여섯째 항목 (Sixth Entry)

        The United States and South Korea had announced a possibility on Friday that two nations would be joining in a military response against North Korea. This would happen if there is another act of provocation in the region from the North Korean leaders.

        Last November, North Korea engaged in the act of shelling a South Korean island. This led to the Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and South Korean Defense Minister, Kim Kwan-jin together threatened North Korea that a counterattack would happen if North Korea was irresponsible again.

        Mr. Panetta said that "We can provide strong and effective responses to those kinds of provocations if we work together and if we develop the kind of coordinated response that we think is necessary." All statements were a large part in showing South Korea support because the country has grown weary and anxious about attacks from North Korea. When North Korea had attached the South Korean island last November, several civilians were killed, and South Korea felt that there should have been a stronger response even though they attempted to fire back.

        We can see that a huge support system has been established for South Korea because of the devastating attacks from North Korea. At the news conference, Panetta and Kim repeatedly demanded that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons program because act of nuclear weapons pose as a "serious" and "grave" threat to the world.

        By the end of the conference, they both planed to complete an American-South Korean "counterprovocation" plan (by the end of this year) to map out how both countries would respond if there were to be another North Korean attack.

사랑,
Tai Le

• Panetta Joins South Korea in Warning to North
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/world/asia/panetta-joins-south-korea-in-warning-to-north.html?ref=southkorea

다섯 번째 항목 (Fifth Entry)

        Imagine the work that was required to make a Justin Bieber in this starving Pop Star country. Now imagine all that work times ten. You see, in South Korea, thanks to all the several entertainment companies, South Korea has dished out dozens and dozens of Pop Stars to the world. The training? Rigorous.

        If you read about Korean Music trainees, you would understand that it takes 4 - 5 years to train one single artist in Korea. In that time span, they're taught how to sing, act, dance, and most importantly, how to socialize. Most Korean celebrities are taught three languages. English, Korean, Chinese or Japanese. Yes, it's rigorous, but on the best of the best Koreans debut as a celebrity.

        This is surely what happened this week when SM Entertainment (Korean agency) hosted on Sunday night a SM Town Live concert that was held at Madison Square Garden. This show was packed, and all tickets were sold out within minutes of release.

        In a culture where being fast is the most important, new Korean bands and acts are always be introduced. Why? Because the society should never get old. Of course, the famous BoA, DBSK are still unforgettable, but the newbees such as Super Junior, Girl's Generation and SHINee still need their spot-light. What's so special? It's their way of marketing. Each band should be able to stand on their own feet, and be able to be recognized single.

        Bands such as SHINee show their risky attitude by dressing in colored leather, and had memorable memories for fans to sing to. They came a recognizable format. Mean they came in about the same member numbers as Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. And who could forget the hair?

        If you're not a fan of the boy bands, there's a ton of girl power to go around. Girls' Generation is a 9 girl group that likes to show off their coy, and attractive bodies. In America where sex is a huge representation in the media, Girls' Generation and their fellow entertainers from Korea live the opposite. They performed with values and keeping the night "chaste that satisfied demand".

        Will we continue to see more and more foreign pop stars as 2012 rolls around? If America can handle the chasteness of Korea, I'm sure we will.

사랑,
Tai Le

• Korean Pop Machine, Running on Innocence and Hair Gel
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/arts/music/shinee-and-south-korean-k-pop-groups-at-madison-square-garden-review.html?ref=southkorea

네 번째 항목 (Fourth Entry)

        South Korea and Japan said on Wednesday that they would expand their existing currency deal of swapping money to the equivalent of $70 billion dollars to deal with uncertainties with the European debt crisis.

        A currency swap is an agreement that allows a central bank in two agreeing countries to swap on currency for another at an agreed-upon interest price. This helps to give a country more scope to defend itself during a currency crisis. Since the late 1990s, South Korea has benefited from such deals with Japan and the United States with the Asian financial crisis.

        This new arrangement expanded a $13 million dollar credit line that each of the two countries guaranteed for each other. South Korea would have more leverage to defend its currency. This was discussed when Mr. Lee (South Korea) and Mr. Noda (Japan) met at a meeting in where they both agreed to work together on issues such as the nuclear threat from North Korea.

        The one-year currency swap pact that was agreed on Wednesday would help to give South Korea access to $4 billion dollars, and the equivalent of $3 billion in yen. Japan would have access to $4 billion dollars also along with $3 billion dollars in won.

사랑,
Tai Le

• Japan and South Korea Strengthen Currency Ties
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/business/global/japan-and-south-korea-strengthen-currency-ties.html?ref=southkorea

세번째 항목 (Third Entry)

        In Seoul, at an appeals court where a school official was convicted of raping a 13-year-old deaf girl, the rapist was sentenced to only one year in prison. When the sentence was announced, a middle-aged-man (also deaf) let out an incomprehensible cry that seemed to be shouting "This is wrong! This is wrong!". Thee man was forcibly removed for disrupting the courtroom.

