The Korean will have a post on drug laws in Korea, but just know one thing -- marijuana is punished just as harshly as any other illegal drug in Korea. Also, many non-Koreans in Korea suffer through the unfair stereotype that they are all drug-addled criminals, because some visitors to Korea just cannot stop toking.

So please, do not smoke marijuana when you are in Korea. And if you must smoke, smoke in the privacy of your house or a hotel room, not in the smoking room of the Incheon Airport. And if you must smoke a joint in the smoking room of the Incheon Airport, please do not record it and put it up on Youtube, you fucking idiots.

인천공항 흡연실서 단체로 대마초 흡입? [Dong-A Ilbo]

Ask a Korean! News: Yearly Tradition Happens (Again!) at the National Assembly

Again, because without tradition, democracy is meaningless.

Shoving match to break through the barricade

(Source)

Glass door near the National Assembly Chairman's office is
a casualty of the yearly brawl (Source)

This year's rendition was not as exciting as the 2007 and 2008 fights (which involved chainsaw, crowbar and a fire extinguisher,) but seems to be more elevated than the 2009 one. It involved a barricaded room (a must, to freeze out the opposition party,) an Assemblyman hospitalized after being hit on the head with a gavel, a barricade made up of furniture to block the hallway. As of now the Assemblymen are girding for the long haul, gathering up blanket to spend the night in the main assembly hall.

The Korean has said this before, and he will say this again:  American Congress has a thing or two to learn from Korean National Assembly. Both legislatures are worthless, but at least Korean one provides a yearly entertainment. It harkens back to the long-lost traditions of learning how a fortified position can be overtaken. Who does not want to see Mitch McConnell clocking Joe Biden, or Nancy Pelosi throwing a shoe at John Boehner? Nobody, that's who. Institute Fight Night Congress now!!

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 41. Yoo Seung-Joon

[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.]

[Series Index]

41. Yoo Seung-Joon [유승준]

Years of Activity:  1997-2002 (Active in China from 2002-present)

Discography:
West Side (1997)
For Sale 1998 V2 (1998)
Now or Never (1999)
Over and Over (1999)
Summit Revival (2000)
Infinity (2001)
Permission: Promise of Jun [승낙 - Promise of Jun] (2006)
Rebirth of YSJ (2007)

Representative Song:  Nanana from For Sale 1998 V2

나나나

Nanana

기억하고 있니 어릴 적 예쁜 꿈들을

Do you remember those pretty dreams when you were young

모두 다 이룰 수 있을 것 같던 시간들

The times when everything seemed possible

소망을 꿈꾸며 주문을 외었지

We dreamed hope and recited a spell

시간이 지나고 세상에 지쳐 갈때쯤

As the time passed and by the time I got tired from the world

꿈은 그저 꿈일 뿐인걸 알게 됐지만

I learned that dream is just a dream

어릴적 주문을 아직 노래 하네

But I still sing the spell from my childhood

언제나 힘들고 지칠 때 날 일으켜 주던 꿈이 가득한 이 노랠 했어

I sang this song full of dreams that picked me up whenever I was in pain and fatigue

나나나나 나나나나 나나나나 나나나나

Nananana nananana nananana nananana

어두워진 가리워진 나의 길을 밝혀주는 이 노래를 함께 해봐

Sing this song with me that illuminates my darkened hidden way

[Rap]

난 그냥 되는 되는데로 살았었지

I just lived as the life took me

간섭받기 싫어 그냥 피했던 거지

Didn't want to be told what to do, just avoided everything

내일의 두려움도 필요없어

Didn't need to fear tomorrow either

그런 막막함이 내 시간만 좀먹었었어

Being at a loss like that ate away my time

그러다 내 어릴적 꿈을 보았었지

Then I saw the dream from my childhood

거친 바람속 내 어릴 적 노랠 들었지

In the roaring wind, heard my childhood song

그래 이건 아니었어 용서할 수 없어

That's right, this isn't it, this is unforgivable

다시 나를 살린 이 노래를 불렀었지

Sang this song that made me live again

어느샌가 내게 찾아온 사랑을 위해

For the love that came to me without even me noticing

그렇게도 나를 애태운 그대를 위해

For you who worried so much for me like that

영원을 꿈꾸며 주문을 외웠지

I recited the spell dreaming of eternity

피해갈 수 없는 현실에 지쳐갈 때쯤

As I got tired from the inevitable reality

무거워져 가는 걸음에 힘겨울 때면

When I feel pain from the steps that become heavier

어릴 적 주문을 노래하곤 했지

I would sing the spell from when I was young

언제나 힘들고 지칠 때 날 일으켜 주던 꿈이 가득한 이 노랠 했어

I sang this song full of dreams that picked me up whenever I was in pain and fatigue

