"Give Peace a Chance"

 Parts taken from Boston.com

Remembering the Korean War, 60 years ago

"This Friday, June 25th, it will have been sixty years since the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. After decades of Japanese occupation, Korea was divided in two by Allied Forces at the end of World War II, with the south administered by the U.S. and the north by Soviet Russia. Deep divisions built over several years, leading to skirmishes and finally an invasion by North Korean troops on June 25th, 1950. The United Nations sent troops and support from 21 countries to support South Korea, primarily from the United States and Britain. The war lasted for three years, with large advances and retreats on both sides, and many casualties. Hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed. The two Koreas are technically still at war since hostilities ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty in 1953. Though it is often referred to as "The Forgotten War", I hope this collection of photographs helps us to remember the events of 1950-53, those involved, and the legacy that still remains, sixty years later"

Here are some of my favorites:

Note: I've added some "after" pictures of how Korean 

has transformed so much in the last 60 years.

Then: Villages were being turned into rubble, homes decimated, 
families separated, and lives destroyed.

A U.S. Marine tank follows a line of prisoners of war down a village street. September 26, 1950. (U.S. Department of Defense/U.S. Marine Corps/S. Sgt. John Babyak, Jr.)

Now: My "village" of Sanbon on the outskirts of Seoul - full of families and prosperity.

Then:

Four LST's unload men and equipment on beach in Inchon on Sept. 15, 1950. (AP Photo)

Now: Inchon is a major international port and a main supply line to Seoul

Then: Taejon (Daejeon) was practically obliterated

General views of burned city of Taejon on Sept. 30, 1950. (AP Photo/Jim Pringle) 

Now: Daejeon is the 5th largest city in Korea and 

the center of transportation in South Korea

 

Then: Heartbreak Ridge

Trees stripped by artillery and aerial bombardment stand like match sticks in this air view of hill 931 on Oct. 22, 1950, one of the main peaks which dominated Heartbreak Ridge in Korea. The complex system of communist trenches and bunkers are visible. This hill was taken twice by U.N. forces, the last time on October 6 by elements of the 23rd U.S. Regiment and a French Battalion. (AP Photo/GS)

Now: The DMZ has stood in place for the past 60 years with minor skirmishes to remind the government's on both sides that they are still technically at war. North Korea remains a secretive and reclusive nation that is controlled by a repressive government. Food shortages are common, and the country has made little advancement besides building up it's military. South Korea has flourished into a thriving nation full of opportunities, technological advancement, and is major industrial player on the international stage.

"If you look at a picture from the sky of the Korean Peninsula at night, South Korea is filled with lights and energy and vitality and a booming economy; North Korea is dark." - Donald Rumsfeld

Today: Korea's military is ever vigilant in regards to the North. Decades of mistrust and threats combined with assassination attempts, kidnappings, and espionage have kept the country divided. However, hope still remains that some day the two Korea's can one day become one. Time can only tell, but the longer it takes, the harder it will become.

 In this photo taken on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, a South Korean Marine looks at the North Korean side as he stands guard on Baengnyeong Island, South Korea, near the border with North Korea

Please make sure you take a look at the full article at boston.com. It is filled of astounding images (some disturbing.)

"Protection"

"Are you freakin' kidding me!?!?!"

This is what I said to myself the other day upon reading the news that another young student was brutallly raped in Korea within the past few months. I previously mentioned in the News Feed about a 13 year old who was raped and murdered. You can read the story here.

As the JoongAng Daily reported on June 10th, an 8 year old elementary school girl in Seoul was abducted off school property, brought to the assailant's home and raped. Thankfully, the girl escaped, and the assailant was arrested.

Basically, the man (Kim Su-cheol) was drunk and wandered throughout the school with a box-cutter until he found his victim. He threatened to kill her with the razor and took her off school grounds to his nearby home where he raped her and fell asleep. After he dozed off, the young girl escaped and the incident was reported to police who used security camera footage to track him down. As police closed in to arrest him, he tried to cut himself in the neck with the razor. In the end, the girl needed 6 hours of surgery and is expected to be in recovery for approximately 6 months.