        The emotion, and action of this middle-aged man caused Gong Ji-young to write a novel based on the Inhwa School for the hearing impaired that exposed stories of sexual assaults and abuses on the deaf students that attended that school. The successful novel was turned into a movie called "Dogani" or "The Crucible". Released on September 22nd, about 4.4 million people have seen it. About 10th of the country's population have seen the movie (including the South Korean president Lee Myung-bak).

        What happened when people saw the movie? Wide-spread anger and disbelief over the reluctance of the government and officials for not taking sexual crimes seriously, and how the sentencing is not served with justice. Because of the movie, the cabinet of South Korea has promised to inspect all school facilities for the minors and disabled to rid of sexual abuse, and teachers practicing such disgusting actions.

        All of this reaction is seen from a low budget movie. This is incredible at just how a movie can truly affect a society.

        In the Inhwa case mentioned at the beginning, four teachers and administers were convicted of raping/sexually molesting at least eight students. Many of these students were mentally disabled, or orphaned. It's recorded that only two of the four actually served any jail time. This injustice was acknowledged in the film, and hopefully society will see that it's best to rule out these horrid people.

        In the last year, 320 sexual crimes were reported. The government estimates that only 10% of victims actually report sexual crimes for fear of being shamed in public trials.

        As you can see, this movie (although low-budget) has made such an impact in the South Korean society, that it's apparent that change is going to happen very very soon. I'm so happy to hear that something is being done.

사랑,
Tai Le

• Film Underscores Koreans' Growing Anger Over Sex Crimes
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/asia/film-underscores-koreans-growing-anger-over-sex-crimes.html?ref=southkorea&pagewanted=all

두 번째 항목 (Second Entry)

        In South Korea, speed is an obsession. In restaurants, a common dish is called "the fastest dish". What does this show about South Korea? This country is definitely one that strives for being fast. This is seen when South Koreans "consider broadband Internet a virtual birthright", and why the South Korea has three telecommunication firms that try to expand and improve their networks everyday.

        But there's a slight problem. Although the country is home to global headquarters such as Samsung and LG, but these companies build themselves largely by copying and continually improving existing products instead of leading the movement of technology. These company follow rather than lead. Why?

        Even though Seoul built a technology center to help developers create new innovative technology, but there is a small group that actually is involved in this developing. For many years, college students in South Korea decide to pursue law and medicine instead of engineering or computer science. This definitely places a damper on the movement of technology.

So truly, for South Korea to lead the front of the technology revolution, the citizens of South Korea must be encouraged to take a more serious outlook on engineering and computer science. How can a country that values broadband as a birthright not be developing new and innovative technology?

사랑,
Tai Le

• Connected, Yes. Competitive, Maybe.
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/business/global/connected-yes-competitive-maybe.html?ref=southkorea

첫 번째 항목 (First Entry)

        For this first week of my blog entry, I found an interesting article that deals with the the government providing work for those in need.

        The article talks about a man who's debt is painstakingly high, and as a English tutor, his pay wasn't high enough, so he needed a change. He decided to join the ranks of what they call camera bounty hunters. This meant that he would follow people around posing as a paparazzi, and take photos of people committing crimes and offenses, deliver the evidence (photos) to the government, and obtain the rewards.

     

        For decades, bounties have had a history with South Korea. The South Korean government have offered generous rewards for people who turned in North Korean spies, but these days, the conditions of bounty hunters and rewards have softened. These past few years, various agencies have set up bounty hunters to report petty crimes such as a motorist throwing a cigarette to the ground, factories releasing waste into a river, or even doctors not supplying their patients with a payment receipt so they can under report their taxable income.

        A huge reason for people to "snitch" is because for the past few years, the world's economy problems have slowed down many country's economy, including South Korea. So for the country to gain some money, they allowed camera bounty hunting to proceed. The fines for committing a petty crime range from $5 (throwing a cigarette on the ground) to $850 (an unlicensed selling of livestock).

This truly is a remarkable country. I mean, even though South Korea's economy is at it's low point, it still seeks to find ways to bring the economy up. For me personally, this act of bounty hunters really do help bring a safer country up front. I mean, it truly makes people think second to what they're about to do. Should they litter just because they can't find a single trashcan? or is it wise to not offer a patient their payment receipt just so the doctor can claim more taxable refunds? With all the badness going around in the world, it's nice to see a change.

사랑,

Tai Le

• Help Wanted: Busybodies With Cameras
• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/world/asia/in-south-korea-where-digital-tattling-is-a-growth-industry.html?ref=southkorea