나나나나 나나나나 나나나나 나나나나

Nananana nananana nananana nananana

어두워진 가리워진 나의 길을 밝혀주는 이 노래를 함께 해봐

Sing this song with me that illuminates my darkened hidden way

[Rap]

자꾸만 어긋나 버리고 퇴색해 버리는 내 꿈을 지키고 싶었어 이루고 싶었어

I wanted to protect my dream, achieve my dream that was going the wrong way, fading away

누구도 가식의 가면을 버리지 않으리 끝끝내 발버둥 칠때에 또 감추려 할때에

Nobody will take off their mask of hypocrisy as they struggle and hide to the bitter end

하늘에 새긴 내 어린 꿈들이 내 귓가에 들려준 이 노래 내 순수의 노래

This song that my childhood dreams in the sky sang into my ears, the song of my innocence

키 작은 아이의 함성과 내 사랑이 내게 들려준 이 노래 지켜갈 이 노래

This song that a shout from short kid and my love sang into me, the song that I will protect

언제나 힘들고 지칠 때 날 일으켜 주던 꿈이 가득한 이 노랠 했어

I sang this song full of dreams that picked me up whenever I was in pain and fatigue

나나나나 나나나나 나나나나 나나나나

Nananana nananana nananana nananana

초라하게 변해버린 나의 꿈을 밝혀주는 이 노래를 함께 해봐

Sing this song with me that illuminates my shriveled dream

Translation Note:  Some lines ended up being very inelegant, although the underlying song is not particularly elegant at any rate. As always, suggestions are welcome.

In 15 Words or Less:  Pioneering rapper whose career ended up in the monstrous bowels of Korean society.

Maybe he should have been ranked higher because...  Serving as Exhibit A of the sickness of Korean society might be more influential than one might think.

Maybe he should have been ranked lower because...  The flash he demonstrated early in his career was already getting old by 2002.

Why is this artist important?
Yoo Seung-Joon -- also known as his American name, Steve Yoo -- is in many ways a pioneering figure in Korean pop culture. Like Solid, Yoo was a Korean American artist who brought in elements of American pop culture -- in his case, rap. And not just any rap; the aggressive, authority-defying, "thug life" kind of rap prevalent in American rap at the time. His first hit song was about liking older women (horror of horrors!) The music video for Nanana took it a step further, displaying Yoo in all possible variations of thug-life style power play in Korea -- best fighter in class, romantic liaison with a female teacher, etc. Of course, by the standards of today (both in U.S. and in Korea,) Yoo's attempt at defiance of authority is at best cute, at worst laughable. But heck, the first airplane by the Wright Brothers was also pretty laughable in isolation. What matters is that the attempt happened, paving the way for others.

But those who are well-versed in K-pop history would know that his music is not the thing for which Yoo is remembered in Korea. Yoo's high-flying career met a fiery death in 2002 in a manner he probably never expected.

Until that point, Yoo was arguably the biggest star in K-pop. Yoo's brand of brash rap was as big a hit as it was back in U.S. His good looks and unthreatening exoticism from being a Korean American acted as a magnet for screaming fan girls, arguably the engine of K-pop. In a way, Yoo was LeBron James of his day -- his dominance was that strong. But Yoo's fall, whose cause was also essentially a public relations mistake, was far deeper and irredeemable than James'.

In 2002, as Korean American pop artists increasingly appeared in K-pop scene, the question of mandatory draft reared its head. If a Korean American (loosely defined) is a Korean citizen with American permanent residency, he is eligible for draft if he earns money from Korea. There were some cases in which small-fry Korean American pop artists did certain things to avoid being drafted, which raised suspicion on Korean American artists generally.

Yoo was already raising suspicion before 2002. Although on stage he would engage in rigorous choreography, he managed to get a Level 4 in his draft physical with a stated cause of herniated disk, which would assign him to administrative duties for his military service. But at least he was going, people thought -- and Yoo publicly stated that he would serve his "holy duty of national defense." He was scheduled to report for duty in April 2002.

