Seoul to introduce new national slogan? Boooooo!

Seoul intends to introduce a government logo that will be used by all ministries and agencies as well as a new national slogan.

Officials said the images currently under consideration included those of the Korean Peninsula and the rose of Sharon, or Mugunghwa, the country’s national flower.

The council also plans to conduct a survey until the end of the year on the country’s current slogan ‘Dynamic Korea’ and the more commercially used ‘Korea Sparkling,’ a move that could lead to the creation of a new slogan.

I don’t think Korea needs a national slogan. I don’t understand this obsession with “national brands.” I think it’s just a jargon term for being well-known in the world, one invented by, and exploited by, snake-oil salesmen. Korea would be better off spending that time, energy, and money on other things.

If were asked to suggest a slogan, it would be: Extreme Championship Government.

Seoul to open an English Cafe

The Korea Times brings us the news that Seoul is planning to open an English Cafe, in which government workers will have to order their coffee in English, be able to listen to the morning news in English, and other things which are sure to lead to rapid, dramatic improvements in their all-important TOEIC scores. It’ll be called “Cafe Pine Tree,” which is already a bad sign. Clearly, like the much-ballyhooed English Villages, they refuse to listen to native speakers who are willing to edit their broken English. Let’s hope that they don’t end up like the English Villages, either ghost towns or film sets. Actually, on second thought, I don’t care. If the government wants to keep throwing money at a problem, instead of listening to the suggestion that allowing teachers to own their E-2 visas would be good for both attracting qualified English teachers and for improving English education through competition, then I don’t care if they keep flushing their own money down the toilet.