Awful story right? It gets worse. The man was previously convicted of raping another girl in 1987, as well as has reportedly been paying a 18 year old (Korean age) runaway for sex. She is a middle-school drop out who lived with Kim for 2 months and is pregnant. Adding more insanity to this story - Kim also lives nearby the school. (Why is this allowed? However, it is pretty rare not to live nearby a school in Seou.l)

Kim later confessed and even re-enacted the crime for police and the event was open to the media and the public. This is a practice that I don't understand. It seems to help police though, and maybe will serve to lessen his punishment. It may be for naught however, because there are cries for the death penalty - even from Kim himself who is quoted as saying "There’s a devil of lust inside of me. I deserve death for my crime."

There are many things to comment on in this story. I don't even know where to begin. For one, I have stated before that I am shocked at the lack of school rules for the safety of the students. Schools constantly have random people selling things to teachers in their offices - from insurance and teaching equipment to yogurt drinks and pantyhose. Some of these people seem to also have mental problems.

I commented to teachers before about how I was shocked that anyone could walk into a school and nobody pays them any attention. It is shocking that teachers either ignore the strangers, or even talk with them. I have been told that schools should be open to the neighborhood because schools are "for the people".

More shocking is that religious groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses hand out their propoganda to teachers AND students while discussing their faith and promoting church events. After school, one can find salespeople outside the school gates handing out flyers for hagwons (private academies), selling snacks, and promoting other events for students and parents. Also, teachers have told me that they find it annoying that salespeople come to school and bother them while they are busy, and have commented that sometimes they steal purses and laptops off teachers desks. 

Where are the restrictions?

I don't understand why the school districts do not have policies for disallowing strangers in the schools. Where are the procedures for parents, administrators, and teachers to follow in these regards? Most schools in the U.S. keep doors locked, have aides or teachers supervising students in the hallways and at recess. They have check-in and check-out procedures for parents and guardians to follow to access their child on school grounds and obtain entrance to school property.

Rules. Procedures. Laws. Bad things have happened in the past in American schools that cause alarm and led to the inception of such things. It's too bad that humans have to learn from terrible cases like these that we need to apply those aspects into our societies.

However, one must remember that Korean society is relatively kind, peaceful, respectful. Guns are pretty much outlawed, there is little gang violence, and illegal drug use is extremely low due to strict laws. Students are pretty safe inside schools from other studenst (except kids who do things like this) - Mainly, it's the weirdos outside the school that worry me.

What is Korea's reaction to this specific incident? Since there was such outrage, the government has decided to purchase even more CCTV security cameras nearby schools, parks, and other places where youth congregate. Great - more Big Brother watching your every move. CCTV, can be a good deterent to crime, but usually is only helpful AFTER a crime has been commited. What is needed at schools is policies in place to PREVENT these sorts of crimes. Most importantly it comes down to the school boards, administatrators and teachers. They are the first line of defense - the soliders in the trenches who are aware if something is wrong. From my experiences, it seems like the teachers in Korea are the ones that need to be educated - enough so that the children are safe and incidents like this can be prevented.

"Fighting!"

The 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa started the other day, and Korea could not be more abuzz with excitement.

Futbol - er, soccer... is probably the most popular sport in the world, and Korea is no exception. Personally, I, (like many Americans) are not too fond of the game. To put it bluntly, we find it pretty boring. A bunch of guys passing a ball and running around for 90 minutes does not really keep my attention for long. That, in combination with the low scoring among other aspects, tends to make me yawn slightly.

I'm not saying soccer players have no ability, they are really good athletes. For more on this, you should watch the Colbert Report's debate:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sport Report - Soccer Debate - Marc Fisher & Mark Starr
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

I was actually pretty excited to watch the game. Korea took on Greece in the first round, and was expected to win, but Korea is not ranked too high. It will be a big shocker if they win the World Cup in the end. Korea ended up dominating and defeating Greece 2-0.

I figured while in Korea, I should root for them to win, as I could care less if the USA wins due to the lack of fanatism of the sport in our country. I never paid any attention in the past - why bother now.

We wore our red shirts (Korea's team color) and headed off to our friend Minyoung's restaurant in Hongdae called "Under The Stairs" and for $25 enjoyed an "all you can eat/drink" party with a bunch of people. The food is excellent and the drinks were flowing. It was a great evening, the game was pretty exciting, and the company was wonderful.