Until he didn't. In January 2002, the news that Yoo acquired U.S. citizenship and would not serve his military duty as a result broke -- and Korean society roiled into rage in a scale that no one (and certainly not Yoo himself) could have anticipated. What Yoo, who grew up in Southern California since age 13, never quite grasped was how seriously Korean men took their years of service. Truth is, few men in Korea want to serve the duty for 2.5 years, pissing away their precious youth. Few ever enjoy the military, alternately filled with bullshit and boredom. But they nonetheless report for duty, because they have to. They grit their teeth and tolerate the bullshit, because they have to. And when they see someone who is not pulling his weight? Then all hell breaks loose.

Yoo bore the full brunt of that hell. This was early days of high-speed Internet in Korea, where news spread fast and reactions were instantaneous. The keyboard warriors went to work, screaming and howling about Yoo's betrayal. The powers that be at the time did not yet have the ability to discern what was legitimate public opinion and what was malicious trolling -- which might not have mattered in Yoo's case after all, since they likely would have been pissed off all the same. Yoo lied about serving in the military. All other concerns were secondary.

Korea's Ministry of Justice considered him to be a draft-dodger, a criminal. As a criminal, Ministry of Justice declared, Yoo would not be able to enter Korea ever again. Yoo tried to explain somehow, blaming that it was his management company that made the decision. But at the end of the day, there was no way to escape the fact that he acquired U.S. citizenship to evade his military duty. He was allowed into Korea only once since then -- in 2003, to attend his father-in-law's funeral. Since then, Yoo has been active in China.

Yoo's musical contribution in K-pop was significant, but the social impact growing out of his disastrous mistake ended up overshadowing everything. Because of Yoo, Koreans began to have a national conversation on topics that were not discussed before. What was the value of military service? How is the precise relation between Koreans and Korean Americans? Considering that one of the major themes of the 2002 presidential election of Korea was that the losing candidate's son suspiciously did not serve his military duty, a case can be made that Yoo Seung-Joon's influence may have been greater than anyone else on this list -- a meaningless consolation to a truly talented musician whose life was broken by his own country.

Interesting Trivia:  Yoo's style, like the style of American rappers that he emulated, elicited a lot of hostility from other rappers. In 1998, a prominent rapper Kim Jin-Pyo rapped, obviously aiming at Yoo: 

혹시 그거 아냐? 여기는 미국 아냐
You know something? This isn't America.
얼어죽을 East Side, West Side  외치지만 말고
Stop saying freakin' "East Side, West Side"
제대로 좀 해봐 몇 년 후에 깡통 매봐
And do something real. Or wear a can a few years later. [="go bankrupt and become a beggar."]
그럼 두고두고 땅을 치고 후회할 테니 그럴 테니 하하하하
Then you will regret it for the rest of your life, that's right, hahahaha.

These lines may as well be the most prescient lines ever written in K-pop history.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: Ground-Level Reactions to Kim Jong-Un

(While the Korean was working on this post, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong-do. But it is still a worthwhile read.)

As usual, Mr. Joo Seong-Ha never disappoints, as he gathered information about how ordinary North Koreans are feeling about the newly anointed successor.  Below is the translation.

*                 *                *

On September 28 when the Meeting of the Representatives of North Korean Labor Party, the face of Kim Jong-Un, shown for the first time to the world, was wooden. But by October 10, Kim Jong-Un appeared more relaxed at the platform of the Supreme Leader for the 65th anniversary of the establishment of North Korean Labor Party. He had a dignified air in front of the cameras of foreign media, and would whisper happily with Kim Yeong-Choon, Chairman of the Committee People's Force who was standing beside him.

But this time, Kim Jong-Il was the one with the wooden countenance. The next day, South Korean media all carried the picture in which Kim Jong-Il turned his face to look at Kim Jong-Un on the stage. The face of Kim Jong-Il, who put forth his son on the stage upon which the entire world watched, was filled with worry -- about if he could do well.

Kim Jong-Il is not the only person who is questioning if Kim Jong-Un would do well. The whole world, including South Korea, is gazing upon Kim Jong-Un. North Korean people are not an exception. They are also gazing upon Kim Jong-Un, who all of a sudden appeared as a new leader, with mixed emotions.

After Kim Jong-Un's coming out event, I spoke on the phone several times with my informants in North Korea in order to survey North Korea's popular opinion. Of course, the people along the North Korea-China border who can speak on the phone with South Korea should be considered the "awake" ones of North Korea, perceiving the world events to a certain degree. These people have not a shred of expectation in Kim Jong-Un's succession. The reaction of these people, who have strong aversion to Kim Jong-Il, was obvious. But wouldn't there be some people, who do not speak on the phone with the outside, who support Kim Jong-Un?

