so men, some men, some people, some day say that they could once do something. this something is usually something that they note they did well, especially when compared with others. 'i used to play a mean rhythm master' an old jazz cat thinks as he merges columns in an excel document. this something, this thing, for me is 'i used to clean a mean bathroom.'
my first wife (i like to assume) said to her family's maid--which, surprisingly, i was not related to--'kevin can clean a bathroom better than you.' this was when i was living with my mother. we lived just west of nowhere, and from my room i could view a silo and black smoke from when the reservation was protesting state tax policies by burning tires. how these condos were ever built, well, how is rather simple, tho it involves a long process with surveyors, architects, town planners, construction workers, electricians, etc. why they were ever built, well, why is rather simple, to make profit. i ask horribly stupid questions.
i think the reason i used to clean a mean bathroom is twofold: one, to impress girls (my mom and my first wife (i like to assume)). two, because other people's dirt truly disgusted me. i feel awful for having had this thought. i came out coated in my mother into this world. perhaps it is that drama, that reminder of debt, that reminder of mortality, that made me want to have a sterile environment as i tried in vain to clean myself at least five times a week. humorously enough, i believe it was around this time that i began to not wash my hair as much so as to have a 'just woke up' look about me.
to stop looking at the past, as long as that is possible, is a noble goal. it is also what i am going to try and do presently. now, i still can clean with great abilities--i tested in the 98th percentile--but it happens with much less frequency. this began after i moved out of the house i owned with my wife. it all just became my dirt. i should mention, i am relatively bald. i havent had a hairstyle that requires me, or even asks me, to use a brush or a comb in years. all hair that falls is hair that falls from my body. it falls in legions. there is a toupee in my bathroom drain. i look at the refuse in my bathroom, for example, tho this does extend to my apartment at large, and i think 'meh'.
it is fascinating how we can so quickly distance ourselves from what was once part of us. the most clear examples is feces, of course. of course, i am a male writing about feces now. jesus christ. i used to also be progressive. there may be a curiosity as to when i no longer was progressive, but that would be in the past and try as i may, i am typing about the present.
i start off thinking 'meh'. a week goes by. perhaps more. i begin to worry about how effective my drain will be in my shower. time passes. i have reached a point where i am disgusted at what once was mine! oh, existential crisis! i dont know if i should weep, mourn, simply clean, burn, or not even bother with these thoughts, but, oh, they are indeed there!
my apartment now smells of bleach, i have cleaned, scrubbed, and gathered the pieces of my body. i am scared to take a shower and begin the process all over again.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Elephant under police investigation
Bewildered police, for the first time, are to investigate an elephant on charges of assault on a person.
The unprecedented case was reported to the Gwangjin Police Station on Monday in which a 48-year-old woman surnamed Kim claimed to have been hit with large stones, thrown by an elephant, according to police officials yesterday.
Kim was talking a walk on Monday morning in the Children's Grand Park Zoo in eastern Seoul, when she was knocked down by a blow to the back of her head.
When she recovered from the initial shock, she found two stones close by, each the size of a grown-up's fist.
The only potential aggressor that she could see in the perimeter was the elephant in a nearby cage, she said during police questioning.
Despite the dull pain in her head, Kim went back home after reporting the incident to the zoo's control office
However, as her pain intensified, she decided to visit a hospital in the evening and was told the injury was worse than she thought, for which she decided to hold the elephant responsible.
"No one else other than that elephant could have thrown those stones at me," Kim said to the police. "The park should take responsibility for neglecting to supervise the animal."
The police are checking CCTV tapes and questioning zoo officials, in response to this unprecedented case.
The Korea Herald September 16th, 2009
The unprecedented case was reported to the Gwangjin Police Station on Monday in which a 48-year-old woman surnamed Kim claimed to have been hit with large stones, thrown by an elephant, according to police officials yesterday.
Kim was talking a walk on Monday morning in the Children's Grand Park Zoo in eastern Seoul, when she was knocked down by a blow to the back of her head.
When she recovered from the initial shock, she found two stones close by, each the size of a grown-up's fist.
The only potential aggressor that she could see in the perimeter was the elephant in a nearby cage, she said during police questioning.
Despite the dull pain in her head, Kim went back home after reporting the incident to the zoo's control office
However, as her pain intensified, she decided to visit a hospital in the evening and was told the injury was worse than she thought, for which she decided to hold the elephant responsible.
"No one else other than that elephant could have thrown those stones at me," Kim said to the police. "The park should take responsibility for neglecting to supervise the animal."
The police are checking CCTV tapes and questioning zoo officials, in response to this unprecedented case.