Here's a brief recap of the game (sorry it's not in English)

대한민국! Dae-Han-Min-Gook! (Korea!)

Rock paper scissors bottle-caps. The bottles come with drinking games - I love it!

We were going to go to City Hall and watch the game, as they set up a big screen, but due to the rain, we nixed that idea as we didn't want to be sloshing around in the mud, or be trampled by the crowds.

I'm kind of happy we didn't go after I discovered that 47,000 people crammed into the plaza to see the game. 

Insane.

 

Up next: Korea vs. Argentina. Good luck Red Devils aka Taeguk Warriors!

"Suicide Is Painless"

Korean culture has a lot of quirks, but one interesting (and sad) phenomenon is it's fairly well-known high suicide rate - if not, the highest in the world.

Recently a report came out showing that "more than 14,500 South Koreans killed themselves last year, up nearly 19 percent from 2008." Sadly, the numbers have consistently been expected to increase, especially due to the bad economy.

There are many, many factors that cause this number to be high. Disregarding the mentally ill, the majority of suicides seems to be in the age group of over 60 (one-third of the total suicides from last year), and the younger generation between the ages of 15-30. As for the older population, I can only guess that it is due to the lack of social welfare programs, as the elderly in Korea have largely relied on their family members to take care of them in their old age - a trend that is disappearing as society changes. Also part of the issue: poverty, disgrace, or to deal with grave illness as not to impose the financial costs and emotional hardships on their families.  Some highly notable suicides have also been tied to politicians and business men who were involved in scandals due to corruption and bribary including: "the former President Roh Moo-hyun last year, the former secretary of Prime Minister Kim Young-chul, former Busan mayor Ahn Sang-Young who committed suicide while in prison, Park Tae-young, former governor of Jeolla province, and Chung Mong-hun, a former Hyundai executive."

 

For the younger generation, there is a lot of pressures to get into good schools, get perfect grades, get high paying jobs, and fulfill your families wishes without question. A volatile combination on teens and young adults who succumb under the pressures and are generally unhappy when they aren't living their lives the way they want to out of fear of being disowned by their family. After graduating from university, many students find it difficult to find jobs and suffer with the high costs of living in Seoul. That, mixed with the parental pressures to be married and start raising a family add to the feelings of a lack of accomplishment, and depression upon the over-reaction that they will never be happy and successful.

Suicide has also gained a cult following as many famous Koreans have taken their lives. "including the millionaire Samsung heiress Lee Yoon-hyung, the Korean pop singer U;Nee, and the actors Ahn Jae-hwan, Jung Da Bin, Lee Eun-ju, Jang Ja-yeon, Choi Jin-shil and Kim Ji-hoo."

Kim-Ji-Hoo stands out especially, because he was one of the few openly gay actors in Korea. In a very conservative culture where being gay carries a largely negative stigmata, this made his career and life more difficult.

Also, when a star commit suicides, there are copy-cat suicides by their fans. When the super star actress, Choi Jin-si, also known as "The Nation's Actress" committed suicide in 2008, her fans took her death as if their sister, daughter, or best friend had died. A handful of her followers felt that they too had died and hit the web sharing suicide tips. Notably, Choi Jin-sil's brother, Choi Jin-young, was found dead of an apparent suicide on March 29, 2010, as well.

The methods of suicide are also less violent than the United States, largely due to the strict gun control laws. (Very few people own firearms, and those that do usually have hunting rifles or shotguns which are almost impossible to get licenses for.) Therefore, most suicides are done via hanging, jumping off buildings or cliffs (see President Roh Moo-hyun), medication overdoses, or other forms of suffocation - such as lighting charcoal briquettes in an unventilated room or car as in a recent group suicide pact in Hwaseong. (another case of people using websites to aid them in taking their own life).

Suicide is basically an epidemic in South Korea with no cure. Lawmakers have not done much to try and curb the rising rates, but it seems that someone is taking it seriously, as I recently saw a commercial for a hot-line if you are depressed and thinking about committing suicide. More needs to be done however, as it is a growing problem that needs to be seriously addressed.

"The Climb"

On Election Day a few of us hiked up Gwanak Mountain (Gwanaksan). It was a fairly warm day, and the hike was pretty exhausting for some of us who are out of shape!

