Broadsheet blogwatch
Set out below are the latest posts from some of the more serious blogs out there. As many of you will know, I tend to steer clear of political commentary: if you want the low-down on those blogs, visit the Marmot’s blog aggregator. Film blogs now have their separate BlogWatch page.
Posted 5 days ago: Killing In Kumgangsan By the time he called me, we had all heard about it. Nevertheless, our conversation gravitated towards the shooting death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier at the Kumgangsan (Diamond) mountain resort in North Korea. My friend has been an ardent follower of former President Kim Dae-jung and so I knew how he ... [
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Posted 12 days ago: Beware of netizens The following episode took place in South Korea several years ago. Thousands of Internet surfers, known in Korea as netizens, have launched a nationwide campaign to “save the life” of a popular actress from imminent death. The actress was so famous even I could recognize her name. It turned out, however, it was not the actress in ... [
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Posted 5 weeks ago: Dear Friends As I am leaving on an extended trip to Europe later this week, I may not be able to post new articles for three weeks or so. I plan on returning home in mid-July and hope to be in touch with you again then. [
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Posted 6 weeks ago: A Cow on Mars The National Aeronautic and Space Administration’s Mars lander, Phoenix, reportedly did some amazing scientific work on the red planet’s north-pole region. Some pictures it sent back to Earth showed a couple of bright patches beneath Phoenix where the lander’s jet thrusters may have blown off the surface soil, the report said. Dr. Peter H. Smith, the ... [
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Posted 7 weeks ago: Elder Statesmen or Provocateurs? Perhaps because they spent such a strenuous and nervous time while in office, two retired and presumably relaxed former presidents of the Republic of Korea seem to blurt out remarks from time to time that are not only uncalled for but often incredibly dumb. The former presidents in question are Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, who ... [
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Posted 8 weeks ago: Back to Democrazy The following is an imaginary conversation between the owner of one of South Korea’s largest candle manufacturing companies and his son who is a college student. Any resemblance to similar exchanges between actual persons is, therefore, purely coincidental and the writer is not responsible for what is said here. ---- Son: “Congratulations, Dad, on the windfall profit ... [
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Posted 9 weeks ago: It’s the appearance that counts A few years back in South Korea, a friend invited me for a round of golf at a club where he was a member. Since I did not have a car of my own, I borrowed my daughter’s red Martiz and drove out to the golf course on the outskirts of Seoul. I did not ... [
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Posted 10 weeks ago: Kopchang Chunggol, anyone? Two weeks ago, I wrote about the mass hysteria in South Korea against imports of American beef from the cows allegedly stricken with mad-cow disease. That article, I am afraid, has caused a bit of stir especially among those who apparently believe that Americans are always “out to get” Koreans for some unexplained reason. But I have ... [
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Posted 11 weeks ago: Demagoguery and a gullible public Here are some of the groundless, unproven, even downright false, allegations and rumors that have been circulating in South Korea in recent weeks mostly through the Internet and over cell phones. They are being circulated by nameless, faceless and irresponsible “netizens,” scaring a lot of people, especially young impressionable middle and high school students. --The ... [
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Posted 12 weeks ago: Loosening the tongue Several years ago, a foreign newsweekly reported that an increasing number of Korean children were undergoing a tongue surgery so that they could learn to speak fluent English. In this competitive and education-obsessed society, the article said, an ability to speak unaccented English is the top goal of language study. I don’t know whether the practice is ... [
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Posted 5 days ago: I had a chance to watch a Korean movie from the colonial period, called “Homeless Angels (집없는 천사, 家なき天使),” at the Korean Film Archive (KFA) in Susek, Seoul, the other day. This movie was made by the infamously pro-Japanese director of the time, Choi Inkyu, in the late 1930s, and released in 1941. The Korean Film Archive listed it as ... [
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Posted 15 days ago: The Asian History Carnival #20 is now up at Jottings from the Granite Studio! It comes in three parts: Asian History Carnival #20 Part I Asian History Carnival #20 Part II Asian History Carnival #20 Part III We are looking for volunteers to host the September and November installments. Read more on the carnival homepage. [
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Posted 4 weeks ago: I’ve recently been looking through 한국전쟁과 집단학살 (Organized Massacres and the Korean War) by 김기진. The work focuses primarily on crimes against civilians carried out by United States forces or Korean forces and has a large section which reproduces, in a regretfully somewhat badly edited form, a lot of US archival documents found at the National Archives. My impression, and ... [
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Posted 11 weeks ago: I had a chance to look into two primary sources on ’school strikes (同盟休校)’ (mostly in common schools) in the colonial period of Korea (the Kominka period in particular), and translated some of the records from Japanese to English. The documents I looked at are: 高等外事月報 (朝鮮総督府警務局) and 朝鮮思想運動概況(朝鮮軍). It is quite interesting and I would like to share some ... [