The Korea Herald September 16th, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
my job suddenly feels a bit justified. this is helpful for me existentially. also, i am under the impression i am getting better at it. i am learning korean. at least taking classes. when a language has a grammar that is drastically different--subject object verb--bringing in native speakers makes sense. further, it seems the criteria to become an english teacher in korea, for koreans, is different than has been my experience with foreign language teachers in primary, secondary, and university. in the US, all of my teachers seemed to be (?) fluent. all of them had spent time in a place with native speakers of that language. this is not the case for the people i teach with. this isn't a knock on them, necessarily. it just is. i have had a korean english teacher who has never left asia who has a firm handle on english (listening, speaking, writing). back to my korean class. the fact that any languages translate is amazing, but, again, when the grammar is different, it blows my mind. for example (literal translation)
케빈씨: 용씨가 예기 있어요? Yong here is?
미현씨: 아니요. 없어요. No, not here.
케빈씨: 그렴, 용씨가 어디에 있어요? Then, Yong where here is?
미현씨: 용씨가 권주에 있어요. Yong Gwang-ju (a city in Korea) is.
obviously, my korean is v basic. when the grammar gets more complicated, and oh it will, things will even be further away from my native grammatical structure. right now, it has sort of a cute yoda effect.
other things of note
in august i went to viet nam, good country. haven't been to a place where i am clearly am more wealthy than the majority of the population before, which caused some discomfort. in korea (at least urban korea) i am nothing special economically. not rich, not poor. people with my job in viet nam live in a bubble. it is attractive in some ways (and the variety of food, and the skill with which it is prepared, not to mention the coffee), but i am not sure i could do it for longer than 6 months or so. luckily, that is about how long it would take to get certified should i choose to do so.
i am taking the month of september off of drinking and i like it. i miss having *a* beer, but i also know that moderation and i aren't pals. not that i need to get *wasted* but if i am to drink, i usually will have 4~6 beers. kev 6 pack. last wednesday i went for a night hike with a small group. some of that small group were drinking. christ, booze can make one obnoxious, or at least irritating. one thing that was a frightening realization is that since 14 i have been at least smoking cigarettes. this is the first month, then, in 18 years that i am absolutely clean.
a touch nervous, i am headed to taipei october 1st which is the soonest i can have a drink. i am a big fan of cuisine, which includes local alcohols. but i cant read or speak chinese at all, so think it may be disastrous, riotous, or memorable, or or or getting drunk in taipei on chinese spirits especially as i will lack a tolerance.
kinda skipped over the culture i've been swallowing lately. lots of good art up now as fall starts. miru kim has been a highlight. the world brought me to her show since i received emails about her work, people on facebook mentioned her, and i read a newspaper article about her in the korean herald.
okay, there is more to type, but i am getting tired. hopefully i will be back soon.
케빈씨: 용씨가 예기 있어요? Yong here is?
미현씨: 아니요. 없어요. No, not here.
케빈씨: 그렴, 용씨가 어디에 있어요? Then, Yong where here is?
미현씨: 용씨가 권주에 있어요. Yong Gwang-ju (a city in Korea) is.
obviously, my korean is v basic. when the grammar gets more complicated, and oh it will, things will even be further away from my native grammatical structure. right now, it has sort of a cute yoda effect.
other things of note
in august i went to viet nam, good country. haven't been to a place where i am clearly am more wealthy than the majority of the population before, which caused some discomfort. in korea (at least urban korea) i am nothing special economically. not rich, not poor. people with my job in viet nam live in a bubble. it is attractive in some ways (and the variety of food, and the skill with which it is prepared, not to mention the coffee), but i am not sure i could do it for longer than 6 months or so. luckily, that is about how long it would take to get certified should i choose to do so.
i am taking the month of september off of drinking and i like it. i miss having *a* beer, but i also know that moderation and i aren't pals. not that i need to get *wasted* but if i am to drink, i usually will have 4~6 beers. kev 6 pack. last wednesday i went for a night hike with a small group. some of that small group were drinking. christ, booze can make one obnoxious, or at least irritating. one thing that was a frightening realization is that since 14 i have been at least smoking cigarettes. this is the first month, then, in 18 years that i am absolutely clean.
a touch nervous, i am headed to taipei october 1st which is the soonest i can have a drink. i am a big fan of cuisine, which includes local alcohols. but i cant read or speak chinese at all, so think it may be disastrous, riotous, or memorable, or or or getting drunk in taipei on chinese spirits especially as i will lack a tolerance.
kinda skipped over the culture i've been swallowing lately. lots of good art up now as fall starts. miru kim has been a highlight. the world brought me to her show since i received emails about her work, people on facebook mentioned her, and i read a newspaper article about her in the korean herald.
okay, there is more to type, but i am getting tired. hopefully i will be back soon.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Hello Teachers,
If you are traveling outside of Korea for break, You will be
quarantined at home for a week before you can go back to school.