It was well worth it though as we reached to summit and could see most of Seoul. Next time, I hope to do the hike at night. What a view that will be.

There were 2 other parts that really stood out. One, our feet were tired from climbing over rocks and up the stairs built into the mountain, so we took a break and soaked our feet in a small running stream. It was extremely cold, but felt great! Two, once we reached the bottom, we relaxed in the shade at one of the few small restaurants that serve makeoli and pajeon. Always an amazing treat.

Here are some photos of the hike:

Overlooking Gwanak

Stonewall facade on the way up to the temple

Some hikers taking a break at the Yeonju Hermitage

The temple overlooking Gwanak

I loved the view...

Another part of the temple teetering on the edge of the mountain...

Seoul Racehorse Park

Seoul Grand Park - Seoul Land in the distance

Southern Seoul

Half of Seoul

Southern Seoul - The Han River

A closer shot - Namsan tower and the Han River

Panoramic - Gwansan

Our little group...

"Vote or Die"

Yesterday was Election Day in Korea. Most public schools (but not all private schools) are given the day off which made for a nice day of hiking Gwanaksan (Gwanak Mountain) which I will post within the next few days.

Today, I'm taking the time to talk about current events, especially the elections.

The elections in Korea can be summed up in one word. Annoying. Ok, maybe two words:

VERY ANNOYING.

There were many candidates running this year, and there were at least 8 positions to fill on the provincial and district levels, including governors, mayors, and other district personnel.

I think I'm going to have to make a list of things to discuss:

1. Promotions

In the U.S. it is normal to see some people holding signs, or have a poster on their front lawn. In Korea, the candidates hire crews of people to go all over the province or district and greet people, chant and sing, hand out business cards, and even dance. They do this for about 2-3 weeks, every day from 7am-10pm. The worst is that they have these huge trucks that blast their theme songs all day, and at night the candidates or supporters come and give loud speeches. It really gets to you when you live close-by or are trying to eat dinner and hold a conversation at a nearby restaurant.

This is what it is like:

2. The Cheonan

The elections also seemed to cause a lot of issues, including international issues. Some Koreans believe that the Cheonan incident which was blamed on North Korea (see my previous posts here and here) has been fabricated by the current ruling government (and possibly with the aide of the U.S). Some of the claims are that a U.S. sub actually destroyed the Cheonan via torpedo, a U.S. submarine crashed into the Cheonan by accident and it is being covered up out of fear of anti-American protests as the government feels the need to keep U.S. troops stationed here to help deter North Korea. Others state that the current conservative administration in South Korea fabricated the evidence to point the finger at North Korea to strengthen the party. (like how Fox "News" seems to always boosts the GOP and smear the left while being "fair and balanced")

3. Lee Myung-Bak

Continuing the above thought, the President of South Korea (Lee Myung-Bak) and leader of the conservatives, is pretty much despised as a leader by the majority of Koreans I know. Most of my students agree as I have heard them say many times "I hate Lee Myung-Bak!" They also compare him the George W. Bush, and using that analogy, I can completely understand their feelings of distaste for their elected leader.

4. North Korea

North Korea takes great interest in the elections as well. Once Seoul announced that North Korea was the culprit of the sinking and that Lee Myung-Bak stated he would be severing any business with the North, the DPRK retaliated by stating that they would sever diplomatic ties with the South until the "puppet" and "traitor" Lee Myung-Bak was out of office. North Korea has supposedly been using cyber-warfare to try to fight the current administration by smearing the leaders.



From the Chosun Ilbo:

South Korean intelligence agencies say North Korea has launched a cyber campaign using stolen IDs of South Koreans to plant propaganda claims on South Korean portals. Posts made under the names of South Koreans accusing their "traitorous" government of fabricating evidence linking North Korea to the sinking of the Cheonan are more or less identical to a statement by the North's National Defense Commission posted on a website operated by the propaganda apparatus.

Intelligence services say North Korea is trying to make it appear as if people in the South are questioning the evidence presented by the government.

North Korea is believed to have trained between 500 to 600 hackers and deploy them in cyber operations against South Korea. A so-called massive denial of service attack in July last year crippled not only major websites in South Korea for days but also the homepages of the White House and the New York Stock Exchange. Intelligence officers believe North Korean hackers stole the personal information of some 1.6 million prominent South Koreans over the last five years. 

