Most Popular AAK! Posts of 2010

Here is a quick look at the most popular AAK! posts of 2010.

Most Viewed Posts of 2010 (All-Time)

1.  Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Korean Men
2.  AAK! Wiki:  Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!
3.  Why is StarCraft Popular in Korea?
4.  The Ultimate Korean Looks List
5.  The Korean's English Acquisition

Most Viewed Posts of 2010 (Written in 2010)

1.  Why is StarCraft Popular in Korea?
2.  The Korean's English Acquisition
3.  North Korean Jokes
4.  State of ESL Teachers in Korea
5.  Healthcare System in Korea

As of December 30, the Korean answered 1,236 questions (not counting follow-up questions) over the email in 2010. Thank you for all your questions, and happy new year!

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Best of the Worst 2010 - Part III: Worst Email of the Year Revealed! (And it is VERY NSFW)

And here we go into the grand finale -- the worst email of the year! But first, some very worthy runners-up.  Again, all emails are real, and are copied/pasted verbatim except for people's names.

Strange Tasting Spams

re: Booking for a dance class

would like to book for 2 weeks classes for 3 hours each day Monday to Saturday for a group of 10. We are asking for 3 hours per day for 2 weeks - Monday - Saturday. A total of 36 hrs. We would be coming over for holiday and as part of our plans we need dance classes/private lessons in ANY of the following area Ballet, belly dance and Pre-Dance as well as Salsa, Swing,Ballroom and Tango. Do you have a training studio/facility where you conduct the classes? Do you have rooms or is there any hotel close to your facility? DATE: 6TH February 2010 TO 20TH February 2010.
The group would be performing for a group of family members over there. I would love to get the total cost or a quote/estimate. What are your payment options? Do you accept credit cards? I would be grateful if you will be willing to do the work to teach quality classes and make us happy.

Regards,

Amanda Nichole

The Korean misses the good old days when spams were about an African millionnaire dying in a plane crash.

re: Your prompt response will be appreciated

Hello,

I am Davis klean i would like to book reservation for accommodation and lunch for 10 workers that will be coming for vacation on the 12th April to 22th july 2010.

If you have vacancy for the specified period, give me the total cost of 10 single or 5 double rooms for 10 nights for the 10 guests. Please give us your rates,for the entire period, and get back to me with the grand total for the period of time i requested.

Your prompt response will be appreciated.
Thanks for your co-operation.

Regards.
Davis klean

Sure, the Korean has five double rooms for your workers ... in your mama's ass.

re: Coach Brazilian Football

Hi Mr,
Please check my resume the football.

Coach Brazilian Football - Claudio Roberto Silveira.

Along with the resume, these pictures were also attached.

The Korean would have thought fake Brazilian reporters would be hotter than that lady.

re: hello am jennifer can we meet pls

hello
My name is Jennifer Peter.I am 27yrs old,i graduated At (Arizona State University)ASU where i studied banking and finance and now am planning to work in any of the bank.I am leaving with my uncle in Liverpool, but I have been happily single,It is time to move on. Family is very important to me. I can cook, clean, I am attractive and outgoing. I consider myself to be balanced, well-rounded,and from a close family.I Believe life is not a spectator sport - Because life is short, I work hard and play hard Am a happy person, and believe happiness comes from within Find good conversation more stimulating than a strong cup of coffee Family is very important to me - Love to dance,Am a creative and good cook Volunteer because it warms my soul My favorite cities: New York, Los Angeles,London,Chicago Favorite Movies: When Harry Met Sally, James Bond movies,The Godfather, Love Story, and films that "move me" Wouldn't survive without frequent and generous doses of laughter Appreciate "marvelous imperfections", and believe we all love imperfectly Believe true love is unaffected by time,space and distance...

My love life is very real and i try to take my time to acquire one.My being single introduced me to internet dating because it worked so well for a good friend of mine. I belief in true love as it develops. Am very romantic and I enjoy dancing and dining out at least once a week especially with a partner who understands true romance. I actually love romantic men..I haven't been doing that too much lately since i have been single for a while now. I hope I found him already.

I am the only child of my family,I am looking for a man who is gentle, warm, sensitive, kindhearted, compassionate, generous, supportive,loving, understanding, honest, trustworthy, open, adventurous, strong,courageous, spontaneous, outdoorsy kinda guy, funny, playful,passionate, sensual, sexy, attractive, witty, charming, physically fit, emotionally stable, financially stable, caring, loves animals, his family,friends. Someone who is spiritual and believes in helping others. Someone who I can share my thoughts, feelings ideas with and he shares his with me.A man who is strong, yet tender; supportive, yet doesn't mind being supported and cared for. A man who wants to Love me & be Loved by me. I hope you are an honest man because the most important characteristics to me are compatibility and friendship. I'd like to know if you are an open minded person, honest and easy going. A sense of humor is a big plus. I hope we'd have some shared interests and goals, as well as some similarities in opinion about what's important in life. I would love to find out if you are a true caring someone that I could have a very deep relationship with and be able to just feel the Light when we are together. I'm hoping you would be a like minded partner to share life with. Well, I think that gives you a little idea of who I'm looking for.

My hobbies are listening to music,reading,playing table tennis,cooking and hanging out with friends and relatives,watching movies and traveling.
I was born in Illinios, my Dad was killed in a construction accident when I was quite young. When I was still a teenager, my Mother had cancer and I took care of her until she passed away. I was still under 27 before both were gone.I am presently residing with my uncle in Liverpool,UK does it sound familiar?

So I guess thats that about me you can as well ask me any other thing you want to know i will be more than glad to answer any of your questions as for you please tell me more about yourself lets start with your full name?location?kind of work you do for a living?about your family?hobbies and tell me about your dream woman,seeeking casual or serious relationship?Do you have any Pic you can email to me?

My pics is attached below..

Would love to hear from you soon.....

Here are some pictures of Jennifer Peter.

The Korean might have cheated on his wife and flew over to Liverpool if Jennifer Peter did not name her pics "Graphic 1" and "Graphic 2".

Korean Wave Hit You in the Head

re: Hello

How can I find someone who look like Gu Jun Pyo of Boys Before Flower?

