: Jean Francois-Marcoux

MUSIC CREDITS
Main Theme and Teaching Tips — Ben McPherson – “2wksnyc”
News — satya – “Silk Route Album Mix”
Things That Make You Go Whaa? — cjacks – “Candyland”
Time Wasters of the Week — EV Boys – “Kickin’ It in Geumchon”
DJ Topshelf
High Alert Status
The Eternal
Tripudio
Victor Stellar
Bit Rationale
DiWikidDjDUnity
Father Rock
Scottish Guitar Quartet
Deyo
cat-o-nine-tails
Postmark Twain
Tanya Witt
Uma Floresta
Kathy Reynolds
Seraphic Panoply
Sundown Caffeine
Tea Leaves

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Here’s a little preview of the next SeoulPodcast with dietician Stanley Crocker.

A student in Jennifer’s school, somewhere in the 12 to 13-year-old range, wrote this play.  We reenacted it.

Narrator – Jennifer Young

Peter – Joe McPherson

Matthew – Stanley Crocker

 Standard Podcast [172:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (518)

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Korea Foreign Menace Alerts

PANELIST
Justin Sowers

MAIN TOPIC

An EPIK Tale — Firsthand experience of the EPIK teaching program

NEWS AND STUFF

South Korean tourist shot dead by North soldier – Yahoo! News
North Korea Demands Apology After Killing South Korean Civilian (ROK Drop)
On the Ajumma Slain in North Korea, and Anti-Communist Paranoia in the South (Gord Sellar)
Maps and Photos of Beach at Geumgangsan

And I Thought We Weren’t Going to See Much of Dokdo This Year (Marmot)
Top Story on Chosun Ilbo Website Today? (KB)

Protesters marched on the Japanese embassy

“Aggression and Madness” (GoPF)

Matt notes how the beef protests have smoothly witched to Dokdo protests

Bungle hits tainted-beef probe – New Zealand rural news on Stuff.co.nz

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO WHAA?

Expected, but amusing (Marmot)

I do not think it’s been mentioned here, but one of the chairmen of the Seoul City Council was arrested for bribery recently. I do not think that many would blame me for passing my glazed eyes over the scandal. However the story did give cause for coffee to erupt out of my nose this morning. First is former-chairman Kim Gui-Hwan’s Clintonian defense:

“I just gave them gifts in accordance with habitual practice,” Kim said. “I did not break election laws.”

I do not know what disturbs me more about that. You have the take, “Did I bribe? Depends on what your definition of a ‘bribe’ is.” What does it say about Korea’s fight against corruption when a senior politician cannot define a bribe. More disturbingly, what if Mr. Kim is right and dolling out over 30 million won in cash legal?

Moving on there is Kim Min-seok sniping away as any good opposition member:

Senior DP member Kim Min-seok said, “The council members were out of their mind to have a bribery party amid the current economic difficulty.”

Are you a Korean web user? You might have 100+ Active X’s installed (Web 2.0 Asia)

Remember — Just Because You’re a Guy Who Likes To Have Sex With Teenage Boys Doesn’t Make You Gay (Marmot)

Park Eun-jung, a general director at the ministries Central Inspection Bureau, notes that while girls are more likely to have sex for money, the boys are doing it out of curiosity. She also took pains to explain that just because you like to have sex with young boys doesn’t make you gay:

She added that the cases do not necessarily mean that the persons involved were homosexual. “Many offenders were married and had families. The only difference we could trace was that they were relatively old but had a sexual appetite they could not control,” she said.

Government: Homosexuality Causing Prostitution (KB)

It’s All About Me (idiots’ collective)

ENTERTAINMENT

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird – English subtitles at Yongsan CGV

CJ Entertainment announces that the company will release its upcoming film THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD with English subtitles at Yongsan CGV at the same time as the film’s domestic release on July 17.

Oh. No. They. Di’n’t. (Dramabeans)

Now a K-pop supergroup where the oldest–OLDEST–member is 13 (or 14, darn Korean age scheme)! Sweety!