The election results (as of today) have shown the current state of displeasure with the conservatives, as the democratic party has won and overwhelming amount of gubernatorial and district seats. You can read about them here and here.

I'm just glad they are over. I no longer have to listen to the annoying campaign music, I won't be awoken by the sounds of chanting 13 stories below me, and I won't have to dodge in and out of the gauntlet of campaign crews handing out business cards and literature on my way to and from work everyday! As if Gunpo wasn't loud enough every day...

As a side note, it is my one year mark! I will be posting a video within the next 2 weeks reviewing my adventures!

"Fan Death"

In the western world, "Fan Death" is roughly known only as an Italo Disco band based out of Vancouver.
However, to the average foreigner living in South Korea, it is a very, very serious epidemic. (insert sarcasm here)

Fan Death is a Korean urban legend that many Koreans take as fact. The myth is as follows:

"If you leave an electric fan running while you are sleeping in a room with the windows closed, you will suffocate and die."

I had heard of fan death well before I left for Korea and thought it too pointless to really blog about since almost every westerner who has a blog writes about this strange phenomena. But I feel like being unoriginal today.

Death via electric fan sounds rediculous to most people, so it is very strange that many educated, rational, Koreans swear it is true. So true, that all electric fans sold in Korea have timers on them so you do not accidently leave it on all night and kill yourself. And they even have warnings posted as well:

A simple search of Wikipedia cites many "explanations" into the phenomenon, but here are the basics of how fans could kill you. Try not to laugh...

1. An electric fan creates a vortex, which sucks the oxygen from the enclosed and sealed room and creates a partial vacuum inside. (sounds like a plot of an episode of Star Trek)

2. Electric fans chops up all the oxygen particles in the air leaving none to breathe. (My favorite explaination)

3. The fans electric motor uses up the oxygen in the room and creates fatal levels of carbon dioxide. (even though they don't use fuel like a candle)


4. If the fan is put directly in front of the face of the sleeping person, it will suck all the air away, preventing one from breathing. (I do this all the time in the summer and to my recollection have never died)

5. Fans contribute to hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature.^[2] As the metabolism slows down at night, one becomes more sensitive to temperature, and thus supposedly more prone to hypothermia. (Maybe.... if you are extremely old and feeble, and possibly using the fan in the middle of the winter with your windows open)

6. Fans contribute to prolonged asphyxiation due to environmental oxygen displacement or carbon dioxide intoxication. (A bunch of fancy scientific words that means nothing because it's a load of hooey)

7. Fans directly on the body deprives "skin-breathing," leading to suffocation. (Maybe we shouldn't wear clothing either because clothes deprive our skin of breathing)

The government's take is:

The Korea Consumer Protection Board (KCPB), a South Korean government-funded public agency, issued a consumer safety alert in 2006 warning that "asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners" was among South Korea's five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries, according to data they collected.^[10] Also included among the five hazards were air conditioner explosions and sanitation issues, including food poisoning and opportunistic pathogens harbored in air conditioners. The KCPB actually published the following:

If bodies are exposed to electric fans or air conditioners for too long, it causes [the] bodies to lose water and [causes] hypothermia. If directly in contact with [air current from] a fan, this could lead to death from [an] increase of carbon dioxide saturation concentration [sic] and decrease of oxygen concentration. The risks are higher for the elderly and patients with respiratory problems. From 2003 [to] 2005, a total of 20 cases were reported through the CISS involving asphyxiations caused by leaving electric fans and air conditioners on while sleeping. To prevent asphyxiation, timers should be set, wind direction should be rotated and doors should be left open.

There are even cases of professionally published articles both stating fan death as truth and denoucing it as myth. I think I'm going to stick with it as a myth seeing how I have slept with the fan blowing directly on me with my windows closed on multiple occasions and have still lived to tell the tale.

 Now, where can I find a "I'm A Fan-Death Survivor" T-shirt, bracelt, and ribbon to wear and promote awareness....?

Perhaps it only effects Koreans?

Nope. Here's a video someone posted testing that theory:

A special thanks to Kelly O. R. for the suggestion to post this.

Happy Birthday to you as well!