Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from March, 2013

Politicians solving their own problems: Rep. Shim Jae-Chul

If you are a member of the National Assembly, please stop reading this now, if you want to save your career. Case : Rep. Shim Jae-Chul, leading Korean politician Problem : He hates working with so many guys. Solution : Look at nude photos during legislative session. What he shoulda said : I thought I was reading the Korea Times when I saw those nude photos. According to the Korea Times : Over the weekend, Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party was shamed after local media released a photo of him looking at pictures of nude women on his smartphone during a session of the National Assembly. The four-term lawmaker initially made the excuse that he was just checking an e-mail sent to him, but was disgraced further as another media outlet released a photo that he was typing “nude” into his smartphone. This case is hilarious. I'm not complaining about porn. But considering the other scandals in the news, you would think that a leading politician cou

Asiana to end skirts-only policy

Congratulations to the ladies at Asiana Airlines ! Starting from early next month, Asiana's 3000-odd female flight attendants will be allowed to wear trousers for the first time since the company came into existence 25 years ago, an airline statement said. The decision came after the national rights watchdog, responding to an appeal lodged by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, ruled the existing dress code was "gender discriminatory". I haven't heard about Korean Air's response or policy. It is the number one airline in Korea, so it doesn't have to worry, for now. But it would seem to be a great opportunity for Jeju Air, the number three airline, to immediately announce a "miniskirts-only" policy for 50% of new hires. Of course, people would be outraged, President Park would denounce it, women's groups would start burning their bras, and "experts" and philosophers would discuss the ethics of it. And Jeju Air wou

Dealing with North Korea

Of course, the new president of South Korea will warn, threaten, beg, try to make deals to get North Korea to stop developing and testing its nuclear weapons program. In the Korea Times (maybe today's paper, maybe yesterday's or maybe she said this last week or 15 years ago):   President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that North Korea must abandon its nuclear ambitions if it wants to continue to survive as a nation. * Of course, North Korea will continue developing its nuclear weapons program. ROK president Park knows it. DPRK dictator Kim knows it. US president Barack Obama knows it. Bill Clinton knew it. George W. Bush knew it. And you know it. Still, everyone outside of North Korea will continue to say it even though they know North Korea won't do it. The leaders don't believe it when they say it and the NK leaders don't believe it when they hear it. I guess that is what diplomacy is about. * I don't mean to criticize President Park

Exporting South Korea's economic policy to Taiwan

So there's a debate in Taiwan about whether or not Samsung threatened to "kill" Taiwan by taking over some industries there. Here's another reason I will never have a leadership position in Taiwan. Instead of debating about whether or not Samsung had such a plan, I would visit South Korea on a fact-finding mission. I would then announce that I was going to apply South Korea's various restrictions on business on Samsung: * Force Korean businesses operating in Taiwan to shut down their businesses at least twice a month. * Restrict large Korean companies from expanding into other industries. * Prevent Korean companies in Taiwan from open in randomly designated areas (such as, within 500 feet of mom and pop stores) *  Force large Korean companies in Taiwan to share their profits with smaller companies. * Demand that they increase their CSR giving. * Even monitor and control such things as the temperature in their buildings. * Threaten to tax t

Government causing problems: Caffe Bene

According to the Korea Herald : Caffe Bene, the nation’s largest coffee shop franchise, has started cutting jobs and executive salaries, blaming regulations against expansion of its bakery and restaurant chains. Then a funny thing happened on the way to a seemingly bland story: There was actual talk about the Korean government playing a role in damaging Caffe Bene's business. Not just a throwaway line or a final comment at the end of the article, but actually tying the business's problems to the Korean government's policy. Caffe Bene took over bakery chain Mainz Dom in December despite the National Commission for Corporate Partnership’s advice to reconsider the acquisition as the panel was discussing restricting bakery franchises. The state-funded commission last month designated bakeries and restaurants as “SME-only” businesses, barring franchises to keep from opening too many stores or within 500 meters from small bakeries. Large companies in the dinin

NK and China, in cahoots

Suzanne Schol te, chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, shared this with me: A copy of the Chinese police order offering rewards for turning in North Korean refugees and severe punishment for those who know about the refugees and do not turn them into police. The North Korean leaders are, to borrow a phrase from Willliam Lloyd Garrison: " Men-stealers and women-whippers ," And the Chinese police are modern-day slave-catchers.

