Recent Blog Posts



All Recent Posts

Oh? Oh…!

Submitted by on

( Source )

Call me old-fashioned, but although music videos can have a huge effect on my enjoyment of songs, I still try to judge them on their own merits.

By that criteria, all of Girls’ Generation’s hits have fallen flat for me, no matter how photogenic the girls are. But then I found a remix of their latest hit Oh! by the Greek trance DJ “Areia”, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Like he says on his blog, he put a lot of work into it. And it shows.

True, it’s actually the only one of his K-pop remixes that I like, that of Abracadabra (아브라카다브라) by the Brown Eyed Girls being particularly disappointing. But I’ve only listened to a handful so far, and his abilities are definitely improving over time. To any other Korea-based trance fans out there, frequently lamenting at how something so popular in Japan could be so completely absent from the cultural radar here, I’m sure you’ll be just as happy as I was to have found him!

For the lyrics (and a translation) to the song, see Yeeun2Grace here, and if you’re interested and haven’t seen it already, then this video (via Extra! Korea) makes a pretty compelling case that the song has been plagiarized from U.S./Barbadian singer Rihanna’s Shut Up and Drive. If you’re disappointed in my not providing my usual critical analysis on this occasion though, then I apologize(!), and by all means read precisely that at Appears.

But if you’d still like to watch the original video, albeit now with the trance remix, then I do understand:

Click on the video itself to be taken to Ariea’s YouTube page, which has a playlist of his other K-pop remixes.

Update: There’s been a lot of speculation in the comments as to why the video’s concept is of cheerleaders hoping to get the attention of American footballers, simply bizarre considering that the sport has virtually no following here. So I posed the question to my two classes earlier today, and the combination of their explanations proves to be quite compelling.

First, my morning class mentioned the success of the movie Bring it On in 2000, particularly the song Hey Mickey from the soundtrack, and this struck a chord with me because men who would have been in their late-teens and early-twenties back then were precisely the demographic that SM Entertainment created Girls’ Generation for (indeed, Girls’ Generation has performed the song many times). While that may just be coincidence though, they also said that high school footballers dating cheerleaders have been a staple of American movies and dramas they’ve watched ever since, and they were at a loss for an equivalent in Korean pop culture.

My afternoon class disagreed that Bring It On was popular however, and this is borne out by the box office figures for that year. Instead, they pointed out that all Korean cheerleaders are adults, and so although the youngest members of the group are in fact turning 20 this year, to have presented them as Korean cheerleaders pining after Korean baseball or basketball players would have clashed with their image of being precocious teenagers. Recall that the song itself is about unrequited love for an older male too, which the exaggerated youth of the women singing it would help to emphasize.

In short, cheerleaders for high school American footballers were the only possibility because there are no teenage cheerleaders in Korea.

But my two classes’ explanations are not mutually exclusive of course, nor with some of the alternative explanations posted in the comments section here either. While I would like to corroborate them though, unfortunately analysis like that is severely lacking on the Korean internet, so that might have to wait until I investigate next month’s music magazines.

Meanwhile, I’m quite convinced personally, but what do you think? Please let me know, and perhaps I can get a dialogue going with my students!

Update 2: Despite 1 billion won (US$860,000) being spent on Girls’ Generations stage costumes last year, apparently there was little money available for making some props for this music video, so some store-bought ones with the Iowa Hawkeyes logo were used instead. You can just imagine the reaction of Hawkeyes fans…

Share


Filed under: Korean Music, Korean Sexuality, Korean Women's Body Images Tagged: Areia, Girls' Generation, 소녀시대, 오!, Oh!
—
  

 

A Brilliant Excuse to Drink Coffee

Submitted by on

Today's Korea Times reports that "coffee reduces risk of brain cancer."For anyone who has ever spent any amount of time with me knows that that I am caffeine crazed. I often refer to coffee as the ambrosia of mortals...and God help you if you ever have to deal with me before I've had my morning coffee. As I type this I am drinking my second large cup from my insulated coffee cup in the office. When I was at university in Paris I took advantage of those 40 centime espresso machines in the academic buildings (and dormitory) and averaged between 5 and 13 cups a day. To be fair, I needed it to stay awake to get through the workload but still, that's a lot of coffee.

