Entering the Year of the Dragon..

Happy Lunar New Year!

on 26 Jan. 2012, right after the holiday...

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[120127] ‘Completely remodeled?’ Voters are no fools anymore!

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‘Completely remodeled?’ Voters are no fools anymore! It is an easy last resort for a failing restaurant to put up a banner outside that reads “Completely remodeled – Reopening soon.” Seldom does it succeed in luring people, however, unless the business had really gone through a genuine change – because they simply know it. South Korea’s government party is said to have opted for the ‘ Shin-jang-gae-eop ’ method in the end, a well predicted move in the run-up to this year’s two major polls – the April general elections and the December presidential election. We may have to acknowledge that it has taken rather long indeed before the Grand National Party (GNP) decided to change its official party name in 15 years – in a country where a myriad of parties have risen and fallen endlessly – though without fundamental changes – over past several decades. It goes back to 1997, just ahead of a presidential poll, when the major conservative party altered its official nam...
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[120131] Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Fri-Fri?

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Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Fri-Fri? Chaebol companies ruining life-and-work balance of S. Korean workers More than 1.43 million people, or about 13 percent of all South Korean laborers, were found to be working over 52 hours a week, the legal working time limit, according to a report by the daily Hankyoreh Jan. 30 . Working hours of OECD countries In fact, the laws permit a maximum of 40 hours per week for regular work (5-day workweek system; 8 hours each from Monday to Friday) and an extended overtime work of up to 12 hours. So it means not a few people are working even over weekends, sacrificing their time for a more enjoyable life. Raising concerns is the fact that such illicit overtime practices tend much more likely in workplaces of chaebol companies than those in mid- and small-sized ones. In particular, the rate of employees working over 52 hours goes beyond 50 percent in the automobile industry, dominated by one giant player - Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. Critics ...
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[120221] ‘It’s not a good time – hold back for a while.’

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‘It’s not a good time – hold back for a while.’ Humiliating diplomacy: Is the truth getting out of the cloud of lies? “It’s not a good time – hold back for a while. ( 지금은 곤란하다 – 조금만 기다려달라 .)” It may sound just part of a normal dialogue. When put in a specific context, however, – especially in a deep-rooted animosity between two neighboring countries – it could turn pretty much shameful and humiliating. Since it was first reported four years ago, this short sentence has become a trendy way of sarcasm about President Lee Myung-bak and his administration despite their repeated denial that the head of state has actually made such remarks. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, left, talks  with then-Japanese  Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda  in 2008. It goes back to July 9, 2008, when Lee sat down for talks with then-Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on the sidelines of a G8 summit in Japan. Both in their early months in office since election in 2007, the...
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