President-elect-and-under-judicial-threat LEE Myung-bak confirmed his ambition to build a canal joining the Han and the Nakdong rivers during his first (and theorically only, unless he also manages to remodel the constitution) mandate.
One more project on the Seoul - Busan axis ? I'd rather see Korea build a circular bullet train line to balance the country's infrastructures with a milder impact on the environment. Or even better, invest in the much needed restoration of Seoul's subway stations, many of which are plagued with asbestos dust falls (30% of Seoul Metro's employees are rumored to be suffering from this cancerous material).
As the name of his Cyworld blog shows*, "Bulldozer" LEE is ambitious : one year to plan, three years to build (2009-2011), and one year to campaign for a second term. Not much time to think and plenty of time to sink ?
The former CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction wants his pharaonic project to be 100% financed by private companies. All chaebols have already been invited to a roundtable, and Middle East investors are likely to pour the bulk of the $15 bn announced.
A quick reality check already showed the actual number would be triple that... and a tedious real estaty check would probably multiply it tenfold.
A streamlet as a Mayor, a canal as a President... should LEE become the next BAN Ki-moon, he'd probably dig a new ocean or at least an Asian equivalent to the Mediterranean sea.
* http://mbtious.cyworld.com/
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
One million aliens
1,000,254 foreigners live in Korea. That's not much (a little bit over 2% of the population), but the number almost tripled within the last 10 years. And it starts showing.
Chinese represent 44.1% of the total and Americans 11.8%, but the majority of these Chinese "foreigners" (266,764) are ethnic Koreans... and I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar pattern among the 117,938 US citizens registered by the Ministry of Justice. The Korean diaspora going mobile seems a key driver anyway.
Another internal driver is the recent trend of "spouses imports" : 104,749 immigrants are married to Koreans - three times more than in 2002. And we are not just talking high rise international weddings but also about farmers picking up wives in South East Asian rice paddies. Mixed kids with a cultural handicap (inadapted mother at home and xenophobic neighbors around) are becoming a national issue.
And emerging countries are the main providers of "aliens". Japan and Taiwan lag behind Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand (15.7% for the 3 combined). But if there are 1.5 times more illegal immigrants than 10 years ago, they only represent 22.5% of the total, down from 38.3%.
Songdo New Town intends to compete with the likes of Singapore or Hong Kong, proposing lavish penthouses and wide green spaces one hour away from China and Japan to Westerners. But will they rush to new towns as quickly as Koreans did for Bundang ?
Chinese represent 44.1% of the total and Americans 11.8%, but the majority of these Chinese "foreigners" (266,764) are ethnic Koreans... and I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar pattern among the 117,938 US citizens registered by the Ministry of Justice. The Korean diaspora going mobile seems a key driver anyway.
Another internal driver is the recent trend of "spouses imports" : 104,749 immigrants are married to Koreans - three times more than in 2002. And we are not just talking high rise international weddings but also about farmers picking up wives in South East Asian rice paddies. Mixed kids with a cultural handicap (inadapted mother at home and xenophobic neighbors around) are becoming a national issue.
And emerging countries are the main providers of "aliens". Japan and Taiwan lag behind Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand (15.7% for the 3 combined). But if there are 1.5 times more illegal immigrants than 10 years ago, they only represent 22.5% of the total, down from 38.3%.
Songdo New Town intends to compete with the likes of Singapore or Hong Kong, proposing lavish penthouses and wide green spaces one hour away from China and Japan to Westerners. But will they rush to new towns as quickly as Koreans did for Bundang ?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
12 degrees of separation
This is my 4th presidential campaign in Korea. The posters haven't evolved much, and the animations at the crossroads still look about the same : mobile podiums blasting vibrating speeches, big screens, adjuma cheerleaders welcoming you out of your shop / subway station with fanatic songs praising a rather North Korean way their dear leaders... Christmas carols ahead of time, loud enough to cover up intense rumors of corruption...
11 candidates will try to prevent Lee Myung-bak from getting 50% of the ballots. 49M citizens will get a new leader for 3 years, and a new lame duck for 2... even if Seoul's former mayor changes the constitution to make 2 much needed changes for his successors : now that the democracy proved its sustainability, presidents should be allowed to run for a second mandate, and presidential elections should include a second round to clarify the political landscape (enough with this tradition of comical alliances and betrayals).
