More Shots From The North

North Korea is once again pushing the South's buttons by firing on Yeonpyeongdo, a small island off the western coast of South Korea.

Here's the AP news story.

Here's the Aljazeera news story.

Here's the CNN report.

Both stories include some pictures.

Apparently, there have been at least four casualties, as well as a number of houses being destroyed. It prompted a quick response from South Korean marines.

I'm usually pretty quick to write any crazy North Korean news off, but the past few months have seen the most shooting between the two countries in a very long, especially being condensed in such a short period.

First, the Cheonan ship sank in March. I was pretty skeptical about the North's involvement, but now I'm pretty much convinced they did it. Actions speak pretty loudly, after all.

Because after the ship incident, troops from the North once again fired on the South in October, right before everyone arrived for the G20 summit.

And now, they're firing once again. Keep in mind that this time is not too far from those of us living in Incheon. I used to tell my family and friends not to worry, but now I'm actually a little nervous about all this activity. On top of that, we get to hear continual 'scare' stories about this nuclear reactor that's taking shape.

I know that news feeds the masses a healthy dose of fear. I've managed to think rationally about it before. But even I am concerned about why all these military exchanges have been taking place in the last 8 months.

Let's hope we hear something more solid on this soon.

Still Preparing For The G20

It's coming to Seoul/Incheon area this summer, and I HATE protestors.

But here's an intersting quote from the column:

'"As a country that is located between developed and developing countries and that suffered poverty and also remarkable economic growth in short period of time, South Korea appears to be a right nation to play such a mediating role," a Seoul official said on condition of anonymity. "We believe it has played the role quite well this time."'

Weapons at the G20???

An editorial in The Korea Times points out that certain concealed weapons may not be detected at ports of entry and are now being traded freely among bad guys.

The G20, scheduled in November in Seoul, will bring some of the world's most influential leaders out for discussions. Korea is always trying to establish itself among the global elite, and is taking the best precautionary measures it can to make sure things go well.

"They are made from such materials as zytel and grivory, both reinforced plastics. Some of them have blades over 18 centimeters and can inflict fatal injuries.

They are classified as "pseudo-knives" in Korea because they are not made of metal, and so can be possessed without legal permission.

Making them even more problematic is that it is highly likely that terrorists could smuggle them in, considering that current checks are not fool-proof. Only 10 percent of arrivals undergo thorough checks by hand and metal detectors fail to provide 100 percent detection."

While they have some work to do to ensure people's safety, they've got some time to get things together. They're going to be just fine. Although, the protests will be massive. Yikes.

G20 Schedule of Events

While there isn't much really pertinent information in this article,it does list a schedule of upcoming events leading up to the big G20 conference that will be held in Korea this year.

The Korean government is thrilled to be involved. As I said before, this is the second year in a row that the G20 will basically be held in my hometown. Last year, it was in Pittsburgh. This year, it'll be in the Seoul Metropolitan area, which includes Incheon.

G20, China and Weddings

G20

The G20 Summit, which took place most recently near my hometown in Pittsburgh, will be hosted this coming year in Seoul. This story in The Korea Herald says that the plan is to discuss post-crisis management for the global economy. Of course, that's assuming we've reached the "post" part of the crisis.

Also, if all goes according to plan, the meeting will be held on an island in the middle of the Han River.

China Threatens US Status

A story in The Chosun Ilbo reminds us all that the United States is no longer the only game in town for South Korea. Though they've been economic partners since the end of the Korean War, China is trying to assert its dominance in the global market by jumping into South Korea.

From the story:

'The U.S. remains the chief political and military ally of South Korea, but "vital issues such as a trade agreement and North Korea's atom bombs have been sidelined in the U.S., while China plays a greater role in both Koreas," the daily said.

It quoted Andrew Gilholm, a senior analyst at British international security consultancy Control Risks, as saying, "The long-term idea is that Seoul will ultimately drift more towards Beijing's orbit, although less so under President Lee Myung-bak."'

Considering logistics, as well as the rise of China's economy compared to the fall of the US economy, it would really come as no surprise for China to take over as the main trading partner to South Korea. China's influence in the area is really coming on as they look to surpass the US within the next 20 or so years.

This has no immediate impact on the US, but as the dollar remains in an unstable position, losing another major economic partner can't be good news for the States.

Korean Weddings

A story in The New York Times discusses the traditional and current thinking behind giving gifts at a Korean wedding. Traditionally, the gift is an envelope of cash. Considering that weddings are so expensive here, the wedding cash gift is generally used toward paying off that hefty price tag.

But this story reports that some people are moving away from that tradition of giant guest lists and loads of cash gifts in favor of smaller, more intimate events to mark their special days.

From the story:

'Before entering a Korean wedding hall, guests normally line up to hand their offerings to a cashier, who opens the envelopes and registers the givers’ names, and the amounts of the gifts, in a velvet-covered ledger. The practice is such a given that wedding invitations sometimes include bank account numbers so people who cannot attend can still send money. ...

But in recent months, the wedding cash and the habit of inviting a large crowd of guests have been criticized as wasteful at best, and a conduit for vote-buying and bribery at worst.'

This story is certainly an interesting look at culture. My second weekend in Korea, I attended a Korean wedding. I got their expecting something similar to any wedding I've ever seen. But the Korean wedding is a rowdy affair, with people milling in and out during the ceremony, and shouting and cheering throughout. It's certainly not similar to the quiet weddings in America where the focus is on the bride and her gown.

I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of energy and excitement in the room.

The wedding was held at a big wedding hall, where many weddings were scheduled for the day. After the wedding, we went into a giant common buffet hall, where all the wedding parties in the building gathered for what we would consider the reception. There wasn't dancing, but there was a ton of food and alcohol.

I didn't give the cash gift. The Korean I was with gave on behalf of us, and told us not to worry, since we were foreigners there. It was a pretty cool experience.

This story says that it's the younger generation that is trying to change the rules of the weddings and white envelopes of cash.

While that by itself is interesting, I think it points to a larger picture of the swiftly-moving generational changes that Koreans are facing on an almost-daily basis.

Check the story out for a good bit of cultural knowledge.