50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 19. Kim Wan-Seon

[Series Index]19. Kim Wan-Seon [김완선]Also romanized as:  Kim Wan SunYears of Activity: 1986-present? (Last regular album in 2005, a single released in 2011)Discography:Korea:  Regular AlbumsKim Wan-Seon 1 [김완선 1집] (1986)Kim Wan Sun 2 (1987)88 Kim Wan-Seon: Too Lonely to Dance Alone [88 김완선: 나홀로 춤을 추긴 너무 외로워] (1988)Kim Wan Sun Vol. 4 (1989)Kim Wan-Seon 5 [김완선 5집] (1990)Kim Wan-Seon...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 20. Crying Nut

[Series Index] 20.  Crying Nut [크라잉넛]Years of Activity: 1998-presentMembers:Park Yoon-Sik [박윤식] - Vocal, GuitarLee Sang-Myeon [이상면] - GuitarHan Gyeong-Rok [한경록] - Bass, GuitarLee Sang-Hyeok [이상혁] - DrumKim In-Su [김인수] - Accordion, Keyboard Discography:Run the Horse [말달리자] (1998)Circus Magic Traveling Troupe [서커스매직유랑단] (1999)Love Song Under the Water [하수연가] (2001)Old Radio [고물라디오] (2002)Cow at...

Ask a Korean! News: Dr. Jim Yong Kim Nominated to Lead World Bank

This is exciting. President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of Dartmouth College, to lead the World Bank. To be sure, Dr. Kim is not the only nominee for the post. Angola, South Africa and Nigeria put forward Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian finance minister and former World Bank official. José Antonio Ocampo, a former finance minister of Colombia and a professor at Columbia...

Shame on You, Yale School of Management

The Korean usually steers clear from discussing too much Korean politics in this blog, because Korean politics requires too much advanced knowledge to fully understand. But this particular issue does not, and it actually involves an American entity as well -- specifically, Yale University School of Management.First of all,...

Thank You for Volunteering!

Big, huge thanks to dozens of people who volunteered to teach English to North Korean defectors. Thank you all so much. The Korean passed your contact information to the person who would be coordinating this.A few things to note. So far, all the charter schools that the Korean knows of are in Seoul. For those of you living outside of Seoul who volunteered (and kindly included your location,) the Korean...

Volunteer to Teach English to North Korean Defectors

Thanks to the raised awareness of the North Korean defectors issue, several ESL teachers in Korea emailed the Korean to ask for the ways that they can help.The Korean asked around, and discovered some volunteer opportunities. For most North Korean defectors, one of the most difficult parts of adjusting to the South Korean society is South Korea's pervasive use of English.   Not only are English...

Ask a Korean! Wiki: Beautiful Korean Words?

Dear Korean,I recently learned of the word "마음". 마음 is a very interesting and beautiful word; it's often heard in K-pop songs. Are there other interesting words like it? My wife thinks 달콤 is a word with many meanings, too (though Google only offers one meaning: sweet).RalphVery interesting question, but a difficult one for the Korean to answer with his dried-up sentimentality. So he will give this...

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 21. Lee Seon-Hee

[Series Index]21. Lee Seon-Hee [이선희]Years of Activity: 1985-presentDiscography:Oh the Good Old Days [아! 옛날이여] (1985)Lee Seon-Hee vol. 2 [이선희 vol. 2] (1985)The Lost Promise [잃어버린 약속] (1986)This Place Where the Love Sets [사랑이 지는 이 자리] (1988)With a Round of Laughs [한바탕 웃음으로] (1989)Why Only Me [왜 나만] (1990)Walking in the Memories [추억 속을 걷네] (1991)A Small Boat [조각배] (1992)A Bloom of Chrysanthemum [한...

Ask a Korean! News: 31 North Korean Defectors Were Repatriated

Terrible news. Mr. Joo Seong-Ha, through Dong-A Ilbo, reports that China, in a clear violation of international law, sent back all 31 North Korean defectors to North Korea. According to sources, North Korea had been arresting and interrogating the defectors' families even before this repatriation -- presumably because China relayed to North Korea the identity of these defectors. Even the families...

Suicide in Korea Series: V. Shoes Off?

[Series Index]So far in this series, the Korean discussed what may be called the "macro" level of understanding Korea's suicide problem. This part of the series will be a kind of an interlude, dealing with a couple of smaller questions about suicides in Korea before going into a more ground level view of the issue.Dear Korean,I have noticed that is Asian movies people who commit suicide take their...

What About Those Who are Left Behind?

Dear Korean,How far SK is helping to these defectors by taking them in? As we all know that when a defector leaves NK and enters SK, his relatives back home are harassed by regime. Is it logical for a person or group of persons, to come out and take fresh air, while at the same time, making life for those left behind, a misery-elevated one ?NarendraNarendra's question is a legitimate one, and a difficult...

"Chink in the Armor," and How to Think About Race Relations

Dear Korean,As a basketball fan, I am sure you are aware of the Jeremy Lin story that made NBA and the New York Knicks, in particular, relevant again. And perhaps you are also aware of the controversial headline at ESPN’s mobile website that had gotten the editor/writer responsible for the headline fired. The dismissed employee...

Ask a Korean! News: Korean President Urges Japanese Government to Address the Comfort Women Issue

March 1 is a major holiday in Korea, commemorating the nationwide protest against the Japanese imperial rule in 1919. In his March 1 memorial presidential address, President Lee Myeong-Bak took a direct aim to the Japanese government and said:“For the two countries [Korea and Japan] to intimately cooperate as true companions, the true courage and wisdom not to avoid the historical truth is necessary...