Skip to content

Marmot Watch

Because it sometimes takes too long to scroll down the Marmot’s front page, here’s the RSS feed.

The North to the South: “We don’t want to march under the stink’in blue flag of unification.”

Posted 5 hours ago:  North Korea… Giving the South the finger since 1948. [Link]

Modern Architecture of Cheongju and Sewang Brewery

Posted 9 hours ago:  Sewang Brewery (formerly Deoksan Brewery) I started Day 2 of my vacation in Cheongju, the capital of Chungcheonbuk-do, to check out the city’s rich modern architectural heritage and finished in Jincheon, where I spent the afternoon at Sewang Brewery, which has been producing fine traditional rice wines in their historic brewery for three generations. Cheongju: Intro Cheongju, aside from being ... [Link]

LMB’s act of Lexpionage

Posted 18 hours ago:  A recent International New York Times article went into Korea’s Internet culture and how the rapid spread of disinformation can make a government’s job to govern a lot harder. Per the article LMB said: “We have to guard against ‘infodemics,’ in which inaccurate, false information is disseminated, prompting social unrest that spreads like an epidemic…” Way to go LMB! You’ve ... [Link]

The Mid-Year State of Korea’s Economy

Posted 20 hours ago:  A lot has happened in the economic world in Korea. In the past few days quite a bit of economic data has been released and that has spurred the central Bank of Korea (”BOK”) to take some matters (particularly relating to inflation and the strength of the currency) into its own hands. Some of the bad news: Korea’s inflation hits ... [Link]

All Ur Tools Belong 2 Us . . .

Posted 21 hours ago:  As has been demonstrated by the mad cow rumor-monging that occurred through Korean web forums, the internet can be an effective agent for dis-information, organization and can even be censored — as seen in South Korea and China — so as to shape public opinion. Jim Yardley of the NY Times has written a timely article that describes this practice ... [Link]

A True Classic, the Hyundai Pony

Posted 32 hours ago:  Say what you want about the Hyundai Pony, the car that was a Frankenstein combination of British and Korean management, Italian exterior design, Mitsubishi and Ford engineering. Yes, it had emission standards that didn’t allow it to be sold in the States (but it was one of the best selling models in Canada), its innards rusted prematurely, its heater core ... [Link]

“Meltdown: The Inside Story of The North Korean Nuclear Crisis” — A New Book

Posted 35 hours ago:  Ex-CNN journalist Mike Chinoy has written a new book that echoes the Iraq war controversy, namely, ideologues in George W. Bush’s administration took a creative approach towards intelligence reports and helped create a nuclear crisis with North Korea. Per the article from AFP and an article from the Washington Post. [Link]

Bush Gets Lesson in Korean Geography

Posted 46 hours ago:  While the two Presidents were on their way to the 2nd floor of the Blue House for their meeting, LMB pointed out Dokdo on a map of Korea(photo below) and apparently said to Bush “This is Dokdo Island “. The U.S President laughed and replied “I know Dokdo Island.” Well at least it shows that LMB is doing something about ... [Link]

Martin Bashir Apologizes for ‘Asian Babes’ Remark

Posted 47 hours ago:  British-born ABC News 20/20 Correspondent Martin Bashir, best known for his sympathetic 1995 interview with the late Princess Diana, has apologized for sexist remarks made during an Asian American Journalists’ Association banquet on July 25. Below are a couple of choice quotes: “I’m happy to be in the midst of so many Asian babes. In fact, I’m happy that the ... [Link]

Uhm Ki-woong, 36, a businessman

Posted 2 days ago:  With a tip of the hat to the Wall Street Journal’s Best of the Web, I have to share this paragraph from a dispatch about the anti-American/Bush/Lee/Beef/Whateve~ protest: “I don’t have anti-U.S. sentiment. I’m just anti-Bush and anti-Lee Myung-bak,” said Uhm Ki-woong, 36, a businessman who was wearing a mask and hat like other demonstrators in an apparent attempt to ... [Link]

Is Lee Hyori’s Backside Migrating South?

Posted 2 days ago:  Hisses the deliciously catty Ms. at Pop Seoul: Pop diva, Lee Hyori, looks great on top but not on the bottom -check out the flatness that is her behind which is sliding down her leg You can see the photo that inspired that quote and launched a fur-flying comment section at Pop Seoul. UnFLATtering references to Kim KardASSian, J. Lard, ... [Link]

Bush Lands in Seoul, Pandemonium Ensues…

Posted 2 days ago:  An estimated 20,000 anti-Bush demonstrators, 30,000 pro-Bush Christian demonstrators, mass prayer vigils, masked avengers, mad cows, riot police and water cannons… Bush gets a decidedly mixed, but certainly active, welcome. Hey, at least Korea’s not boring! Nice video summary from the BBC. [Link]

“How Much is That Doggie in the Test Tube?”

Posted 2 days ago:  I couldn’t improve upon the title in the New York Times International Edition article on Korea’s nascent dog cloning industry so it’s a direct quote. It appears that the disgraced Dr. Hwang Woo Suk is competing with a former student to create the world’s first commerically viable process. Per the article: The high-stakes battle pits South Korea’s best-known cloning experts ... [Link]

Marmot’s Vacation Day 1: Road to No Gun Ri

Posted 2 days ago:  OK, so with my well-earned (if I may say so myself) week vacation, I find myself on the road in lovely Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, where I’ve come to check out a couple historical and architectural sites of interest in the area before I move on to elsewhere. Okcheon Samyangni Catholic Church OK, this was supposed to be one of the highlights ... [Link]

Anti-Americanism you say?