Maria G.

Two words: human cloning. It will only take 20 some odd years to grow a Gu Jun Pyo.

re: from Brittany

Hi, my name is Brittany, nice to meet you. I have a questiion. I'm think of meeting SUper Junior Sung Min and wanted to ask him out on a date secretly, What should I do to keep a secret so people I trust won't scandalize about all over the public? It scares me and makes me very angry when people do that. What should I do to date Sung Min secretly when people don't know nothing about it. I can meet Eun Hyuk and Lee Tuek and ask EUn Hyuk to go with him to his dorm and meet Sung Min.

Brittany, do you see this nice little cart here? You do? Good. Now look back. The tiny dot waaay behind that cart is a horse. And inside that horse's behind, there is your head.

re: HI

Do you know how to get ahold of Rain? The man in Ninja Assassin?

Gigglez Rose

Sure, the Korean will just look through his speed dial... Dammit, never mind. That number is for Rainn Wilson.

More ridiculousness after the jump. (WARNING -- R-rated materials ahead.)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Gov. Rendell of Pennsylvania is a tough guy:

The city of Philadelphia is set to host the NFL's first Tuesday night game in 64 years, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) couldn't be more upset about it.

"It goes against everything that football is all about," Rendell said Monday on a Philadelphia-area sports talk radio show.

Rendell was rankled by the league's decision to move the Philadelphia Eagles' home game against the Minnesota Vikings from Sunday night to Tuesday evening.

The NFL cited the winter storm that wound up slamming most of the East Coast as the reason for the change, but elected to postpone the game before any snow had even accumulated. About a foot of snow fell on Philadelphia, though less than 5 inches was on the ground before the scheduled kickoff at 8:20 p.m. EST Sunday night.

Rendell viewed the NFL's decision as a referendum on the toughness, or lack thereof, in the United States.

"My biggest beef is that this is part of what's happened in this country," Rendell said. "I think we've become wussies."

"We've become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything," Rendell added. "If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down."

Penn. Governor Ed Rendell sounds off [ESPN.com]

Best of the Worst 2010 - Part II

Keeping it going with the weird questions!  The Korean forgot how many of these there were -- looks like there will be a Part III in a few days, where the worst email of the year will be revealed. Again, these are all real emails that the Korean received, copy/pasted verbatim except for personal information.

More Heartbreaks

re: hi

hi
im sara.im iranian.im 22.i love korea.i like to be friend with a boy from korea.please

sara lopez

Iranian Latina is looking for love.

re: A Korean man’s woman

How do I know if he loves me? I just thought to throw the question out into cyberspace... Don't really expect to be heard or answered. He is Korean American but adopted by Caucasian folks. Some nights I miss him terribly... Interesting blog and appreciate your candor. He said he would meet my dad, but then I think he had cold feet. He has other women... ? I guess I am kind of ok with it... I am Taiwanese American. We are close in age. I have surrendered myself to him.

Diane L.

Funny thing about throwing the question out into cyberspace, Diane -- someone on the other end of the cyberspace is going to be hit with your crap. And then you will show up here.

re: (no subject)

Hi. My name is Michael. I have a question regarding a beautiful Korean masseusse named Mia. I went to an asian massage parlor a few months ago and Mia gave me the best 1 hour massage of my life. At the end she asked if that was it. Well, it wasn't it and it was happy. Although she does not speak english too well, we have pretty much bonded and I have gone there 20 or so times. It is strictly a passionate happy ending and nothing else. My intention is to stop this and possibly ask her to go out on a date with me. However, I have my concerns and she probably has hers. Hers may be why I went in the 1st place. Well, I am coming off a seperation leading to a divorce after 20 yrs of marriage. I am a handsome 42 yr old Italian and Mia is 31. She has been in the US for 3 yrs (strange she doesn't speak better english) and is so warm and shy. She is absolutely different from the other massage therapists. She works 6 days a week, lives in the place she works and goes to Queens NY on her day off. She tells me what she does and we talk about education and the possibility of her buying a computer. She is very grateful for all my help.

Anyway, my concerns are these: 1. Not so much she does what she does. she has intentions of stoppiing and I'm sure the money must be good. weird she works so many hours. In the beginning it was clearly business and she seldom talked. 2. I don't have the nerve to ask her how she started this and am real scared if she says she was a prostitute in Korea. Your advice would be go on Match.com and leave her alone. That is probably the right answer, but, this woman is so sweet. We sometimes talk for a half hour passed our 1 hr session. I do have to stop it and would like your input. Thanks so much, Mike from New Jersey.

Mike, you pay money to have sex with this woman and you are worried that she was a prostitute back in Korea? What difference does it make?

re:  Korean Female First Name

Hi,

Great, great blog. I have a question about women's first names. You see, I have a most worrisome and difficult problem. I recently met one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She's Korean, and I immediately fell in love with her - all the way - I didn't even hear her voice yet. I don't do this often - it's happened twice before in my life - and now a third. There's a problem though(besides being capable of falling in love all the way on site!). She told me her name, but I was so nervous I can't remember it fully. I remember the second part of the first name and the last name(if my new and limited understanding of Korean naming traditions is correct). The first part of her first name is something like 'Tee', 'Ty', 'Tae', or maybe, 'Ta'. I can't remember! When I see her again - I cannot say her name incorrectly! I'd rather lose a finger! I would totally disrespect her. I hope you understand. I've spent hours trying to logically narrow down the list of possible Korean first names that start with a T. Sounding like: Tee, Ty, Ta. It can't be 'Tee' - I mean you drink Tea - right? Her name can't be Tea. I went so far as to go to the Korean owned local store and they kinda helped and kinda made fun of me - 'you drink Tea, haha, what do you mean Tea, hahaha'. So they told me that her name can't be 'Tee' because that would be Chinese(or apparently a beverage). My interent research tells me her name is most likely 'Tae' - like 'TaeKwonDo'. Man, I'm at a loss, and have spent hours now of the past couple days. I did discover that there may not be many Korean names that start with a T, so that kinda helps, but whew! I'm reaching out. I'm gonna go back to the Korean owned store today as soon as I think this out more!

Great articles on Korean naming traditions and prejudice of dark skinned people.

