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north korea

Cheorwan: Tranquility on the DMZ

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 20:05 — SeoulSearching
With all the recent media attention suggesting that the Koreas are on the brink of nuclear war, the world might be surprised to learn that the cities dotting the DMZ, or demilitarized zone between the counties, are as peaceful and quiet as ever.  Sure, there are signs of a military presence and a slight eeriness surrounding the remnants of the darker days, but it is perhaps the marked contrast of these very attributes that makes the natural beauty of the region so outstanding.

Cheorwan (철원), a lesser-known destination on the "security tourism" route, is one of these cities.
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Is It Safe to Travel to Korea?

Fri, 05/10/2013 - 23:17 — SeoulSearching
While eating breakfast at my hostel in Barcelona last month, a CNN news brief aired declaring that tensions were high and nuclear war was eminent on the Korean peninsula.  A Korean backpacker that I had met earlier that week looked at me and simultaneously, we rolled our eyes, irked by the excessive urgency and seriousness in the reporters' words.  The others in the room, who hailed from all corners of the globe, looked worried and advised us to prolong our stay in Europe rather than return to a country that was in such a hostile state.

The concerned comments didn't end there.  Messages from my friends in America began flooding my inbox with questions regarding my well being and my parents even offered to purchase for me a plane ticket back to Mississippi.
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The Return of The World Famous (but all too infrequent) If I Had A Minute To Spare Global Caption Competition of Death and Love and Harmony

Tue, 05/07/2013 - 14:59 — conor_o_reilly

It has been over one year and six months since my last submission, and frankly I’m apologetic. But as a means of earning your forgiveness, I present to you the grand return of everyone’s favourite World Famous (but all too infrequent) If I Had a Minute to Spare Global Caption Competition of Death and Love and Harmony (yes, regulars will now not the World Famous (but all too infrequent) If I Had a Minute to Spare Global Caption Competition of Death and Love is now harmonious).

Imagine, December 2011 was the last time this competition graced these humble pages. It’s not because I don’t love you and your love of this wonderous competition, it’s just that I haven’t found the right moment captured by a humble lens, if I have bothered looking at all.

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LTW - Soft or Firm, Abe Time, & Ramen Rage

Tue, 04/30/2013 - 00:49 — yhs816

1. National
1) Kim Jong-un softens as South Korea reacts firmly

Strong winds from North are letting up in Korean peninsula as South Korean president Park Geun-hye showed her teeth that she would not dance to Kim Jong-un’s music. Park made a bold decision to pull out the remaining 175 South Koreans in Kaesong Industrial Complex, making it the first time no South Koreans in Kaesong in 10 years. Probably realizing Park is much harder to crack, Kim went into soft drive mode, showing up in “Deppan Yaki” restaurant, not in military base, surrounded by civilians, not by generals. Kim also allowed a picture of him and his wife shopping at a cosmetics store under South Korean brand ‘Laneige.’ As the joint South Korea –U.S. military exercise winds down on Apr 30, experts think it will enter into a dialogue mode after two months of confrontation. 
  
Another chicken born after GM CEO Dan Akerson.  U.S.golf star Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson decided to withdraw from the Ballantine’s Championship held last week at Icheon, 60km south of Seoul, as they got scared over threats from North Korea. They must be Americans whose national anthem sings “Oh, can you see …… and the home of the BRAVE!”
 

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Should We Respect North Korea?

Sun, 04/28/2013 - 06:47 — smudger81299

The short and obvious answer to this question is of course not, they are not worthy of any respect at all.  Their actions are ridiculous, dangerous, and the regime are more interested in respect than the well-being of their people.  Therefore we should hold our ground and give them nothing, right?
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Tales from North Korea

Wed, 04/17/2013 - 05:51 — mattsid

 

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Queer Links from the Week

Sun, 04/14/2013 - 14:20 — The Kimchi Queen
Source
Advocate: WATCH: Anderson Cooper Presses Baptist Leader on North Korea Statements
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Feeding the North Korean Troll

Fri, 04/12/2013 - 17:21 — conor_o_reilly

Enough is enough. Kim Jung Un this is for you:

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We’ve had enough of your unappreciative tone, and like a screaming and whining little misbehaving child, we are giving you exactly what you want; a big plate of fried chicken (from Suwon’s finest 진미통닭 no less).

You see there appears to be no other solution. You have trolled the international media far too long, and I for one have had enough.

For starters, my twitter feed is full of newspapers making you out to be important, while all the while we just see is you hiding under that big black coat and looking at really old looking phallic military pariphenalia.

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Don’t Believe the (American) Hype on North Korea

Thu, 04/11/2013 - 12:03 — idlewordship

University of Southern California professor and head of the school’s Korean Studies Institute, David Kang, says Americans should chill out over North Korea.  The South certainly isn’t too concerned, so why are the Miguks?

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Korea?, War?, and you still want to go?

Tue, 04/09/2013 - 11:48 — GiselaVerdin
My pics have nothing to do with this, but Bears are cute!
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Am I Concerned about North Korea?

Sun, 04/07/2013 - 17:24 — jeff

 

I've lived in South Korea since 1995. I'm used to family and friends outside of Korea asking about the dangers of living here, especially whenever the current leader of the Crazy Kim Clan issues some ridiculous Dr. Evil-sounding threat. This latest 'next generation' round of bluster from Kim Jeong Eun* seems to have resulted in an all-time high of concern/fear from outside of Korea.  Even some expats here seem worried as evidenced by 45% of people responding that they were "Very concerned and thinking of leaving" in a recent Koreabridge poll.  I suspect many of the 45% are relative newcomers to the peninsula. Most of the oldtimers I've spoken with seem more concerned about calming family members than planning evacuation routes. 

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Is it Safe in South Korea on worldirish.com

Sat, 04/06/2013 - 09:40 — conor_o_reilly

I was asked to write an op-ed by worldirish.com, a news website from Ireland which connects stories and activities of Irish interest from around the world, about the ongoing crisis between South Korea and North Korea. Most importantly, they were interested in the situation here and the international media’s response.

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The line which divides North and South Korea at Panmounjeom.

While I believe I carry the same opinion as many expats, and even experts here, my biggest concern at the moment is that I am not wrong about what I wrote. I wouldn’t be alone in this regard.

Here’s the article:

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An Origin of Korean Discontent

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 00:30 — conor_o_reilly

A thought struck me as I was taking a shower before work this morning. With the renewal of tension along the North-South Korean border it’s a sharp reminder of the results of history, and what we’re looking at here, could be considered as one of the final plays in the game of the Great Powers. It, like so many skirmishes before, is taking place in a distant field which effects the lives of people so far away they don’t even look real. Well as one of these people I can assure you that it’s quite real.

Since Korea opened up to outside influence in the late nineteenth century, much like many other small kingdoms, was turned into a pawn in the chessboard of empire building. This process set Korea up to be misused and abused by forces outside their control, and today we are experiencing the continued results of this.

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Queer Links from the Week

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 21:52 — The Kimchi Queen

Some Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Kim Jong-un

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 18:24 — TeyMarieAstudillo

 

He’s currently the center of all major headlines worldwide, but the truth is not much is known about King Jong-un, leader of the world’s most rogue nation – North Korea.

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