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Dokdo Is Ours

Mailbag: Ask An Insecure Kyopo Who Can't Speak The Language, Posing As Food Ambassador To Feel Like A Korea Expert

(another actual letter from reader this time: we are so excite!)Dokdo Is Ours is happy to introduce another expert to the ranks of our advice columnists; as always, Dokdo Is Ours will always be happy to accept your letters requesting advice from any of our stable of advisors. It...

Letter to Ask a Korean Promotional Brochure: Korea's Dirty Secret Theme Park

Dokdo Is Ours is very happy for have a letter writeing from fan. You can read. We has other letter too from reader that are wait for publish... patiently and don't worry. It is happen.Dear Korean Promotional Brochure:The Korean government has long been making crazy slogans ...

KT "Special" Report: Korean Women To Take Over Korea; Robots To Take Over Housekeeping

Korea Sees Neo-Matriarchal SocietyI'm not making this up. I couldn't make this up if I tried.Korea Times Rule of Journalism #54:Just make shit up. Seriously. Any old shit. Connect it to any other shit you can think of. We have a paper to fill!PS: Robots...

Ask Kim Jong-il

(inspired by... and many others like it)Dear Kim Jong-ilI'm eleven years old, and there's this boy, Andy in my class, and I like him. I'm not sure if he likes me, too, but I'd really like to hold his hand, or maybe walk home from school with him. ...

Official: Turning Off Lights Easier Than Social Programs That Actually Support Families

A Ministry of Health official explained the recent decision to turn off the lights in government buildings, sending workers home to make babies and increase Korea's abysmally low birthrate. "We think that turning off the lights will let people know it's time to go home and fuck. In...

A Primer on Korean Democracy for Developing Nations

Korean scholar Youn Jung-suk, president of the Korean Legislative Studies Institute, suggests that Korean democracy is a good model for developing countries attempting to set a democracy of their own in place.Here are some samples from the "How-To-Guide" he's sent to several Southeast Asian countries.Taken from pages 212-215, the first...

The Chosun Bimbo

Happy Birthday New Zealand

170 today! ...

Integrating Listening Strategies Into the Classroom

This paper focuses on the classroom integration of learner strategies. It provides an overview of the development and recognition of learner strategies as a field associated with learner autonomy. It then focuses specifically on listening, examining the difficulties encountered by a group of Korean middle school students (aged 13 –...

Crackdown on Illegal Tutoring Ineffective

Hey Kang ShinWho... Get a FUCKING clue mate! In what is the second of a series of articles by Kang on illegal tutoring readers are given this to start: Many students take private English lessons for writing and speaking to prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and TOEFL test for admission to...

$86,805 - I'd Like A Share of That

You will recall yesterday's post on English teachers teaching private lessons illegally, where I dryly noted that the sums made through such activities often paled in comparison to what are essentially bribes, offered to our Korean counterparts. Obviously I was too inflamed by Kang Shin Who's boring rhetoric to consult a...

iYawn

In what is quickly becoming the overused word of the year (February has just begun remember) The Korea Times has another article on Smartphones, that says very little new and would be hardpressed to be called news. Although sales of iPhone fell from 10% in December after an initial surge for...

Video of the Day

Jean Luc Picard Sir Patrick Stewart on his love of iPhone (Via TUAW)...

Annalog

The Quest for Pho in Seoul

I meant to post at least once a week, but I got caught up in all sorts of projects, particularly a podcast for preschoolers. (Aren't you curious?)I'm so happy to finally have a chance to share my pho findings.After a number of disappointing visits to various Pho chains around...

Elle Magazine puts out a publication called Elle à Seoul that profiles trends, eateries, and shopping destinations throughout Seoul. It's one of those magazines that I would never pay money for, but can't wait to read for free at a cafe or salon. I love looking at all the glossy...

Current Obsessions: Current Snow and Eye Sight

I woke up this morning to see a massive blanket of snow across the whole 'hood. Apart from Tahoe, I've never seen so much snow in my life! It snowed a few times last winter, but I don't recall ever seeing this much snow in Seoul. Needless to say, I'm...

New Eyes for the New Year

What the what? It's 2010! Where did the year ago? I'm currently blogging from the eye doctor's office. That's right. I'm finally getting the Lasik surgery. I chickened out last year, but now I'm ready. The next time I blog, I shall have 20/20 vision, or so they tell me....

Blame it on the Pop

United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop)...

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-oh

I promise. I'll be back to blogging soonish. My term at the Elementary School is winding down, so I will have more time to dedicate to unpaid work. In the mean time, check out my opening act: The Chipettes...

ShenYuePop

2009 Gayo Daejuns: The mishaps, the blunders and the just plain EWsies!

As with the end of year countdown, its always expected to have the Gayo DaeJuns (Song Festivals) take place days after each other for all the main broadcasting stations to show-off or outdo each other with performances. There’s always the same performances with the same people on SBS, MBC and KBS...

F.cuz get their JIGGY on

I wasn’t really planning on writing anything on F.cuz (mostly ‘cuz’ I didn’t care enough ) but after watching their teaser, I just couldn’t help it. Just in case you haven’t, here it is Secret must have had some impact on the industry to already have a male version of...

