LATENIGHT - KOREA

Friday, February 28, 2003

The last view from this window... Coming soon: an expanded view to the left!

I thought I'd post a quick note since my internet could be disrupted by up to a few days when I begin moving tonight or tomorrow. I'm hoping that the couple in the apartment I am going to had been using the same internet company in which case I might just be able to plug and play myself back on line as soon as the boxes are unpacked. Moving on a holiday has caused some difficulty in hiring helpers to get things like my refrigerator moved (all my appliances are owned by my school including my gas-powered hot plate which I have no idea how to safely disconnect. Cross your fingers for me).

That's all I am going to write for now. I have class shortly and need to spend some extra time boiling water to get ready. As a going away present, some workmen turned off my hot water.

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Looking down the street in Nowon

It's now officially "President" Roh. The inauguration was Tuesday morning. To mark the event, Roh conducted a somewhat high-profile interview with Newsweek, to be published March 3rd. In the article, Roh reaffirms his plan for "partnership" with North Korea in spite of all the events that have happened over the last few months. If Newsweek leaves you worried however, why not put on some soft,relaxing music and pick up a copy of the Korea Herald. With the extra attention that Roh is about to receive, the Herald has published some specially selected quotations from Roh, which should serve to educate people briefly on what the government for the next 5 years might have in mind. Barring that, head straight to the horse's mouth and read the inauguration speech in its entirety.

... And not to be forgotten, Kim Jong Il sent President Roh a welcoming present, just hours before the swearing in. Congratulations! Have a MISSILE !!! Now this was not the much anticipated test firing of the upgraded Taepodong missile that we've been warned about. The missile was a short range, anti-shipping missile (suspected to be a HY-2 Silkworm/Seersucker). While it was reported to have crashed harmlessly into the Sea of Japan-- the missile did manage to score a glancing hit on the Korean Stock Exchange.

HY-2 Missile (Photo: Chinese Defence Today)

Daegu Subway Disaster Update
The man who caused last week's fire in the Daegu subway survived, and he is now in police custody. In addition, nine subway officials have also been arrested for their part in aggravating the disaster. Part of this stems from reports that the driver of the subway train, fled the scene when the fire erupted-- with the master key that controlled the power system (and therefore the exit doors) of the train, leaving scores of people trapped inside the cars. This will likely mark the end of he investigation since the scene of the disaster has already been cleaned up and purged of evidence by people working on behalf of the subway authority. I have been told that the cleanup was so rapid, that even human remains were discarded in the regular garbage, and the platform was subsequently hosed off to remove the last traces. In their defence, the disaster committee is said to have claimed that the passageway was simply too dark and narrow to complete an investigation.

(Note: These typically poor investigative procedures are highly similar to the complaints by the FAA which, in 2001, led to a temporary suspension/safety-rating downgrade of Korean Air flights into the U.S.A., since that airline was accused of being similarly negligent in their procedures to investigate aircraft accidents.)

On a personal note...
(This image is actually from the workbook for one of my elementary classes.)

Frenectomies and a Bridge For Sale
I was rather disturbed yesterday when I went into my last elementary classes. It turns out that one of my students has undergone the controversial, tongue-lengthening operation (known as a Frenectomy) in which the area under a child's tongue is sliced to allow the tongue greater movement and an increased ability to speak English-- or so the brochure says. Personally I am amazed at the lengths that parents will go to here just to avoid the responsibility of sitting down with their children and making them study-- or accepting a child's ability at face value. Personally I don't see much difference between this and child genital mutilation and it disgusts me. Koreans often seem to believe that a lack of English ability is due to having a shorter tongue than Westerners. While Mom drops by the plastic surgeon's office to get double eyelids installed, why not bring the kids in to give them what Koreans believe a Western tongue is like too. Maybe they should save themselves years of anguish and cut the whole tongue out all together! -- Then they could keep it in the jar next to their brain *fume*

This "surgical procedure" is brought to you by the same doctors who also support "Fan Death" as a medical reality-- the death of an individual, usually in summer, which reportedly occurs when they go to sleep in a room with an electric fan running, and forget to open a window- a phenomenom also firmly supported by otherwise qualifed medical doctors here. This is not a quirk amongst the minority-- it is a widespread belief-- which I have encountered a number of times and have yet to find a Korean who doesn't believe in the oxygen-robbing powers of an oscillating fan.

