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On all-women colleges and lawsuits

It would have been easy to let this story slip us by, but apparently two men are fighting to get into Ewha Law. Yes, this is Ewha Womans University (spelling and lack of apostrophe, for the record, are both intentional and kept for historic reasons, according to Wikipedia) we're talking about here. A clip from the Joongang Daily story:

According to the court, the men said that “Unless the result of the court’s review of the petition we made earlier comes out before applications currently open for 2010 close, male law school applicants will have their right to equal education infringed upon.” They say Ewha is involved in “outright sexual discrimination.”

Ewha is one of 25 universities nationwide that obtained approval by the Education Ministry in August of last year to run law school programs in graduate schools. The first recruiting took place late last year and the first class of students is currently enrolled.

Korea had long relied on a uniform national bar exam to pick judges, prosecutors and lawyers, but the law schools as graduate course option has been introduced to diversify the selection process. Some 2,000 students enrolled at the 25 schools for the 2010 year, with Ewha recruiting 100 of them. The petitioners argue that while female law school applicants have 2,000 chances to land in a law school, their male counterparts have only 1,900 chances.
Makes sense to me - reverse discrimination is just as bad as gender / racial discrimination in the first place. Then again, I'm sure this is not the school's first gender discrimination lawsuit (although a cursory Google search revealed nothing). It's not disputed that Ewha has offered many notable women an excellent education, and is currently considered one of the finest schools in Korea. I can't say I blame the guys for trying to get in, if only because of the reputation the school has within the country. While the idea of a guy going to - and graduating from - the university sounds a bit like the Jamaican bobsled team, it could happen.

Legally, the case seems straightforward; one where the order would go forth, and the door would be opened to men. It probably wouldn't rock the nation in the same way the "Little Rock Nine" did in 1957, but it certainly be a change. While I have no personal connection to the university, the policy of having men on the college campus would have to re-examined (as I understand it, men are currently not allowed anywhere on the campus unless they are a foreign student, a teacher, or staff). Would boyfriends of Ewha students be allowed on-campus, or would they have some form of ID check to keep non-students, non-teachers, and non-staff people out? The rule originally was created to prevent fathers from dragging their daughters back home to keep the house in order and/or to prevent them from getting an education.

But do women still need a women-only school? Here it is 100 years after Ewha's institutional founding, and the Korean society has made some strides towards progress - academically, legally, and socially speaking, women have far more opportunities than they did back then. What seems somewhat intolerent is the treatment of women in an everyday setting. An ajumma will almost go out of her way to AVOID giving me one of her fliers, but cross the stairs pushing people out of the way to give one to the twentysomething woman behind me. On more than one occasion, I've seen salespeople at a certain cell phone store in Gangnam grab a Korean woman's wrists while she walks by to get her to listen to his canned sales pitch. That a Western woman would either A: punch his lights out and walk away, B: struggle away and get annoyed by it, or C: give the guy a piece of her mind means the Korean man doesn't try the same tactic with them.

There are plenty of stories about the gender gap - the percentage of money women make compared to men (31.5% less according to this story) - and gender discrimination being reported in the Korean news, so this issue thankfully gets brought up every now and then. But where is the real change? Mr. Pizza's 'love for women' advertising slogan seems patronizing at best - what do they do for them that's any different? That sexism may indeed 'pay off' indicates the cultural acceptedness of such beliefs, with any 'penalty' of unequal treatment being a slap on the wrist at worst.

Do women still need a 'protected' environment to study at the university level and above? As long as the same culture thinks they need parking spots for women only (not necessarily pregnant women, for which a different need exists), the answer is likely to be 'yes'. But let's see how the courts respond to the claim of discrimination.

Readers, what do you think? Should Ewha Womans University be forced to accept men into their school?


Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2009

 

Road Rage

We were in the Seomyeon district of Busan when the first incident happened. A car accelerated at great speed from a crossing and hurtled down the road briefly before suddenly slamming on the brakes in a move I felt sure would have left two thick black tracks of rubber on the tarmac beneath it. Stationary traffic lay ahead, but it was perhaps the presence of a police car in the next lane which had

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Luang Prabang Night Food Market


We've just arrived in Luang Prabang by way of an ill-advised detour through Vang Vieng, the so-called adventure capital of Laos. Although the area boasted some absolutely magnificent scenery, it turned out that Vang Vieng wasn't for us. We weren't really digging the tubing vibe (floating/drinking your way down a river) and the only street food in sight was a series of identikit stalls selling banana pancakes served with side orders of cynicism and regret. After 50 dollars was pinched from our room, we decided it was time for a speedy exit stage left.

Enter Luang Prabang, Lao's cultural and historical centre, and an altogether better place to be. The old town here is located within a thin peninsula created by the Nam Khan river's circuitous journey to the mighty Mekong, and is a truly unique place. A scattering of ornate Buddhist monasteries blend seamlessly with a predominantly French colonial style, and the surrounding tree covered mountains gleam with the occasional gold painted stupa. All this makes for a bona fide feast for the senses.