During college I often fantasized about an intravenous tube feeding me caffeine so I didn't have to waste valuable research/work time by getting up to make coffee every so often. A friend of mine and I came up with the brilliant idea of creating a sort of dome around the campus so we could caffeinate the air. After all, we had never met a Sarah Lawrence student who wasn't sleep deprived (and if they weren't, they generally flunked out in a semester or two). Perhaps one of the most bizarre moments was when I was sitting in an overly long orchestra rehearsal and had a vivid fantasy about somehow getting at my Mom's espresso machine so I could have lattes (let's face it, a latte was way out of my budget for the first three years of college).

In other news, Korea has chosen yet another branding slogan to help increase tourists: Korea Be Inspired. This replaces Korea Sparkling which unsurprisingly was universally criticized as having absolutely zero personality or anything at all to do with Korea. Not as terrible as HiSeoul (ironic in a country with an internal possession law for drugs) but pretty close. I live in 'Active Yangsan.' Whatever that means. Guess how much Korea spent coming up with 'Korea Sparkling?' 5 BILLION WON. That's about 5 million dollars for the lamest slogan ever. What advertising firm has been ripping them off??

I'm off for another inspiring 7 hour lesson planning session. Ugh.
—

http://aaaalexsadventuresinasia.blogspot.com/

Destination: From Monet to Picasso

Submitted by on



Whether you were an art major or just an art enthusiast, 'From Monet to Picasso' delivers dozens of original works spanning several transformative periods of art. The famous names are there - Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Manet, O'Keeffe, Rodin, and Picasso - as well as a number of lesser-known artists during the same time periods. I won't bore you with a lecture of art history that your professors gave you - or fell asleep through. If you want the full lecture, the exhibit features some excellent English (unlike the recent Andy Warhol exhibit); beyond that, there's plenty of resources that Google can provide.



Many of the pieces are on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art - great for photo ops among the locals.

Once you approached the exhibit, it's time to put the camera away and respect the 'no pictures' rule... That there's plenty of staff on hand to protect these works of art means you're unlikely to get away with a photo anyway.



Edouard Manet - Battle of Kearscape and Alabama - fitting into the realist and impressionist camps, note the color variations in waves and the smoke to make the scene come alive.



Camille Pissarro's "Afternoon Sunshine", 1901. Note the absence of realistic features, in favor of the more Impressionist features.



Claude Monet - Morning at Antibes (1888)



Renoir's 1885 Portait of Aline Charigot (AKA Madame Renior) - refined, detailed, yet simple. It's the sort of painting that I wouldn't mind getting done myself...

The next section, albeit a small one, is sculptures:


Rodin's "Eternal Springtime" - bronze sculptures were the predominant feature here.


The Kiss, by Brancusi (1916) - the centerpiece of the section.

The next section features 'Picasso and Avant-Garde' - Both Picasso and Georges Braque began calling attention to the flatness of the picture instead of representing the 3D view.



Matisse's "Yellow Odalisque", from 1937. One of the most vivid displays of colors thus far.


Fernand Léger, Typographer - nope it's not one of Picasso's pieces... In fact, Picasso has exactly two pieces in this exhibit. I guess his contemporaries were easier to obtain to loan?

After catching up with the times, the last room of the exhibit is curiously on American art:



Georgia O'Keeffe's "Red Hills and Bones", from 1941 - how the American desert used to look.



While the souvenir ship offered plenty of possible things to make your living space more cultured, the exhibit collection books (two sizes, 30,000 and 10,000 won) provided nothing beyond the English introductions to each section (along with plenty of Korean about each piece) and some nice pictures.

