tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post7759757023286365044..comments2024-03-26T03:31:06.199-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: Ask a Korean! News: North Korean Soccer (Part I)T.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-37984621055573155512010-07-14T17:04:59.788-04:002010-07-14T17:04:59.788-04:00Cant wait for part IICant wait for part IICraving Cinnabonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00581156266527549561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-26325224499230928372010-07-14T00:50:58.473-04:002010-07-14T00:50:58.473-04:00I wrote a post about the North Korean team, specif...<a href="http://theseoulsearcher.com/wordpress/index.php/2010/06/16/my-third-favorite-world-cup-team/" rel="nofollow">I wrote a post</a> about the North Korean team, specifically about the player Jong Tae-Sae who became somewhat of a media darling for crying during the North Korean national anthem before their match with Brazil in the World Cup.<br /><br />I haven't been blogging for long, but when I posted it it became the single most popular blog post my blog has seen. I'm sorry if this is a shameless plug, but you might want to check it out.The Seoul Searcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04433656828663327427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-21560156684954540992010-07-12T21:45:59.079-04:002010-07-12T21:45:59.079-04:00How is a story about boycotting NK soccer not rela...How is a story about boycotting NK soccer not related to the Sunshine Policy of giving aid to NK?<br /><br />A boycott and the Sunshine Policy have the same end goal but different approaches and justifications.<br /><br />Debating the merits of either seems totally appropriate.Ed Provencherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118557187716069091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-55831612251824796362010-07-12T21:25:10.413-04:002010-07-12T21:25:10.413-04:00+1 thanks for the Nambuk Story translate. These ar...+1 thanks for the Nambuk Story translate. These are my favourite part of AAK - in particular the way you maintain fluency yet still seem to communicate linguistic and cultural differences (I especially like your parenthesised elucidations for whitey)!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09876851783842038190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-21778333891812442042010-07-12T19:25:00.815-04:002010-07-12T19:25:00.815-04:00Folks, the merits of the Sunshine Policy is not re...Folks, the merits of the Sunshine Policy is not relevant to this post. The Korean appreciates a nice exchange, but you guys can stop there for now.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-89522219470537204512010-07-12T19:07:30.881-04:002010-07-12T19:07:30.881-04:00TSS,
I don't disagree with most of what you&#...TSS,<br /><br />I don't disagree with most of what you've said. You're right that, economically speaking, it's better that they don't collapse suddenly. However, the point of the Sunshine Policy is the reunification of the peninsula. It does just the opposite - no matter the good intentions of the people who started it and want it to continue.<br /><br />I'm not sure what you mean by "the Sunshine policy weakens the North Korean regime by exposing the North Korean people to the outside world." It does no such thing. How does sending rice and other necessities to the Norks to be distributed to their starving people (people who are starving because of them) expose them in any way to the outside world? Do we even know where they tell their people it came from? Judging by what we DO know about the media there, I'm guessing it's nowhere near the truth.<br /><br />I'm also slightly peeved by your assertion here: "The new administration likes to take a hard line, so the NK govt really has no choice other than to take the action it has taken, considering the highest priority is regime survival." The new administration did no such thing. What they did, originally, was tell the Norks that aid was going to be tied to KJI following through on the promises he made to the international community - that was ALL. That is not "hard line" for any country, let alone a poorly-run, starving nation that can't survive without handouts from the rest of the world.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424017454369510132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-46177937448502638542010-07-12T10:32:25.462-04:002010-07-12T10:32:25.462-04:00The "Sunshine Policy" is the single wors...The "Sunshine Policy" is the single worst thing to have happened to the North Korean people in the last two decades. It's based on a hilariously naive idea (that the North would ever even consider reconciliation) and has done FAR more harm than good. <br /><br />First of all, it's set the dangerous precedent of "we'll send you aid no matter what you do" which is what started this cycle we now find ourselves in. You know what I'm talking about - the one where the Norks do increasingly erratic things in order to scare everyone, and then reap the benefits of increased aid when they finally "decide" to back down (even though that was their intent all along).<br /><br />We also have the fact that the aid we funnel to them has propped up an increasingly weak regime WELL past the point that it would have collapsed under its own weight. If not for this appeasement to the North, the Korean peninsula could have possibly already been reunited.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16424017454369510132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-79884237994256375022010-07-12T09:43:00.312-04:002010-07-12T09:43:00.312-04:00When referring to the inhabitants of Middlesbrough...When referring to the inhabitants of Middlesbrough, it would be better to call them Teessiders rather than Middlesbroughers...daeguowlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03265027333985937239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-75888206318389264622010-07-11T14:23:22.400-04:002010-07-11T14:23:22.400-04:00I can never really figure out what people like &qu...<i>I can never really figure out what people like "TK" want when it comes to the division of Korea.</i><br /><br />Have you tried asking?T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-21346714532747608852010-07-11T11:16:54.663-04:002010-07-11T11:16:54.663-04:00"TK" once again decides to lambaste and ..."TK" once again decides to lambaste and decry the North Korean regime, spouting the same kind of hyperbole the dying U.S. Cold Warriors and far right-wingers of the 한나라당 like to drivel out. A boycott of the DPRK's soccer team? What a fabulous idea.<br /><br />Instead of using the world's sport as an opportunity to engage the DPRK, let's shun them and isolate them even more so the ruling clique becomes even more nervous and less likely to begin down the road of reconciliation and (relative) liberalization.<br /><br />(Remember, ultimately this is what the ruling clique want, and there is ample evidence to support this. But every time they start to get closer, some right-wing moron does something like call the regime part of the "Axis of Evil" which resets all the groundbreaking work by a certain Nobel Peace Prize winning former ROK president.)<br /><br />I can never really figure out what people like "TK" want when it comes to the division of Korea. Unfortunately, I suspect they have a hidden desire for a devastating war that will of course lead to the destruction of the DPRK regime, but also the loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives on both sides of the DMZ.<br /><br />But who cares? At least we will have certainly killed that evil, bad, insane, blood-thirsty, terrible, maniac, etc. etc. Kim Jong-il! He's terrible, dontchaknow?trudeau89https://www.blogger.com/profile/11600712340837177745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-42672260615380888102010-07-10T03:15:54.904-04:002010-07-10T03:15:54.904-04:00A boycott? Really? Why? I mean, isn't inter...A boycott? Really? Why? I mean, isn't international sports supposed to remove itself from politics?<br /><br />What then would happen to the team's Japan based players. Too bad for you, even though you fought your ass off to qualify, because we don't like the government of the country that you represent, too bad for you?<br /><br />That's not really fair.<br /><br />Remember, America tried to do the same during the world baseball classic aginst the Cuban team, but IBAF and MLB people were pissed.<br /><br />I'm interested in reading parts two and three so I can see if indeed there is a case to be made for said boycott.The Seoul Searcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04433656828663327427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-30992634916077625732010-07-09T16:38:42.889-04:002010-07-09T16:38:42.889-04:00Wow, this is fascinating. Thanks, I'm looking ...Wow, this is fascinating. Thanks, I'm looking forward to the next two parts!Mattimushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15068971937576315524noreply@blogger.com