Please try to stay home and give yourself time to see if you have
symptoms of any illness/sickness.
If you do feel sick, please rush to the nearest hosptial for
treatment.
During this week, we advise you to stay home and try to avoid being in
crowded areas. You will not be deducted vacation days nor will this
count as sick leave. During this quarantine week, you will not be
deducted from your pay. No makeup is required. (Only from normal work.
22 Hrs per week. Special clases that has to be made up will be
determined by your school)
We send out offical documents to all the public school in the Seoul
area.
Thank you,
Jon Pak
Program Coordinator
If you are traveling outside of Korea for break, You will be
quarantined at home for a week before you can go back to school.
Please try to stay home and give yourself time to see if you have
symptoms of any illness/sickness.
If you do feel sick, please rush to the nearest hosptial for
treatment.
During this week, we advise you to stay home and try to avoid being in
crowded areas. You will not be deducted vacation days nor will this
count as sick leave. During this quarantine week, you will not be
deducted from your pay. No makeup is required. (Only from normal work.
22 Hrs per week. Special clases that has to be made up will be
determined by your school)
We send out offical documents to all the public school in the Seoul
area.
Thank you,
Jon Pak
Program Coordinator
Friday, August 21, 2009
kevin! The thing which when comes in the world Oh!? The quickly friend and the beer has a
drink and wants and the gruel should! Vietnam is stylish like that thing Oh!? I will forget and as
i will throw away the beggar who is playing fun? some time goes to your house hotly but Oh and the soccer
which hits to you in Vietnam is many awareness buying soccer flaw Vietnam sees the Adidas
factory the new product ~ healthily knock-down place together many many anyhow plentifully, play fun and come ^^
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
if yer interested, i have work in 'a sing economy'
Flim Forum Press volumes Oh One Arrow and A Sing Economy are now on sale for only $8 each (over 50% off, includes S & H). ^Oh^ and ^Sing^ contain extensive chapbook-size selections from a wide range of exciting contemporary poets (see below). Help fund our current and future projects by purchasing one of these, our foundational volumes, at an exceptionally low price! Go to www.flimforum.blogspot.com for more info, or see:
Oh One Arrow: www.editorgalaxy.blogspot.com
7x9, 208 pages
from Brandon Shimoda's "The Alps"; Thom Donovan's "Devotions"; poems by Jonathan Minton; Adam Golaski's "Voice Notes"; from Lori Anderson Moseman's "All Steel"; Katie Kemple's "Plant Poems"; Chris Fritton's "The String Witness"; poems by Eric Gelsinger; and Jacqueline Lyons; and John Cotter; prose poems + by Jeff Paris; a clutch of Michael Ives' lyric
constructions; poems by Jaime Corbacho; Matthew Klane's "The- Associated Press"; meditations from "the 40 Stations of Mansour Al-Hallaj" by Pierre Joris; and Aaron Lowinger's blog project, "Moundz", in print! w/ cover and insert drawings by Luke Daly.
A Sing Economy: www.asingeconomy.blogspot.com
7x9, 256 pages
from Kate Schapira's "How We Saved the City"; Barrett Gordon as "Bartimus"; two of eleven cantos from Jennifer Karmin's "aaaaaaaaaalice"; from Stephanie Strickland's "Huracan's Harp"; from "The New Poetics" by Mathew Timmons; Kaethe Schwehn's "Tanka"s; "Sin is to Celebration", elisions by Amanda Ackerman and Harold Abramowitz; "Sketches" by Jaye
Bartell; Jessica Smith's notebook-scrawled "Cortland"; from David Pavelich's "Boxelder"; "[Bestiary With A Broken Window & A Thin Though Not Unkind Smattering of Light]" by Erin M. Bertram; poems by Laura Sims - On Murder; from Deborah Poe's "Elements"; a collaboration, "Voyage", from a.rawlings and françois luong; from Michael Slosek's "A Sequence for Cinematic History"; from Kevin Thurston's "SPECIAL MANAGE MEET"; soundscapes by Hannah Rodabaugh; and all "The A Down" by Tawrin Baker. w/ three of Scott Puccio's fleeting films gracing the cover.