Check it out if interested in art, or if you're trying to learn more about art. It's a good place to take a date, especially if you can sound learned on the differences between Impressionism and Cubism.

Ratings (out of 5 taeguks):
Ease to arrive:

Foreigner-friendly:

Convenience facilities:

Worth the visit:
(call this an average - 5 taeguks if interested in art or if you were an art major in college; 3 taeguks if you weren't).

Directions to 'Monet to Picasso' exhibit: Take line 3 of the Seoul subway system to the Nambu Bus Terminal subway station. Take exit 5 to street level, then walk straight for a couple hundred meters. Turn left, then right - at this point you should see the art complex on your left. Use the underpass to cross the street, then follow the signs to buy a ticket (admission: 13,000 won). Head up the stairs to the outdoor plaza, then follow the signs to the exhibit.


Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

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.
—

 

The Dire Need for Sex Education in South Korea

Submitted by on

( Source: Naver Movies )

As you probably suspected, only a very small percentage of Korean teenagers are having sex. The average age that they started though, was as young as 14, and that doesn’t just affect them academically.

Or at least, that’s the take-away message of the news article below, which I was pleasantly surprised to see on the front page of Yahoo! Korea last week. Unfortunately it is rather sloppily written, raises more questions than answers, seems to ignore teenage prostitution and – in a typical irony – required age verification to search for it again the next day, but I’m cautiously optimistic that the information will lead to more calls for improved sex education at Korean schools. After all, it can hardly get any worse.

이른 성관계가 아이들에게 미치는 영향 – The Effects of Having Sex at an Early Age

“어린나이에 갖는 성관계는 아이들에게 어떤 영향을 끼칠까?”

얼마 전 청소년들이 성관계를 시작하는 평균 연령이 14.2세며 피임율은 38%에 불과하다는 조사결과가 발표되면서 우리나라 청소년들의 성 노출 연령이 점차 낮아지고 있음이 드러나면서 청소년의 성 문제가 다시 한 번 대두되고 있다.

대한산부인과학회지에 실린 ‘한국 청소년들을 대상으로 한 성행태 조사’에 따르면 2006년 9월 13~18세 중·고등학생 7만1404명 (남 3만7420명, 여 3만4200명) 을 조사한 결과 청소년의 성관계 시작 연령은 중학교 2학년인 14.2세(남 14.0세, 여 14.5세)였다고 밝혔다.

이들의 성관계 경험률은 5.1% (남 6.7%, 여 3.4%) 였으며 성경험자의 피임률은 38%에 불과했다. 또한 성관계 경험 여학생의 14%는 임신 경험이 있었으며 이 중 85%가 임신중절수술 경험을 했다.

청소년의 생식기는 생물학적으로 완전히 성숙된 단계가 아니기 때문에 바이러스가 침투하면 대항할 힘이 부족해 이른 성경험은 자칫 자궁과 생식기의 건강을 위협할 수 있고 여자의 경우 자궁경부암의 발병확률이 급증 할 수 있음을 전문가들은 충고했다.

“What are the effects of having sex at an early age?”

The results of a survey on adolescent sexuality released some time ago shows that the average age that adolescents are exposed to sex is gradually lowering over time. Of adolescents that have already had sex, the average age that they lost their virginity was 14.2, and only 38% of them used contraception. This is making teenage sexuality become a pressing social issue again.

According to the “Survey of Korean Adolescents’ Sexual Activity” published in The Korean Gynecological Journal, of the 71,404 13~18 year-old middle and high school students surveyed in September 2006 (37, 420 boys and 34,200 girls), the average age that they lost their virginity was 14.2, which is the second year of middle school (boys at 14.0, and girls at 14.5).

Of those students surveyed, 5.1% had sexual experience (boys: 6.7%, girls 3.4%), but only 38% of them had used contraception. Also, 14.1% of those girls had gotten pregnant, 85% of whom had an abortion.

Having sex before the genitals are fully developed means that the body’s ability to fight off viruses and repair damage to them is insufficient, and in particular girls have a much greater chance of developing cervical cancer.