Apartment Update
That was the news. What's going on with me you ask? Well the whole moving apartments deal is looking like it will go as smooth as it possibly could have in light of the circumstances. My boss managed to find me an apartment in the same building that I am in now, up three floors. He also let me know about it on Monday which gives me ample time to prepare for the actual move which will take place Saturday (and could lead to a temporary interruption for anyone trying to contact me but it shouldn't be for long). He's even going to hire someone to drop by in the afternoon to help with the heavy stuff (refridgerator, etc.) The only inconvenience left for me to complain about is that I am moving off an odd-numbered floor and onto an even-numbered floor. What's so bad about that? Not much except that the two elevators in my building are separated even and odd which means I'll either have to take my boxes up three flights of stairs or else navigate the elevators such that I go up four stories, over and down one. Somehow I think I'll figure it out though so I'm not going to dwell on this point. It could have been a lot worse had my new apartment been across town, away from the subway station, etc.

Cooking in Sichung and some Canadians too...
As for recent forays into local culture, Yeji and I managed to attend a showing on the final weekend of Nanta in Sichung. Nanta is billed as a cooking show, done with traditional Korean rhythms. It's loosely inspired by shows such as "Stomp" and entertainingly follows four chefs as they race against the clock to prepare a menu, all to the beat and music made by their culinary accoutrements. Our seats turned out to be front row, dead-center-- which contributed to me being singled out and forced to stand up at one point. We ended up sitting next to some friendly Canucks too (from Newfoundland, Alberta and North Bay, Ontario)-- who invited us out for beer afterwards. Out of the five of us Canadians, three of us had joined in the performance in one way or another. The Newfoundlander had been brought up to test the food during a mock wedding scene, and one of the guys from North Bay was called up to help make dumplings later on.

After the show finished, we hit the nearest Wa Bar across the street. We were surprised to find that they sold bottles of Molson Canadian (for about $9 CAD) and looking up, we saw that someone had actually hung up a Canadian flag, alone across the barroom ceiling. We talked about snow, different parts of the country where we had lived, and one guy even made the final decision to buy a ski-doo that someone back home had offered to sell him. The atmosphere was truly welcome and familiar. We had a great time.

Thursday, February 20, 2003

The BBC has reported that a North Korean, MiG-19 entered South Korean airspace just after 10:00am, local time, this morning. The fighter turned back as South Korean planes were sent to intercept. It is the first such incursion in 20 years.

Daegu suffered a horrendous tragedy on Tuesday. It's dwarfed all other things that are going on right now. Searchers are still looking hundreds of people caught in the a blast on the Daegu subway, when a mentally deranged and suicidal man, in his late fifties, boarded the subway with a plastic jug of flammable liquid and a lighter. The accident occured just at the wind down of the morning rush hour. Passengers attempted to wrestle the lighter away from him, but in the process, the subway train caught fire. The subway had been completed in 1997 and it is not the first disaster to strike that line-- though this one is certainly unparalleled. The line was constructed prior to construction safety standards for subway systems going into effect and as such, many feel that the explosion and resulting fire were compounded by the presence of flammable materials in the subway car, the lack of a proper sprinkler system, and the absence of effective emergency response protocols. The subway tunnel itself, may have been without proper ventilation and the fire raged for several hours. Koreans take great pride in their subway system, especially that in Seoul, which is said to be among the top ranking in the world. This disaster has caused a great many questions as to how it could be avoided and if it could happen again. The death toll rests at around 150, but searchers have over 300 reports of missing persons. Many of these reports may be double reports, due to the confusion, but the numbers of fatalities are being modified upward and the final tally will still be days away.

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

I can already tell what kind of week this is going to be...

It appears that kilts, pipes, and highland lassies are not the only old passions from Halifax to be Koreanized and resurfacing in my life this week. Add these to the list for the "Goth that has everything"-- Anime Tarot cards! These samples were lent to me by my student, James.

James has always been one of the most eager children I have ever taught in our hagwon. He has hair that's bushy on top with big, bright eyes. If you remember back to the World Cup, he is one of the students whose picture I posted. He was always a fast learner and quite a laugh when you wanted a volunteer to read. (Instead of raising his hand or shouting, "Me!", he always referred to himself slyly in third person saying, "James! Let James read!"-- I got such a kick out of it that I usually did).

