Readers may recall that during this year’s World Cup I spotted a couple of news items reporting how Korean banks were using football to get in new business. But it’s not just the national team which pulls in the financial punters. Park Ji-sung, the sportsman with the biggest brand power in Korea, has been used … [Read More]
Category: Light reading (page 15)
Pyongyang’s latest statue and other DPRK humour
One view of recent events: Pyongyang’s latest statue © Chappatte – www.globecartoon.com (where you can find more along the same lines: filter on “Nuclear North Korea”). Plus, for “On-the-spot whimsy and wisdom from a Benevolent Despot” – an irreverent blogger claiming to be from within the DPRK – visit the Beloved Leader. And some unintended … [Read More]
North Korea Detonates 40 Years Of GDP
Remains Of Country’s Economy Sent Deep Into Earth’s Core For a bit of light relief, visit the Onion. Here’s a representative extract. PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA — A press release issued by the state-run Korean Central News Agency Monday confirmed that the Oct. 9 underground nuclear test in North Korea’s Yanggang province successfully exploded the communist … [Read More]
Condom sales, motel bookings surge after DPRK nuclear test
The Chosun reports a surge in condom sales and in love motel bookings in the days and weeks following North Korea’s nuke test on October 9th. I hope the world’s not going to end quite yet. [Read More]
The versatile Uhm Jung-hwa (엄정화)
A rather silly item in the Chosun Ilbo (entitled Singer’s Hotpants Inflame Cyberspace) has alerted me to an actress that I hadn’t really focused on before. She’s been in films that I’ve seen and vaguely registered as quite interesting, or films that I’ve missed and am eager to see. I haven’t heard her sing, and … [Read More]
Kim Yunjin on UK style mag cover. Or not
K-film fans will know her as the North Korean agent in Swiri. Consumers of American TV drama will know her as the quiet one from Lost, which is where the lads mags discovered her when she was required to wear a bikini one episode. I’m not given to buying such magazines (it always seems to … [Read More]
Why Koreans have so many bank accounts
This is such a fun article I have to quote it in full. High frustration in a low-trust country By Harold Piper, JoongAng Daily, 3 September 2006 Korea is a funny country. Actually, I quite like it. There is a lot to be said for a big city where a woman can go out safely … [Read More]
Jeon Ji-hyun’s smooth thighs
As regular visitors to this site will know, once in a while I like to lower the tone with an unnecessary post. This post is one of them. I’m not sure how the Chosun Ilbo can tell from looking at the video of the cosmetic commercial in question, from which the still above is taken, … [Read More]
Priceless
A picture to gladden the heart. I assume, based on the swords being carried (presumably not standard contemporary battlefield issue) that this is a photo of a rehearsal for a public performance. Thanks as ever to Tom Coyner for this treasure. And another, unrelated, bizarre item from the North, from Der Spiegel: this coming weekend … [Read More]
Bada and the birthrate
I wish I was in Seoul today. I recently posted about Anna Fifield’s article on Korean family planning, and in particular the government’s plan to spend $30 billion over the next 5 years to try to boost the birthrate. Here’s a story about how some of that $30 billion is going to be spent: a … [Read More]
Korea’s most beautiful face
After yesterday’s heavy post, something a bit lighter. Kim Hye-soo has been voted Korea’s most beautiful face. The picture in the Chosun Ilbo news story is a fairly low-key affair – but you can find far more glamorous images by googling her name. The image here is a still from the film Hypnotized aka Faceless … [Read More]
Christ’s tomb maintained by Japanese yoghurt profits
An off-topic post, but this story is too good to pass up. Today’s (London) Times is a bit of a mess. Its leader column, trying to say something witty about our comedy deputy prime minister having an afternoon playing croquet with his aides (why that’s a resignation issue is beyond me – it’s not as … [Read More]
Korean driving
Anyone who has been in a taxi in Busan will understand completely how Korea can be second in the OECD car accident rankings. (The mystery is: why only second, and how come there are any cars left on the road?) It must be something in the blood. Thanks to Tom Coyner for circulating this image … [Read More]
Two Koreas’ Top Brass Resort to Racist Mudslinging
A continuation of the ongoing theme on racial purity spurred by the visit of Korean-American Dan Hines to Korea. The more extreme position taken by the representative from the North chimes in well with this harrowing story in Time. The full story is in the Chosun Ilbo here. [Read More]
Korean boffins develop space kimchi
What would we do without the Chosun Ilbo? In preparation for the journey into space of the first Korean astronaut in 2008, scientists are working on a way to make kimchi without having the little friendly bacteria turn into space aliens. The solution is gamma radiation, plus special packaging to ensure the red juice doesn’t … [Read More]
A day in the life of a Kim Jong-il impersonator
This article on the Yonhap website is worth a look describing the professional rivalry between two Kim Jong-il lookalikes Kim Young-sik and Bae Eun-sik. Of the two, Kim Young-sik appears to be the better known, at least outside of Korea. He has been featured in an Australian TV news item and also in an article … [Read More]