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Posted 12 weeks ago: I reported in my recent posting on the Korean National Archives that online registration for the site is broken for all non-Koreans. This is unfortunate since the National Archives advertises that it is for “everyone” to use. Registration online is required for many of the services provided, including the printing of online documents (which in any case, seems to be ... [
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Posted 12 weeks ago: Jeremiah Jenne over at Jottings from the Granite Studio1 will be hosting an Asian history carnival sometime during the week of May 5th. If you have postings you would like to nominate for the carnival, please send them directly to Jeremiah. You can reach him at jgjenne at ucdavis.edu. Another way to submit nominations is to tag it on del.icio.us ... [
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Posted 3 months ago: The relationship between Korean martial arts and Japanese martial arts is usually a touchy one. This is because, like the history of so many other things in modern Korea, it is susceptible to what I like to call the “Colonial Death Touch.” The Colonial Death Touch works like this. Any practice which can be demonstrated to have its origins in ... [
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Posted 3 months ago: I just came back from a day at the Korean National Archives headquarters in Taejŏn (Daejeon) and thought I would share some details of the experience in case someone comes across this posting who will be making the trip down there at some point in the future. I also plan to get around to making a detailed entry on the ... [
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Posted 3 months ago: Thanks to a posting at The Marmot’s Hole I learned about a project being undertaken by the National Archives to display a variety of information, archival documents, and media about school architecture during the colonial period. The project home page can be found here: 일제시기 학교건축도면 컬렉션 You can also read more about the 3D materials being put up related ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: Frog in a Well welcomes a guest posting from Sayaka Chatani on the issue of Korean War Criminals and the difficulty Korean historians have found in addressing them in modern Korean historiography. Sayaka is a PhD student in the History Department of Columbia University. Her research interests are in the transnational history of early to mid-twentieth century East Asia, mainly ... [
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Posted 2 days ago: Not strictly about Korea sorry, but I couldn’t resist. From 1960: ( Source: Boing Boing ) :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: [
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Posted 2 days ago: Introduction (WARNING: The THIRD image in this post features partial nudity) ( Image by DunkelFeld. Full video of 2007 advertisement available here ) ( Source: Unknown ) An effective way to advertise shampoo to women? Why not? I’m sure I don’t need to tell readers that both sexes are at least subconsciously aroused by semi-exposed cleavage and the oh-so-subtle symbolism ... [
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Posted 3 days ago: Introduction (WARNING: The THIRD image in this post features partial nudity) ( Image by DunkelFeld. Full video of 2007 advertisement available here ) ( Source: Unknown ) An effective way to advertise shampoo to women? Why not? I’m sure I don’t need to tell readers that both sexes are at least subconsciously aroused by semi-exposed cleavage and the oh-so-subtle symbolism ... [
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Posted 6 days ago: ( Source ) A provocative opening image perhaps, and not technically an advertisement but one of sixty pictures included with Lee Hyori’s latest CD too, but then not only is the fact that it can now be plastered all around the Korean internet with no repercussions significant in itself, for all her frequent plagiarism of Western singers her music [...] [
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Posted 8 days ago: ( Source ) A provocative opening image perhaps, and not technically an advertisement but one of sixty pictures included with Lee Hyori’s latest CD too, but then not only is the fact that it can now be plastered all around the Korean internet with no repercussions significant in itself, for all her frequent plagiarism of Western singers her music [...] [
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Posted 10 days ago: Korean Women on Top Anybody remember this ad with Go Hyeon-jeong (고현정) from last year? Apparently it caused quite a storm in a teacup at the time: Blink and you’ll miss it (update: and it doesn’t seem to be even loading in Internet Explorer too!), so these screen captures below should help you get the gist of it. [...] [
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Posted 15 days ago: Korean Women on Top Anybody remember this ad with Go Hyeon-jeong (고현정) from last year? Apparently it caused quite a storm in a teacup at the time: Blink and you’ll miss it, so these screen captures below should help you get the gist of it. In order, the text in them reads: “Be picky”. “Embrace your desires”. “Be lazy”. “Think ... [
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Posted 17 days ago: ( Source ) Introduction: A Return to Korean Advertising Recently it seems that I’m becoming known in the blogosphere as “the man to turn to for Korean sexism” (see here, here and here for instance), ironic considering how I could be relied upon to provide precisely that just a few short months ago; I guess I’ve redeemed myself. Alas, not ... [
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Posted 3 weeks ago: ( “The Newbies”. Source ) Originally I wasn’t going to write this post until next week, but inspired by this post over at KoreaBeat I’ve decided to go ahead with it now. In hindsight it’s probably best to so while the previous semi-related post keeps the topic fresh in readers’ minds. Introduction One feature of Korean society not so obvious ... [
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Posted 3 weeks ago: ( “The Newbie” by Oliver Bucheron(?). Source ) Last week my sister passed on this article in the New Zealand Herald on the first ever conference to be held on Korean-New Zealander (”Kowi”) identity issues, and I was surprised to find (brief) mention of it at The Marmot’s Hole the next day. In my first comment to that post I ... [