But lately, James is becoming a bit of a troublemaker. Today it took me ten minutes to coax an English answer out of him when he and another student insisted on speaking only in "Beep"s, "Gargle"s, and "Whirrrrrr"s-- a language they later termed, "Alien sound". Now I think I have found the problem. He's toying with the devil. Yes, it could very well be true that persistent Harry Potter fans, like James, may be doomed to eventually dabble in the dark arts of the occult.

His deck is about the size of regular playing cards. Only the major arcana are included so using them to give an actual reading might be a bit inconclusive. Still, a lot of them are damn cute and I am now going to hunt for my own set (and maybe give my Thoth a rest). James was even nice enough to point out to me which side was up on the Hanged Man card. He has a fast learning curve-- in time, his powers will only grow. *cackle*

Now I am scared as to what crazed example of cultural assimilation awaits me tomorrow. These things happen in threes, you know!

Now for the bad news...
It turns out that the visit from my landlord last month wasn't as benign as I had hoped. She had showed up to get my director's phone number, and told me that she was planning on selling my apartment so that she could afford to move herself into a bigger place. (Apartments are run almost like condominiums here). No problem, I was assured by my boss. He would just sign a new contract with whomever took over the place.

I spoke with my director today however (having actually forgot about my worries in this matter). I was hoping that he might be able to find me a good place to pick up a used air conditioner before summer came. He said he could but then took the opportunity to drop a bombshell. "You must move," he said. It turns out that the landlady had called him up over the weekend and now she wants to move into my apartment as soon as my boss can find me a new place. He's looking but it's not an easy job to find vacancies in Seoul. But when he does (by next month or so), I am going to have to crate everything up, pick up my rabbit by her ears, and relocate. It's not his fault. It's not my fault. It's not really the landlady's fault either since she does own the place. It's just one hell of a p*ss off for me. *grumble* Maybe the new place will have CNN on the cable package. Then again, maybe the new place will be an officetel where I have to take a shower in the sink.

At least this time I should have more than 20 minutes to pack.

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Was it my birthday or something?

Some haggis with your kimchee?

I walked into my first class of youngsters today and bellowed out my usual greetings of, "Hello, everybody. How are you?", and "What day is it, today?". The kids responded and we began studying the verbs "can" and "like". With lots of kids in this class, it can get pretty rowdy and since I always have lots of energy for the first class of a new week, the energy and decibel levels were creeping higher and higher. I was in the middle of, "I can eat five hot dogs but I can't eat one hundred hot dogs," when all of a sudden, something fought through the ruckus, dripped into my ears over the distance, and I perked up. I immediately stopped. I motioned the children to stop and they did in an instant, bless their hearts. I thought for sure that I was finally going insane... I heard pipes!

How I heard them, from far away across a traffic-filled street, and with all the windows in the classroom closed, I guess I will never know. But heard them, I did indeed. I stooped down to crawl under the white board and crack open a window. There they were. It wasn't just one person playing bagpipes either. There were two pipers, a snare drum and a bass drum-- four sweet Korean girls, clad in the old garb as if they had just stepped off the Auld Sod yesterday. My students caught my excitement and rushed to the window. I let them all take a good look before saying, "Na wah," (get out) and ushering them back out of the way with a smirk so that I could get another long-deprived look and listen.

As soon as class ended, I raced down to grab this picture (the last one left on my camera). The girls were there to promote the grand opening of a new MacKie's Scottish Icecream parlour on our street. They had just finished playing and were loading their instruments into a car as I got there. Graciously, three of them let me take this photo. As soon as I clicked it, I turned around. From the fifth floor of our building, my entire class was cheering at me from out the window. Sure it was embarrassing to be standing on the street under a fan club of a dozen eight-year-olds chanting your name, but the shock of hearing "Scotland the Brave" on the pipes hadn't worn off at that point. I was still suffering from my suddenly warmed-over heart. For one instant, after two-and-a-half years... it sounded as if I was back in Nova Scotia.

With no one around me to share my joy, I spent the rest of the day languishingly and lamentably homesick.

Sunday, February 16, 2003

Holy Hemlines, Batman! New spring fashions for Seoul?

