Archive for August, 2008

South Korea’s Kiss Rooms - 키스방

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

There is the “song room” (노래방), the “video room” (비디오방), and now the “kiss room” (키스방).
Yes, that’s right – you can pay for a young lady to kiss you in a private room (Korean). Apparently, it’s becoming a popular method for female college students to earn some cash for tuition. Additional services […]

Pyongyang Soju Updates Lables for U.S. Market

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

In a previous post on Pyongyang Soju being imported to the U.S., I used pics from a bottle I have, which was purchased in South Korea. Jason Perlow of Off the Broiler sampled some Pyongyang Soju at a Korean restaurant in New Jersey and has photos of the updated labels (looks like it was […]

Joe Biden’s North Korea Policy

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

OFK has a telling post (w/video) on Joe Biden’s North Korea policy. It’s hard to do much of a related post on Obama since he hasn’t even completed one term in the senate and so has a thin record. See all Election 2008 posts.

North Korea Develops Special Noodles to Fight Hunger

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Otherwise known as “food.” From BBC News:
North Korean scientists have developed a new kind of noodle that delays feelings of hunger, a Japan-based pro-Pyongyang newspaper has reported.
[…]
They left people feeling fuller longer and represented a technological breakthrough, the newspaper said.
[…]
“When you consume ordinary noodles (made from wheat or corn), you may soon feel […]

Ulchi Freedom Guardian

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

The Combined Forces Command (CFC) Ulchi Focus Lens (UFL) exercise is no more; it has been replaced by the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise, which started on 18 August and ends on 22 August. The change is more than just the name as this year the South Korean military took the lead role […]

V-J Day, Korea Liberation Day

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

15 August is the 63rd anniversary of Victory over Japan (V-J) Day, or Liberation Day in North and South Korea. It’s hard to imagine how the North Koreans could explain the significance of the day without mentioning the U.S. doing the heavy lifting, but they still manage to do so.

North Korea Google Earth v11 Ready

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

North Korean Economy Watch has released version 11 of his layer/bookmarks for North Korea in Google Earth - easily the most authoritative map of North Korea on the web.

How Beer Came to Korea

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Andrei Lankov’s latest at the Korea Times deals with the introduction of beer to Korea, which, “only began at earnest in the 1890s, when Japanese merchants introduced the Sapporo brand to Korea.” (h/t Zen Kimchi)

North Korea Remains on Terror Sponsoring List, For Now

Monday, August 11th, 2008

From Reuters: “Washington [will] not remove North Korea from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism on the initial deadline of Monday. . . The [U.S.] had made clear it did not expect a deal with Pyongyang by Monday for presenting a verification plan for its nuclear programs. . .” The admin gets […]

What if Kim Jong-il Died… Today? (Part 2)

Friday, August 8th, 2008

This post is continued from last July, when rumors or Kim Jong-il having heart surgery had (again) brought up the question of who would lead North Korea should he die. That post basically covered dynastic succession and focused on his three legitimate sons, Kim Jong-nam (김정남), Kim Jong-chol (김정철), and Kim Jong-eun (김정운), none […]