(More after the jump)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.



To this, Mr. A, a North Korean living by the border, said:  "Our whole village was speechless at some twenty-something became the successor, but no one is speaking out publicly," and added, "People are busy with surviving so it's just a hassle, and especially nowadays with the National Security Bureau heightening its watch after the end of the Party Representatives Meeting, a misspeech could lead to the annihilation of the entire family." In fact, it has been reported that North Korea's Security Bureau has been carefully surveying the public opinion, strongly suppressing criticism.

Right now, there is no better tool for propaganda in North Korea than public lecture. Rodong Shinmun, the official paper of the Labor Party, only publishes approximately 200,000 copies, and are available to a few party officers in the rural area. There are other newspapers such as "Democratic Joseon" issued by the cabinet, "Youth Leaders" by Kim Il-Sung Socialist Youth Alliance and provincial papers by the labor party of each province, but they are likewise very limited in circulation. Thus, propaganda through newspaper is less than optimal. There is only one channel, Joseon Central Broadcasting, that broadcasts over the entire North Korea, and it only airs from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays. But during autumn, regular homes do not have electricity at night because electricity is concentrated for husking. So propaganda through television is without much effect either. But because public lectures are summoned by taking attendance, the participation is high and the participants tend to concentrate.

Through such lectures, North Korea is propagandizing, "The anti-party, anti-revolution elements and spies receiving orders from South Korea's Security Planning Bureau is spreading lies and rumors criticizing the heads of the revolution among us." This is essentially a threat that if anyone says anything about Kim Jong-Un, he will be sternly punished as an anti-revolution element who received orders from a spy.

There is a carrot along with a stick. There are propaganda that reporting a rumor-monger will have his anonymity protected and be financially rewarded. There are mentions of specific cases of receiving rewards.

Regular North Koreans know from experience that getting caught at times like this leads to execution or a trip to the political prisoner camp not only for themselves but also for family and relatives as examples. So nowadays, everyone is watching his mouth. In fact, as the succession is progressing, the human rights conditions of North Korea is rapidly deteriorating. North Korea society is more terrorized than ever, with frequent public execution by firing squad to intimidate the people. Mr. B, a Chinese-Korean who trades with North Korea, said, "I often phone with trade partners, but when the succession topic comes up they all avoid answering, saying 'Let's not talk about that," and added, "I get the impression that they are only smiling bitterly, unable to express their unhappiness."

But despite all this, North Korean people are not stopping with their ridicule of the succession. Mr. C, North Korean defector who lives in South Korea, after his recent phone conversation with his family in North Korea, said: "My house in North Korea gets a lot of visitors who are border patrols, and recently they have been complaining, 'Someone gets lucky with his parents and live the high life, and I get unlucky with my parents so I barely fill my stomach in my youth." "Someone" here refers to Kim Jong-Un.

North Korean people's muted, inner ridicule is reaching its extreme in the process of deification to set up Kim Jong-Un as a great leader. The recent deification attempts are so ridiculous that one wonders if the propaganda officers composed it that way to indirectly laugh at Kim Jong-Un. The representative ones are claims like Kim Jong-Un wrote complicated Chinese calligraphy with a brush at age 3 or was an expert marksman with a pistol at age 3.

It probably would not be a happy thing for North Korea's propaganda officials to serve as a decoration for the succession either. In North Korea, no matter how absurd the story a person concocts in order to describe Kim Jong-Un as a genius, he would be praised for his loyalty and never punished. So propaganda officials feel free to present a believe-it-or-not series of lies. And of course, North Korean people do not believe them either. North Korean people may have a difficult time imagining the world without the succession in their closed society, but at least they know that a three-generation succession is bad.

It is not simply true for regular North Korean people, but true for Labor Party officials as well. In fact, the discontent of the officers would be greater than that of the people, because the officers are the elites of North Korean society who receive much more information from abroad. When Kim Jong-Un was waving toward the soldiers at the march, there would have been no officer who thought to give his life for a 27-year-old young punk who all of a sudden appeared with the title of general.