There's only good news to finish this weekend with.

You may remember how I commented on the liberalization of Korean fashion that occurred around the time of last year's World Cup-- when the scantily dressed, soon-to-be pop sensation, Mina, was first discovered and became the poster girl for "less is more". Well now it's 2003, Mina is still singing, and it looks like her trademark fashions will move in to dominate this spring's wardrobe.

Yes, the Korea Herald has reported that Miniskirts are poised to "hit the streets".

...And wait, it gets better! Scientists and demographers in Korea have been working around the clock on a new report, released last week. According to the Agency for Technology and Standards, (as reported in the Korea Times, on the very same day as the Herald's miniskirt story) Korean Females' legs are getting longer! Since 1986, Korean women have grown an average of 6.6 cm, while their legs have grown 7.8 cm. Related to this, there is a troubling statistic however. Women's waistlines have also been shown to be increasing-- but I don't want to spoil the fun.

[Note: Upon later reflection, I just realized that their torsos must also be shrinking (by 1.2 cm), since the increase in leg size outpaced the total height increase. Could a mathematician confirm this for me?]

As the springtime progresses, I will endeavour to keep you up to date on this startling new trend with eye witness reports and on-the-spot webcams (budget allowing).

In other happy local news...

Congratulations to Lee Jong Wook who has become the first South Korean elected to a head a U.N. agency. Lee is an expert on Tuberculosis and was elected the Director-General of the World Health Organization on January 28th.

Also, I want to add a link to the site for Celebration 2003. This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Canada (and also Korean-Swiss relations). The Canadian website appears to be most or all in Korean, but English-speakers can find more information on Celebration 2003, in Korea Now !!

Friday, February 14, 2003

Shops in Haggye

Happy Valentine's Day, folks.

I had an alright day, Thursday. My modem had quit on me but the technician came in to replace it in the morning. School was long, with a lot of lower level classes, but I received a few gifts of chocolates and the kids were generally in a good mood. After class my certain special someone and I exchanged some gifts and I can now report that I am the proud owner of Chingu on DVD. I'll likely watch it in a couple of days and though it's a bit old by now, I'm really looking forward to seeing it as it was a big hit when I arrived in country.

... blah, blah blah...

That's enough of the 4am small talk. On with the news...

There's a great deal of irony shaping up between the headlines these days. Let me first say that in complete ambivalence to any threat posed by North Korea (or to foreign investment), the Joong Ang Ilbo is reporting that 57% of Koreans want the U.S. to withdraw their forces. Once upon a time, president-elect Roh was in favour of this too-- but he flip flops. It now looks like the decision might be made for him as the U.S. is now considering a reduction in it's troop commitment to South Korea, which it says is based on the out-of-date "cold war" model.

Certainly the U.S. has done it's share here. For fifty years, U.S. troops have served as a deterrent to any reinvasion plans by the North. As part of a multinational force, they defended South Korea during the Korean War. Going back a few more years, it was the U.S. that was primarily involved in the Pacific theatre where victory resulted in the liberation of Korea from Japanese Occupation.

Why do I mention all this again? Symmetry of course.

Japan has now gone beyond the promise of mobilization, to the full blown out adoption of this year's most popular catchphrase-- "pre-emptive strike". Maybe only a sadistic history buff like me finds this ironic-- but to imagine the U.S. pulling out and the Japanese moving back in-- it really does exemplify how circular history is, doesn't it?

But what about diplomacy, you say? Seoul continues to insist that they are mediating the whole show, while Pyongyang only has ears for Bush. Maybe that's because Seoul is still hesitant to even admit to the nuclear ambitions of the North which would make Kim Jong Il look rather impotent at the negotiating table. Sure North Korea might have the technology, the plutonium, the delivery vehicles and everything else associated with nuclear arms, but the government in Seoul is not about to accept that Kim Jong Il has actua; nuclear weapons until they see the glowing green sparks from his irradiated eyes. Even if that did happen, Seoul says it would welcome a nuclear North over the possibility that the country would financially collapse prior to planned reunification. South Korea is even venturing, at this time, on a series of public relations roadshows throughout the U.S. to convince business leaders there that there is no problem here at all. For them, the drop in foreign investment is of a more pressing concern than the dropping of bombs.

