You sycophantic political dwarf!

How I spent my Saturday night

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 14:56:44 -0500

I ran the TBDNight blog yesterday! Click to read about the concerts, bar specials, goth nights and bobblehead dolls that you missed out on.

Halloween, for posterity. Head of Nixon/Body of Agnew 3012!

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:16:48 -0500

Halloween, for posterity. Head of Nixon/Body of Agnew 3012!

Seen in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Excited for season 4, yeah?

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:54:49 -0400

Seen in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Excited for season 4, yeah?

Photo round-up of my first week in Indonesia. Four days around...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:23:00 -0400

Second day's lunch - grilled jacket fish

And the view from my table

Nusa Lembongan, off of Bali

On the third day, I fished

Old lava flows near Mt. Batur, Bali

Consumerism in Ubud, Bali

Ferry from Bali to Java

Borobodur Buddhist temple in Java

The view from my window, Jakarta

Photo round-up of my first week in Indonesia. Four days around Bali, three in Java, including Jogjakarta and Jakarta, the sprawling capital city I arrived in today. In a little while I get to meet with that dapper man-about-the-archipelago Aaron Connelly, and tomorrow we’ll venture to Banda Aceh, Sumatra.

Next week: Sumatra and, if all goes according to plan, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Almost party time.

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:47:25 -0400

Almost party time.

Kuridstan's Indie Filmmakers

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:40:21 -0400

Kuridstan's Indie Filmmakers:

My year spent in Seoul has been sponsored by Princeton in Asia, a fellowship program that sets people up with jobs all throughout the continent. I agreed to participate in a storytelling program they put together, and one thing I wound up recording was an interview with a few filmmakers from Kuridstan who were in Korea for the Pusan International Film Festival.

May be worth listening to if you’re interested in the recent history of filmmaking in Iraq.

North Korea is the first country to figure out nuclear fusion

Wed, 12 May 2010 06:00:13 -0400

North Korea is the first country to figure out nuclear fusion:

From Reuters:

Its state media routinely makes claims about the laws of nature bending to coincide with the birthdays of its founder or his son and current leader, Kim Jong-il, that include the appearance of double rainbows and sunrises so brilliant that frost explodes with the sound of firecrackers.

“Maybe if two suns show up in the sky tomorrow, then people could believe the claim,” said Kune Y. Suh, a nuclear expert at Seoul National University.

But can you sue somebody for defamation for defaming you for defaming them?

Tue, 11 May 2010 07:47:21 -0400

But can you sue somebody for defamation for defaming you for defaming them? :

Following up in the spirit of my post about the return of the pardoned-criminal chief of Samsung Electronics, the LA Times reports on an expat writer here who is being sued for breaking Korea’s libel law, which is notoriously anti-free speech.

The writer, Michael Breen, wrote satire that made references to Samsung’s hereditary structure and past allegations of widespread bribery. I can’t find the original anymore. The Korea Times, who originally published the piece, had to run a retraction to get themselves removed from the lawsuit.

Legal experts here say the case underscores the considerable power wielded in South Korean society by such mammoth corporate conglomerates, known as chaebols, which are dominated by top officials, often related, who are treated here as near-royalty.

Most critical stories run in smaller media less dependent on ads from big companies. Major media reports are mostly limited to breaking news of prosecutions of chaebol leaders but seldom probe deeper, critics say.

“Samsung has financial power over the press. They’re their own sanctuary where no one can intervene or criticize them,” said Kim Keon-ho, an official at the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice.

Bombs Spreading Across North Korea

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:47:06 -0400

Bombs Spreading Across North Korea:

Not what you think.

“Kim Jong Il is known to be fond of encouraging the drinking of such drinks at his gatherings, because he believes one of the signs of a good leader is alcohol tolerance.”

Reunification and our generation

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:03:11 -0400

South Korean people around my age - in their mid-20s - don’t feel strongly about unification with their neighbors to the North. That much you can find out when talking to pretty much anybody born in the 1980s, and so writes an Australian Ph.D. candidate Emma Campbell:

This is the first generation of South Koreans, who define themselves in terms of the southern part of the peninsula only. They have the least interest in unification relative to previous generations. For those who do desire unification, the motivation is often derived from South Korea-centred goals: unification for the benefit of South Korea or to prevent China’s spreading influence over the North.

While her article is unfortunately under-sourced, I think she makes accurate points about the “G-generation” (“G” presumably standing for global? I can’t find references to this elsewhere).

But while it’s probably true that people of this age don’t feel the same sort of connection with people in the North, it seems to me that, as long as Korean values that emphasize age and seniority are maintained, it will still be a long time before people from this generation have any real power, perhaps 20 or 30 years.

In the meantime — again, citing Confucian influence on how it seems to me opinion and consensus are shaped — the people who will eventually be entering politics or the bureaucracy will probably have to step in line with the conventional wisdom of their elders in order to be in a position of power themselves. Thus, I don’t think the idea of Korean unification is going to fade into the background easily; after all, there’s an entire cabinet ministry devoted to it! I can’t believe that the Ministry of Unification would be shut down for anything less than living up to its name. (Then again, South Korea has been known to simply change the name of its ministries.)