Most gratefully,

m

You know, TaeKwonDo sounds exactly right. It's a very popular girl's name. You should name your daughter that.

More weirdness after the jump.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

 

(Source)

Best of Worst 2010 - Part I: The Heartbreak Hotel

Best of the Worst
Best of the Worst 2009

'Tis the end of the year, which can only mean one thing -- time to anoint the worst question of 2010!

The volume of email increased significantly this year, as AAK! was getting featured in the New York Times and CNN. So this year, the best of the worst questions will be done in a series. First up: all the heartbroken lovers pining for a Korean. All emails are real, and are copied/pasted verbatim except for people's names.

(Let this be a lesson for a would-be questioner: the Korean HATES relationship questions.)

re: hi

Hello,

nice to c that there are such blogs who can help one to find particular queries about koreans.
This is bharti, 28 y female from india.
U may find it funny but i m highly fascinated by korean guys,since my young age. For the reason i never been in to relationship with any indian guy, m single n still waiting for my mr. right from korea..
how to go in way where i can find one ...pls help

Going to Korea would be a good first step, bharti.

re: help plz

there's this korean guy that i really like in my colege. he works at the convenient store there. last week i asked him if he was free the next week so we could go out for some coffe, but he said he was busy at the moment. then i corrected him saying not ttoday, NEXT WEEK but he still was like im busy today can u plz ask me next time once more?? :S
is he letting me down gently?? plz help me. should i ask him out again???
thanks mr.korean

Here is what you shouldn't ask -- your dumb question to the Korean.

re: i'm an indonesian girl


hey,i'm an indonesian girl who studies in an international school in kuching .
I have an older brother who studies here,too .
I'm quite close to one of his friend who is a korean .
In my opinion,he's just the right guy. He has good sense of humour,he's hardworking and funny.
I started to like him recently ,and then i found out that he's not interested in any girls .he's getting serious in his studies because he's already in form 5.
However,from what i heard ,he never love a girl before,
that destroys my hope,obviously .
So what do you think i should do now?
Just give up or go for him ?i'm just scared that he thinks i am bugging him ..
Thanks before .

You are welcome after!

re: Dear Korean

Do Korean guys think white woman are attractive?
I have a few Korean pen palls, I have shown them my pictures, they all say I am Beautiful.
I look on the internet and people say Korean guys think white woman are not attractive.
I have also heard my pen palls say some American Celebrities are pretty.

No, Korean guys think white women are hideous. No matter who they are. Megan Fox? Angelina Jolie? No, all heinous. Except for the Korean. Who is married. Dammit.

re: korean guys

hey im a black girl..but i love korean guys,I really want to date a korean guy, but I dont know if they like black girls or not. Do korean guys really go for black girls or what?

No, Korean guys think black women are hideous. No matter who they are. Beyonce? Rihanna? No, all heinous. Except for the Korean. Who is married. Dammit.

re: (no subject)

hi I m a girl from mexico and I want ask you a question so.....here we go ^.^
maybe you heard this question a lot of times but i´ll be direct
I like a korean boy but I dont know him yet because I feel very nervious and I want to know a little more korean to have a good conversation well, I know that at first instance which called the attention of a man is the appearance. I am tall (5´6 ft) , weight 113 lb, long dark brown hair, skin very white ( that says the people who know me ) big eyes but have the form of almond and are dark brown too, small mouth color pale red and some people said that I look like a little more asian that latin.
well, do you think that I can call the attention of the guy who likes me ?
thanks for you help and sorry if the question is silly but I´m really nervious and scared T__T

Around the horn for all races! Who else likes Korean men? Ugandans? Papua New Guineans? Martians?

re: Question!

Dear Korean,

I was recently in a relationship with a Korean girl for about two months. Things seemed to be going very smoothly. Each date seemed to be better than the last. Then, one day, all of a sudden she called me saying she had no feelings for me anymore. It was an utter shocker. She seemed to be very emotional about the subject. She even cried over the phone. Something tells me that there was something else that came in the way of our relationship. She mentioned to me earlier on that she never told her father that she was dating me (who is not Korean). However, she said that the portion of the family she did tell was aware and alright with the fact that she was dating me. Another sad aspect is that she is leaving for college in a few weeks... I really don't know what to do about this. I feel like I must do something to make it right. I've contemplated sending her a message describing how I felt. She hasn't spoken to me since the day she said she had no feelings (three weeks ago). If anything, I feel like I should make things right but I don't know if it really was her family that came in the way or not. What should I do to make this right? I would do anything for her.

Alex

Here is one thing you can do, Alex -- man up and quit asking a total stranger about your relationship.

More after the jump.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ask a Korean! News: Joint Statement by Korean & Japanese Bar Association on Comfort Women and Forced Laborers

The Korean is heartened by the fact that, at the centennial of Japan's annexation of Korea, conscientious Japanese people are speaking up in order to bring justice and closure to the war crimes that Japan committed. Such effort should be loudly proclaimed and well-publicized.

Recently, Korean Bar Association and Japan Federation of Bar Associations -- the representatives of attorneys of the respective nations -- issued a joint statement and a proposal regarding the comfort women and forced mobilization issue. In the spirit of getting these small steps toward reconciliation more publicized, below is the translation of the entire thing.

The Korean is struck by the strong tone of the statement -- a few steps ahead of the Joint Statement of Korean and Japanese Scholars, which was already a pretty strong statement. The Korean applauds everyone who made this happen.

The translation was done from Korean version. The source is here.

*                  *                  *

Joint Statement by Korean Bar Association and Japan Federation of Bar Associations

Korean Bar Association (KBA) and Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), on June 21, 2010 at the joint symposium held in Seoul, regarding human rights violations aginst Korean people under Japanese colonial rule, in particular the fact that the damages from human rights violation caused during Asia-Pacific War remain abandoned without sufficiently healed by the governments of Korea and Japan, confirmed the importance of the two bar associations' joint endeavor toward healing such damages.



KBA and JFBA share the concept that first of all, an effort toward legislation regarding Japanese military's "comfort women" issue as a realistic task; at the same time, we decided to review legal issues and resoluations regarding various tasks including damages suffered from forced mobilization that were not resolved in the negotiations of 1965 Treaty of Basic Relations.