이른 나이에 성관계 갖은 아이들, 대학 못간다 – Adolescents That Have Sex Don’t Want to go to University

완벽하게 몸이 성장하지 못한 상태에서 갖는 성관계는 신체적인 악영향을 끼치기도 하지만 더 심각한 것은 심리적인 부작용이다.

영국 글래스고대학이 지난 6년 동안 5000명의 학생들을 대상으로 성관계와 학업성취도의 상관관계를 조사한 결과 남녀 청소년 모두 이른 성경험이 자신을 어른처럼 느끼게 만들어 학업 등에 소홀해지는 경향을 보였다는 연구결과를 사춘기저널(Journal of Adolescence)에 발표했다.

연구는 14~18세 사이의 청소년들에게 성관계를 가진 그룹과 그렇지 않은 그룹을 나누어 계속 학교를 다닐 의향과 장래희망의 변화여부 등에 대해 묻는 방식으로 진행됐다.

연구결과 16세 이전에 이미 섹스를 경험한 청소년 중 39%가 대학 진학 등 학업을 더 연장하고 싶은 생각이 없다고 대답했으며 성경험이 없는 학생들은 24%만이 학업연장에 대한 뜻이 없는 것으로 나타났다.

앨리슨 파크스는 “청소년기에 성경험을 가지게 되면 더욱 이성과 함께 있는 시간을 원하는 것으로 나타났다”며 “일찍 성을 경험한 남녀 모두 마치 자신이 선구자인 것처럼 행동하는 경향을 보였다”고 말했다.

( Source )

While having sex before one’s body is fully developed is bad physically, the mental side effects are far greater.

A study of the sexual experiences and academic accomplishments of 5000 adolescent boys and girls conducted for the last 6 years by the University of Glasgow, published in the Journal of Adolescence, shows a negative relationship between the two. In short, adolescents with sexual experience tended to feel that they were already adults, and so paid less attention to their studies.

The study’s method involved dividing 14~18 year-olds into two groups: those with sexual experiences and those without, and asking each about their plans for the future. Of the 16 year-olds that had already had sex, 39% said that they had had enough of schooling and did not plan to go on to university, but only 24% of virgins felt the same way. According to Alison Parkson, this was partially because “those adolescents that first had sex at an early age wanted to spend more and more time with members of the opposite sex,” and that they “felt that they were pioneers.”

성관계 그 후, 밀려오는 불안감 – Anxiety and Depression After Having Sex

충동 에 이끌려 성관계를 맺은 후 정신적으로 미성숙한 아이들에게는 그제 서야 불안감이 물밀 듯이 밀려온다.

우리나라에서 청소년 시절에 성관계는 물론 이성교제 역시 불건전하고 몰래해야한다는 인식이 사회전반에 깔려 있다.

즉 아이들에게 이성과의 관계는 일종의 ‘죄’라는 이미지가 강하기 때문에 이성교제나 성관계가 이뤄지는 것은 단연 어른들의 눈을 피한 탈선의 상황에서가 주를 이루게 된다.

게다가 신체적으로는 임신이 충분히 가능한 나이고 또 그것을 본인들도 인지하고 있기 때문에 심한 불안감을 겪게 되는 것이다.

상담21성건강연구소 유외숙 박사는 “아이들은 무방비하게 인터넷에 노출되다보니 실제적인 것이 어떤 느낌을 줄까 하는 호기심과 욕구에 사로잡히게 된다”며 “그러나 섹스를 하고 돌아서자 마자 ‘임신했을까, 만족을 못시켰을까, 부모님에게 알려질까’ 등의 불안감이 찾아오기 때문에 자기평가가 상당히 낮아지게 된다”고 설명했다.

