Ask a Korean! News: Sweden - Not the Least Racist Country in the World

The Korean previously wrote that America is the least racist country in the world, because:[I]t’s one of the few countries that racial minorities are in a position to threaten the racial majority, and it’s the only one among those countries that is by and large successful in curbing the racist sentiments that inevitably follow from such a situation. ...[A] country that has no significant number of...

Ask a Korean! News: What do Americans Know about Fighting for Democracy?

New York Times' Nicholas Kristof touched upon something that the Korean has been thinking about lately.We Americans spout bromides about freedom. Democracy campaigners in the Middle East have been enduring unimaginable tortures as the price of their struggle — at the hands of dictators who are our allies — yet they persist. In Bahrain, former political prisoners have said that their wives were taken...

AAK! PSA: Film Festival

Korean American Film Festival New York will be held next month. Below is their press release.*                    *                     *Now in its fifth year, the annual Korean American Film Festival (KAFFNY) is the only New York based independent film festival showcasing Korean American and Korean...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 34. Dongbangshinki

[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.] [Series Index]Starting with Number 34, this ranking is moving into Tier 3 - artists who had a strong impact on shaping Korea's pop music scene. Tier 3 begins with...34.  Dongbangshinki [동방신기]Also Known As:  DBSK, TVXQ.Years of Activity:  2004-presentMembers:Choigang Changmin "Max" [최강창민]...

Professor B.R. Myers, of The Cleanest Race fame, bets that Korea will be reunified in the next five years. It's a bold wager, but given the events around the world, it actually seems like a reasonable guess.Five Questions for B.R. Myers [Busan Ha...

Confucianism and Korea - Part III: Confucianism in Pre-Modern Korea

[Series Index]In previous parts of this series, we took a look at the core concepts of Confucianism. How did these Confucian concepts affect Korea, and how are they affecting Korea now? The rest of the series will deal with the answers to those questions. This part will discuss Korea's historical interaction with Confucianism.Confucianism reached Korea as early as the 4th century, and has always been...

Ask a Korean! Wiki: What is the Maximum Age for SNSD?

Dear Korean,What is the maximum age for a Caucasian male to be able to admit to a love of “Girls’ Generation” (소녀시대) without being rightfully considered a ridiculous pervert?ViktorDear Viktor,In Korea, Girls' Generation is actually very much loved by middle-aged men as well, who usually claim that they are fond of Girls' Generation like they are fond of their cute nieces. (This does not necessarily...

Little Girls' Earrings and the Foreigner Rule

Dear Korean,My family and I are moving to South Korea within the next month to teach English. Someone told me that they do not pierce the ears of young children and that my 2-year-old daughter's earrings would be offensive or, at best, looked down upon. Do you have any insight into this matter? If they are offensive, we will...

According to the new WHO survey, Koreans are the 13th heaviest drinkers in the world. The survey broke down the types of alcohol into beer, wine and spirits, and Koreans lead the world in per capita spirits consumption. Ah, the wonders of so...

Absolutely incredible video on getting a haircut in North Korea, among other things.Pyongyang Style - North Korean Haircut from Steve Gong on Vimeo.(Source)Of course, much of what is shown is a facade put on by North Korean in Pyongyang, but it is pretty incredible regardle...

Ask a Korean! News: Can North Korea Democratize Like Egypt?

As always, Mr. Joo Seong-Ha does not disappoint. His latest installment on comparing the democratization trend in the Middle East with North Korea is translated below. (Please note that Mr. Joo's regular job is an international desk reporter at a major Korean daily.)*                  *                 *Observing...

Coach Leta Andrews and TrueHoop

It is because of American Tiger Moms like Leta Andrews that the Korean still has faith in America:GRANBURY, Tex. — At 7:15 a.m. on Monday, the girls’ basketball team at Granbury High assembled for practice. As always, shirts had to be tucked in, hair pulled back. If a shoelace came untied, it meant running the bleachers. Questions had two acceptable answers: Yes ma’am and no ma’am.Sure, Coach Leta...

American Healthcare System is Fucked Up

True story with not a hint of exaggeration:This past weekend, the Korean Parents had their friends visiting from Korea -- a couple in their late 50s. Unfortunately, the wife of the couple suddenly suffered a stroke on the second night staying with TKParents. TKParents called 911 and rushed them to the nearby hospital. The doctor there recommended going to UCLA Medical Center immediately, because the...

Translation Review - 빛의 제국/Your Republic is Calling You by Kim Young-Ha (2010)

The Korean, apparently, is big time nowadays -- he is receiving free new books from publishers in hopes of having them reviewed on the blog. Life as a Z-list celebrity is sweet.So far the Korean has received several novels, but he did not really review any of them. Truth is, the Korean is not much of a novel reader at all....

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 35. Song Dae-Gwan/Tae Jin-Ah

With these two towers of trot, we conclude the "Tier 4 - Notable" section in the top 50 ranking.[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.] [Series Index]35.  Song Dae-Gwan [송대관]Years of Activity: 1975-presentDiscography:(Regular albums only; "special" or "best" albums are too numerous and disorganized to trace.)Sunrising Day [해뜰날] (1975)The Looks [모습이]...

Korea needs immigration to survive. That is true for any advanced industrialized country in which people have fewer and fewer children while living longer and longer. But it is particularly true for Korea because Korea's birthrate is declining so rapidly. Yet Korea's treatment of immigrants, particularly those from poorer countries, continues to be tone-deaf and shitty. A recent survey showed...

AAK! Wiki: Is Fluency in Korean Useful?

Dear Korean,I have spent the past three years studying Korean, one of them as an exchange student at SNU. Although I have done well so far, I am still unable to read a Korean newspaper without a great deal of preparation and looking up of words. I found out today that I was accepted into a U.S. government program to study Korean for two years at the University of Hawaii. I am now trying to decide...

Understanding the Rise of Asia

BigWOWO recently put up this excellent TED lecture from Martin Jacques about understanding the rise of China. The lecture is very valuable, albeit a little bit too broad-brush given the limited amount of time Jacques must have had. And in the process, he also makes a couple of very important points that are applicable to understanding Korea as well. Jacques said:I think attitude toward China, that...

Ask a Korean! News: Super Bowl 2011

By now, you know the drill. First, the updated annual rant.Dear Commissioner Goodell,Do you want to spread football to other countries? Then bring a goddamn franchise to Los Angeles.Do you know how many Koreans watch MLB as Dodgers fans because Dodgers brought Chan-Ho Park? Do you ever wonder why there are 1.6 billion Houston...