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I am long overdue for a post about Hong Kong, given the fact...













I am long overdue for a post about Hong Kong, given the fact that I returned a month ago. Spending Lunar New Year in Hong Kong was a great idea, as it was nice to get out of Korea AND the excitement of the locals was contagious. Everyone was so kind, spoke excellent British English, and the sights were beautiful.

Without further ado, a list of my top eight favorite things from my trip, in no particular order.

1. Our hostel, An Shan Hostel. Though it was a bit difficult to find initially (cross the sidewalk from KFC and it is directly in front of the 7-11), it was in the perfect location for us. The place was clean, the elevator worked perfectly and the staff was kind. Late nights were filled with endless bargaining at the Ladies Market (across the street).

2. Breakfast. Maybe it’s greasy noodles, stinky tofu, Peking duck, or eggs and toast. No matter what, breakfast in Hong Kong was better than any I’ve had in Korea.

3. Chungking Mansions. Our friends stayed in a hostel within this massive 17 stories tall, five blocks long monstrosity. Crawling with cockroaches and feral cats, this place smelled of piss. Outside are a number of questionable looking gentlemen offering to sell you plenty of illegal items. Entertaining place to visit, but I wouldn’t prefer spending the night there.

4. The Avenue of Stars along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. Much like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, there are movie stars’ hand prints and signatures in concrete. The Bruce Lee statue is worth finding. The skyline at the waterfront is beautiful. Though, the light show (A Symphony of Lights) at night leaves much to be desired.

5. Chillin’ at Stanley Beach… or Repulse Beach. I was confused about what the beach near Stanley Market was called, but it was fantastic. The prices of food lets you know that you’re in a tourist trap, but I don’t care because the view and weather (60 degrees F) were wonderful. Also, the bus ride to the place was unmatched.

6. Ferry to and hike around Lamma Island. We hiked from one end to the other. We saw a giant oar fish in a temple that was so tremendous we weren’t allowed to take photos of it. But apparently looking at it gave us good luck. Waiting for that luck to kick in!

7. The Peak at night. We greeted the Year of the Rabbit with a spectacular night of fireworks from The Peak. It took my breath away to view the backdrop of city lights, harbor and surrounding mountains. I climbed up on top of a garbage bin to take in the view!

8. The ease of getting around. Transportation was a breeze. Took a taxi ride once, from our friends’ hostel to our own, which was a reasonable price. The bus to and from the airport was cheap, easy and quick. The subway was clean and the easiest I’ve used.

I loved Hong Kong, the place, the food, and its people. Someday I’ll return to explore it some more.

About 

Hi, I'm Stacy. I'm from Portland, Oregon, USA, and am currently living in Busan, South Korea. Check me out on: Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Lastfm, and Flickr.

 

What’s going on in a Gangnam Host Bar at 2am? (Part 1)

(Source)

Host Bars? I’d always assumed they were one-off novelties, largely created for the purpose of perpetuating Westerners’ sexual stereotypes of the Japanese. It came as a real surprise then, to learn that they are in fact a booming business in both Japan and Korea, with hundreds of establishments just in the wealthier parts of Seoul alone.

Not to be confused with the unfortunately named “Ho Bar” chain in Hongdae, they’re known as ho-bba (호빠) in Korea (“host clubs” in Japan),  which translator Marilyn strongly suspects the name is a play on obba (오빠) or (lit. “older brother”, but often used romantically).  Just like a friend of hers said the jeong (정) in the more upmarket jeong-bba (정빠) version is short for jeong-teong (정통), or “authenticity/legitimacy”.

(Source: Urbantofu)

Intrigued, I was a little disappointed that the following article in the Seoul Shinmun, the first in a series of four, provides little more than basic statistics. Fortunately however, a quick search produced:

In light of that last, perhaps the current boom isn’t quite as recent or as unprecedented as the following article suggests. What do you think? Have any readers been to themselves?