Man can't live on beauty alone however (trust me, I've tried) and this is where Luang Prabang's night food market comes in. The market provides a refreshingly diverse range of traditional Lao style food, and despite Luang Prabang's heavy tourist bent, seems to remain largely locally geared. It's a real maelstrom of smoke an engines as people ride up on their scooters, order, then zip away into the night with their food in little plastic bags.

Although minus a scooter, I put my legs to good use and embarked upon my first wandering graze for a while.





I started off with what has to be one of the best street food finds of our trip so far, the 5000 kip (about 40p) vegetarian buffet. I realise I just used the words best and vegetarian in the same sentence, but this thing was seriously good. For less than 40p, you can fill your plate with a range of rice, noodles, and curried vegetables. Standouts included a pumpkin dish that had been cooked to a perfect consistency, and a fluffy yellow rice packed with flavour.



Feeling somewhat healthy after my veg-fest, I decided to rectify the matter with some good old fashioned meat on a stick. I'd read a little about Lao sausage before I arrived and was naturally intrigued. These ones resembled the thin Denny sausages we get at home, so my interest was additionally piqued. When I bit in, I discovered a meaty centre surrounded by a sweet, glazed skin. This was naturally a little confusing, but an interesting (though one off) experience.




Lastly, I went for something a little different. It's been a while since I tried anything adventurous, and while my stomach keeps telling me I'm not a nose-to-tailer, my brain has a habit of forgetting. This time barbecued buffalo intestines were the culprits. These started off well enough with nicely grilled outer skin and a meaty flavour, but things became increasingly dubious when they turned out to contain a strange mystery filling. If someone had told me there and then that it was sage and onion stuffing, I would have gubbed the lot, but my imagination is unfortunately a little to active for my own good. I ate about half, then discreetly dumped the rest.

Luang Prabang is a great place, definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. We've decided to stay here for a while, so I reckon a return trip to the market is in the offing.

Get in the holiday spirit!

Which one? Take your pick - there's a Halloween hafla (an Arabic word for "a social party with music, dance, and food") coming up in a couple short weeks:




Check out the Facebook group for a map and more information. Cost for the event is FREE (pay for your own food and drink). Bring your hip scarf if you want to dance, and plan to eat, drink, and be merry.

While still several weeks away, Thanksgiving typically has a few places to go around Seoul. Itaewon usually has a few restaurants that offer classic American buffets; none have been announced yet this year, but Daniel Gray of Seoul Eats wrote about your options around this time last year.


Also announcing: THE MESSIAH - yes, that musical about Christmas - coming here in Seoul. A group of expats (myself humbly included) will be performing the entire work in mid-December. Further details to be announced as they come out - but there's also plenty of time to join the choir. If interested in joining, it's free as well (pay for your own copy of the musical score, which you keep) and requires once-a-week practices on Saturday afternoons. Here's the Facebook group, or look here for some more information.


Any holiday plans this year? Comment away - what are you doing, or what have you heard about?

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2009

Destination: Seoul Design Olympiad 2009



After last year's interesting exhibitions, the Seoul Design Olympiad is back for another year. Going through the 9th through the 29th of October, you'll have plenty of time - and two more weekends - to check it out. Despite the brouhaha about the name, this year's entrance is sponsored by the Haechi - that lovable mythical creature that Seoul is using as their new trademark. Although the exhibition above consists of flattened plastic bottles - I can't make this up - it's certainly one of the more interesting displays. That's saying something, considering there's a conference, exhibition, competition, and festival all happening around the area.

Get your drinks, snacks, and souvenirs before walking in - there's few other places to grab them once you're inside. Pass by the heat-sensing camera (thanks H1N1 / swine flu) and take a look at the view:



Inside Jamsil Sports Complex - the track and field stadium used during the 1988 Olympics, and within a stone's throw of the nearby baseball stadium. Peek back into the ring surrounding the field to see some of the early designs:



If you consider that design is a fusion of art and function, consider these two exhibits, under the title 'Women-Friendly Seoul' - each featuring handles for one's shopping bags. Handy, maybe - but perhaps a little annoying on a crowded bus or subway car?

The large map from the friendly counter gave a few different options on what to see, depending on your interests and how much time you had. I opted for the longest route to try and see it all - there were a few shorter routes mentioned, but the natural place to start is one of the long silver tubes. As you enter the tube on the left from the main entrance, the first stop is a gallery called 'Oldish Romantic Market':



Um, yeah, not sure what to make of this - it looks functional enough, but the wheel hanging from the back would probably move around too much.



Seat cushions in the shape of records - those old black vinyl things that contained music.

Within one football-field-sized silver tube were several different areas, some focused on exhibition and others focused on selling stuff. Each section has a fairly grand-sounding name (the World Design Market, the Seoul Designers' Mart, the Design Supply Mart), but you can easily figure out what's for sale and what's for seeing.



While some design stuff is great for cutesy purposes, some, like the keyboard for Photoshop or other photo-editing purposes, serve a more practical purpose.