Based on the achievements of the aforementioned symposium and the joint symposium held in Tokyo today, KBA and JFBA demand the reparation for damages arising from human rights violations against Korean people during the Asia-Pacific War, and declare as follows:

1.  We, in the situation in which the nations and people of Korea and Japan do not share the perception regarding the process of Korea's annexation or the effectiveness of Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty despite the passge of one hundred years since the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, confirm that the deepening of mutual understanding and trust between the nations and people of Korea and Japan, through efforts toward shared perception of past historical facts, is the bedrock to be laid for the healthy future of Korea-Japan relations.

2. We confirm that a legislation to resolve Japanese military's "Comfort Women" issue must be swiftly achieved by Japanese government and the legislature. This legislattion must include that the organized and continuous imposition of sexual act against women at "Comfort Stations," which were established and operated by Japanese military directly or indirectly, was a serious violation of human rights and was against international and domestic laws of the time; that Japan recognizes that such imposition seriously harmed the honor and dignity of the women and apologizes to the victims; that Japan will make clear the responsibility for such imposition and take actions to restore the victims' honor and dignity, including monetary compensation; and that such actions will include the establishment of an implementing committee that includes the Prime Minister and relevant officials and the hearing of the victims and the victims' representatives. Also, in order to establish Japanese military "Comfort Women" issue as a historical lesson, Japanese government must establish a plan to rigorously discover, educate and publicize the truth. KBA and JFBA decided to organize and jointly announce these points as "Proposal for Final Resolution of Japanese Military "Comfort Women" Issue."

(More after the jump)

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Paint Thinner in Cars??

Dear Korean,

In almost every neighborhood, there are small areas set up where people go and fill up their cars with paint thinner. Now I can only assume that this is an illegal activity, as all of them have a large tarp or covering that they pull over to hid the car when a driver pulls in to puchase this stuff. But they are everywhere, and essentially out in the open, with advertisements on the street, etc.

So here are a few questions 1. I have heard that it is bad for the engine of a car to use this stuff as fuel, or to mix it with gasoline. What does it do to an engine that damages it? 2. As we all know the price of gasoline in Korea is not exactly cheap, so I can understand why some Koreans use this as an alternative, but why is it that since fuel suppliers and gas stations lose money over the use of paint thinner as fuel, why don't the gas companies and station owners do more to have this illegal practice stopped? 3. Is there any record of people being caught and/or fined for using this fuel? Do police do random sweeps of this kind of thing?

Robert H.

Robert definitely touched upon an interesting point: gasoline in Korea is incredibly expensive. The latest news says average gasoline price in gas stations nationwide in Korea is around 1750 won per liter.  Translated into dollars per gallon, that is equivalent to the eye-popping $5.83 per gallon. (Nationwide, America averages at a little less than $3 per gallon.) To think Americans were scared of the $4 gas a few years ago, right?

And this is not for the lack of supply -- in fact, on a per capita basis, Korea is among the world leaders in oil refining capacity among countries that do not produce any petroleum. Korea's high price of gasoline is almost purely the function of very, very high gasoline taxes. Gasoline taxes in Korea take up nearly 60 percent of per unit price in Korea. (America's gas taxes average at around 15 percent of per unit price.)

One of the recurring, universal truths about illegality is -- whenever there is a market inefficiency created by law, illegal activities bridge the inefficiency. This is precisely why no matter how much enforcement there is, illegal drugs and illegal immigration persist in America. The same applies to gas prices in Korea. Other than mixing in paint thinner into the gasoline, there are also fairly large black markets that deal tax-exempt gasoline distributed to farmers and fishermen, run by organized criminals. Instead of paint thinner, fuel for water heaters -- also petroleum, but not gasoline -- is also known to be mixed into gasoline to make the fuel cheaper.

Poster for the movie Attack the Gas Station.

Just because the Korean can (and because it was a decent movie.)

(Source)

So the first question is -- what does gasoline mixed with paint thinner do to your car? The Korean must tread carefully here, because if the Internet knows anything, it knows about cars. (And Simpsons episodes.) Write one wrong thing about cars, the car nerds swarm all over it like flying monkeys throwing feces. So. AS FAR AS THE KOREAN KNOWS, paint thinner damages the fuel injection system, and also corrodes the engine chamber. It also decreases the fuel efficiency because the fuel does not combust evenly.

Why don't gasoline companies do more to stop this practice? But oh, they do. Not the police, but the relevant regulatory inspectors definitely conduct random sweeps in deter this practice. In 2009, there were 4631 cases of apprehending quasi-gasoline, and apparently the practice is particularly concentrated in Daegu and other Gyeongsangbuk-do area. The worst part is that in some cases, gas stations surreptitiously mix in additives to their gasoline and lower their price. While a person knowingly buying a paint thinner-mixed gasoline deserves no sympathy for her wrecked car, it is a real nuisance when people simply think they got lucky with cheaper gas and get conned into pumping in bad fuel. But like all illegal acts, the presence of enforcement does not mean those acts do not happen. Time, tide and laws of economics -- those things don't change.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Ok, this is really fucking creepy. The Korean really does not want a daughter, solely because he does not want the stress from thinking about this kind of men. If he does have a daughter, she will be home-schooled until age 18 and then sent to a convent.

The View From Over Here has an excellent summary of her recent visit to the House of Sharing [나눔의 집], complete with pictures. The Korean encourages everyone to take a look.  A sample:

Sunday I had an amazing opportunity to visit the House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do province, about 45 minutes from Seoul. This is a house where women who survived sexual slavery by the Japanese military during Japan's military expansion into the rest of Asia before and during World War II. ...

The women, who were 80-90% Korean, were given Japanese names, usually flower names, and each woman's name was placed on a wooden placard on the wall which is quite similar to menus in a Japanese restaurant. When a woman was unavailable for a day due to illness or other reasons, the placard was turned over, just as a sold out item would be in a restaurant.

House of Sharing (나눔의 집) [The View From Over Here]

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 40. Lee Seung-Cheol

[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.]