Posted 3 days ago:  Perhaps, there is more love between the USA and Korea than many of us thought (Korea Times): Public sentiment is largely tilting pro-American in South Korea, despite the months-long street protests, according to reports. The Pew Global Attitudes Project reported in June that about 70 percent of South Koreans favored the United States, up from 58 percent in 2007. Here ... [Link]

First, Liancourt Rocks, Now It’s the Yalu and Tumen Rivers

Posted 3 days ago:  Alarm bells went off in Korea last month when the US Board on Geographic Names revised its designation of what it calls the Liancourt Rocks as “undesignated sovereignty,” a decision later reversed with a little input from George Bush. A YTN reporter with too much time on his hands has been poking around the website of the US Board on ... [Link]

Korea Herald on Blog Commentary

Posted 3 days ago:  In the Korea Herald’s Expat Living section, there’s a pretty big piece on expat bloggers, in large part sparked by Brian in Jeollanam-do’s troubles. It has interviews with a number of bloggers, including yours truly. Give it a read. [Link]

Dubaya Coming to Seoul… Korea to Deploy 16,000 Riot Police

Posted 3 days ago:  Dubaya is coming to the capital of “Good Korea” today as part of a larger trip to several Asian countries. Korea is deploying 16,000 riot police to make sure things are relatively incident free. However, many Koreans are calling for massive protests centered (apparently) on American beef exports. Should make for interesting times… [Link]

Korean Food, the Nouvelle Cuisine for Po Folks?

Posted 3 days ago:  Times are tough folks. Although the U.S. is not “technically” in a recession, it sure feels like one, whether or not one is in Korea, the states or elsewhere. So, what is one to do with rising oil and food costs vs. lowering incomes? Well, a Los Angeles pop journal called CityBeat says go Korean: A cheap cure for being ... [Link]

Nina Khrushcheva on The Bejing Olympics

Posted 3 days ago:  Nina Khrushcheva — grand-daughter of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev — has written an interesting essay (The PRC’s ‘triumph of the will’) on the eerie echoes of China having Albert Speer’s son designing a master plan for the access to the Olympic complex in Beijing: Speer’s commission was to lay out a master plan for the access to the Olympic complex ... [Link]

If I Were Seinfeld DVDs, Where Would I Be?

Posted 4 days ago:  A reader requests: Long story short, does anyone know where or who may have some Sienfeld DVDs. In Seoul, Korea? I have no idea. Anybody know? [Link]

Just Another Saturday Night in Jongno

Posted 4 days ago:  Scott has posted another protest report, this time from Saturday night’s demonstration. Very interesting stuff, particularly concerning the behavior of some of the press/activists. Like always, read the report in its entirety — here’s just a snippet: Now, I observed these reporters very carefully throughout the course of the night and can safely say that many of them were either ... [Link]

Caption Contest #2

Posted 4 days ago:   From this Chosun Ilbo story. No peeking, Korean speakers, until after you’ve posted your caption. [Link]

Carload of Youngsters + Alcohol = Heartbroken Parents

Posted 4 days ago:  Three in the front seat, six in the back, and three more in the trunk for a total of 12 friends in a Sonata speeding on a highway in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Behind the wheel was a 23-year-old ferrying around her friends in the wee hours of the morning. The car crossed the median and struck a guardrail on the opposite side. ... [Link]

More Bad Faith from NK

Posted 5 days ago:  North Korea has threatened to expel the remaining South Korean tourism officials and workers from Kumgang-san. If they get thrown out, at least they won’t get a bullet in the back like Park Wang-ja did. The blurb is here. [Link]

IMF Season 2?

Posted 5 days ago:  A humorous comparison of the Kim Young-sam administration of 1998 (during the height of the so called “IMF Crisis”) and the current administration. Here’s the translation of the comparison; IMF Season 1 IMF Season 2 Church elder and President Church elder and President Kim Young-sam Lee Myung-bak Economy vice minister Economy minister Kang Man-soo Kang Man-soo Park Chan-ho active in ... [Link]

Jellyfish: A Warning of Times to Come

Posted 5 days ago:  Jellyfish normally become plentiful around August, off the coasts of Korea, but now the world-wide plague of jellyfish have become more so a sign of over-fishing, pollution and global warming than of a fluke. Per the National Science Foundation, in one study notes that: “Human-caused stresses, including global warming and overfishing, are encouraging jellyfish surpluses in many tourist destinations and ... [Link]

Criticism of Michelle Wie Grows

Posted 6 days ago:  At first it was publications like Golf Digest and the L.A. Times. Then it was golf commentators and people close to the sport. Now it’s Michelle’s own peers that are questioning her strange decisions. Yesterday, Michelle Wie failed yet again in her latest bid to make a cut on the PGA Tour, struggling to an eight-over-par 80 at the Reno-Tahoe ... [Link]

Open Thread #60

Posted 6 days ago:  Bring out your dead. [Link]

Flavor of the Month

Posted 6 days ago:  David miliband, foreign secretary, UK, in an excellent recent essay: New Labour won three elections by offering real change, not just in policy but in the way we do politics. We must do so again. Uh, hello Han-nara . . . [Link]