A great chance to meet and talk to a few amateur designers - only a couple of which were non-Koreans. What impressed me most was the professional packaging and design of a product, even if created by companies still newly in business.



Another gallery of sorts - this time with more of a 'touch and feel' sort of opportunity. An exhibit from England shows off dozens of different recycled materials - all useable in industrial or commerical products. While I've heard of a few, most are presumably used behind the scenes or without much fanfare. Not pictured is a fairly stiff fabric using fiberoptic fibers in it.


Back outside and taking a look around - many of the tens of thousands of seats in the lower level have a card or something within their section. Each of Seoul's 25 gu, or district, had a section to decorate on their own environmental or green themes. Each of the white cards you see holds a different design, for what it's worth.



A shower within a telephone booth? Suurre, why not? While just for display only, this display of design did win some design contests for the presenters.

Entering the second silver tube across the field - the first area being an exhibition of awards given by INDEX. The area is split up into five sections, representing five different ways of improving life through better design (Body, Home, Work, Play, Community).



Unfortunately, displays only offered text descriptions in Korean. While some exhibits showed articles or other publications of their business in English, most were a little tough to figure out without some help.



The term 'design' in the Work section can be taken to include a video submission and a book (not pictured).



It also includes computer games, as in the case above (a computer game called Peacemaker offers us the above video loop).

A little while later, the highlight of the tube (and the exhibition) presented itself:



A 4-D 'biking experience' - put on some glasses and strap yourselves in. While only 5 of the 15 viewers actually get to pedal the sitting bikes, the strangely helicopter-like ride is great. If you get to pedal, strap in tight - it'll throw you around.



The future Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park, formerly Dongdaemun Stadium.



A chance to learn more about Seoul's grand plans to bring all the buildings currently being planned / developed to completion by 2020. The Seoul of 11 years from now will certainly look a lot different than it does now - for most foreigners, however, bear in mind that the future Seoul can only be seen in Korean.

The final area offers a view of cultural design in everyday life:



Consisting of galleries from Japan, Korea, and China, there's plenty of design to be seen. It's a shame that you can't see things up close and personal - the 'keep off' signs kept people off the wooden platform.

From here, the tour takes a turn into and around the stadium's inside. First exhibition up: Architecture, a Users Manual.



Most of the 'architectural' pieces felt more like installation art, but they all challenge your current ways of thought through - you guessed it - design. Entitled 'Cupscape' by Chun Eui Young, the cup-and-string construction hung from the roof perhaps 10 meters from the ground.

The next section is an area offering 'World Design Cultures' - a chance to see nine different cultures view of design. While a few simply had galleries for display, others offered quite a bit for sale:



Russia - everything from the nesting eggs to the rams horns.



It's a bit dark in here - which might possibly explain the lack of people around. If you persevere, you'll be rewarded with a chance to buy some various souvenirs from Africa.

A few other sections are also around, including (but not pictured) the Korea Package Design Award. Yes, really. I'm waiting for you to stop laughing. Can we move on now? Thank you.



Yep, this animal's made of ramen wrappers. Definitely an odd mosaic, but by now you've gotten used to seeing odd things.

The last section of the day before calling it a completed circle: the winners of the design contest:



Combining both practical and possibly artistic, the t-shirt that doubles as a bag would definitely be something I'd buy.



Like several other winners, 'Paint Road' combines two devices or ideas and merges them into something new. The concept of a crosswalk lighting up as it's stepped on is certainly novel - and might cut down on Korea's pedestrian vs. car problems (or at least a few excuses).



One interesting competition - the bench competition. Yes, people design them to serve a creative process as well as a practical one. This one offers a secure place to lock your bike and get some rest at the same time. While 'short list', 'bronze prizes', and 'silver prizes' have been awarded, I never found the gold prize(s) amongst the twenty or so around.

Expect the Seoul Design Olympiad to take a full day of walking, enjoying, and sometimes puzzling over a few exhibits. If there's a creative bone in your body, consider this event a place to be inspired. Art meets function in many ways, some more practical than others - but mostly interesting to see.

And now, for the taeguks (out of 5):
Ease to arrive:

Foreigner-friendly:

Convenience facilities:

Worth the visit:


Quantity of things to see:


Directions to the Seoul Design Olympiad: Take line 2 of the Seoul subway system to the Jamsil Sports Complex station. Take exits 6 or 7 to street level. Follow the multitude of signs and arrows to the stadium. Buses 3217, 3218,3411, 3412, 3414, 3415, 3417, 3422, 301, 341, 360, 361, 362, 363, 730, and 6006 all stop in the area. Free admission; open 10am-7pm on weekdays, 10am-9pm on weekends.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2009

A Piece of Cake

I had only my second birthday in Korea recently, but while the first offered few surprises, and while I thought I understood the essentials of Korean cake design from the large number of small bakeries that exist here, I was not ready to discover that the large cherry-like objects sitting in the cream atop this example are in fact... tomatoes. I know, to the unseasoned observer the size should

Mr.Korea

Hope you have a lovely Sunday.

Mr.Korea

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