[Series Index]

40. Lee Seung-Cheol (also spelled Lee Seung-Chul) [이승철]

Years of Activity: 1986-present

Discography:

As vocal of the band Born Again [부활]
Rock Will Never Die - Born Again vol. 1 [Rock Will Never Die - 부활 vol. 1] (1986)
Remember (1987)
Bird, Wall [새, 벽] (2002)

Solo albums
Lee Seung-Cheol Part 1 [이승철 Part 1] (1988)
Lee Seung-Cheol Part 2 [이승철 Part 2] (1989)
Lee Seung-Cheol 2 [이승철 2] (1990)
Wandering [방황] (1991)
Secret of Color (1994)
The Bridge of Sonic Heaven (1996)
Deep Blue (1998)
Confession (2001)
The Livelong Day (2004)
Reflection of Sound (2006)
Secret of Color 2 (2007)
Mutopia (2009)

Special albums
The Moon is the Dream that the Sun Dreams Original Soundtrack [달은 해가 꾸는 꿈 OST] (1992)
Cheongyeon Original Soundtrack [청연 OST] (2005)

Live albums
Live (1989)
91 Irony Live (1992)
95 Secret Live (1995)
Born Again/Lee Seung-Cheol Joint Concert Live [부활/이승철 Joint Concert Live] (1995)
97 Heaven Live Hall in Se-Jong (1997)
Serious Live 93 (1999)
1999 & Live Best (1999)
20th Anniversary Live in 2005 (2005)
Live Best (2005)
He's Coming: Live Album (2008)

Compilation albums
Born Again Best [부활 Best] (1989)
The Best of Born Again (1989)
Hit Bank (1990)
Best of Best (1997)
Forever Love (2003)
20th Anniversary: A Walk to Remember (2005)
The Best Great Hits (2006)
Lee Seung-Cheol Best (2007)
Sound of Double (2007)
No. 1 (2008)
Golden Ballad + Special Live Best (2010)

Representative Song:  Rain and the Story of You [비와 당신의 이야기] from Rock Will Never Die (1986), performed live in 2002.

비와 당신의 이야기

Rain and the Story of You

아이가 눈이오길 바라듯이

Like a child wants it to snow

비는 너를 그리워하네

Rain longs for you

비의 낭만보다는 비의 따스함보다

More than the rain's romance, more than the rain's warmth

그날의 애절한 너를 잊지못함이기에

For I cannot forget the sorrowful you of that day

당신은 나를 기억해야하네

You must remember me

항상 나를 슬프게 했지

You always made me sad

나의 사랑스럽던 너의 눈가에 비들은

With rain in the edge of your lovely eyes

그날의 애절한 너를

The sorrowful you of that day

차마 볼수 없었던 거야

I could not bear to look

[Refrain]

무척이나 울었네

I cried so much

비에 비 맞으며

Getting rained over rain

눈에 비 맞으며

Getting rained over my eyes

빗속의 너를 희미하게 그리며

Lightly tracing you in the rain

우리의 마지막 말을

Our last words

너의 마지막 말을

Your last words

기억하네

I remember

사랑해 사랑해 사랑해

I love you, I love you, I love you

Translation Note:  Simple song, but in a very difficult grammatical form to translate without sounding awkward. Suggestions are welcome.

In 15 Words or Less:  Personified history of K-pop, "the Emperor of Live Stages"

Maybe he should have been ranked higher because...  Longevity is easy to underestimate.

Maybe he should have been ranked lower because...  What, precisely, was his influence? Is there any one thing that he did that particularly stands out?

Why is this artist important?
It is a tricky endeavor to gauge the Lee Seung-Cheol's influence, mostly because he managed to survive for so long in the K-pop scene. The number of albums that Lee made, and the number of hit songs in them, are simply staggering. In fact, Lee might be the only artist in K-pop history who had a number one hit song in three different decades, from 1980s to 2000s. He managed to consistently stay in Korean people's public consciousness throughout his 25 years of career -- for better or for worse. On the other hand, there is no single event or characteristic that succinctly defines Lee. In this case, one can do no better than simply narrate Lee's career, and appreciate its many turns and deviations.

Lee Seung-Cheol made his debut as the vocal for the band Born Again in 1986, the heyday of Korean rock. (Despite the name, Born Again was/is not a Christian band. The "Christian rock" genre is unknown in Korea, although there are many Christians in Korea.) It was a different world back then, as rockers were the greatest stars in K-pop. The screaming fangirls did not chase studio-produced corporate groups, but real musicians who took their music seriously. Musicians were appreciated for their musical skills, not for their looks or the dances choreographed by puppeteers. The top billing of television shows were reserved for rock groups, who did nothing but play music and sing; none of the inane talk shows that fill up Korea's entertaining programming on TV existed back then.

In the field filled with loud noises and screeching voice a la KISS, Born Again distinguished itself with romantic tunes and Lee Seung-Cheol's sensitive voice. On the strength of Lee, Born Again also attracted no only the too-serious rock fans, but the screaming fangirls of the day. Through its second album, Born Again was not only the most popular rock band of the last 1980s, but the most popular musicians in Korea, period.

Lee branched out his solo career, in which he took more of a "pretty boy with good lyrics" tactic. This was again massively successful. There were whispers that he would be the heir to the throne held by a Cho Yong-Pil, a legendary K-pop artist who was slowing down his career. (It should be a surprise to no one that Cho will be ranked very high on this list.)

All of this would meet an abrupt end. In 1990, Lee was convicted of smoking marijuana, and his long road of trials and tribulations began. He was banned from all television appearances for five years. He would marry in 1995 to a high-flying actress Gang Moon-Yeong, but would divorce in two years. Through these disastrous PR events, Lee was utterly banished -- Lee recalls that even a gig singing at a club was difficult to come by.

This was the period in which Lee grabbed his lemons and made delicious lemonade. Because he could not show up on television, he focused his entire energy on live concerts and albums. His natural talent would shine through even without television -- in fact, Lee's presence as the "Emperor of Live Stage" would stand as a welcome contrast to the lip-synching corporate bands that came to dominate the scenes starting mid-1990s. Finally in 2002, Lee reunited with Born Again to sing Never Ending Story, probably the first number one song not sung by a corporate band in around five years.