Bo Peep Bo Peep OW!

Damn, since Boram of T-Ara was in a horror movie I’m assuming she picked up some traumatising habits and probably scared my subconscious into singing that bloody line of their new track over and over and over again in my head! And I strangely am starting to love it…. O_O Anyway,...

Get well soon

2009 has proven to be quite the cursed year Koyotes multi-talented rapper BaekGa has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after fellow Koyote member JongMin wrapped up his mandatory army service. This news definitely came as a shock, heres to a speedy recovery BaekGa!...

Lil’ Jiwon, why?

Somewhere in a gutter, totally wasted and with a large bald spot is Lil’ Jon wondering what happened to his night out with Eun JiWon. I was a little out of it myself this week so I had no idea JiWon was making a comeback until ShaBANG told me. I tuned...

Se7en is coming back!

All those excited put your hands up! I had a friend that used to travel round the city to look for expensive cars and pose with them, I wonder if that’s what he’s doing here? Honestly, it’s been so long since Se7en aka Mr Park HanByul made an appearance I thought he...

South Korea News

Report: Chinese envoy to visit North Korea

A senior Chinese official is traveling to North Korea on Saturday, a news report said, in what is seen as a mission to jump-start stalled international talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs....

South Korean Rapper Facing Obscenity Charges

The 21 year old, real name Kwon Ji-Yong, is at the centre of an investi= gation by Seoul authorities after drawing complaints for his reportedly X= -rated performance during a concert in December , which was attended = by many underage fans....

Samsung Electronics launched new smartphone

Models pose for photographs with Samsung Electronics' Android 2.1 platform-based smartphone model during a news conference at the company's headquarters in Seoul February 4, 2010....

Viewpoints: Spotlight on Toyota could shine equally on other manufacturers

A friend of mine once had a Toyota that wouldn't die. The odometer had only a dim recollection of passing 100,000 miles, the body was dinged and the paint was faded and the interior was worn, but the thing just kept running....

NKorea says it will free detained US missionary

North Korea announced Friday that it will free an American missionary detained on Christmas Day for illegally crossing the border from China....

Kim inspects army unit stressing combat capability

Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , inspected the command of Korean People's Army Large Combined Unit 630, the official news agency KCNA reported on Monday....

South Korea: News & Videos about South Korea - CNN.com

Weapons testing turns deadly in S. Korea

An explosion at a state-run weapons research lab north of Seoul killed one person and injured five on Thursday, South Korea's semiofficial Yonhap news agency reported....

Korean navies exchange fire

North and South Korea said their naval forces clashed Tuesday in disputed waters, and each blamed the other for what is the first such violent incident in seven years....

Eye on South Korea

CNN takes an in-depth look at South Korea, including how the nation is working to become a brand leader on an international scale and on how the nation is recovering from the global economic recession....

South Korean growth at seven-year high

Rising Chinese demand helped drive South Korea's economy to its fastest growth in seven years in the third quarter, underscoring how Asia is leading the global economy and trade out of the worldwide downturn....

Beyond the barbed wire: the accidental paradise of the DMZ

While the world remembers the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, one frontier of the Cold War remains intact; the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea....

U.S. broadband lags Asian nations

South Korea leads the world in providing broadband services, according to a study released on Thursday. The United States did not make the top 10....

Quest for Cuteness

C ya

I will be dropping off the face of the planet for the next week or so. So much to do and I have no help for the next four or five days. In that time I somehow have to do a bunch of editing, some writing, a tonne of laundry,...

Very, very impressed

I was so scared to wean Grace. I was almost ready to do something drastic, like leave the house for a few days. Boy, am I glad I didn't. She has had no problem at all adapting. I think choosing to wean her myself, low-key, here at home where I...

Working hard

Grace and I have been working hard on weaning the for the last few days. That's why you haven't heard much from me. My apologies if I should have gotten back to you about something, or if I've been out of touch for too long. I've really had to put...

Ravelympics 2010

I haven't knitted/crocheted in so long, so Ravelympics 2010 is the perfect even to force me back into it. Ravelympics is an event held over at ravelry. You start your project anytime after the Olympics opening ceremony and must finish by the closing ceremony. According to the ravelry group, there...

O.M.G

Picture this: Grace and I are sitting in near darkness in the living at 2:00am. We're watching Sex and the City. I'm eating a sandwich and some ice cream. Grace is happily flipping through her books and playing with the remote control. She figures out how to turn the TV...

It's decided

Next week I will start weaning Grace. It has become clear to me that I will not get any sleep if I continue to allow her to nurse on demand, so it must come to an end. I feel bad for her, but I don't think many people have felt...

gyopo wife

Moldy and Messy

Lately life has been moldy and messy. The bedroom closets were infested with mold because of the difference in temperatures between inside and outside, the back side abuts an exterior wall. As a result we had to vacate the master bedroom and sleep in the baby room, clear out the...

Snow Day

Woke up this morning to serious amounts of snow. Tree branches look strained under the thick snow. Hubby attempted to drive to work but couldn’t find the street. The only functioning mode of transportation today is the subway, which is packed. ...

Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas! Here’s a picture of our little tree (less than 22 inches tall). It was purchased at Daiso for 3,000w, the silver and gold balls came in a pack for 2,000w, the candy canes are handmade, the garland is a re-purposed styrofoam pouch, the star was...

Lady Cab Driver

The one day we venture outside in the cold we actually hailed two lady cab drivers. The first one drove fast and furious, trying too hard to keep up with the “guys.” The second one was dressed in hanbok, traditional all the way down to her shoes. I had to...

Christmas Trees in Korea

Christmas trees have popped up all over Seoul. I’ve noticed that there is a lot of blue used in Christmas displays here. Blue lights, blue ornaments, blue garlands…which I would instead associate with Hanukkah. Oh well, at least it’s festive. ...

Technical Difficulties

The technical problems began about the time of my last posting. I could not find my digital camera charging dock for about a week. Then, the computer kicked the bucket. The error message read “NTLDR is missing” and professionals had to be called in for repairs. Hopefully, technology will work...

Brian in Jeollanam-do

Korean teachers going to the US for further training.

A few articles found via the twitter account of The Jeonju Hub on Korean elementary school English teachers visiting schools in the United States as part of their training. The first article is from January 26th and is about a group of teachers who visited San Bernardino, California, after...

Yie Eun-woong t-shirts hit the market.

CaptPorridge.com has created the first batch of Yie Eun-woong t-shirts, with the picture of the Anti-English Spectrum leader who admits to "following" teachers around for months at a time. They go for US$11. The photograph is taken from his write-up in the Los Angeles Times on January 31st...

Everybody do the pelvis dance! Even kids can grind to Hyun-ah's single!

2009 gave us the "hip dance" and the "butt dance." Will 2010 be the year of the pelvis dance? I have no idea what her dance is called, or if it has even been given a name yet, but I was surprised to see that video on in...

Korea Times series on illegal foreign English tutors.

About the only time I read the Korea Times anymore is when they write nice articles about me. But since I like to stay on top of what people are writing about English education and English teachers, and since the Times is one of the few English-language news outlets...

(Updated) Follow-up to the EPIK Orientation snafu.

Yesterday I posted about EPIK requiring its incoming teachers to front all the costs of their week-long orientation in February. EPIK has since come out and denied this, adding that only dependents of teachers will be responsible for their own costs. On the official EPIK site in a...

Heading home soon (but not yet).

I saw down with J.R. Breen for two hours on January 28th, and the result is in the Korea Times today. We talk about me, my blog, and what it will become when I leave Korea. Expect fuller comments in a few days, and expect regular blogging to...

A. Hart in Seoul

I'm Baaaaack

The boys are back in town! Except not boys, girls. And not girls, just me. But that song is the official getting back to your hometown song and the theme music in my head, okay?!I'm awake at 5:45 AM-- which is like the opposite of jet lag because normally I would...

Why Yes, I Am

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Incheon Intl. Airport

Made it to the airport! And I already have a story for you ...Okay, so we know I have luggage issues but they have never been this great. I go to the counter and one of my bags was overweight ($50 fee) and the other one was so overweight it's...

You Know What?

I am leaving RIGHT NOW. Walking out the door. Goodbye 1727, it's been swell....

See Ya Soon My San Diego Sweethearts

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the end.

Let's start by saying I cannot believe it has been a year. And it wasn't. It was 354 days. I only counted to compare it to my blog posts- 286. Not too bad, right?What a wonderful and strange year it has been. I almost feel like this, this what I'm...

Life O' Dan

A New Resident in 2010!

Dear Reader,Are you out there? Have you wandered off down another corridor in the blogosphre? Shame, shame, shame! Anyway, I'm still kicking around, and am grateful and indebted to anyone with the patience and curiosity to tune in and see what I have been up to these...

Last Week

Something happened last week that I had thought would totally never happen. Nevertheless it did. Keep in mind last week was only the second week of October. Also keep in mind that October is the fall. As it is fall, leaves turn color, people bundle up(a...

In Celebration of our 50th Post and 5000th visitor!

Well, I've been in the business of keeping a positive attitude, whilst saying nice things about people and places for just over a year now. I have also tried to make the most of my paltry photography skills to show some of what I have seen around the the globe...

What's Burning?

One of my good pals in Warsaw, Mohamed, who is from Iran, told me that it is forbidden to make outdoor fires in Iran. It's ironic, since he and his other Iranian mates in Warsaw like nothing more than going to various parks in Warsaw and building gargantuan,roasting fires for...

A Warmer Homecoming!

So as most of you dear readers (all five of you,) probably know, last month I went home to the grand ole USA for a sojourn of a month to see family, friends, and partake in a collection of my favorite cultural revelries like; eating Mexican food and burgers, and...

Need Friends, Take a Course!

I have always considered myself in some ways an intrepid person; especially when it comes to traveling to different countries and deciding to live there. Actually, maybe it isn’t intrepidness, but perhaps it’s more like a spirit of adventure that directs me to foreign lands-or is it outright stupidity. Who...