Also, Amanda wrote that one of the kids is one of her former students

EXPAT COMMUNITY

Non-western foreigners busted for teaching English (GJ)
Chul-soo from LA? No. Ahmed from Libya? OK!

Damn, This is Ugly (Marmot)

Parents of a 4-year-old are accusing a British kindergarten teacher of sexual molestation, the British International Kindergarten may sue the parents for libel, the Gangnam District Office of Education will sanction the school, and the Korea Times is there to cover it all.

PLUGS
**Donations**
Ex-Pat Living (The Korea Herald)
SEOUL Magazine
ZenKimchi.com
KOTESOL

NEXT WEEK
Topic: Don’t Kill Yourself Slowly
Panelist: Stanley Crocker

MUSIC CREDITS
Main Theme and Teaching Tips — Ben McPherson – “2wksnyc”
News — satya – “Silk Route Album Mix”
Things That Make You Go Whaa? — cjacks – “Candyland”
ExPat Community — Deyo – “Retro90210fun”
Robin Stine
Uma Floresta
Christ Townsend
Roger Bagula
Jeremiah Fleming
Michael Slupczynski
Phonecasting
The Eternal
Tripudio
Victor Stellar
DiWikidDjDUnity
Evil Twin
Frenz
Little Red King
cat-o-nine-tails
Tanya Witt
Postmark Twain
Seraphic Panoply
Sara Overall
Crush
Sundown Caffeine
Joe Sibol
one blue nine

 Standard Podcast [127:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1339)

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The Jun Ji-hyun Home for Beautiful Women with Scant T&A

PANELIST
Panelist: Joe Mondello (The Joshing Gnome)

MAIN TOPIC

How to Get a Real Job in Korea
The July 17 non-holiday
Joe’s visa story—still unresolved
Jen’s date

SeoulPodcast in JoongAng Daily

NEWS AND STUFF

Beef Stuff

Oh, don’t forget Roboseyo’s “If anything’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen tonight”.

http://roboseyo.blogspot.com/2008/07/if-anythings-gonna-happen-its-gonna.html
The Associated Press: South Korean opposition to end boycott
Popularity of US Beef In Korea Grows

Candlegirl Dance and Stuff

More Scott Burgeson about the beef protests

CNN Talks about PD Diary

Restaurateurs Confused and Frustrated over Beef Origin Rules

Some have solved it by removing beef items from their menus

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO WHAA?

Sightings of the Boobi Boobi Buses remind me of #5 in this article

The Boobi Boobi Bus

From Robert Neff on The Marmot

Four wheel, four-letter word fashion shop (Gusts)

More freaky bus sightings

The Fur Bus

Korean Good Samaritan Gets Screwed (KB)

Andre Kim Dresses ROK Pilots (ROK Drop)

Gin Lane & Soju-ro: Part 1 — The Preamble (Gord Sellar)

Self medication to handle stress from societal transition

snapshot #10: why i love korea

PLUGS AND BUSINESS
Ex-Pat Living (The Korea Herald)
SEOUL Magazine
ZenKimchi.com
KOTESOL

NEXT WEEK
Topic: An EPIK Life
Panelist: Justin Sowers

MUSIC CREDITS
Main Theme and Teaching Tips — Ben McPherson – “2wksnyc”
News — satya – “Silk Route Album Mix”
Things That Make You Go Whaa? — cjacks – “Candyland”
Crush
Tea Leaves
megaphone
curious hands
Anomie Enemy
Conconquidore Truidore
Darryl
WeakLazyLiar
Michael Martin
ellis reed
miEki
Ledbetter
Tyson Emanuel
deadpan
Jacques Grant
Robin Stine
Deyo
Little Red King
antardhyan
Outside
Bit Rationale
DJ Topshelf
George Wood
High Alert Status

Check it out.  And that has to be the goofiest picture, um, this year.

Sorry, folks.  This is an off week for the SeoulPodcast.  When we were recording last week, I noticed towards the end that something was up.  Even though I had pushed the record button, the recording never started.

We will be back next week with a new show with Joe Mondello of The Joshing Gnome.