It's time to restore some dignity to an important function. Disapointed by ROH Moo-hyun's waste of trust (he held both the executive and legislative branches but balked in front of reforms - he did have to face a strange breed of justice, though...), netizens could decide to turn their back to the res publica and to focus on their virtual kingdoms instead.
11 candidates will try to prevent Lee Myung-bak from getting 50% of the ballots. 49M citizens will get a new leader for 3 years, and a new lame duck for 2... even if Seoul's former mayor changes the constitution to make 2 much needed changes for his successors : now that the democracy proved its sustainability, presidents should be allowed to run for a second mandate, and presidential elections should include a second round to clarify the political landscape (enough with this tradition of comical alliances and betrayals).
It's time to restore some dignity to an important function. Disapointed by ROH Moo-hyun's waste of trust (he held both the executive and legislative branches but balked in front of reforms - he did have to face a strange breed of justice, though...), netizens could decide to turn their back to the res publica and to focus on their virtual kingdoms instead.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Return to Naganeupseong
Naganeupseong, Jeollanam-do
Photo : "Naganeupseong farmer" (Copyright Stephane MOT 20070820)
Fortunately, nothing has much changed. The old halmony is over 74 now but her place remains as simple, comfortable and beautiful as it was a couple of years ago. In her (central-, not back-) yard like in most of the houses of the village, thatch is kept under ugly plastic for the yearly roof change. She's drying plants under the blazing sun and we'll have more delicious shiraegi bokkum bap this autumn. We invited her to play yutnori but she didn't know the game. Even in this beautiful spot in the middle of rice fields, you're too busy to learn this kind of trivialities.
All right, there's that big parking lot beyond the fortress, the other side of the village. And more highways have been completed in the area, destroying pristine landscapes. Plus they were shooting an MBC Drama that day - the kind with bearded tenors in lavish costumes. And another one was announced in the area (around the meta-sequoias... yet another Winter Sonata ephemeral hit for sure). Damyang-gun is definitely turning into a major touristic hub.
SM 200708
Today's news
Korean news in English:
- Yonhap News Agency: https://en.yna.co.kr
- Daily newspapers:
- Korea JoongAng Daily: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/
- Chosun Daily: http://english.chosun.com/
- Hankyoreh: http://english.hani.co.kr/
- dongA Ilbo: https://www.donga.com/en
- The Korea Herald: https://www.koreaherald.com/
- The Korea Times: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/
- Business news:
- The Korea Economy Daily Global Edition: https://www.kedglobal.com/
- The Pulse by Maeil Business Korea: https://pulse.mk.co.kr/
Save Korean maemis
The other day, I saved a poor lad about to drown in Cheonggyecheon. I used my clutch to help him out of the water. He took my hand with a surprisingly strong grip and I left him rest by the stream.
The time for its wings to dry, the insect was ready for another recital.
The Korean maemi is a big fella with a chant that (scientists noticed) tends to grow louder in Seoul, where tall buildings modify its propagation.
But Korean maemis are threatened by their Chinese cousins. They've been flocking by millions recently, sometimes thousands on the same tree, claiming the country as greedily as Beijing revisionists claim Koguryo culture.
Maybe this guy was committing suicide. Could Cheonggye stream become the next Canal Saint Martin ?
SM 200708
The time for its wings to dry, the insect was ready for another recital.
The Korean maemi is a big fella with a chant that (scientists noticed) tends to grow louder in Seoul, where tall buildings modify its propagation.
But Korean maemis are threatened by their Chinese cousins. They've been flocking by millions recently, sometimes thousands on the same tree, claiming the country as greedily as Beijing revisionists claim Koguryo culture.
Maybe this guy was committing suicide. Could Cheonggye stream become the next Canal Saint Martin ?
SM 200708
Monday, July 9, 2007
Dog day afternoon
Shindang-dong - Jung-gu
Photo : "Dog Day Afternoon" (200406 Stephane MOT)
People selling dog meat don't like to be taken pictures of. These lads do an even less pleasant job : they raise and kill the said dogs.
Photo : "Dog Day Afternoon" (200406 Stephane MOT)
People selling dog meat don't like to be taken pictures of. These lads do an even less pleasant job : they raise and kill the said dogs.
You cannot see the animals. Only hear them cry and scream behind doors and walls.
Or you see them dead, as dog meat or "gaegogi". In a stew or on a counter. In a stew you cannot tell for sure (I actually had some once without knowing what it was), but on a counter there is no way of mistaking.
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