And if I’m right, that it might take another generation before this generation does come to power, I think the chances of regime change or collapse in North Korea is pretty good. Such an occurence has the potential to expose more Koreans from both sides of the border to each other, and perhaps reignite a sentiment of “uri nara” - “our nation” - that does not exclude people from the North.

Thanks to Aaron in Jakarta for passing this along.

In which I revisit Korean-Mexican fusion. The paper assigned me...

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:41:06 -0400

In which I revisit Korean-Mexican fusion.

The paper assigned me to do a food review the same week that one of my friends from Gwangju was having a layover at my house before heading to Incheon airport the next morning. He’s from California, and whenever he comes to Seoul, he craves some Mexican food. I read a little about Tomatillo (reviewed in the above link) and we went, and it was okay. But the grub I whip up in my own kitchen is - if not better, per se - more satisfying.

The ante has been upped on the humble kimchi quesadilla. The future is here, and it is the bulgogi bokkumbap burrito, as seen above. This little donkey turns Korean the meat and the rice, combining it with some homemade salsa, black beans, lettuce, cheddar and Monterrey Jack. And how could I forget cilantro, which can be found surprisingly fresh for a mere 2,000 won (less than $2) at the Itaewon Foreign Food mart.

The prep is a little involved but it’s really worth it. As you may know, Korean flavors and Mexican flavors complement each other tremendously well. And freshly-marinated bulgogi from home is a lot better than anything I’ve had at a restaurant. Do it yourself to yield one:

Mix about 1/4 pound of thinly sliced boneless rib steak with a teaspoon of sugar. Add to that just enough soy sauce (an 1/8 cup) to soak the meat, plus a minced garlic clove, a chopped up scallion, a pinch of pepper and a 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil. Marinate it overnight, if you can.

When it’s time to eat, prepare a cup of cooked rice. I suggest doing it Chipotle style. When that’s ready, throw a minced garlic clove in a heated skillet with oil, followed by some drained and chopped kimchi. When it’s very slightly golden-brown, toss in the cooked rice along with a good tablespoon or three of kimchi juices from the bottom of the container - depends how spicy you want it - and stir-fry it for a moment.

When that’s done, put it aside and toss the marinated beef on the skillet until it’s browned, probably not longer than a minute or two. Add everything else you might like in the burrito to taste. I like my salsa simple - just chopped up tomato, onion, and cilantro. And don’t forget to employ a proper burrito wrapping technique. It will taste slightly less triumphant with a fork from your plate.

This book explains why you should stop referring to North Korea...

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:46:32 -0400

This book explains why you should stop referring to North Korea as things like “hard-line Stalinist” state. Pretty much everybody writing about the DPRK in the media is guilty of it, but most people miss the point of what the North’s ideology is really about. I learned a lot here.

The author, B.R. Myers, also wrote “A Reader’s Manifesto: An attack on the growing pretentiousness of American literary prose” in the Atlantic Monthly back in 2001. I found it affirming.

Here’s a little something about a pretty decent meal I had...

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:51:38 -0400

Here’s a little something about a pretty decent meal I had recently.

On coverage of the Samsung chief's return

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:56:03 -0400

After reading the New York Times account of the former head of Samsung taking up his perch at Samsung Electronics again, I finally realized just how much my own paper’s coverage of the affair stunk.

Lee Kun-hee had to step down two years ago after being indicted for tax evasion, although apparently there were a lot of less savory charges he got away with. Duly, NYT refers to him as an “ex-convict” in the second paragraph.

Us? He gets called “legendary” in the subheadline and our lead is “The problem solver has returned.”

Our story makes a connection with the problems at Toyota, and how that prompted the leadership to see the need for a steady hand at the wheel once more.

The Times makes that connection, too, but with an important difference: “His return only makes Samsung more vulnerable to the kind of risk Toyota faces,” a source points out. The whole story is a keen piece of critical reporting.

What passes for critical in ours? Samsung is “experiencing growing competition in key business areas”! A single dissenting voice is quoted, and that’s in the last paragraph of a story buried on page 3 titled “Lee’s return to Samsung could bolster economy.”

FULL DISCLOSURE: THE JOONGANG ILBO WAS ONCE AN AFFILIATE OF SAMSUNG GROUP

The rest of the Korean media’s coverage isn’t that much better. The Korea Times’ sources sound thrilled that he’s so graciously agreed to return. Korea Herald saves its dissent for the last paragraph, too.

Why is this such a big deal? Here are two important background notes from the Times story, the full version of which I could not find online - so I’m transcribing it from the print edition! (What’s up with that?)