--
Meanwhile, here's what some critical readers are writing about Flim's
latest, The Alps, by Brandon Shimoda:
Jared White in Harp & Altar...
www.harpandaltar.com/interior.php?t=r&i=6&p=30&e=53
Brandon Downing in Jacket...
www.jacketmagazine.com/37/r-shimoda-rb-downing.shtml
Ching-In Chen in Galatea Resurrects...
www.galatearesurrection12.blogspot.com/2009/05/alps-by-brandon-shimoda.html
To purchase The Alps, or get more info, go here:
www.theplacethereof.blogspot.com
Oh One Arrow: www.editorgalaxy.blogspot.com
7x9, 208 pages
from Brandon Shimoda's "The Alps"; Thom Donovan's "Devotions"; poems by Jonathan Minton; Adam Golaski's "Voice Notes"; from Lori Anderson Moseman's "All Steel"; Katie Kemple's "Plant Poems"; Chris Fritton's "The String Witness"; poems by Eric Gelsinger; and Jacqueline Lyons; and John Cotter; prose poems + by Jeff Paris; a clutch of Michael Ives' lyric
constructions; poems by Jaime Corbacho; Matthew Klane's "The- Associated Press"; meditations from "the 40 Stations of Mansour Al-Hallaj" by Pierre Joris; and Aaron Lowinger's blog project, "Moundz", in print! w/ cover and insert drawings by Luke Daly.
A Sing Economy: www.asingeconomy.blogspot.com
7x9, 256 pages
from Kate Schapira's "How We Saved the City"; Barrett Gordon as "Bartimus"; two of eleven cantos from Jennifer Karmin's "aaaaaaaaaalice"; from Stephanie Strickland's "Huracan's Harp"; from "The New Poetics" by Mathew Timmons; Kaethe Schwehn's "Tanka"s; "Sin is to Celebration", elisions by Amanda Ackerman and Harold Abramowitz; "Sketches" by Jaye
Bartell; Jessica Smith's notebook-scrawled "Cortland"; from David Pavelich's "Boxelder"; "[Bestiary With A Broken Window & A Thin Though Not Unkind Smattering of Light]" by Erin M. Bertram; poems by Laura Sims - On Murder; from Deborah Poe's "Elements"; a collaboration, "Voyage", from a.rawlings and françois luong; from Michael Slosek's "A Sequence for Cinematic History"; from Kevin Thurston's "SPECIAL MANAGE MEET"; soundscapes by Hannah Rodabaugh; and all "The A Down" by Tawrin Baker. w/ three of Scott Puccio's fleeting films gracing the cover.
--
Meanwhile, here's what some critical readers are writing about Flim's
latest, The Alps, by Brandon Shimoda:
Jared White in Harp & Altar...
www.harpandaltar.com/interior.
Brandon Downing in Jacket...
www.jacketmagazine.com/37/r-
Ching-In Chen in Galatea Resurrects...
www.galatearesurrection12.
To purchase The Alps, or get more info, go here:
www.theplacethereof.blogspot.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Kevin is not small puts out? This newspaper inside us becomes too and long like also the alcoholic
beverage to have a drink the wants....Me beggar ^^; Kevin to be sorry Oh and Vietnam goes and thing preparation is small but?
Is born but travel wants going…. where When is time, like rice eating adrink beverage glass flaw, ^^
either/and/or
oh? article 1
Experts say it is very difficult to get a girl who has sold sex to more than 100 men to go back to ordinary schoolgirl life.
oh? article 2
In Korea, a person is not guilty of any crime for having sex with a minor aged 13 and over unless it is paid for or forced. Sex with those under the age of 13 is punishable even if it is carried out under mutual consent.
Experts say it is very difficult to get a girl who has sold sex to more than 100 men to go back to ordinary schoolgirl life.
oh? article 2
In Korea, a person is not guilty of any crime for having sex with a minor aged 13 and over unless it is paid for or forced. Sex with those under the age of 13 is punishable even if it is carried out under mutual consent.
Monday, July 13, 2009
interesting take on the US journalists being held in n korea
Let them get a teeny tiny taste of what likely happened to those who have been caught when that part of the porous border was plugged up. Let them get experience a little of what they condemned others to. I mean, geez, it's not like these three accidentally crossed the border: It was a deliberate act that any reasonable thinking person would know was putting others at risk. Others that they were ostensibly there to help by highlighting their plight. Except that's not really what it was all about for these three. Ultimately, I believe in my heart, true motivation was to get that scoop, do the thing all the other journalists had not done.
