Looks like everyone is agreeing with the Korean nowadays...In Korea, a Model for Iraq [New York Tim...

Ask a Korean! News: How Does Korean Language Affect the Way Korean People Think?

Absolutely fascinating article from the New York Times about how languages affect our mode of thought. A few highlights...And yet Benjamin Lee Whorf let loose an alluring idea about language’s power over the mind, and his stirring prose seduced a whole generation into believing that our mother tongue restricts what we are able to think. In particular, Whorf announced, Native American languages impose...

An article by Prof. Noah Feldman makes the exact same point that the Korean has made previously, although the Korean was speaking of Afghanistan:In 1953, after the armistice ending the Korean War, South Korea lay in ruins. President Eisenhower was eager to put an end to hostilities that had left his predecessor deeply unpopular, and the war ended in an uneasy stalemate. But the United States had a...

Ask a Korean! News: Kim Jong-Il Spurns Jimmy Carter, Visits China

North Korea is turning to a very interesting direction. Former president Jimmy Carter is visiting North Korea to spring out Aijalon Gomes, an American who illegally entered North Korea. (On a side note -- can people please stop doing this? First, the two dumb journalists. Then the missionary Robert Park. Why can't people understand that North Korea is just about the worst country to enter illegally?)...

Because it was not enough to have cell phone coverage inside the subway and on the mountaintop, Korean telecom companies installed relays on lighthouses so that there will be cell phone reception 50 kilometers (around 30 miles) off the coast. The logical next step? Waterproof cell phone to be used as a flotation device.50km 밖 바다에서도 통화 가능 [Dong-A Il...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 48. Dongmulwon

[Series Index]48.  Dongmulwon [동물원, "Zoo"]Years of Activity:  1987-2003Members:Regular MembersYoo Joon-Yeol [유준열] - Vocal, guitarPark Ki-Yeong [박기영] - Vocal, keyboardBae Yeong-Gil [배영길] - Vocal, guitarTemporary MembersKim Chang-Gi [김창기] - Vocal, guitarPark Kyeong-Chan [박경찬] - Vocal, guitar, keyboardLee Seong-Woo [이성우] - Vocal, guitarChoi Hyeong-Gyu [최형규] - DrumKim Gwang-Seok [김광석] - VocalDiscography:Regular...

This is interesting -- there will be a Korean immersion charter school in Minneapolis. The school's website is here.(Via Marmot's Hol...

One of the things about America that excited the 16-year-old the Korean as he emigrated was the way American teens entered into adulthood faster. Once turned 18, boom -- American children/young adults would move out of their parents' house, go off to a faraway college and stop financially relying on their parents. The Korean thought it was a more mature phenomenon that what happens in Korea, in which...

Ask a Korean! Wiki: Do You Feel Welcome in Korea?

Dear Korean,After much deliberation, I've decided to spend a quarter studying abroad in Korea , living in the dorms located on campus this upcoming year. I'm worried, however, about how life will be once I get over there, and how I will get along with the Korean people. Having never been anywhere outside the U.S., I was very excited to see a new culture, but after reading your blog and your constant...

Newsweek ranked Korea as World's 15th-best count...

Do Koreans Feel Connection with China?

Dear Korean,I am a Chinese-American. Both of my parents were born and raised in main land China and whenever anything Korean comes into the conversation they immediately say "Korea is a part of China" or "Korean culture is just a variation of Chinese" or some other ethnocentric remark. They don't only think this way about...

Happy Liberation Day everyo...

AAK! PSA: Make Your Own Korean Liquor

Do you dream of Korean moonshine? Then here is Ms. Minji Park:Dear Korean, I write on behalf of Susubori Academy, a traditional Korean liquor education center sponsored by Kyonggi University and FACT (Foundation of Agritech Commercialization & Transfer). Susubori is a brand new school, and we are having an opening...

Ask a Korean! News: Japanese Prime Minister Apologizes for the Colonial Rule

First, the news:Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan offered a renewed apology to South Korea on Tuesday for Japan’s brutal colonial rule, as part of a statement marking the 100th anniversary of his nation’s prewar annexation of the Korean Peninsula.For the enormous damage and suffering caused during this colonial rule, I would like to express once again our deep remorse and heartfelt apology,” Mr. Kan...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 49. Clazziquai Project

[Series Index] Two in a row? Why not? The Korean is on a roll, and good music makes him happy.49. Clazziquai Project [클래지콰이 프로젝트]Years of Activity:  2004-presentMembers:DJ Clazzi (Kim Seong-Hoon [김성훈]) - Mixing, producingAlex (Alexander Hyeon-Gon Chu [추현곤]) - VocalHoran (Choi Su-Jin [최수진]) - VocalChristina (Christina Yeong-Ju Chu [추영주]) - Vocal (regularly featuring guest)Discography:Regular AlbumsInstant...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 50. Pipi Band/Pipi Longstocking

[Series Index] Finally, the 50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists series kicks off in earnest. The series will progress by providing a fairly detailed look at each artist's music career, such that by the time this series is over the reader can have a workable knowledge of K-pop history and its major players. If you have have not already, the Korean high recommends reading the earlier parts of this series...

Ask a Korean! News: Korean Food in America, and Rice

One of the most common questions that the Korean receives is: Can the Korean recommend any good Korean restaurant in [area]? This may sound like a simple enough question, but it is very difficult for the Korean -- because he thinks vast majority of Korean restaurants in America are terrible.The Korean is not a picky eater; one does not get to be 6' 1" and 190 lbs by refusing a lot of food. Instead,...

Ask a Korean! News: North Korean Soccer (Part III)

[Part I] [Part II]This is the final part of the translation of Mr. Joo Seong-Ha's account of North Korean soccer history and analysis.-----------------------------------------------------While North Korean women's soccer could not avoid the lack of food and the height disadvantage, it nonetheless advanced by leaps and bounds...

Are Koreans Prone to Conspiracy Theories?

Dear Korean,Why are Koreans so prone to believing conspiracy theories? I have spent a lot of time in developing countries, and while all have different cultures, one thing they had in common was their propensity to believe bizarre conspiracy theories. While Korea is a wealthy country, it still seems their thinking has not caught...