- “Under the ‘imperial management system symbolized by the Lee family, ‘vassal’ executives work only for the best interests of the owner families, not for the shareholders as a whole… Under such one-man leadership, few dare point out the families’ mistakes…”

- “Samsung…accounts for a fifth of the country’s exports[!]…People watch Samsung ads or Samsung baseball and soccer teams on Samsung TV sets. They drive Samsung cars and call one another on Samsung cellphones. They shop with Samsung credit cards, live in Samsung apartments…” Let’s not forget Samsung Life Insurance.

Now, it’s gone back to being run by a guy who didn’t feel like he had to pay taxes of $4 billion, and that was apparently the very least of his crimes.

ahopsi: Yes, It’s Seoul . NOT EGG. Man, what are the chances...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:29:21 -0500

ahopsi:

Yes, It’s Seoul . NOT EGG.

Man, what are the chances that the yolk would wind up south of the Han River?

Takin' Care of Business: DPRK

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:04:00 -0500

Takin' Care of Business: DPRK:

Well, I just came across a most substantial gap in my North Korea education. Except for a little bit about the headache that the Kaesong Industrial Complex can be for the South Korean government - last year, the North detained a South Korean worker there for about four months, at the same time it was demanding a dramatic increase in payments from the companies looking to do business there - I don’t know much about doing business in the DPRK.

But this report from last September apparently written by somebody who does business there (the origins don’t present themselves entirely clearly) seems to think that there’s gold in them there hills, concluding that anybody who takes the time to make trustworthy contacts on the ground and accept removing e-commerce from the equation would find it to be a hospitable environment for foreigners looking to do business. (Of course, all of this could have changed ever since last November’s currency revaluation, which was meant to slowdown sideline capitalism from gaining too much traction and make it harder to use foreign currency.)

Among the interesting tidbits:

The DPRK has a forward looking environmental policy that offers green investors opportunities to generate environmentally friendly power for supply locally and export elsewhere.

Investors in the DPRK are accorded generous tax concessions:
-  A reduced rate of tax of 10% (standard rate - 25%)
-  An additional tax exemption - whereby the investor is fully exempt from paying tax from the year of investment for 3 years, and 50% exempt for the subsequent 2 years
-  Any tax paid will be returned, if a subsequent investment is made

And apparently, there’s a trade fair:

We are also attending the current four day international trade fair which opened this Monday in Pyongyang, with 120 companies from the DPRK and 14 other economies taking part.

It's like "What to Expect When You're Expecting," but about moving to Korea

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:56:27 -0500

It's like "What to Expect When You're Expecting," but about moving to Korea:

I reviewed a guide about Korea - not a travel guide, mind you, but a guide about actually moving and living here. I think my review came off more positively than I actually felt about it, which is to say that it’s kind of a waste of paper and you can find all of the information online. But that was hard to write explicitly without any hint of irony in a print newspaper.

Battle of the...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:46:00 -0500

Another post about figure skating!

So, back in 1988, what would the media have done if either Brian Orser or Brian Boitano had spelled his name with a “Y”? Just one, not both.

The history of the Calgary Winter Olympics might have sounded a little less clever, that’s for sure.

Mao and Yu-na

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:42:50 -0500

I’ve been travelling a bit today. And between work early this afternoon, the bus terminal, the bus, my motel room and the restaurant I dined in tonight, I must have seen Kim Yu-na’sperformances at the Olympics more than half a dozen times, along with the highlights of her main competition.

My take-away from most of it? I feel really bad for Mao Asada.

Her short program looked flawless. When they showed her triple axel in slow motion, you could see how excited she was - after a few performances where she botched it, she nailed her signature move again. You could tell she felt good about it, and then she winds up with the highest short-program score of her career. Her excited look has stayed with me. But then Kim goes and performers flawlessly as well, breaking her own world record in the process. Asada is down, but not out.

Cut to today. Kim stuns yet again. Was anybody prepared for the massive marks she earned? And after blowing the world record away, Asada has to follow her. How do you perform after seeing your rival get marks like that?

I haven’t watched too much figure skating, but it looked like Asada had two noticable hiccups in her free skate. Obviously, that’s not going to cut it, but she still wound up breaking her own personal best by quite a bit. Still, from the moment she finished, you could see it in her eyes: it wasn’t enough. She cast the same forlorn look on the podium an hour later when they draped silver around her neck. Even two of her very best performances wouldn’t be enough to beat her rival.

All that being said, once Kim finished her free skate overcome with emotion, it was hard not to feel the same way. My office is filled with Korean women in their 20s, and seeing each of their faces magically captivated by this new national hero was a pretty site. And lest I be deported, Kim was flawless and earned her victory. But my heart still goes out to Mao Asada, a victim of history.

James Fallows shout out

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:27:47 -0500

James Fallows shout out:

Hey, check it out, an article I wrote was linked to by James Fallows of The Atlantic. Another friend passed it along to him in the first place, but still, kind of neat.

Given that he mostly writes about East Asia and, apparently, beer, I should probably start reading him more often.