read the rest here
read the rest here
my ear infection
i am on anti-biotics for the 2nd time, carrying over into a 3rd week
the first time was simple enough, i had a throat infection, couldnt speak, 3 day anti-biotic, all better this time is much more devious
maybe three or four weeks ago when i was laying in bed trying to go to sleep a bug flew into my year i had a quick adrenaline sweat, paced around my apartment, stuck scissors in my ear, rinsed my ear out, debated going to the hospital, got to experience the incredibly unique sensation of a bug vibrating in my ear, and somehow managed to fall asleep
the following day i told two people about this: a canadian in her early 20s, and a korean in her mid 40s. the canadian told me since it wasnt bothering me, i should do nothing and that my body would naturally expel such an intruder, but i should never put scissors in my ear again. the korean simpy kinda laughed, offering no advice. having only one option, i went with the canadian's opinion
as mentioned, i then had a throat infection
last thursday (9.7.09 or 7.9.09) i was out with a friend, and by the end of the night my ear, left, the one that a bug flew into, felt a bit tender i simply hoped i could ignore it friday morning when i woke up, i realized that was not an option my ear hurt and/or itched internally when i arrived at school i informed the same korean woman in her 40s, she advised i go to the hospital recalling that a bug was involved with my ear just a little over a week before
i recently watched 'kill bill vol 1' and 'kill bill vol 2' i prefer volume 1, tho both are good the problem with volume 2, if it is in fact a problem, is that it gets very talky at the end, and really wants to wrap everything up taratino (quentin) is a fine director and often jabs conventions, wouldnt say he over-turns them tho anyhow, if the purpose of all the talking, and the down playing of the actual killing of bill (it is not an epic battle) is to upset the conventional revenge pic, well, that wasn't enough there is a scene in 'kill bill vol 1' wherein bride is buried alive inside of a coffin a classic fear she scratches at the cover before she recalls her training and ruptures the wood in order to free herself i want to focus on the scratching
the insect scratched at my ear canal as it was dying, this caused an infection perhaps the very 'unique sensation of a bug vibrating' in my ear is when the scratching took place there is no way to know
the first time was simple enough, i had a throat infection, couldnt speak, 3 day anti-biotic, all better this time is much more devious
maybe three or four weeks ago when i was laying in bed trying to go to sleep a bug flew into my year i had a quick adrenaline sweat, paced around my apartment, stuck scissors in my ear, rinsed my ear out, debated going to the hospital, got to experience the incredibly unique sensation of a bug vibrating in my ear, and somehow managed to fall asleep
the following day i told two people about this: a canadian in her early 20s, and a korean in her mid 40s. the canadian told me since it wasnt bothering me, i should do nothing and that my body would naturally expel such an intruder, but i should never put scissors in my ear again. the korean simpy kinda laughed, offering no advice. having only one option, i went with the canadian's opinion
as mentioned, i then had a throat infection
last thursday (9.7.09 or 7.9.09) i was out with a friend, and by the end of the night my ear, left, the one that a bug flew into, felt a bit tender i simply hoped i could ignore it friday morning when i woke up, i realized that was not an option my ear hurt and/or itched internally when i arrived at school i informed the same korean woman in her 40s, she advised i go to the hospital recalling that a bug was involved with my ear just a little over a week before
i recently watched 'kill bill vol 1' and 'kill bill vol 2' i prefer volume 1, tho both are good the problem with volume 2, if it is in fact a problem, is that it gets very talky at the end, and really wants to wrap everything up taratino (quentin) is a fine director and often jabs conventions, wouldnt say he over-turns them tho anyhow, if the purpose of all the talking, and the down playing of the actual killing of bill (it is not an epic battle) is to upset the conventional revenge pic, well, that wasn't enough there is a scene in 'kill bill vol 1' wherein bride is buried alive inside of a coffin a classic fear she scratches at the cover before she recalls her training and ruptures the wood in order to free herself i want to focus on the scratching
the insect scratched at my ear canal as it was dying, this caused an infection perhaps the very 'unique sensation of a bug vibrating' in my ear is when the scratching took place there is no way to know
Friday, July 10, 2009
Topic: How would you like to kill that twat?
Displaying all 14 posts by 13 people.
Post #1
Hasnat Abul (SKBZ Bangladesh Islamia School) wroteon July 3, 2009 at 6:17pm
1. Stab his neck
2. Cut his balls off,if he has
3. Drive a truck over him
4. Stick a cactus up his shithole
more options are appreciated
2. Cut his balls off,if he has
3. Drive a truck over him
4. Stick a cactus up his shithole
more options are appreciated
Post #2
Jordan James Henry wroteon July 4, 2009 at 2:01am
Beat him to death with his own football boots.
