Korean journalism never fails to surprise me by its utter lack of professionalism. I thought I had seen it all, but no.
The Chosun Ilbo has a piece in which they describe what world figure skating champion eats everyday, according to her former coach and former doctor.
Kim Yu-na has been living and training in Canada, under Canadian coaches, for the last two or three years. How they hell do they know what she eats?!
October 23, 2009
What Kim Yu-na eats, according to her FORMER coach (?!)
Korean immigrant criminal referred to as “Canadian”
The Korea Times brings us a story entitled Canadian Caught for Swindling $27.8 Million. But wait.
Police said they arrested the Korean-turned-Canadian suspect in Seoul. According to police, the suspect, identified by his surname Kim, established an investment agency in Vancouver and raised funds amounting to nearly $27.8 million from 200 Koreans living there.
So if a Korean immigrates to Canada, then becomes a criminal, he’s a “Canadian.” Oookaaay. I’m sure that if he discovered the cure for cancer, he’d be hailed as a great “Korean” hero.
33% of Korean adults are overweight or obese
According to a report released Friday, one out of three Korean adults is overweight or obese. The number of people who went to the hospital last year because of diseases caused by obesity, such as diabetes and hypertension, numbered about twenty thousand, an increase of about 50% as compared to 2004.
The Wonder Girls really have made it onto Billboard’s Top 100
Earlier, it was reported, with some skepticism, that the Wonder Girls’ single “Nobody” had made it onto Billboard’s Top 100 chart. It appears to be true. The evidence is here.
Now let’s see how long they can stay there.
October 21, 2009
Super Junior’s Kang In confesses to drunk driving, hit-and-run
Remember Super Junior’s Kang In? After being caught on tape participating in a bar brawl last month, he more recently drove under the influence of alcohol, during which he committed a hit-and-runs on two taxis. He turned himself in at the police station, where he confessed.
Some netizens have called for him to be kicked out of the group. Other netizens have come to his defense, though.
It’s interesting to contrast this with the incident regarding 2PM’s Jae-beom. Jae-beom was run out of Korea by a torches-and-pitchforks Internet mob for writing some rude comments four years ago. On the other hand, this guy has been caught red-handed committing three serious offenses: drunk driving, hit-and-run, and assault. And it looks like he’ll get off more lightly (by the public) than Jae-beom.
The Wonder Girls Finally Appear on the Billboard Charts
Ever since they first entered the American market last June with the English version of “Nobody,” the Wonder Girls have barely registered as a blip on the music radar, despite opening for the hugely popular Jonas Brothers on their national tour, but no more.
According to JYP Entertainment, “Nobody” has entered the rotation play list of 18 of 167 “Top 40 Radio Stations” in the U.S. Being on said play list means that a song may be played once or twice a week for four consecutive weeks. More importantly, “Nobody” has finally become visible in the all-important Billboard chart.
Question: Where on the Billboard charts does “Nobody” currently stand?
a. # 1
b. # 91
c. # 107
d. # 123
(The answer is here.)
October 20, 2009
Lawmaker: “[T]he number of sexual crimes committed by [foreigners] is rapidly increasing.”
According to the Korea Herald and Times, a lawmaker, Representative Woo Yoon-keun has stated, “Along with the crime rate of foreigners, the number of sexual crimes committed by them is rapidly increasing,” said the lawmaker. This is despite the fact that he himself cited statistics that show that foreigners have a lower conviction rate than Koreans, 40% vs. 45%, respectively. According to him, that just means that foreigners need to be more targeted and more heavily punished.
“The government should come up with preventive measures to the increasing sex crimes committed by expatriates.”
“The police and prosecution should punish them strictly, while taking measures for prevention.”
Here’s a radical idea: How about punishment-that-fits-the-crime for all sexual offenders, regardless of whether they are Koreans or non-Koreans? Here are some articles to bring you up to speed.
–> Few teachers punished for sexual crimes
–> Today’s Joongang Ilbo column is about lenient sentences
And Gusts of Popular Feeling does an excellent job of dissecting and providing rebuttals to the misrepresented crime statistics on foreigners.
–> More on English teacher crime stats
–> [Untitled]
–> A closer look at the crime statistics for foreign English teachers
–> Foreign English teacher crime statistics released
–> How to make foreign English teachers an AIDS threat in 5 easy steps
–> An In-depth Look at Anti-English Spectrum
–> The achievements of Anti-English Spectrum
–> NHRCK update
October 18, 2009
Kim Yu-na wins 6th Grand Prix title, the Trophee Eric Bompard, with record score
Kim Yu-na has won her sixth Grand Prix title, the Trophee Eric Bompard, with a record score of 210.03, beating the previous record (also by Kim) of 207.71.
Mao Asada came in second, and Yukari Nagano was third.
The video of Kim’s short program skate is here, and the one for her long program is here.
October 13, 2009
Elephant becomes star after being cleared of assault charges
Remember the elephant that was accused of throwing a rock at a woman’s head? After being cleared of assault charges (no evidence or witnesses were found), he is now the star of Seoul Children’s Grand Park zoo.
Despite concerns that the elephant’s criminal charges may repel visitors, the cage of the 35-year-old animal since then has become the zoo’s most popular spot, said officials.
The news even contributed to attracting new visitors to the zoo, as people wanted to see the famous elephant, said a zoo official.
“Visitors would recognize Tae-san from television and approach the cage to have a closer look or take photographs, none of them seeming to be afraid of him,” said the zoo-keeper in charge of the elephant. “We, at the zoo, are all so proud of him for holding his own after the distresses caused by the investigation.”
I wonder if the woman named Kim is now feeling like an idiot.
October 9, 2009
China detects nerve gas at its border with North Korea
According to a Japanese news report, China has detected deadly nerve gas at its border with North Korea. It’s believed to be leakage from an accident.
The Chinese special operations forces found 0.015-0.03 microgrammes of the gas per cubic metre when they were conducting regular surveys while there were winds from the direction of North Korea, the report said.
China suspects that there were some experiments or accidents in its neighbouring country, it said.
In related news, North Korea is believed to have 13 types of biological weapons, including cholera, pest, yellow fever, smallpox, eruptive typhus, typhoid fever and dysentery, at more than 20 facilities. It’s also reputed to have up to 5,000 tons of chemical agents. Additionally, North Korea’s nuclear program is thought to be located at about 100 sites. But don’t worry, we can take them out in the event of war, no problem.
Extra! Korea 