유 박사는 이어 “게다가 이런 고민들을 해결 할 곳이 필요한데 실제 청소년들이 문제를 들고 찾아갈 만한 곳이 없어 혼자 앓게 되는 경우가 많다”며 “이런 불안감이 심해지면 대인기피증이 생기거나 정말 성관계가 필요한 시기가 됐을 때 제대로 된 성생활을 못하게 되는 경우도 있다”고 덧붙였다.

( Source: Naver Movies )

Adolescents that act on their urges to have sex before they are mentally ready for it tend to have feelings of anxiety, uneasiness and depression afterward.

In Korean society, there is almost a universal taboo against adolescents dating, meaning that they have to do it secretly. Indeed, having sexual relationships or even dating the opposite sex is virtually considered a crime by adolescents here, and hence that that which does occur is in places far from the eyes of adults.

In addition, as the girls are aware that there is a chance that they might get pregnant, then they in particular suffer a great deal of anxiety and depression.

According to Dr. Yu Wae-sook at Consult 21 Sexual Health Research Institute, “adolescents are defenseless against what they see on the internet, and naturally get caught up in and want to physically experience those things for themselves,” but also that once they do, “they worry about such things as if they are pregnant, if they were good enough and if their parents will somehow find out. This causes them a great deal of anxiety, and lowers their self-worth and confidence.”

Moreover, “adolescents don’t really have anywhere or anyone to go to for answers, and so have to continue worrying about them alone” and “that these worries can become so serious that they become reclusive. This can have grave consequences for their future sex lives once they reach an age when they would normally be physically and emotionally mature enough to start one.” (end)

( Source: Unknown )

As always, please feel free to correct any mistakes above, which is by no means a literal translation.

For more information about the issues raised, see here for a related survey conducted in 2003 and my analysis, and Matt at Gusts of Popular Feeling here for his on similar surveys conducted in late 2008; you may also find this recent post of mine on the Korean age of consent interesting. Meanwhile, I will try to find out more information about the survey itself in the next few days, particularly the methodology used!

Share


Filed under: Child Raising in Korea, Korean Children and Teenagers, Korean Sexuality, Korean Translations Tagged: 사춘기, 성교육, 청소년, Korean Adolescents, Korean Sex Education, Korean Teenagers, Sex Education

Another hit piece - Kang Shin Who's at it again

Submitted by on

If that name makes you groan, think twice before opening this Korea Times article or reading most of this post:
A 38-year-old Canadian who identifies himself by the alias Mark Cohen holds an E-2 teaching visa and is teaching English at a kindergarten in southern Seoul, but he also gives private English lessons to three groups of students.

During a meeting with The Korea Times in downtown Seoul, Cohen said he charges 50,000 to 70,000 won per hour for private lessons, thought the fee is negotiable.

He also said the part-time jobs bring him as much money as he receives from his main job.
I've never taught a private English lesson in Korea, but from my admittedly anecdotal sources, the amount per hour is about right.
Asked whether he knows that such tutoring is against immigration regulations, he said, "I don't understand why it could be a problem. Many of my friends are doing part-time jobs like me.''

Many foreigners are unaware that private tutoring is illegal. Under the Immigration Law, E-2 visa holders and foreigners on tourist visas are banned from making money through giving private lessons.

Park Hye-soo, a middle school student who has lived overseas, is currently taking private English lessons to maintain her language skills. She pays 50,000 won per hour for writing lessons and 40,000 won for speaking and conversation with her tutor.
I take serious offense at the thought that we somehow 'don't know' teaching privates is illegal. It's possible - if your recruiter or school didn't tell you, if you didn't read your contract, and if you haven't made any friends where the subject has come up. If you've done enough research or talking with other teachers to learn about Hongik / Hongdae, you've heard that teaching private English lessons on an E-2 visa is illegal. Oh, and yes - we use aliases for the foreigners but the real names of one of the Korean students?
A high school student who declined to be named is preparing for early admission to university here, and has two-hour sessions twice per week to boost his writing and speaking skills.