(Source)

새벽2, 강남 호스트바에선 무슨일이() / 여성 고객 하루 1만명주부, 10 급증탈선

What’s going on at a Kangnam host bar at 2am? / 10,000 female customers daily… housewives, teens rapid increase is “deviation”

서울 강남에 독버섯처럼 돋아난 호스트바(속칭 호빠)가 탈선의 온상이 되고 있다. 18일 경찰 및 업계에 따르면 강남 일대 최소 100곳의 합·불법 호빠에 하루 평균 1만여명의 여성 손님이 오고, 이들 가운데 상당수는 성(性)을 구매한다. 이는 지난해 11월 24일부터 지난 17일까지 호빠 밀집지역인 논현·서초·청담동 등에 대한 본지의 탐문 취재에서도 확인됐다. 복수의 업소 관계자의 증언을 종합하면 강남지역 호빠의 전체 매출액은 연간 3000억원 이상으로 추산된다. 하지만 대부분의 업소들이 무허가 영업이나 속칭 ‘2부 영업’을 하고 있기 때문에 세무당국에 매출이 포착되지 않고 있다.

Kangnam, in Seoul, is becoming a hotbed of deviation in which host bars (popularly known as ho-bba) sprout like poisonous mushrooms.  According to police and the industry on the 18th, in the Kangnam area at least 100 ho-bba, legal and illegal, are visited daily by an average of 10,000 female customers, a considerable number of whom purchase sex.  This has been confirmed by this paper’s investigative coverage of areas with many ho-bba like Nonhyeon-dong, Seocho-dong, Cheongdam-dong, and others, from Oct. 24 of last year through Jan. 17.  Putting together the testimony of several industry sources, the total yearly sales of Kangnam-area ho-bba are estimated at ₩300 billion.  However, because most businesses operate without a license or are “two-part businesses”, these sales are not being detected by tax authorities.

(Table caption: Progress of crackdown on female sex-purchasing   * Purchasing of sex and procuring of prostitution  {unit: people})

(Source)

100여곳 성업年매출 3000

Around 100 places thriving … 300 billion in sex sales

업소 관계자들은 강남·서초·송파구 등 ‘강남 3구’에만 100여곳의 호빠가 성업 중이라고 입을 모았다. 탐문취재 결과 ‘정빠’(고급 호빠)는 D, P, B 등 5곳으로 조사됐고, ‘일본식 호빠’(일명 아빠방·정빠에서 밀려난 25~30대 후반 남성이 고용된 호스트바)는 R, V, B 등 10여곳 정도 파악됐다. ‘디빠’(덤핑 바·저렴한 가격의 호빠)와 ‘퍼블릭’(성매매까 지 이뤄지는 호빠)은 M, S, G 등 각각 3곳이었다. 특히 현장 확인 결과 무허가나 업종을 바꿔 불법 영업을 하고 있는 곳도 5곳이나 되는 것으로 드러났다. 이처럼 업소가 늘어나면서 지하철 2호선 강남역 일대에만 1300~2000명의 남성들이 정빠 등 호스트바에서 일하는 것으로 조사됐다. 호스트바의 인원, 매출, 위치 등 구체적 실태가 확인된 것은 처음이다.

Industry sources unanimously said the hundred or so ho-bba that can be found just in “the three Kangnam boroughs” – Kangnam, Seocho, and Songpa – are thriving.  Investigative coverage found five jeong-bba (high-level ho-bba), including “D”, “P, and “B”, and it is estimated there are about ten “Japanese-style ho-bba” (also known as “dad rooms”; host bars that hire men ousted from jeong-bba, from the ages of twenty-five to late thirties), including “R”, “V”, and “B”.  There were three each of “D bba” (dum-ping bar – a low-price ho-bba) and “public” (ho-bba in which prostitution occurs), including “M”, “S”, and “G”.  The results of the special site check revealed that there are also five businesses without a license or that have changed their type of business into an illegal one.  It was found that, as this type of business increases, between 1,300 and 2,000 men work at jeong-bba or other host bars just in the Kangnam Station area on subway line 2.  This is the first time the specific, actual conditions of host bars, like the number of people involved, sales, location, and so on, have been confirmed.