Post #3
Frank Andersson wroteon July 4, 2009 at 6:35am
i would take great pleasure in punching the cunt to death
Post #4
Anthony Foster wroteon July 4, 2009 at 6:24pm
cut his eye lids off so he can't blink, then deep fat fry his eyes
Post #5
Hasnat Abul (SKBZ Bangladesh Islamia School) wroteon July 5, 2009 at 12:39am
thats really thoughtful Ant
Post #7
Leah Douce wroteon July 5, 2009 at 1:12am
get 10000000000 guns and 10000000000 people and shoot the twat!x
Post #8
Liam Speck wroteon July 8, 2009 at 5:05am
next time he dives ill make sure theere is a huge spike where his head will land
Post #9
Bradley Fowler (Alder Grange High School) wroteon July 8, 2009 at 7:11am
crash his ferrari in a tunnel lol
Post #10
Hamdi Kumbaraci (Ockendon School) wroteon July 8, 2009 at 9:08pm
Castrate him then (at gunpoint) make him 'dive' off an cliff head first. :)
Post #11
James Button (Kent Uni.) wrote19 hours ago
Refer to SAW movies I-V.
Anything from any of those looks tame compared with what I'd do to him.
Anything from any of those looks tame compared with what I'd do to him.
Post #12
Bethan Thornton (Bristol) wrote15 hours ago
def torture him slowly.....start by making him watch all the great f'k ups he made that we all love but he prob stills cries to him mom about!!
then dress him up like the lil girl he is and stick him in a prison cell for a week with the biggest bloke there is to make him drop the soap!!!
as for the rest, i cant print it on here, id get locked up for sure and prob put in an asylum coz it is so sick id make make quentin tarontino look tame!
then dress him up like the lil girl he is and stick him in a prison cell for a week with the biggest bloke there is to make him drop the soap!!!
as for the rest, i cant print it on here, id get locked up for sure and prob put in an asylum coz it is so sick id make make quentin tarontino look tame!
Post #13
Sam Nicholles wrote16 hours ago
Punch the fucker in the face for a bit , then tie him up and torcher the twat
Thursday, July 9, 2009
N.K. refugee center open to public after 10 years
North Korean refugees under protection at a South Korean resettlement center told their stories as Seoul opened the facility to the public for the first time yesterday in commemoration of its 10th founding anniversary. Hanawon, meaning the "House of Unity" and located in Anseong, just an hour's drive south of Seoul, is the first stop for North Koreans who enter the South. The facility, surrounded by hills and monitored by security guards, is a restricted area under South Korean law where photographing and disclosure of the trainees' personal information are limited. The facility provides a compulsory 12-week education program to help defectors better adjust to life in the capitalist South. More than 16,000 North Koreans have fled to the more affluent South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War to escape hunger and oppression. The number of new defectors has been on the rise annually, from 1,138 in 2002 to 2,809 last year. Over half of all defectors are women. The government expects some 3,000 more arrivals this year. "A truly advanced society is where minorities are protected and humanitarianism and human rights are cherished," Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said in a video message sent to the anniversary ceremony yesterday. "The issue of North Korean refugees is not simply a matter of providing support for their resettlement here but is becoming a touchstone for national advancement and unification." About 400 members of the government, National Assembly, former unification ministers and vice ministers, local government leaders, volunteer groups and those who have completed the training course at Hanawon attended the ceremony yesterday. The North Korean refugees currently staying in Hanawon entered the South in the first half of this year. "I was sought after by (North Korean) authorities for criticizing socialism when I got drunk near the Daedong River in April last year," a 62-year-old former laborer surnamed Kim from Pyongyang and current trainee of Hanawon told reporters yesterday. "People told me if I get arrested now, I would die in prison, so I fled."