He also gets his essays proofread, and practices interviews and debating skills. The monthly cost amounts to approximately one million won. He said, "It costs this much as the sessions are fairly intensive.''
Perhaps - and for that kind of money, you'd expect that sort of treatment.

OK, Kang Shin Who, I get that your focus is education - a quick search of the Korea Times archive shows you've written dozens of articles related to education and those doing the educating. But what exactly are you trying to achieve here? Manufacture some sort of outrage? Is there any possibility of not writing these sensationalist hit pieces? Virtually every story you've written about foreign English teachers has been negative or taken an unfavorable slant. See any of these previous stories for proof.

Think about the students you're talking about here as well - these are people trying to improve their lives in the ultra-competitive, ultra-pressure-cooker environment that is Korea. If the only way to get ahead is to get an edge, you'll take any edge you can get - legal or illegal.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

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.

Monday Blues

Submitted by on

I have a seriously cliched case of the Monday Blues and I refuse to whine anymore about it so here are some photos instead. Also, if you want to read about what everyone else in the expat Korean blogosphere is ranting about today, here you go!

I'm not quite sure what 'I like wagon in all cars' means. A foreigner was wearing this sweatshirt in a bar. Of course, it was a Korean purchase. I'm not sure where else you'd find such lovely English.
I couldn't get this to turn out better but in case you are wondering, it's a clothing store called 'Soup' who's byline is: Performance Feminism Fashion. Since obviously, this is what soup inspires.
...oh Tootsie Pops.

Update on the Ice Kiki: apparently, it's a 2nd floor sandwich shop. Weiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrd.

Noise, Courtesy, and Scumbags

Submitted by on

The Philippines is a loud place. It's seriously noisy here. The cities and towns are choked with diesel-belching jeepneys (sort of jeep/minibus hybrids) and tricycles (motorcycles with side cars attached); eardrum splitting music is piped out from EVERY store, business, and from many of the homes, as well; TV's blare around the clock; dogs bark at the air and roosters - which are omnipresent - do their thing at all hours. Something I learned long ago is that a rooster does not need dawn to crow.

I'm currently in the town of Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital of Palawan, the long far-western island of the Philippines where, I'll spend the next two and a half weeks. I'm with my buddy Sam, who I've done a hell of a lot of travelling with over the last five years. We're staying at a small cluster of cottages a bit out of town, close to the beach. It should be quiet here, but the owner and staff have deemed it fit to keep a TV fired up all day, which pretty much only plays an American cable network dedicated to true crime re-enactments. While I can usually get down with these types of programs, I have a really hard time writing when a TV is screaming in my ear. So, while the owner was out, I took the liberty of shutting the fucker off.

I brought a laptop with me this time - borrowed from a friend in Busan. Amazing enough, they have a wifi zone in the restaurant/bar area, so I've had easy and quick access to the internet this whole time. These things never cease to surprise me. This is one of the most remote islands in an undeveloped country and the net is still at my fingertips. Of course, we are in the one populated part - the only one with regular electricity and ATM's - but the fact I'm able to post this right now is simply astonishing.

So far it's been a great trip. After a brief stint in the ragged environs of Manila, we headed north to La Union to visit our friend Sonny. We spent six days at his palatial beach house, heading up to the little town there to carouse with the local surfers. It was a fun and crazy time, complete with a cast of characters that could never be invented. I'll write about them in detail later.

My general reflections of this country are positive. Yes, there is the noise, but for the most part the people are gracious, courteous, and extremely friendly. They're probably the best I've met in all my travels in Asia. Sometimes the service can be a bit surly, but they're being paid very little and are overworked, so I give the rude ones a pass. These are the exception, though, as most Philippinos are very curious about visitors and go out of their way to make sure that our stays are good ones.

What really fascinates here are the expats, who are generally older men who have escaped their former countries to come here to drink, drug, and bang younger girls. Up in La Union they were all surfers, spending their days on the waves on their nights on intoxicants and women. This place where we're kicking it now is owned by a grizzled old Kiwi named Andy with a massive gut, who rules over the place like a kicked-back duke, train-swigging rum and cokes and growling at the guests. He's actually a nice guy, but has that look of any old white man who has been here too long.