There are those in the U.S. and Japan who don't quite see it that way though. Intelligence analysts in those countries have now begun dismissing Kim Jong Il's threats simply as a means to weasel up attention and foreign aid. Rather than calling his bluff, they have decided to take him seriously and have agreed that he is not bluffing at all. Even if North Korea is primarily seeking handouts from these recent shenanigans, their ultimate goal is to become a nuclear power irregardless. That sense of acceptance means that any response to the current crisis will no longer be just a stop gap measure to pacify the Hermit Kingdom-- it must now provide for a decisive means to eliminate the now inevitable nuclear threat.

While the Eagle is circling for a nest, the Sun is rising in the East.

For a bit of humour, check out the most recent story in The Onion on North Korea.

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

An uphill climb, Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon

There appears to be a manure-like smell coming from the proverbial fan...

As usual, I've been bookmarking lots of news stories lately on what's going on with the North. A lot of them are just warmongering and I'm trying to tone down the fear factor-- but I think that the last couple of days has seen a pretty important piece to the Doomsday puzzle locked in. Pyongyang's anticipated next step is a missile test which would reaffirm their capacity to drop 5000 tons of chemical weapons on Japan, should the DPRK chose. Basically, Japan is getting ready to step in and when that happens, stability in the region will be gone for good. For the time being, they are considering the deployment of destroyers to monitor North Korea, but have stated that they would completely mobilize in the event of a missile launch. Even if things subside, the possibility of Japan rearming for any future conflicts remains stronger. One of the reasons that China tolerates the U.S. being in Korea is that it serves to keep Japan from feeling threatened enough to pursue an arms buildup. That buildup may become a reality and with Japan's economy combined with its production capacity... it wouldn't take long before Japan rose to it's World War II levels-- should it chose. Expect a statement from China very soon.

Domestically, things in Korea are... um... incomprehensible to foreigners who are trying their best to be non-judgmental these days. Still playing down the threat from North Korea, President Roh nonetheless sent a high level delegation to meet with the U.S. last week and it's caused a minor stir. Quotes from the meeting seemed to imply that the U.S. was considering a withdrawal of their troops in Korea. Of course, if North Korea is as non-threatening as Roh implies, this wouldn't even be a problem, would it? I mean South Koreans seem to want the U.S. out-- and the Americans basically said that all South Korea had to do was ask and the U.S. would be gone with no hard feelings. It caused a panic. Just the simple thought that Uncle Sam would really take any request from South Korea seriously has sent the government into damage control mode.

Further complications are coming from the revelation that Kim Dae Jung's Nobel Peace prize had a price tag. In order to secure the historic 2000 summit between the two Koreas, various as-yet-unconfirmed figures, totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars, flowed from the South into the North, primarily from Hyundai. It wasn't exactly a bribe per se because Hyundai did get something out of it. They signed a deal with North Korea that gives them a 30 year monopoly in North Korea over the North-South railway, Telecom, Electricity Utilization, Airport Construction (in Tongchon), the Mt. Kumgang Reservoir, a Multi-purpose dam on the Imjin River, and tourism. YES, TOURISM !!!

Maybe that is actually the brightest news of the day. North Korea can't cause trouble because they are already owned by Hyundai. Since Electricity Utilization falls in their domain, maybe the U.S. should be negotiating with them to turn of the Yongbin reactor. Yep... welcome to the People's Republic of Hyundai-- care to buy a T-shirt?

In final news, Kim Jong Il's birthday is coming up on Sunday. I wonder what he'll wish for when he blows out the candles on his cake. Probably electricity, since those candles will be the only source of lighting for miles until the bombs start to fall.

Saturday, February 08, 2003

Photo from near Nowon station and the Hotel Tiffany

On location at a PC�� in Jongno...

Today wouldn't have been half as funny if I hadn't gotten into an argument last night over the merits of double, triple, and quadruple checking absolutely EVERYTHING people tell you in Korea. My initial red flags went up when I finally saw the advertisement on the internet for those Korean language classes and it was written entirely in Korean. If I could have read it myself, I wouldn't need to take the class. It would be the same as if we did up all of our advertisements in English-- USELESS.