지난 17일, 20대 일반여성들이 자주 찾는다는 논현동의 S호스트바에서 5시간 동안 여성 고객 숫자를 세어 본 결과 시간당 평균 5명 안팎이 업소를 찾았다. 보통 오후 10시부터 다음 날 오후 2시 무렵까지 문을 여는 점(16X5)을 감안하면 하루 80명 안팎의 여성들이 이곳을 찾는 것으로 추산된다. 경찰 관계자는 “개인적으로 알고 있는 업소만 100곳이 넘고, 고객도 1만명이 넘는다.”면서 “여성 손님의 30% 정도가 2차를 나가는 것으로 알고 있다.”고 전했다

On the 17th at Nonhyeon-dong’s “S” host bar, where average women in their twenties often go, counting the number of female customers for five hours showed that about five people per hour visit the business.  Considering that it is usually open from 10pm to 2pm the next day, it is estimated that around 80 women visit this place every day.  A police source said, “Just the number of places I personally know exceeds 100, and there are more than 1,000 customers,” and added, “I know that about 30% of female customers go out for a second stage.”

(Source)

10% 이상 ‘2’… 적발 매년

More than 10% [go to] “second stage”… every year rapid increase in number caught

업계 관계자들 역시 “업소당 하루 평균 100명 안팎의 손님이 찾아오고, 10명 중 한두 명은 2차를 나간다.”며 “2차는 고급 호빠인 정빠보다 보도(전화로 부르는 접대부)와 디빠 등에서 주로 이뤄진다.”고 털어놓았다. 이를 반영하 듯 돈을 주고 성을 사다 적발되거나 성을 알선한 여성 성매매 사범의 숫자도 2006년 2636명, 2007년 7161명, 2008년 9411명, 2009년 1만 3414명으로 해가 갈수록 증가하고 있다. 특히 유흥업소 여성들이 주요 고객이었던 이전과 달리 최근에는 가격이 싼 ‘보도방’과 ‘아빠방’을 위주로 10대와 가정주부 고객이 급증한 것으로 드러나 심각성을 더하고 있다. 경찰 관계자는 “물증찾기가 힘들어 단속이 어렵다.”고 말했다.

Industry sources also said, “Every day an average of roughly 100 customers come to each business, and one or two out of every ten people go on to a second stage,” and confessed, “The second stage usually takes place with a bodo (a host contacted through the phone) or at a D-bba, rather than at a high quality jeong-bba.”  Reflecting this, the number of sexual commerce offenses in which women are caught paying for sex or procure sex for others is increasing every year – from 2,636 people in 2006 to 7,161 people in 2007, 9,411 people in 2007, and 13,414 people in 2009. The seriousness grows as it is revealed that, different from most female customers of adult entertainment businesses in the past, currently the number of teenage and housewife customers, mainly at low-priced “bodo rooms” and “dad rooms”, is quickly increasing.  A police source said, “It is hard to find evidence so crackdowns are difficult.”

(Source)

(Links to be provided as posts go up: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

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Filed under: Korean Sexuality, Male Prostitution, Prostitution Tagged: 비스티 보이즈, Host Bars, 호빠, 정빠, Male prostitution, The Moonlight of Seoul
  

 

Korean Food Inflation Highest in OECD

Food Inflation at 11.6% Over One Year
A number of headlines from the news, who are telling us what we already know. Inflation is getting to be very painful in Korea.
Here are the headlines:

The difficult balance among inflation, foreign exchange rates, and interest rates continues.  As the first two articles correctly state, much of the source of inflation is due to supply difficulties.  The only way to combat supply issues, when those supplies originate from foreign countries is to have a stronger currency.  A stronger currency is usually correlated with higher interest rates.  The difficult position posed by this combination has already been explained early this year, and can be reviewed here.