What you find about these old boys in the Philippines is that they are absolutely shameless about their hedonistic lifestyles. It's as if the constant sun has baked their brains, and now they exist on a pure level of physical satisfaction, one without consequences or santion. They are proud scumbags, breast-thumping douches. They brag about their exploits, while guzzling booze and chain-smoking cigs. They're strange bellowing animals, with sun-leathered hides and bloodshot eyes. Sitting down with one of these cats can be a good session, but after a while you begin to feel a strange mix of anger and pity, or, in my case, fear: Fear that twenty more years in Asia will turn me into one of them.

Busan, Oncheon-dong - Hurshimchung Spa

Submitted by on

Said to be the largest hot spring spa in Asia, Hurshimchung can accommodate up to 3000 guests. It's located just up the street from Oncheon-jang subway stop on line 1. The hotel also houses a brauhaus, several restaurants, a wedding hall and a night club.  At the sauna's reception desk, you'll be given a key and instructed to pay upon leaving.  You can use this key to secure your shoes, open your locker, and pay for anything in the spa.  Towels and jjimjilbang clothes are available inside the locker room, then you can head to the sauna. 

Facilities there include hot, lukewarm, and cool baths, dry sauna rooms, fountains, showers, a half-bath with tables, and massage and exfoliation services.  There's an open-air section with a couple baths and another shower area.  The alkali spring water emerges at 45°C to 56°C and has the highest concentration of magnesium in Korea.  Forty different bath types are available during different seasons, including cherry, pepper, champagne, lavender, or citrus water.  All baths use natural ingredients such as salts and medicinal herbs.  There's even a large cave-type bathing area with several tubs of different temperatures.  This large, open sauna is a wonderful place to relax.

From the locker room you'll find the entrance to the jjimjilbang area where you can enjoy laying on a heated floor and watching TV in the main room, relaxing in one of the smaller rooms, enjoying doctor fish foot treatment, or eating carefully prepared traditional Korean foods at the snack corner or restaurant.  The yellow ocher, jewelry, and charcoal rooms are all quite hot, but dry feeling.  The segregated sleeping rooms, found at the ends of the two halls, are dark and quiet, and a comfortable resting temperature.  There is room called the Aroma Room where you can lay below peaceful, if plastic, green bamboo and treat your lungs to highly oxygenated air.  Another small room is the igloo-shaped ice room; this is usually one of my favorite places to hang out.  Unfortunately, the ice room was closed due to H1N1 (swine flu) concerns this fall.  For an additional cost, you can indulge in mug-wort cauterizing therapy with moxa (moxibustion), which stimulates circulation and improves qi.

In my opinion, Hurshimchung's strength is clearly the sauna.  The jjimjilbang itself is cozy and I kept feeling like there should be more space.  (Where do those 3,000 people hang out?)  On the other hand, the sauna is spacious, appropriately lit, and has many different areas to explore.  Almost the opposite of other spas I've visited, I found the sauna offered greater variety than the jjimjilbang.  So, if you enjoy bathing in spas or want to check out a Korean sauna for the first time, Hurshimchung is sure to provide you with a great experience.

HOURS:
5:30 am until 10 pm everyday.

RATES:
7,900 won for adults
5,000 for students aged 8-18
3,000 for kids aged 1-7 

부산시 동래구 온천동 137-7
Busan, Dongnae-gu, Oncheon-dong 137-7
051-555-1121

Hotel Nongshim
Hurshimchung Spa

On stalking, following, and this man

Submitted by on


Source: L.A. Times

The story has already been covered across the K-blogosphere (see Brian, Extra Korea, Kushibo, and Lost in Jeju for some more takes) in the past day or two. From the original story, posted by the L.A. Times:
Sometimes, in his off hours, Yie Eun-woong does a bit of investigative work.