Aware of the increasing decibels in my partner's voice over incessant worrying (I'm still not certain why she was arguing but whatever her problem was, I am sure I have now proved her laissez-faire attitude wrong), I submissively got up early today and hopped a cab. I made it to the Korean hagwon in Jongno an hour early. That was designed to give me exactly enough time to do a level test and be fitted for one of the six Korean language classes that the school offers. When I got up to the desk and told the girl what I wanted, I was met with, "There is no teacher. No class. No teacher." The girl gave me a slip of paper to fill in, and told me the next Saturday class would begin March 8th. Then, she wouldn't accept the filled-out paper back. She told me to bring it with me when I came on the 8th.

Now part of me suspects that this administrative policy is the reason behind why they have no class. How can they plan to hire a teacher if they don't accept applications from students? Oh well, I know better than to question my partner about that tonight.

Now I'm a bit stuck.

We already have tickets to see a movie tonight, in Jongno so I feel compelled to hang around. I got a coffee and tried to think back to what I did the last time I was in Jongno. Oh yeah, I remember. I was tricked into going jewelry shopping-- this being a jewelry boutique area and all. So that's what I did. Valentine's Day is right around the corner and even though it's only the girl who buys gifts on Valentine's Day in Korea (Men buy gifts on March 14th which is "White Day"), I let it slip the other night about how in Canada, the Valentine's gift giving is mutually gender inclusive. Now I think I'm on the hook for something come next Friday.

I really want to type Naneun Babo right now ("I am stupid"), but in addition to crashing on me twice, this god-awful PCBang computer just lost its English to Hangeul function. Oh well, I am sure that will be a much bigger problem for the next guy.

Back to my story. After making a purchase I decided to seek out the next item on my list-- a Lottery ticket. It's the big buzz right now on the street. Over 60% of Koreans have purchased tickets for tonight's 6-45 draw which is approaching 70 Billion Won (about $90 Million CAD). My next step is to find a place that will sell one to me. I've been wandering around looking for an LG25 and would you believe it, I can't find one! I passed by two By-The-Ways and three 7-11s but no LG25s and they are the only ones that carry lotto tickets. I did see one of the newspaper kiosks on the street that sold them, but the line-up stretched clear around the block-- and it's raining so I have no intention of standing out to wait.

But.. I want to get out of this PCBang before my computer crashes again. The internet is sporadic. There have been emergency warnings about the return of slammer but maybe there's something else to it. Both here and at home, I am having trouble reaching sites such as CNN but the funny thing is that if I go through an anonymous server, like www.anonymizer.com, I *can* get them. The internet certainly has some weird, geocentric, speed bumps this week.

I'm off to make a phone call. If I have time, I might pop over to the Namdaemun Market. If not, I guess I'll go join that line up down the street for lotto tickets.

Tuesday, February 04, 2003

Looking out over Busan

Well, I don't know if it's just the change back to my regular schedule, or if it's the thought that warmer weather is not far down the road, but I am feeling quite motivated these last few days. I suppose having a few days off helped too.

I just got some extra information about those Korean classes and it seems that I should be able to get started this weekend. I'll have to do a level test, and find placement... I have a feeling it's going to give me a unique perspective of what my students go through. It's conducted at a hagwon so the reversal in roles is complete.

Also, there are a few concerts and shows scheduled over the next few weeks that we are going to try to catch. We already have tickets booked for Nanta which is a primarily visual (non-verbal) Extreme-Cooking show that's supposedly been a hit amongst other foreigners who speak limited Korean, like me. Additionally, and provided we can get tickets, "Cats" is playing in Seoul too!

And lastly, what else is floating my boat? Well.. not much else, really-- but I did manage to haul out the old guitar again yesterday, after months of dormancy.

Ah, Springtime is on it's way...

Sunday, February 02, 2003

Now playing at Chez Ian

Egads! I think I am forgetting how to blog. Last week officially passed without a single word from me.

For a lot of reasons, I just couldn't find a moment where I could relax long enough, or think clearly enough to post. The winter schedule concluded for me on Wednesday. After that, I've been sitting at home for Seolnal, the Lunar New Year, where I've been marking writing assignments and posting the odd note over at Dave's ESL Cafe's new forum (which is a substantial improvement over the old one). I also finished that newspaper story that I was griping about, and it should show up in print back home next weekend. The internet worm, Slammer, also slowed things down at home, but at work it utterly killed our computers for the entire week (they are on Korea Telecom's system which took days to be put back into place.)

