Due-East.org » Korea http://www.due-east.org Musings on Things Asian Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:12:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Adultery is [sort of] a crime in South Korea http://www.due-east.org/2008/12/17/adultery-is-sort-of-a-crime-in-south-korea/ http://www.due-east.org/2008/12/17/adultery-is-sort-of-a-crime-in-south-korea/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:13:13 +0000 孙智谦 http://www.due-east.org/2008/12/17/adultery-is-sort-of-a-crime-in-south-korea/   The woman with the ironic name...
South Korean actress Ok So-Ri   Here’s something I didn’t know. South Korea is the only nation outside of Islamic states that has an actual law making adultery a criminal offense. It’s been challenged multiple times but has always been upheld based on the premise that “adultery is damaging to the social order.” Hmmm…totally disregarding a sacred institution for the sake of your own gratification…Yeah, I’d say that could be damaging to the social order. Of course, the law is apparently extremely gummy…As in this actress’ case, very rarely are people actually sent to jail for it. Ms. Ok received an 8 month suspended sentence, and her lover received a 6 month suspended sentence. *sigh*   Could she have a more fitting name for this situation?   Link to article   ]]> http://www.due-east.org/2008/12/17/adultery-is-sort-of-a-crime-in-south-korea/feed/ 0 Crazy Korean umbrella hat thingy http://www.due-east.org/2008/05/29/crazy-korean-umbrella-hat-thingy/ http://www.due-east.org/2008/05/29/crazy-korean-umbrella-hat-thingy/#comments Thu, 29 May 2008 16:35:15 +0000 孙智谦 http://www.due-east.org/2008/05/29/crazy-korean-umbrella-hat-thingy/ Alibaba, [...]]]>   UFO Cap/Umbrella
So your kids won’t scratch their ears?   Well, all the news coming out of China right now is either depressing or politically charged (or both), and I’m tired of posting about Magibon, so I’m back to looking for random stuff about Asia in general. I came across this South Korean product on Alibaba, and it’s so goofy looking that I thought I’d post about it. It reminds me of one of those lampshade cone things that you put on your dog so it won’t scratch its ears or bite its fur off when it’s having skin problems or something. I can’t help but imagine any child wearing this getting blinded by random raindrops splashing into her eyes as she walks through the rain. I also foresee any kid wearing this in America getting made fun of. But I’ve seen some pretty crazy fashion in Asia, so it might just fly there (no pun intended). Regardless, it’s a clever invention, so I have to give the guy or gal credit for coming up with it. Click here to check out its page on Alibaba, with Korenglish goodness.   ]]> http://www.due-east.org/2008/05/29/crazy-korean-umbrella-hat-thingy/feed/ 0 Lee Hom, Jeong Hee, and Rain – Perfect Interaction http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/28/lee-hom-jeong-hee-and-rain-perfect-interaction/ http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/28/lee-hom-jeong-hee-and-rain-perfect-interaction/#comments Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:53:47 +0000 孙智谦 http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/28/lee-hom-jeong-hee-and-rain-perfect-interaction/ cultural music is the best. Check out Perfect Interaction (完美的互動) by Wang Li Hong (a.k.a.: Wang Lee Hom), featuring Lim Jeong Hee and Rain (who isn’t actually IN the video for some reason). This song puts me in a good mood [...]]]>   Cross-genre music is awesome, but cross-cultural music is the best. Check out Perfect Interaction (完美的互動) by Wang Li Hong (a.k.a.: Wang Lee Hom), featuring Lim Jeong Hee and Rain (who isn’t actually IN the video for some reason). This song puts me in a good mood when I hear it. Love the sound, and their voices go together perfectly, which is I guess why the song is named what it is. A catchy song in 3 different languages with English subtitles in the upper left of the screen? I can’t ask for a much cooler video experience than that! It’s too bad there aren’t a lot more of these kinds of cross-cultural collaborations in music.   [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   ]]> http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/28/lee-hom-jeong-hee-and-rain-perfect-interaction/feed/ 1 Paur McCarrney – Or a small Korean child sings Hey Jude http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/16/paur-mccarrney-or-a-small-korean-child-sings-hey-jude/ http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/16/paur-mccarrney-or-a-small-korean-child-sings-hey-jude/#comments Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:12:04 +0000 孙智谦 http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/17/paur-mccarrney-or-a-small-korean-child-sings-hey-jude/ Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   This is pretty cute. Not as cute as the 3-year-old girl telling the story of Star Wars, but still cute. And it’s related to Asia, so you’ll watch it and you’ll like it. [...]]]>   [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]   This is pretty cute. Not as cute as the 3-year-old girl telling the story of Star Wars, but still cute. And it’s related to Asia, so you’ll watch it and you’ll like it. He can carry a tune pretty well for a child his age! I’ve included lyrics below, so feel free to sing along!   Hey Jude, don make eet bad.
Take a sad song and make it beh-urrr
Rerember to rerrerr into yer haaaar
Then you can staaarrrrr to mrake eet berrer
So rerrir owr an rerember to rerrerr into your haarr
*grunt*
Then you can staaar, hmm, hmm, to make eet beh-rer
hmm, hmm, Hey Jude, mhmmhmm, don mayafray, mhmm, mmh
You rere maydoo cole-owrt in keterr
Remember to rerrer into your har, mhmm, mmh,
Den you can staaar, hmm, hmm
To make eet berrer, berrer, berrer, beherr, beher, aaaaaaaah!!!
*cue awesome guitar solo* Na, na, na, na-na-ah-na, na-na-ah-na, Hey Jude
Do-Do-ee-dut-deh, naaa…   ]]> http://www.due-east.org/2008/03/16/paur-mccarrney-or-a-small-korean-child-sings-hey-jude/feed/ 0 North Korea up close and personal…well, sort of. http://www.due-east.org/2008/02/07/north-korea-up-close-and-personalwell-sort-of/ http://www.due-east.org/2008/02/07/north-korea-up-close-and-personalwell-sort-of/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:09:58 +0000 孙智谦 http://www.due-east.org/2008/02/07/north-korea-up-close-and-personalwell-sort-of/ a lengthy and fascinating article chronicling his five-day stay in North Korea. It’s amazing just how applicable the nickname “the hermit kingdom” is, even once you’re actually allowed inside the country. Below is an except from the article: It was very strange. I’ve never been anywhere [...]]]> North Korean Statue   Neil Woodburn over at Gadling.com posted a lengthy and fascinating article chronicling his five-day stay in North Korea. It’s amazing just how applicable the nickname “the hermit kingdom” is, even once you’re actually allowed inside the country. Below is an except from the article:
It was very strange. I’ve never been anywhere where I couldn’t communicate in some manner or another with the locals, thereby gaining insight into living conditions and culture that only can be gleamed from first hand experience. Nor have my movements ever been completely controlled; we could only go where they wanted us to go in North Korea and see only what they wanted us to see. We couldn’t wander into a neighborhood store or market or anywhere off the carefully choreographed itinerary. In fact, after we pushed too hard one evening to visit somewhere off the itinerary, I was surprised to hear our frustrated guide quote Shakespeare in telling us that it wasn’t possible, “It doesn’t mean I love Caesar any less, it just means that I love Rome more.”

It’s extremely interesting, so I highly recommend reading the whole thing. ]]> http://www.due-east.org/2008/02/07/north-korea-up-close-and-personalwell-sort-of/feed/ 0