The foreign media in Pyongyang to report on the festivities for the founding of the Labor Party had to hear the parrot-like responses from Pyongyang citizens whenever given a microphone. But this is not the true popular sentiment at Pyongyang. Whenever there is a big event in Pyongyang that involves many visiting foreigners, the regime makes the citizens study the expected questions and standard answers, and conduct an exam on them. This is why uniform answers are given. Even the people who criticize the three-generation succession at home have no choice but to reply to foreign journalists, "Our people's future is bright thanks to our Young Comrade [Kim Jong-Un]."

But no matter how strong North Korean people's discontent, the likelihood of it leading to riots is small. In North Korean system of mutual surveillance and mistrust, collective action is exceedingly difficult. That getting caught for anti-regime activity leads to destruction of not only self but also the entire extended family also discourages action. Therefore, North Korean people's discontent over Kim Jong-Un is followed directly by resignation. What is notable is that such resignation often develops into a "maybe" kind of hope.

What North Korean people desire the most right now is change. In the 15 years since mid-1990s when the economy collapsed and massive number starved to death, North Korean situation did not change much. This situation can easily lead to a mindset that anyone -- even Kim Jong-Un -- can be supported as long as there is change. In other words, while the three-generation succession is not received well, there is some hope that maybe there is a big change if the leader changes, instead of Kim Jong-Il continuing on.

Kim Jong-Un's looks, groomed to be very similar to Kim Il-Sung, can be seen as aiming toward such hope. From North Korean perspective, such look could work. But of course, the "working" face does not mean Kim Jong-Un would be successful in succession. From Kim Jong-Un's perspective, popular opinion is not the greatest threat. North Korea's surveillance system is going strong amid severe economic difficulties. Even if someone manages to cause a mass uprising, Kim Jong-Un can simply dispatch the nearby military to shoot them all on the spot.

The greatest threat to Kim Jong-Un is Kim Jong-Il's death. Currently, to assist Kim Jong-Un, Kim Jong-Il created a patronage group consisting of his sister Kim Gyeong-Hee and his brother-in-law Jang Seong-Taek. But even if Jang is currently wielding great power as North Korea's number 2, there is no guarantee that his power will continue after Kim Jong-Il dies. Jang's power comes from the fact that he is married to Kim Gyeong-Hee. Kim Gyeong-Hee is power comes from the fact that she is Kim Jong-Il's sister. After Kim Jong-Il dies, the power of Kim Gyeong-Hee and Jang Seong-Taek cannot help but decline rapidly. This in turn leads to Kim Jong-Un's weakening. In such case, other people who are ambitious for power or willing to give up their lives for justice may emerge.

Of course, the longer Kim Jong-Il lives, the more solid Kim Jong-Un power will become. But Kim Jong-Il on October 10 at the march appeared very sickly. The reason why he is quickly handing over the power to Kim Jong-Un is also likely because of the worry that he may die any time now. From the outside Kim Jong-Il may appear to be straining himself, but from his perspective Kim Jong-Il is doing the best he can.
But Kim Jong-Il, who experienced all imaginable challenges at the height of power for over 40 years, must surely know that power is not something that can be maintained simply by passing the seat. In Kim Jong-Il's gaze at the platform of the Supreme Leader, looking at his youthful and arrogant son, contains such concern:

"Can he really do well?"

현지인에게 직접 들은 김정은에 대한 북한 여론 [Nambuk Story]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Confucianism and Korea - Part I: Introduction

[Series Index]

Dear Korean,

What is the relationship between Confucianism and how individuals communicate. Specifically, how does it influence decision making the age cohorts of those in their 50's and above, 30's to 50's and those under 30. and the flow of communication in the present age?

We've Got Seoul

Dear Korean,

I've been studying Korean independently for about 1 1/2 years now and I really get into the culture, language, music, movies etc. There's various things I've read but I'm not sure 100% if they really aspects of Korean culture derived from Confucianism specifically. So I was wondering if many aspects of Korean culture and traditions are derived from Confucianism and if so what types of things?

Rachel M.

Boy, those are some big questions. Many 1000-page books and doctoral dissertations have been written regarding Confucianism's impact on Korea. This question is particularly difficult for a number of reasons, including:

- Difficulty of defining just exactly what "Confucianism" is. For example, Protestants at least have one literary source (the Bible) to consistently refer to, if they wanted to define what "Christianity" is. But even dealing with just one book, many people have severe disagreements about what "Christianity" is. (Is it a religion that preaches loving thy enemies, or eradicating thy heretics?) Some might point to The Analects, the teachings of Confucius himself, as the Bible equivalent -- but that would be a serious mistake. Confucianism is not a religion, and Confucius is not a deity. Therefore, while the teachings directly from Confucius is very important, it is definitely not the be-all, end-all of Confucianism.