Lee Seung-Cheol then made a surprisingly smooth transition into the celebrity world of today -- in which artists are not merely judged for their music, but their ability to give an entertaining talk in silly talk shows. He would continue to survive and thrive, while continuing to make music and release albums.

From afar, Lee Seung-Cheol's career might be another colorless and forgettable one, punctuated with some hit songs that were not exactly groundbreaking. But up close, Lee Seung-Cheol serves as a valuable mirror to the history of K-pop in all of its changing iterations. At the end of the day, that he managed to keep his head over the water while others have been swept away might be quite enough to claim a spot here.

Interesting Trivia:  While being banned from television, Lee Seung-Chul flirted with acting. His feature film debut was The Moon is the Dream that the Sun Dreams [달은 해가 꾸는 꿈] for which Lee also composed the soundtrack. The film was also the debut feature for a fresh-faced director named Park Chan-Wook -- who is now better known for Oldboy and the Revenge Trilogy. The film, while attracting a small number of enthusiastic fans, was a commercial flop.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

What is the Line Between Curious and Creepy?

Dear Korean,

While reading through several different entries on your blog I noticed that while you seem to have frustration toward non-Asian people who don't know how to interact with Asian Americans, you also seem to have a disdain for people with "yellow fever" or who are caught up in the Korean wave. What do you consider a normal balance between having no clue about Asians and having a creepy obsession with them? Is there some sort of normal or appropriate level of interest in Asian culture?

Joanna C.

Dear Joanna,

The Korean likes your question so much that it jumped the line. The Korean likes it because it really goes to the heart of appreciating different cultures, of what to do and what not to do.

First, you have the Korean exactly pegged. He is very annoyed by people who do not know how to deal with Asian Americans. He also finds blatant yellow fever to be vile. The Korean's stance is not idiosyncratic to himself -- this is generally resonant with prevalent Asian American attitudes. These two stances appear to be opposite of each other, because one appears to be about knowing too little while the other appears to be about knowing too much. So maybe a middle ground is the way to go?

Actually, no. What appears to be two opposite things is actually two different manifestations of the same root cause, and it is that root cause that Asian Americans find annoying. The name of that root cause is "objectification."

Here, the Korean is using the term "objectification" to mean treating a person like a non-person or a half-person. This is the incessantly recurring reality for Asian Americans: instead of being treated as a whole person, they are treated as an abstract representation of their ethnicity. We may breathe, walk and talk like real persons, but we are not quite a real person like white Americans are real.

Let us start with the cluelessness with Asian Americans part. In one of the post popular posts in AAK! history, the Korean wrote:

Do not ask "Where are you from?" to an Asian person unless you are reasonably certain that s/he is outside of his/her American hometown. If the Asian answers, say, "Los Angeles", do not follow up with "where are you originally from?" or "where are your parents from?" Our precise ethnicity is none of your fucking business.

Why is the question annoying? It is annoying because when a clueless person insists on asking "Where are your parents from?" to an Asian American, it becomes clear that the person is fixating on the ethnicity of the Asian American above all else. The many other possible interests -- the human interests -- of that Asian American are ignored and buried under the person's ethnicity. That Asian American might like Tupac, enjoy Russian literature and have a strong opinion on balancing the federal budget. No matter. She will be defined by her parents' country of origin, because the questioner cannot get past her looks. In the eyes of the questioner, she is no longer a person with real experience, real emotions -- she is an object, a representation of her ethnicity, a scale-model of "Asian-ness."

Here is another example that the Korean wrote:

Do not say "gonnichiwa" to an Asian person in America ... On second thought, don't say any Asian phrase to any Asian person, unless you are at least conversational in the language. It's the 21st century, people. We are no longer impressed by your amazing ability to say "hello".

Throwing out one or two pieces of meager Asian language vocabulary to an Asian American is doubly insulting. It signifies not only that the the verbiage-thrower sees the Asian American's ethnicity above and beyond all else, but also that the thrower thinks offering an ethnicity-specific magic word will somehow cause a friendly reaction.

More after the jump.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Open Letter to NYT Contributors of "Stress and the High School Student"

Dear Mr. Kohn, Ms. Hemphill, Mr. Cooper, Ms. Galivan, Ms. Kalish, Ms. Pope -- who contributed to a recent New York Times feature, "Stress and the High School Student":

Your position that American high school students have "too much work" is laughable. Please know that an average American student is unbelievably lazy compared to an average East Asian student. This laziness is harming American economy's global competitiveness. And it is precisely your coddling, "our-children-are-too-stressed" attitude that fosters the growth of a generation of ninnies who are afraid of intellectual challenges and hard work. Short of being driven to suicide, there is no such thing as "too much work."

Sincerely,

The Korean

[A series on education will come out soon.]

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

One strategic mistake by North Korea when it shelled Yeonpyeong-do might be that the shelling pushed the otherwise indifferent younger South Koreans away into a hostile stance against North Korea. An interesting illustration:  although South Korea has mandatory draft, one has to actually volunteer for the marines. And the application rate for the marines jumped to 2.0 applications to 1 position this year, compared to 1.2 to 1 from last year, a 66 percent increase. The reconnaisance division, known to be the toughest assignment within Korean marine corps, has the application rate of 13.2 to 1 -- the highest number in Korean marine corps history.

北도발에 달라진 국민의식 [Dong-A Ilbo]

Today, Ask a Korean! climbed over the one million visitor mark. The Korean honestly never dreamed that this would happen. It really was meant to be just a hobby, something just to pass time with. Thank you very much everyone, for all your questions and support.

This is interesting -- according to a study by Korea Consumer Agency, a few consumer goods that are more expensive in Korea compared to other large cities of seven countries including the U.S., Japan, France and Germany include:  beef, pork belly (삼겹살), pizza, beer, garlic, television. Based on this information, Korean government will lower the tariffs on these items.

The Korean can understand the meat part, but garlic and television? That's surprising.

쇠고기 삼겹살 맥주, 선진국보다 비싸다 [Dong-A Ilbo]

How do You Climb "the Ladder"?

Dear Korean,

In both Korea and Japan, there is this ladder which is like a 'game' where it can help one randomly choose something as it goes up the ladder. What is this called and how does it work?