Female defectors in Hanawon are mostly from the northern-most provinces of Hamgyeong where the shortage of food is suspected to be the most severe. "I have a five-year-old child in the North and I cried endlessly for a year after fleeing in late 2005," said a 37-year-old former laborer surnamed Lim from North Hamgyeong Province. "But then I thought crying wouldn't help me get my child back and decided to focus on moving on with my life and arrived in the South in February this year." Lim said she lost favor with the North Korean authorities after getting caught watching a 1998 South Korean romance film named "The Promise." After the defectors complete the 12-week cultural orientation and career development programs in Hanawon, they are given state stipends of 19 million won per person in monthly installments to live on their own - 13 million won of which is for housing. Still, defectors generally say employment is their biggest challenge in the competition-driven South. Coming from different academic systems centered on the cult worship of leader Kim Jong-il and socialist ideology, most defectors settle for blue-collar jobs that don't require advanced education - working in the manufacturing sector (30 percent), lodging facilities or restaurants (19 percent), construction (12 percent) and retail (12 percent), according to government data released in March. Manual laborers (paid by the day) accounted for 43 percent of employed North Korean defectors, compared to the 9 percent recorded for South Koreans. The newcomers from the North earned an average of 937,000 won ($741) per person a month, about one-third of what South Korean workers earn. Although a majority of the defectors struggle adjusting to life here, there are many who lead successful and happy lives in their land of dreams. Thirty-five-year-old pianist Kim Cheol-woong, who graduated from a major music school in Pyongyang and arrived in the South just six years ago, is now a professor of an arts college here. Kim Chul-yong, 35-year-old North Korean college graduate who left Hanawon in 2001, worked as the assistant director of the 2008 movie "Crossing" on North Korean defectors. Well-educated women from North Korea find it easier to adjust to life in the South. Yoo Hye-ran, 45-year-old former doctor in the North now works as a vicar at a church in Gangnam. Yoo left Hanawon nine years ago and undertook graduate courses in theology here. Some 14,000 people who fled the North - 9,900 of them women - have completed the cultural orientation courses at Hanawon, which opened in 1999. The main Hanawon facility in Anseong now has the capacity to house 750 refugees. A second Hanawon for male adults only officially opened last Friday to house another 250 people. Hanawon is now looking to extend its three-month orientation to offer life-time support for the newcomers, who face a string of daunting challenges including unemployment, stereotyping and cultural barriers, said Youn Mi-ryang, the center's new director-general. "Hanawon is now 10 years old and I believe it's time for the center to draw a bigger picture," Youn told reporters last week ahead of the 10th anniversary. Youn said language is an unexpected major barrier for North Korean defectors, who often have distinct accents and aren't familiar with the slew of English words that have fallen into regular use here. The demographics of North Korean defectors has drastically expanded - from borderline soldiers in the Cold War era to diplomats, party officials, fishermen, farmers and other working-class people who began to stream in during the mid-1990s. They were mostly male at first, but 80 percent of new defectors now are female. As their numbers increased, South Korean state incentives for defectors decreased. New defectors used to receive a hero's welcome in the 1960s and 1970s, and were often awarded luxury housing and hefty stipends. Financial support has since been cut, but the number of defectors is now well over 16,000. Despite all of the challenges, Youn said she is seeing small improvements, and believes Hanawon is a kind of litmus test for how South Korea could reunite with the North. "I sense that there is a stronger will among the newcomers to stand alone. There is a better attitude to get a job rather than live off welfare," she said. "I hope our society will become more tolerant to embrace people who come from different cultures." (sophie@heraldm.com)
By Kim So-hyun
|
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
i commit ceasless sex crimes
the chosun ilbo has printed the following article:
With ceaseless sex crimes committed by native speaker instructors working in foreign language hagwons, two more were recently arrested for sexual molestation.
The “Anti-English Spectrum Cafe” (불법 외국어 강사 퇴출을 위한 국민운동) announced on the 30th that an American and a Canadian currently teaching children at a famous language hagwon in Seoul engaged in lewd acts towards female elementary students at the hagwon.
According to the internet organization, the native speaker instructors in question repeatedly committed lewd acts towards the students, of course, and also touched their genitals to the buttocks of female Korean co-workers, also instructors, both in the teacher’s room and while at company dinners.
The native speaker instructors denied the accusations of parents and the female instructor by saying, “this is a simple misunderstanding of skinship due to cultural differences,” and the hagwon, concerned about damage to its image, staying uninvolved and not reporting the matter to police.
The instructors moved to another hagwon when the accusations grew fiercer, but currently are being paid and treated even better than at the previous hagwon, Anti-English Spectrum Cafe announced. The Korean female instructors who were the victims of their molestation had to leave the hagwon due to continuing nasty rumors.
Similarly, the native speaker instructors have not ceased to engage in sex crimes such as molestation and rape, and with no way at present for them to stopped or punished their crimes will continue to increase.
The biggest problem is that the victimized women prefer to keep the crime a secret, not reported to police, because of the prevalent view that “that’s what happens when you hang around with foreigners.” Thus once the affair dies down, their victimizers are able to move on to another hagwon and commit the same crimes free of a criminal record.
39-year old Lee Eun-eung, operator of the Anti-English Spectrum Cafe, said, “foreign instructors of low character frequently toss women away without compunction after attaining their goal of meeting them for money and sexual relations, so many of the women have their lives ruined by abortion or, of course, sexually transmitted diseases.”
Mr. Lee has created on the website a discussion forum for women to share stories of being victimized by foreign instructors, and such tales have been pouring in without end. The victimized women all tell dark stories of suffering sex crimes at the hands of foreign instructors.
