Archive for May, 2010
There are two important things to notice when it comes to Korean beers. The first is they all (well, the Big 4 anyway) have exceptionally rubbish names, and, secondly, they all (well, the Big 4 anyway) are exceptionally rubbish (almost). When you think of the great Far Eastern beers, you are normally won over by their [ READ MORE ]
Visitors to Istanbul, or any Muslim-majority city, will tell you that arguably the most striking feature on the skyline is the vast number of minarets that shoot up needle like from the domed-roofed Mosques. It’s a glorious, if slightly intimidating, sight, especially as nightfall descends. In Korea, there’s nothing as marvellous, although the fluorescent red crosses [ READ MORE ]
May has been a strange month for www.speakingkorea.com. On the positive front, we are going to break more records, with a huge increase in hits and unique visitors. In January, we posted 15 articles between the two of us. By the time May ends on Monday night, we’ll be closer to 40 for this month [ READ MORE ]
This is the third of a four-part series on the social consequences of age in Korea. In part one (go here) we discussed social requirements Korean people have when interacting with someone older. In part two (go there) we discussed extreme ageism in the Korean military. Here we will discuss age in the workplace. Our [ READ MORE ]
My second Japanese coming was not to do a Lonely Planet suggested tour of this archipelago. I wanted something the travel writers could not offer you. It’s just as culturally important, and away from the madding crowds. I wanted to see a Japanese school. I brought my family to see my school in March, and, in all [ READ MORE ]
On June 15th, North Korea will play Brazil in their opening 2010 world cup game in South Africa. Given that the game will start in just 20 days, is it too late for the North to be kicked out of the tournament? The obvious answer would be yes, primarily because, at this stage, there would [ READ MORE ]
It has been a troubling 24 hours for South Korea with the country placed firmly at the front of world news. Stock markets in Asia took a heavy beating amid reports that North Korea has put its civilians and troops “on combat alert” following the release of details late last week which blamed the South’s [ READ MORE ]
Today at work I returned to my desk to find five beautiful ladies beckoning from the cover of a pizza box (left-overs from a pizza party in someone’s class, no doubt). The ladies in question were from the Korean pop group “Cara”. At this point you may justifiably ask yourself “why the hell are they on [ READ MORE ]
For the second time since arriving in Korea last August, I have had the pleasure of visiting the insanely interesting and culturally rich of country of Japan. My brother is a teacher just south of the chaotic triangle of madness that is Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. The bus ride from Osaka’s Kansai airport to the [ READ MORE ]
Well, after a difference in views one of our contributors has left the site. We wish him all the best. Your old guard, Andrew Farrell and Stu Smallwood, will continue to speak to you about Korea. Thanks for sticking with us. We look forward to your continued readership. [ READ MORE ]