Japan’s Tragegy = Bank of Korea’s Opportunity? Just Maybe
Oddly, the earthquake may provide the BOK some needed flexibility. How is that? Well, the fact is the Japanese will need to buy the Yen. The reason is that Japanese will need to bring back money back to Japan in order to pay for the massive human tragedy. Insurers will need to pay claims denominated in the Yen. In short, there will be demand for the Yen over time. Since the JPY/KRW exchange rate is the real mechanism through which Korean conglomerates have benefited, the Bank of Korea can allow the Korean Won to strengthen versus the USD, while not necessarily strengthening against the Japanese Yen. The result would be stronger purchasing power for the Korean Won to pay for more expensive raw materials and imported food. Of course, it cannot be that simple, and it will not be. The impact of the Japanese tragedy on global demand for end products (including Korean-made ones) is unknown. Nevertheless, the Bank of Korea may be able to allow a stronger Won in order to aid against the obvious inflationary pressures facing everyday Koreans.

Question from a reader: coming to Korea with a kid?

A reader writes in:

Hi Chris,

I am considering moving to Korea; however, I’d be traveling with my 3 year old.
Do you think this is something feasible with a child. Would you happen to know any American teachers in similar situations.

I saw a posting from www.asia-teachers.org on my school’s career development site.
I am currently unemployed; I’m not able to find full-time employment in my field-user experience research. My last project was 6 months ago.

I don’t mean to bombard you with my specifics, just giving you enough back story to understand my motivation in looking to move overseas. I do enjoy teaching. I’m starting a part-time gig to teach ESL at a local school to get experience while I make arrangements.

I do appreciate your time & thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

[Z.F.]

Hi Z.F.,

Coming to Korea with a family is tough, whether one is married or single. I wrote about this topic last year, but it’s time to revisit it.

The news I have for you is mostly not good. Since the vast majority of foreign English teachers come without a family, the locals have much less experience understanding your need to get off at a certain time, finding a daycare or babysitter, and the like. For all the talk about how Korea’s birthrate is low, the country has yet to make it easy for their own mothers to get back to work. I can’t believe it would be any easier for a foreign mother. While I don’t want to dissuade you from coming to Korea if that’s your goal, there are a few important questions that need answering:

What will your three-year-old do while you’re at work? I’ve never heard of a school that allowed a teacher to bring in their child(ren).

Who will watch your child while you’re at work? This is probably the most difficult one to answer, and probably the biggest problem to overcome. Some Korean mothers might be open to taking a kid in during the daytime, but finding one you can communicate with would be the main issue. Most foreigners would be busy working, although perhaps a nanny would be accessible. A Google search reveals a couple sites that people can hire nannies / au pair from – newaupair.com and http://www.aupair.com/ were the first two that looked accessible.

If Korea becomes a home, where will they go to school? Even though Korean schools are seeing more non-100% Korean kids, they’re far from being treated equally. An international school focused on other foreign kids will probably be out of your reach financially (but research for yourself, obviously!). Some schools for young’uns are listed on the excellent Korea4Expats website,

The ESL field is a huge one – that you’ve already found a job in it will be good experience for whatever comes next. I submit you’d be better served getting that experience and staying in your home country. When your child is a little older, you might find it a bit easier to move to another country with them. If you decide to come to Korea, I’d bet you’d find a number of other foreign moms (likely spouses of US military personnel) to arrange play dates with.

Readers, any thoughts? Are you a mother and a teacher?

 

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe – 2011

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

 

Disaster Relief for Japan


DISASTER RELIEF

As you all know, Japan is facing a devastating time. Over 15,000 missing or dead after the 8.9 earthquake rocked Sendai sending aftershock after aftershock through the rest of the country. A tsunami magnified the devastation by flooding the countryside taking lives and destroying the homes of thousands.

To add to the monstrous disaster a nuclear power plant in Fukushima exploded, poisoning the air with radiation, risking the lives and health of many and displacing still thousands more from their homes.