April S.

Dear April,

The game is called "Climbing the Ladder" [사다리 타기], and it is used exactly as you described -- to help random choice. This is how it works. Suppose you want to choose what to have for lunch -- sandwich, tacos, pizza or Korean BBQ. With four choices, you draw four vertical lines, like so:

(Yes, that's the Korean's handwriting.)

Now, randomly add the "rungs" to the ladders, like so:

With the rungs, pick a ladder to climb. Climb down by making a turn at every rung -- like so:

Looks like you are having Korean BBQ for lunch. Of course you are -- why else would you read this blog? :)

Got a question or comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

The Korean will have a post on drug laws in Korea, but just know one thing -- marijuana is punished just as harshly as any other illegal drug in Korea. Also, many non-Koreans in Korea suffer through the unfair stereotype that they are all drug-addled criminals, because some visitors to Korea just cannot stop toking.

So please, do not smoke marijuana when you are in Korea. And if you must smoke, smoke in the privacy of your house or a hotel room, not in the smoking room of the Incheon Airport. And if you must smoke a joint in the smoking room of the Incheon Airport, please do not record it and put it up on Youtube, you fucking idiots.

인천공항 흡연실서 단체로 대마초 흡입? [Dong-A Ilbo]

Ask a Korean! News: Yearly Tradition Happens (Again!) at the National Assembly

Again, because without tradition, democracy is meaningless.

Shoving match to break through the barricade

(Source)

Glass door near the National Assembly Chairman's office is
a casualty of the yearly brawl (Source)

This year's rendition was not as exciting as the 2007 and 2008 fights (which involved chainsaw, crowbar and a fire extinguisher,) but seems to be more elevated than the 2009 one. It involved a barricaded room (a must, to freeze out the opposition party,) an Assemblyman hospitalized after being hit on the head with a gavel, a barricade made up of furniture to block the hallway. As of now the Assemblymen are girding for the long haul, gathering up blanket to spend the night in the main assembly hall.

The Korean has said this before, and he will say this again:  American Congress has a thing or two to learn from Korean National Assembly. Both legislatures are worthless, but at least Korean one provides a yearly entertainment. It harkens back to the long-lost traditions of learning how a fortified position can be overtaken. Who does not want to see Mitch McConnell clocking Joe Biden, or Nancy Pelosi throwing a shoe at John Boehner? Nobody, that's who. Institute Fight Night Congress now!!

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

50 Most Influential K-Pop Artists: 41. Yoo Seung-Joon

[Read more reviews from the Korean from the Library Mixer. To join, click here.]

[Series Index]

41. Yoo Seung-Joon [유승준]

Years of Activity:  1997-2002 (Active in China from 2002-present)

Discography:
West Side (1997)
For Sale 1998 V2 (1998)
Now or Never (1999)
Over and Over (1999)
Summit Revival (2000)
Infinity (2001)
Permission: Promise of Jun [승낙 - Promise of Jun] (2006)
Rebirth of YSJ (2007)

Representative Song:  Nanana from For Sale 1998 V2

나나나

Nanana

기억하고 있니 어릴 적 예쁜 꿈들을

Do you remember those pretty dreams when you were young

모두 다 이룰 수 있을 것 같던 시간들

The times when everything seemed possible

소망을 꿈꾸며 주문을 외었지

We dreamed hope and recited a spell

시간이 지나고 세상에 지쳐 갈때쯤

As the time passed and by the time I got tired from the world

꿈은 그저 꿈일 뿐인걸 알게 됐지만

I learned that dream is just a dream

어릴적 주문을 아직 노래 하네

But I still sing the spell from my childhood

언제나 힘들고 지칠 때 날 일으켜 주던 꿈이 가득한 이 노랠 했어

I sang this song full of dreams that picked me up whenever I was in pain and fatigue

나나나나 나나나나 나나나나 나나나나

Nananana nananana nananana nananana

어두워진 가리워진 나의 길을 밝혀주는 이 노래를 함께 해봐

Sing this song with me that illuminates my darkened hidden way

[Rap]

난 그냥 되는 되는데로 살았었지

I just lived as the life took me

간섭받기 싫어 그냥 피했던 거지

Didn't want to be told what to do, just avoided everything

내일의 두려움도 필요없어

Didn't need to fear tomorrow either

그런 막막함이 내 시간만 좀먹었었어

Being at a loss like that ate away my time

그러다 내 어릴적 꿈을 보았었지

Then I saw the dream from my childhood

거친 바람속 내 어릴 적 노랠 들었지

In the roaring wind, heard my childhood song

그래 이건 아니었어 용서할 수 없어

That's right, this isn't it, this is unforgivable

다시 나를 살린 이 노래를 불렀었지

Sang this song that made me live again

어느샌가 내게 찾아온 사랑을 위해

For the love that came to me without even me noticing

그렇게도 나를 애태운 그대를 위해

For you who worried so much for me like that

영원을 꿈꾸며 주문을 외웠지

I recited the spell dreaming of eternity

피해갈 수 없는 현실에 지쳐갈 때쯤

As I got tired from the inevitable reality

무거워져 가는 걸음에 힘겨울 때면

When I feel pain from the steps that become heavier

어릴 적 주문을 노래하곤 했지

I would sing the spell from when I was young

언제나 힘들고 지칠 때 날 일으켜 주던 꿈이 가득한 이 노랠 했어

I sang this song full of dreams that picked me up whenever I was in pain and fatigue

나나나나 나나나나 나나나나 나나나나

Nananana nananana nananana nananana

어두워진 가리워진 나의 길을 밝혀주는 이 노래를 함께 해봐

Sing this song with me that illuminates my darkened hidden way

[Rap]

자꾸만 어긋나 버리고 퇴색해 버리는 내 꿈을 지키고 싶었어 이루고 싶었어

I wanted to protect my dream, achieve my dream that was going the wrong way, fading away

누구도 가식의 가면을 버리지 않으리 끝끝내 발버둥 칠때에 또 감추려 할때에

Nobody will take off their mask of hypocrisy as they struggle and hide to the bitter end

하늘에 새긴 내 어린 꿈들이 내 귓가에 들려준 이 노래 내 순수의 노래

This song that my childhood dreams in the sky sang into my ears, the song of my innocence

키 작은 아이의 함성과 내 사랑이 내게 들려준 이 노래 지켜갈 이 노래

This song that a shout from short kid and my love sang into me, the song that I will protect

언제나 힘들고 지칠 때 날 일으켜 주던 꿈이 가득한 이 노랠 했어

I sang this song full of dreams that picked me up whenever I was in pain and fatigue

나나나나 나나나나 나나나나 나나나나

Nananana nananana nananana nananana

초라하게 변해버린 나의 꿈을 밝혀주는 이 노래를 함께 해봐

Sing this song with me that illuminates my shriveled dream

Translation Note:  Some lines ended up being very inelegant, although the underlying song is not particularly elegant at any rate. As always, suggestions are welcome.