Recently, 33-year old Tanzanian Mr. S, who taught students at a hagwon in Seoul, caused a great shock in Daejeon by entering in to a sexual relationship in 2007 with an underage female student (just 18 years old at the time) at an English hagwon. The crime was revealed when the student went on the internet after they had had sex to discover if she was pregnant or not.
Mr. S introduced himself to the female student as “a child of Tanzania,” asking her to keep secrets and telling her many lies and tricks. In the end the illicit relationship became known to the the hagwon and to the girl’s parents, Mr. S left for Seoul, and the family came near to ruin.
In December of last year a native speaker instructor attending a foreign language program run by a local government in Seoul was caught placing his hand into the underwear of a girl in the first grade of elementary school and was sued by the family of the victimized girl. The case is currently underway.
of course these things can possibly happen, but note the hagwons aren't at fault at all? mr lee seems to me a zealot of the rush limbaugh variety, but with more scare power. not even right-wing radio could have 'the anti-immigrant spectrum cafe'
i'm not crying oppression, but it is interesting that korea is trying to see itself more and more as a multi-cultural society, yet can't help but cast anything multi-cultural as intellectually, morally, or financially bankrupt
thankfully, my interactions with this type of idiocy is relatively minimal (tho the swine flu, known locally as 'pig sick', outbreak had some silliness come my way from a co-teacher)
With ceaseless sex crimes committed by native speaker instructors working in foreign language hagwons, two more were recently arrested for sexual molestation.
The “Anti-English Spectrum Cafe” (불법 외국어 강사 퇴출을 위한 국민운동) announced on the 30th that an American and a Canadian currently teaching children at a famous language hagwon in Seoul engaged in lewd acts towards female elementary students at the hagwon.
According to the internet organization, the native speaker instructors in question repeatedly committed lewd acts towards the students, of course, and also touched their genitals to the buttocks of female Korean co-workers, also instructors, both in the teacher’s room and while at company dinners.
The native speaker instructors denied the accusations of parents and the female instructor by saying, “this is a simple misunderstanding of skinship due to cultural differences,” and the hagwon, concerned about damage to its image, staying uninvolved and not reporting the matter to police.
The instructors moved to another hagwon when the accusations grew fiercer, but currently are being paid and treated even better than at the previous hagwon, Anti-English Spectrum Cafe announced. The Korean female instructors who were the victims of their molestation had to leave the hagwon due to continuing nasty rumors.
Similarly, the native speaker instructors have not ceased to engage in sex crimes such as molestation and rape, and with no way at present for them to stopped or punished their crimes will continue to increase.
The biggest problem is that the victimized women prefer to keep the crime a secret, not reported to police, because of the prevalent view that “that’s what happens when you hang around with foreigners.” Thus once the affair dies down, their victimizers are able to move on to another hagwon and commit the same crimes free of a criminal record.
39-year old Lee Eun-eung, operator of the Anti-English Spectrum Cafe, said, “foreign instructors of low character frequently toss women away without compunction after attaining their goal of meeting them for money and sexual relations, so many of the women have their lives ruined by abortion or, of course, sexually transmitted diseases.”
Mr. Lee has created on the website a discussion forum for women to share stories of being victimized by foreign instructors, and such tales have been pouring in without end. The victimized women all tell dark stories of suffering sex crimes at the hands of foreign instructors.
Recently, 33-year old Tanzanian Mr. S, who taught students at a hagwon in Seoul, caused a great shock in Daejeon by entering in to a sexual relationship in 2007 with an underage female student (just 18 years old at the time) at an English hagwon. The crime was revealed when the student went on the internet after they had had sex to discover if she was pregnant or not.
Mr. S introduced himself to the female student as “a child of Tanzania,” asking her to keep secrets and telling her many lies and tricks. In the end the illicit relationship became known to the the hagwon and to the girl’s parents, Mr. S left for Seoul, and the family came near to ruin.
In December of last year a native speaker instructor attending a foreign language program run by a local government in Seoul was caught placing his hand into the underwear of a girl in the first grade of elementary school and was sued by the family of the victimized girl. The case is currently underway.
of course these things can possibly happen, but note the hagwons aren't at fault at all? mr lee seems to me a zealot of the rush limbaugh variety, but with more scare power. not even right-wing radio could have 'the anti-immigrant spectrum cafe'
i'm not crying oppression, but it is interesting that korea is trying to see itself more and more as a multi-cultural society, yet can't help but cast anything multi-cultural as intellectually, morally, or financially bankrupt
thankfully, my interactions with this type of idiocy is relatively minimal (tho the swine flu, known locally as 'pig sick', outbreak had some silliness come my way from a co-teacher)
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