It's going to feel good to get back to the night shift tomorrow, when I will return to my usual 5 hour work days and copious amounts of free time. I had already started drifting back to my 4am bedtimes last week, even though I was still working on an 8am wakeup call. Thankfully we only had three days of class. But now, spring is on its way and I'm starting to feel a bit more energy creeping in. With luck, I will be able to start a Korean class next weekend-- and at home I should be able to get my own projects back on track such that I can enjoy the feeling of accomplishment again.

Oasis
Friday night, we broke open the first of three DVDs that I bought in Hyehwa a couple of weeks ago (when we went to see "The Two Towers"). This was also the first time I used the DVD part of my CD drive and I am happy to report that it works fine-- especially since I can now watch Korean movies with English subtitles.

So the DVD I watched was the new Oasis Special Edition. The movie was directed by Lee Chang Dong and stars Seol Gyeong Gu and Mun So Ri. It was awarded 5 prizes including Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival, in 2002.

Oasis is a romance but it is one with sharp social criticism toward the ostracization of certain elements in Korean society. Seol plays the part of Jong Du who, as the movie begins, has been released from prison after serving two and a half years for the drunken hit and run accident of an expressway worker. After trying to be welcomed back by his family, who view him as a hopeless 29 year-old with no skills and no future, he pays a visit to the household of the man he killed. Once there, he meets the two adult children of the man-- a brother and a severely mentally handicapped sister named, Gong Ju (Princess). The tragedy is that Gong Ju's brother and his wife have been using Gong Ju's disability to weasel a beautiful apartment out of the government-- but it's across town and Gong Ju is not allowed to live there! Once a month, when social workers visit, they drive over, pick her up, and sit her in the apartment long enough to fool the government that she resides there. In reality, Gong Ju is left alone in a broken down apartment, with only the neighbour to feed her periodically and check to see if she's still alive.

My only criticism of this movie also happens to be something that makes it's theme hit home. When we are introduced to the characters of Jong Du and Gong Ju, they are difficult to like or emphasize with. Gong Ju lacks all but the most meager verbal skills and as such, it takes a while for the audience to understand what is going on in her head (she later speaks a few words with trouble, and we do see sequences where she dreams of being "normal" in relationship with Jong Du). On a similar note, Jong Du is stupid. He might be able-bodied but he lacks the common sense that God gave a goat-- and that is the source of many of his problems. Relatedly but in contrast to the uniqueness of this film, the story early on follows the appauling pattern of many Korean "romances". That is, Boy meets Girl, Boy rapes Girl, Boy and Girl fall in love. When Jong Du returns to bring flowers to Gong Ju (partially out of guilt for her losing her dad though there's more too it than that and I don't want to give away that spoiler), he sneaks into her apartment and finds her alone. After trying to talk to her for several minutes, he takes advantage of her. Gong Ju faints during the ordeal and he realizes what he has done. He rushes to pour cold water on her to wake her and after she gasps herself back to being awake, he apologizes, of a sorts, and leaves his phone number on her dresser. Later, in a fit of loneliness after being dumped off by her brother again, she calls him, and the two begin a dysfunctional but sweet romance.

Now is that really a criticism? Yes. I am sick of seeing Korean movies where the woman falls in love with her rapist. They're on the TV every night and it's a deplorable formula for domestic movies here. But does it work in this case? Begrudgingly I have to say it does. Since the characters in this movie are made star-crossed lovers due to their status as social outcasts, this display of inborn immorality, or pitifullness, causes the viewer to consider the main characters as outcasts too. After the relationship grows (and it *is* a beautiful relationship based on selflessness, true caring and understanding) the audience might be made to feel guilty for initially wanting to disassociate with the characters from the onset due to these early examples of what can best be described as premature character assassination.

The movie really is of a superb calibre. Seol, and especially Mun, did a fantastic job portraying truly difficult characters. The technical aspects are perfect. Since the story actually takes place close to where I live in reality (Jong Du's family lives in Haggye) I recognize a lot of the scenes and I felt submerged watching the film. Lee's attempt to make the film "real", necessary for it's goal of social criticism, is an utter success. I will want as many of my friends to see this as possible, not just for the story, but for the rare opportunity to feel life in Seoul and see it from the bottom up.