This is a time of need for Japan. In the years past when disaster has struck in the world, the good hearted from all over the globe banded together to form awareness groups and relief teams and funds.

Already so many are showing their support for Japan and its grieving people.

If you are interested in lending a helping hand, call your city's chamber of commerce today and ask about relief funds or charities in your area.

Or contribute to any of the following:



Lady Gaga: We Pray For Japan: Purchase a "We Pray For Japan" bracelet for $5 plus any added donation you would like to offer.




It is the caring and generous hearts of our nation, and of the world, that can offer Japan the support that it needs desperately during this fearful time.

Please keep Japan and its people in your prayers and thoughts.

Donate today.

Japan’s Tragedy Could Be Korea’s, Too

The World Sits Watching “Japan’s Chernobyl” There are no words to adequately describe the tragedy unfolding in Japan. Over the immediate future, the question is the nuclear disaster, and its potential effects. For the first time, Korea has been mentioned … Continue reading...



going away

I'm off to Ko Samui tomorrow. Before I go, I leave with with the photos from my going away/birthday party.










We ate delicious jim ddak in Seomyeon. My favorite Korean food ever!




We went to an arcade after to play some awesome games. This kid watched me play skeeball the whole time. A little awkward, kid.




We rode a 3D ride.


We found the best Noraebang above the arcade. I don't know the name, but the interior is like Mayan/Cambodian influenced. There was an incident when we got off the elevator, I thought we found a sex motel and we tried to run but the guy ran after us and stopped our elevator... Haha! I shall draw it sometime.It is mighty awesome noraebang, plus their song selection was more recent than any other place I've seen. I'm on a boat!


Happy cup says Drink Me!








Ended the night kinda bruised; fell down on my rendition of Singing in the Rain.

Lee Kun-hee Hates the Idea: Of Course He Does

Large Korean Conglomerates Dominate Korea
Samsung Electronics chairmain Lee Kun-hee “shocked” Korea by making statements critical of the the program proposed by President Lee Myung-bak which would effectively subsidize small and medium-sized businesses in Korea. Here is the Wall Street Journal blog which describes the situation.

The Next Zuckerberg Can’t Come From Korea
Recently, the Chosun Ilbo asked whether or not the next Zuckerberg will come from Korea. The article openly questioned this idea, despite President Lee’s declarations of support. The article pointed out red tape and other barriers. While those may be true, there are greater forces at work that prevent a very successful company being established in South Korea. Some of these examples are blatant. Dong-a Ilbo reported this example of a small company that could not obtain access to certain technology, and also reported that large conglomerates often steal technology from small or medium-sized “partners.” The real point is that newly founded companies do not dare compete with Samsung Electronics or LG Electronics. These newly founded companies do not have access to funds as they do in the U.S. The reason for that is that private equity funds invest in a portfolio of different startups, some of which will inevitably fail. In Korea, the best graduates do not dream of becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs. They aspire to work at the largest chaebol. That is the way that the largest chaebol wants to keep it. Google, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter have taught once-dominant Microsoft and Yahoo! some very painful lessons. It is logical that Samsung Electronics and the other large chaebol don’t want to learn those same lessons.

Conclusions
The Chosun Ilbo article is correct, but only partially so. The underemployment of college graduates may provide the inspiration to a young person to begin his/her own venture in Korea. However, there is a great deal of bureaucracy which prevents this. Korean students still aspire to become part of the chaebol structure due to its relative stability (often false). Finally, the largest chaebol want to keep the status quo: Lee Kun-hee’s comments made that perfectly clear.

Can an outdoors-ey person survive in Korea?