Earth Hour 2013 Man of the Year!!!

In case you missed it, last night was Earth Hour. That's when people around the world turn off their lights for one hour to show concern for the Earth. The idea originated from the World Wildlife Fund. Bouncing off Don Boudreaux, I would like to announce that Kim Jong-Un is the Earth Hour 2013 Man of the Year. Kim Jong-Un, Earth Hour's 2013 Man of the Year I won't read through his resume and accomplishments to make my case, I will point out this satellite photo showing the difference between the two Koreas. North Korea, where every day is "Earth Hour." Not only is the dashing young dictator's regime focused on keeping North Koreans in the dark more than just one hour a year, but he is now leading a government that is threatening to blow up other countries for various reasons. He has ordered his military to strike with "lightening speed"--apparently confusing lightening speed with lightening, and thinking that lightening can bring ligh

Random Thoughts: There's a foreigner watching

A few days ago, I was at a small fly-by-night grocery store trying to buy some fruit. A customer was complaining at the clerk. I admit that I don't know what led her to complain. She was gently but strongly complaining--and holding up the line. She noticed me, motioned in my direction as if I weren't there, and mentioned to the guy in Korean that there was a foreigner there. She seemed to be trying to defuse the situation she was exacerbating. He flipped the script on her and he started getting angry. Assuming I read the situation correctly, from her view: "I can complain like crazy, unless there is a foreigner watching." In his case: "Hey, I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do, I don't care if there is a foreigner watching." * * * There are some times that it is amusing to explain some things about America when Koreans I talk to ask me what Americans think about one thing or another. I used to say, "Not all Americans think the same way,"

Casey Lartigue quoted in today's Financial Times

Casey Lartigue is quoted in today's Financial Times by his newest favorite reporter, Mr. Simon Mundy   “I'd rather use my money to support an organisation helpi ng North Korean refugees, instead of putting it in [North Korean supreme leader] Kim Jong-eun's pocket,” says Casey Lartigue, a visiting scholar at the Liberty Society in Seoul.   Obviously, a British paper: They changed my accent so that I spell “organization” with an “s."

Visit Seoul next time, Mr. Rodman (Korea Times, by Casey Lartigue, Jr.)

There’s an old joke that after being in China for a week you believe you can write a book. After being there a month, perhaps you can write a magazine article. After a year in China, you put your head down and mutter to yourself. The more you know, the more you know you don’t know. I would hope the same kind of thing is happening to former NBA star Dennis Rodman after he made international headlines with his visit to North Korea (and made himself the butt of jokes with his ignorance about the country). Others are mocking Dennis Rodman, but I hope he will come to Seoul before his next visit to North Korea. I would invite him to visit Mulmangcho, a school for North Korean refugee children (I’m the International Adviser to the school). We have 15 orphans and disadvantaged children who were rescued from China after their families or others helped them escape from North Korea. Some of them suffer from mental or physical problems after being beaten and starved in N

2032 Magazine article by Casey Lartigue

I have an article in the March issue of 2032 Magazine , published by the Liberty Society in Seoul. I am now a Visiting Scholar with the Institute. 1) I get to brag about some of the great stuff I did back when I was the Director for International Programs. 2) The organization was recently ranked among the top think tanks in the world. Coming in #106 might not seem great to some, but #106 out of 6,603? That's damn good! Apparently that puts the organization in the top 1% of think tanks around the world. And it is ranked #4 of Korea's 35 think tanks. 3) Thanks to Hana Lee, Aaron McKenzie, Eric Song, and other great staff members, but most of all, Kim Chung-Ho for making me the Jackie Robinson of the expat community in Korea, by making me the first (and possibly) last non-Korean that the Institute has hired. Latest and Upcoming 2032 site