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Posted 15 hours ago: Tomorrow will be the 58th anniversary of the No Gun Ri incident and I have a special posting prepared for tomorrow that I highly recommend everyone check out. Before reading tomorrow’s posting make sure to read the original Associated Press article that created the initial controversy. After reading the original article make sure to read my response that will be ... [
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Posted 25 hours ago: Here is something I think Koreans should show a bit of outrage about: Three enlisted marines were killed Wednesday while standing guard at their base in the southeastern city of Pohang from what officials believe was the accidental collapse of a 38-year-old guard post. A 22-year-old corporal, identified only by his surname Joo, and a 20-year-old private, identified only as ... [
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Posted 37 hours ago: It looks like the Korean riot police are about to be hit with more claims of human rights abuses against the candlelight protesters: A joint inspection team comprised of Asian human rights groups’ members is visiting Seoul on the heels of the inspection of Amnesty International to verify whether any acts infringing upon human rights were committed during protests against ... [
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Posted 39 hours ago: Korea: Art and Archaeology by Jane Portal This is both a special interest and general interest book: If you are a person who gets into art and art history (I don’t particularly), then this book is a must buy: It covers Korea from the ancient to modern period, from calligraphy to clothing to painting to ceramics - and things like ... [
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Posted 39 hours ago: Not only is the Korean government committed to delaying the Camp Humphreys relocation as much as possible now they want to keep it as expensive as possible: A government review committee on Wednesday dismissed a proposal by a Defense Ministry office to implement what it claimed to be cost-saving changes in the construction of a new U.S. military base to ... [
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Posted 40 hours ago: It is becoming comical watching the attempts of the Democratic Party to denounce the success of “the surge” strategy in Iraq: Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007. He told reporters ... [
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Posted 43 hours ago: Once again there has been more dioxin found in beef imported from Chile: South Korea’s national quarantine service said Wednesday that it has ordered a recall of Chilean pork after finding a package containing more of the toxic compound than permitted. The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) said detailed tests conducted on a package containing 25.9 tons of ... [
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Posted 2 days ago: Hot on the heels of the No Gun Ri anniversary comes this article from Choe Sang-hun that once again goes into the killing of civilians in Korea during the Korean War. I don’t have time to do a full rebuttal of this article like I have done on past articles on this topic but I will just leave readers with ... [
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Posted 2 days ago: While scam artists like Julie’s Realty appear to be back in business, a eating establishment of high regard to USFK servicemembers in the Dongducheon area, Beaver’s appears to be coming under the scrutiny of USFK again. ROK Drop readers may remember the previous off limits order against Beaver’s for underage drinking and a scooter incident that was eventually lifted, but ... [
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Posted 2 days ago: This sure didn’t take long if true: The owner of a prominent realty company placed off-limits in February and investigated for criminal wrongdoing said she expects U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan officials to allow her to resume working with Area II troops soon. Julie Baek, head of Julie’s Realty, said the former head of Installation Management Command-Korea wrote in a June 20 ... [
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Posted 9 weeks ago: Maps can be defined as two-dimensional representations of the land surface, thus differing entirely from aerial photos taken from satellites and airplanes. For that reason, what is represented on maps varies according to who makes the maps and why. Numerous maps were produced during the Joseon period, including world maps centered around East Asia and national and provincial maps of ... [
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Posted 6 months ago: Multicultural Korea, as reflected in such headlines as “One Million Foreign Nationals” and “One out of Four Men in Rural Areas Marrying Foreign Women,” has become a familiar topic, and the Korean government, NGOs, and academics are competing to produce theoretical frameworks for understanding this phenomenon. Among these, the multicultural discourse and policies articulated by the government have encountered some ... [
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Posted 8 months ago: The Autumn 2007 issue of the Korea Journal features the topic “Theories of Beauty in Korean Art History,” along with four research papers and a book review. Theories of Beauty in Korean Art History This issue examines what constitutes Korean beauty and how it can be understood, as well as how it has continued into the present-day, with a focus ... [
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Posted 8 months ago: We are very proud to announce the new editorial members for 2007-2009. Korea Journal is honored to welcome the following editorial board members and advisors. (more…) Copyright © 2008 The Korea Journal Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of ... [
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Posted 11 months ago: The topic of the present issue of the Korea Journal has, interestingly enough, been written up in the Korea Times. Read the review in its entirety after the jump, and please be sure to post your reactions in the comments after logging in! (more…) Copyright © 2008 The Korea Journal Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If ... [