Peterson and I are a bit “crunchy” (read: granola eating, nature lovers).  And in South Korea, we were in good company: hiking is practically a national sport. Even if you don’t like hiking, there are still plenty of pictaresque views to take in while living and teaching South Korea. Although we chose to live in Seoul, a concrete jungle in many respects, it certainly DID NOT limit our nature possibilities.  Here’s why:

Regardless of where you end up living in South Korea, there are oodles of nature spots to check out.  Here are some of our favorites:

Bukhansan National Park

Peter and I had our first hiking experience at Bukhansan National Park. In many ways, it was also an introduction to Korean culture/etiquette. (Korean ajummas are speedy hikers and will definitely push you out of the way if you don’t move!)

Bukhansan is ideal because it is centrally  located in southeastern Seoul. It’s also a convenient nature getaway when you only have an afternoon to spare. With around five million visitors each year, it’s tends to be one of the most visited. And for good reason! It may be one of the best views of this city.

This park also is  also home to Bukhan Mountain Fortress, which is where the royal capital was protected during the Goryeo and Joseon eras. Additionally, Bukhansan houses over 1,300 species of flora and fauna, and 100 Buddhist temples.

Achasan Mountain

Although Bukhansan was the closest National Park in our neck of the woods, we eventually wised up to Achasan Mountain, which was right in our background. This mountain was literally a five-minute cab ride/twenty-minute walk.  We made this trek a few times a month, especially on sunny weekends.

At 287 meters high, Mt. Achasan is a nice, easy hike with lots of fun scenery along the way, including bits and pieces of the Acha Mountain Fortress.  At the top of the mountain, you also have a great view of Hanggang River valley. There are also a ton of picnic places to nom nom along the way! I even had my Korean-hiking/picnic themed birthday party at this mountain. (It was a prerequisite to dress like a proper Korean climber).

Seoraksan National Park

In the fall, Peter and I traveled with a group of friends to Seoraksan National Park, which is located in the Gangwon Provence and about fifteen minutes from Sokcho city. Although this season is considerably packed with all kinds of hikers, we wouldn’t recommend any other time to go.  South Korea’s fall season, September and October, is the BEST time to check out the colorful fall foliage.

To see the best of what Seoraksan has to offer sans the crowds, we suggest visiting this park during Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving. Most Koreans will be visiting relatives during this three-day holiday, so it will be considerably less crowded. PLUS Chuseok takes place in September, so you should still be able to take in some of the beautiful color changes.

Seoul Forest/Olympic Park

Now I know I said 5 nature spots, but really both of these parks are tied between Peter and I, so it will have to count as one.

Seoul Forest (Lindsey’s favorite) Located on Ttukseom stop of the green line, was a bit closer to home.  Modern sculptures (including a hand you can climb through!) are scattered throughout the park. There’s also a farm within the park where you can feed deer and other wildlife. In the summer, the outdoor pavilion that has tons of outdoors concerts.

Olympic Park. (Peter’s favorite). Olympic Park was created for the 1988 summer Olympcs, and really commenced the economic growth of Seoul. This park is extremely large and hilly, and also houses an art museum. It’s a great place to bike (you can rent them there) and a nice place to lounge. In the winter, there’s even an ice rink (conveniently next to a Lotteria)

Haeundae Beach/Geumjeongsanseong Fortress

While traveling in Busan for a last-minute getaway, Peterson and I got to take advantage of the two most scenic parts of  Busan: Haeundae Beach and Geumjongsanseong Fortress. It was nice to experience a semi-tropical environment like Busan. Although it was September, it was plenty warm to swim in the Pacific Ocean.

Besides the beaches, Geumjeonsanseong Fortress, turned out to be an unexpected treat. Although this was a fairly easy hike, it was definitely an entire day of hiking. We started at Beomosa Temple and worked our way through a few of the gates along the way. This can definitely become an all-day affair, so I suggest eating a good breakfast and bringing lunch and tons of water (especially in the summer).

If any of these getaways are too much of  ”hike” from where you live,  remember to check out what the Korean public transit has to offer. Most of these places we listed have an easy route, either via bus, train or subway. Also, be sure to do a bit of exploring in your own Korean backyard. Either way, if you are a nature lover, you will have your pick of scenic places.

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