- Similarly, Confucianism has evolved over time and split into many branches, including (contrary to the stereotype) a branch that particularly emphasized empirical criticism, natural science and technology, which actually had a lot of traction in Korea from 17th through 19th century. The difference among these branches are as stark as the gap between the witch-burning Puritans and Mardi Gras-celebrating Catholics.

- Even if a workable definition of "Confucianism" can be somehow found, it is near impossible to isolate Confucianism's impact in Korea, because it requires imagining what Korean would be like if it were not for Confucianism. What is the influence of Confucianism, and what is the influence of inherent tendencies that are universal to all mankind?

Take the deep-rooted sexism in Korea, for example. Many observers (Korean and non-Korean) blame Confucianism influence for that. But it's not as if sexism does not exist in parts of the world that have never heard of Confucianism. In fact, until the advent to postmodern liberal democracy, blatant forms of sexism existed in nearly every society on the globe. So it must be that the cause for sexism in Korea goes deeper than Confucianism. It is more likely that all humans are by nature inclined for sexism, and they end up building various kinds of philosophical superstructures that justify the sexism somehow. (Mind you, this is NOT to say that sexism is somehow justified. There are plenty of cases in which human's natural inclinations are nonetheless wrong and immoral.)

- Related to the point above, there is a tendency to blame Confucianism for just about everything that people don't like about Korea. This tendency appears quite frequently among complaints by expats, but Koreans themselves are just as happy to indulge in this also. A bestseller nonfiction from 1999 with a provocative title, "Confucius Must Die for the Country to Live," blamed Confucianism for, among other things, Korea's drinking problem, corruption, sexism, military dictatorship, lack of creativity, and so on and so forth. This type of rhetoric is obviously imprecise, and often a result of not really understanding what Confucianism even means. (And again, the meaning of Confucianism is rather elusive.)

Since this topic will have to involve a deep examination, the Korean will discuss in a series going forward. Feel free to add more questions about Confucianism and Korea, and the Korean will address them all later in the series.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: South Koreans are Pissed Off at North Korea

The Korean previously mentioned that in the face of North Korean attacks, South Koreans generally tend to grit their teeth without necessarily expressing their frustration. But that is the general case -- and the exceptions to that general case are rather spectacular. For example, we have South Korean veteran's groups burning effigies of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-Un in protest of the attacks:

(Source)

But the reactions of Mr. Kim of Dongducheon-si was probably the best:

Around 6 p.m. on the 26th, at a restaurant in Dongducheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 50-year-old Mr. Kim who owned the restaurant was drinking soju while watching TV. The television was showing news of North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong-do.

Mr. Kim, a former member of the special forces who lived near the Armistice Line, took this provocation personally. Mr. Kim, heartily drunk, decided that he would go to North Korea and kill Kim Jong-Il. He grabbed a knife from the restaurant and barged into a delivery truck standing on the street. Mr. Kim threatened the driver into abandoning the car and drove the stolen vehicle toward north.

5-6 kilometers away in Dongducheon-si, Gwang'am-dong, Mr. Kim caused a fender-bender. He abandoned the vehicle and ran away from the accident. Mr. Kim then got in a taxi and demanded to be taken to the Civilian Control Line [TK: the line of DMZ beyond which civilians cannot cross]. The taxi driver drove for 30 mintues, and let Mr. Kim out at Gyeonggi-do Yeoncheon-gun Gunnam-myeon Okgye-ri.

Mr. Kim wandered about for more than an hour, looking for the Civilian Control Line. Having been unable to stand the cold any longer, he snuck into a farmhouse nearby the sleep. Mr. Kim was discovered by the farmhouse owner the next morning, and turned himself in to the nearby police station. At the police station, Mr. Kim regretted action and said, "I did this because I was drunk and angry at North Korea's provocations," and added, "I myself think it was pretty pathetic."

On the 29th, Yeoncheon police station announced that Mr. Kim was released on his own recognizance on the charges of aggravated robbery.

“北도발 못참아” 차 빼앗아 민통선 가려… [Dong-A Ilbo]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Finally, a word that discribes what goes on in the Korean's head: "Translanguaging."

Translanguaging -- An approach to bilingualism where speakers switch from one language to another [New York Times]