He uses the Internet and other means to track personal data and home addresses of foreign English teachers across South Korea.

Then he follows them, often for weeks at a time, staking out their apartments, taking notes on their contacts and habits.

He wants to know whether they're doing drugs or molesting children.

Yie, a slender 40-year-old who owns a temporary employment agency, says he is only attempting to weed out troublemakers who have no business teaching students in South Korea, or anywhere else.

The volunteer manager of a controversial group known as the Anti-English Spectrum, Yie investigates complaints by South Korean parents, often teaming up with authorities, and turns over information from his efforts for possible prosecution.

Outraged teachers groups call Yie an instigator and a stalker.

Yie waves off the criticism. "It's not stalking, it's following," he said. "There's no law against that."
While Yie Eun-Woong may be the current whipping boy who unwillingly posed for a photo, the question of what we do remains:
  • Do we find / follow / stalk this guy ourselves?
  • Do we call the cops if we see him peering into our trash or window?
  • Do we see his face on the streets and jump him at the first chance?
  • Do we ignore him as we would any other person on the streets?
  • Do we photograph / videotape / document his efforts?
  • Do we assist his efforts in rooting out the problem teachers?
You know, I'm torn. If one was being stalked / followed / harassed in ones home country, calling the cops and explaining your situation might be a logical thing - especially if you felt you were in some physical danger. Between the language barrier and getting cops to listen to your side of the story, however, that safety doesn't necessarily exist here. Even if you catch the guy red-handed - stalking you or following you, for example - he's not necessarily breaking the law. If you try to restrain him or prevent him after you see him do something wrong, it's you who can be charged for assault (especially if the cop responding tends to be more sympathetic to the local) I'm not sure what the precise legal definition of stalking or harassment is here; even it were technically stalking, the odds of getting an arrest are about as high as seeing a bootleg DVD seller go out of business.

So what to do? This old post from a Korea Law Blog isn't exactly helpful:

From a perspective of Korean Criminal law, currently there is no general law on harassment or stalking thing. The respective laws have its own regulations on which behavior constitutes a certain crime is not.

So, in a legal standpoint, she may warn him to stop doing that kind of act or he’ll be in a danger of being charged in Korea. In this case send the warning letter in the name of Korean lawyer is strongly recommended. It is not hard to see, in Korea, people stop violating one’s legal right after receiving a lawyer’s warning letter and recognizing illegality of his or her behavior.

The distinguishing factor between simply following someone and stalking someone, according to most definitions of stalking, is perceived or actual fear for one's safety; threats (whether real or perceived) or unwanted contact. In short, the reason no one can give an answer is that there isn't one - at least an official one (if someone can show a link or source to the contrary, please comment!).

So what to do? The Ministry of Justice's website doesn't have any clear answers; neither does the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's website. After some digging through the Criminal Law (at least the English-language version), the best thing I found was this:
Chapter XXX - Crimes of Intimidation
Article 283 (Intimidation, Intimidation on Lineal Ascendant)
(1) A person who intimidated another shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than three years, a fine of not more than five million won, detention or a minor fine Amended by Act No. 5057, Dec 29, 1995
It's not 'stalking' per se, and I'm not an attorney - but it might still stick.

So now we resort to the unofficial solutions, beyond the law. There is a Korean proverb in my trusty Lonely Planet - the English translation is "The law is far but the fist is near". In other words, take matters into your own hands instead of trusting the government to fix the problem or make one right. Although the Korean government is too busy with its own problems, I'm torn there too - at what point does vigilantism fighting vigilantism resort to anarchy?

The worst part is that there really isn't a "peaceful" solution - either this guy and organization is held accountable for their quasi-police actions, or foreigners in Korea face an group of locals able to influence police and government, intent on catching you doing something - anything - illegal by whatever means necessary. If that's not a witch hunt, I don't know what is.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2010

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.

Pages

more
Subscribe to Koreabridge MegaBlog Feed