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Posted 11 months ago: We are pleased to announce the publication of the summer 2007 issue of the KOREA JOURNAL. This issue features the special topic: “The ‘Religious’ in Contemporary Korean Culture.” It also includes five research papers produced across diverse disciplines. The “Religious” in Contemporary Korean Culture Three papers under the topic can be dubbed as a religious reading of the enthusiasm around ... [
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Posted 15 months ago: We are pleased to announce the publication of the spring 2007 issue of the KOREA JOURNAL. This issue features the special topic: “A Postmodern Turn in Korean Literature.” It also includes four research papers and two book reviews A Postmodern Turn in Korean Literature (more…) Copyright © 2008 The Korea Journal Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. ... [
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Posted 16 months ago: Call for Papers and Participation The World Congress for Korean Studies 2007 - Korea in the World: Democracy, Peace, Prosperity and Culture - The World Congress for Korean Studies 2007 by the Korean Political Science Association will be held in Busan, South Korea, from 23 to 25 August. The main theme for the Congress is “Korea in the World: Democracy, ... [
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Posted 16 months ago: The 13th Sogang-KF Korean Studies Forum will be held as follows: Subject: A Search for New Perspectives in Colonial Studies: Physical Education and Sports in Korea, 1895-1945 Presenter: Sophia Kim (KF fellow, Ph.D. Candidate , UCLA) Panel: Prof. JUNG Gun Sik (Sociology, Seoul National University) Date: Mar. 30th. 2007, 5 p.m. Venue: K-building, 506, Sogang Univ. * This forum has ... [
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Posted 16 months ago: It’s nice to see so many people subscribing to the blog, which makes it easier for us to keep in touch and form a safe community of interested scholars. That’s the easy part. As we continue to gather people, I’d like to ask about ideas for content – what you’d like to see go up as content, stuff you’d like ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: While looking for something else I came upon this page, which has scans of a 1919 Korean Red Cross pamphlet about the suppression of the Samil independence movement (which I talked a lot about here). It includes the declaration of Korean independence, 34 photos, and a statement from the Korean Red Cross. What's most remarkable are the photos, many of ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: In this post I compared the images below, showing how an image of the American merchant ship General Sherman (destroyed on the Taedonggang in 1866) had been reproduced on a beer cap for the North Korean beer Taedonggang:That post was linked to today in Andrew Leonard's column at Salon called How the World Works. Neat. But... in the comments to ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: I looked briefly at the book "I Married A Korean" in my last post. The author, Agnes Davis Kim, described the American occupation of Korea, which I've transcribed below (I've looked at that period before - the photos come from this site). The author's husband, David Kim, worked for the Office of Civil Information. They had previously lived near Seoul ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: When I was at home over Christmas my mom mentioned a book she'd read as a kid titled "I Married A Korean," so when I was at my grandparents I looked through the bookcase and found it. It proved to be a fascinating read. Agnes Davis Kim met her future husband David Kim (we never learn his Korean name) when ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: [An update is here.]Here is a photo of the USS Princess Royal, taken from this Wikipedia entry. Strangely enough, it doesn't mention that after it was renamed the General Sherman and turned into a merchant ship, it was sunk on the Taedonggang, the river that flows through Pyongyang, in 1866 (as the entry on that incident relates). Worth remembering, of ... [
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Posted 4 months ago: A while ago I wrote a post on the 1941 film Volunteer, which was included in the box set "Unearthing the Past", which Mark over at Korea Pop Wars first brought to my attention. I finally got around to watching another film in the box set, Angels on the Streets ("Homeless Angels" is the direct translation). A synopsis and discussion ... [
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Posted 5 months ago: My Samil post took a little longer that I'd thought it would. As usual, what I thought would only involve linking to a few articles has involved linking to... more than that. I've written about Samil before, looking at Francis Schofield's part in the movement here and, the influence of the 1918 Rice Riots in Japan on the Samil movement ... [
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Posted 5 months ago: It's the beginning of the school year, and I realized the other day that the kids in a kindergarten class I taught back in 2001, and who graduated in 2002, will start middle school today. Most of them I never saw again after they graduated. The other day I came across the photos that made up a 'silent film' I ... [
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Posted 5 months ago: Yi Wan-yong and familyAndrei Lankov's latest column in the Korea Times is about Yi Wan-yong, and has a lot of details about his life I was unaware of. Lankov describes him thusly:He was an opportunist, pure and simple: smart, to be sure, but always looking for opportunities to increase his power and, in later years, his fortune.Born in 1858 into ... [
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Posted 5 months ago: Joe Mondello over at the Joshing Gnome documents the simmering antipathy between English language Korea bloggers and Ajumma bloggers, known as 와이프로거. Woe to anyone who would suggest that this is hilarious piss-take on the sniping seen in the English language blogosphere. This is most certainly a troubling aspect of the complex relationship between English language and Korean language bloggers, ... [
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Korean Artists Association