In 15 Words or Less:  Pioneering rapper whose career ended up in the monstrous bowels of Korean society.

Maybe he should have been ranked higher because...  Serving as Exhibit A of the sickness of Korean society might be more influential than one might think.

Maybe he should have been ranked lower because...  The flash he demonstrated early in his career was already getting old by 2002.

Why is this artist important?
Yoo Seung-Joon -- also known as his American name, Steve Yoo -- is in many ways a pioneering figure in Korean pop culture. Like Solid, Yoo was a Korean American artist who brought in elements of American pop culture -- in his case, rap. And not just any rap; the aggressive, authority-defying, "thug life" kind of rap prevalent in American rap at the time. His first hit song was about liking older women (horror of horrors!) The music video for Nanana took it a step further, displaying Yoo in all possible variations of thug-life style power play in Korea -- best fighter in class, romantic liaison with a female teacher, etc. Of course, by the standards of today (both in U.S. and in Korea,) Yoo's attempt at defiance of authority is at best cute, at worst laughable. But heck, the first airplane by the Wright Brothers was also pretty laughable in isolation. What matters is that the attempt happened, paving the way for others.

But those who are well-versed in K-pop history would know that his music is not the thing for which Yoo is remembered in Korea. Yoo's high-flying career met a fiery death in 2002 in a manner he probably never expected.

Until that point, Yoo was arguably the biggest star in K-pop. Yoo's brand of brash rap was as big a hit as it was back in U.S. His good looks and unthreatening exoticism from being a Korean American acted as a magnet for screaming fan girls, arguably the engine of K-pop. In a way, Yoo was LeBron James of his day -- his dominance was that strong. But Yoo's fall, whose cause was also essentially a public relations mistake, was far deeper and irredeemable than James'.

In 2002, as Korean American pop artists increasingly appeared in K-pop scene, the question of mandatory draft reared its head. If a Korean American (loosely defined) is a Korean citizen with American permanent residency, he is eligible for draft if he earns money from Korea. There were some cases in which small-fry Korean American pop artists did certain things to avoid being drafted, which raised suspicion on Korean American artists generally.

Yoo was already raising suspicion before 2002. Although on stage he would engage in rigorous choreography, he managed to get a Level 4 in his draft physical with a stated cause of herniated disk, which would assign him to administrative duties for his military service. But at least he was going, people thought -- and Yoo publicly stated that he would serve his "holy duty of national defense." He was scheduled to report for duty in April 2002.

Until he didn't. In January 2002, the news that Yoo acquired U.S. citizenship and would not serve his military duty as a result broke -- and Korean society roiled into rage in a scale that no one (and certainly not Yoo himself) could have anticipated. What Yoo, who grew up in Southern California since age 13, never quite grasped was how seriously Korean men took their years of service. Truth is, few men in Korea want to serve the duty for 2.5 years, pissing away their precious youth. Few ever enjoy the military, alternately filled with bullshit and boredom. But they nonetheless report for duty, because they have to. They grit their teeth and tolerate the bullshit, because they have to. And when they see someone who is not pulling his weight? Then all hell breaks loose.

Yoo bore the full brunt of that hell. This was early days of high-speed Internet in Korea, where news spread fast and reactions were instantaneous. The keyboard warriors went to work, screaming and howling about Yoo's betrayal. The powers that be at the time did not yet have the ability to discern what was legitimate public opinion and what was malicious trolling -- which might not have mattered in Yoo's case after all, since they likely would have been pissed off all the same. Yoo lied about serving in the military. All other concerns were secondary.

Korea's Ministry of Justice considered him to be a draft-dodger, a criminal. As a criminal, Ministry of Justice declared, Yoo would not be able to enter Korea ever again. Yoo tried to explain somehow, blaming that it was his management company that made the decision. But at the end of the day, there was no way to escape the fact that he acquired U.S. citizenship to evade his military duty. He was allowed into Korea only once since then -- in 2003, to attend his father-in-law's funeral. Since then, Yoo has been active in China.

Yoo's musical contribution in K-pop was significant, but the social impact growing out of his disastrous mistake ended up overshadowing everything. Because of Yoo, Koreans began to have a national conversation on topics that were not discussed before. What was the value of military service? How is the precise relation between Koreans and Korean Americans? Considering that one of the major themes of the 2002 presidential election of Korea was that the losing candidate's son suspiciously did not serve his military duty, a case can be made that Yoo Seung-Joon's influence may have been greater than anyone else on this list -- a meaningless consolation to a truly talented musician whose life was broken by his own country.

Interesting Trivia:  Yoo's style, like the style of American rappers that he emulated, elicited a lot of hostility from other rappers. In 1998, a prominent rapper Kim Jin-Pyo rapped, obviously aiming at Yoo: 

혹시 그거 아냐? 여기는 미국 아냐
You know something? This isn't America.
얼어죽을 East Side, West Side  외치지만 말고
Stop saying freakin' "East Side, West Side"
제대로 좀 해봐 몇 년 후에 깡통 매봐
And do something real. Or wear a can a few years later. [="go bankrupt and become a beggar."]
그럼 두고두고 땅을 치고 후회할 테니 그럴 테니 하하하하
Then you will regret it for the rest of your life, that's right, hahahaha.

These lines may as well be the most prescient lines ever written in K-pop history.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.