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NBC offended Koreans during 1988 Seoul Olympics too

A sketch of a controversial shirt ordered by the NBC film crew at an Itaewon shop. Printed in The Korea Times in 1988By Matt VanVolkenburgBetween comments by NBC's Joshua Cooper Ramo praising Japan's 1910-45 occupation of Korea during the Olympics opening ceremony, controversy over NBC's incorrect pronunciation of PyeongChang and a Chicago TV station's blunder mixing the city up with Chinese-American food chain P.F. Chang, the U.S. media has been criticized for its Olympics coverage. Though it is mostly forgotten today, NBC also angered Koreans during its coverage of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. U.S. athletes first attracted negative attention when the U.S. Olympic team's disorganized entry during the opening ceremony (in which participants held up signs like "Hi mom, send won") was perceived as disrespecting the host. It was NBC's coverage of a boxing incident which truly angered Koreans, however. When New Zealand referee Keith Walker penalized Korean boxer Byun Jong-il and he lost a match based on points, Byun's coach and even security guards rushed into the ring to beat Walker. NBC r

Discovering Korea through ancient maps

This East Asian map dating to 1560 shows the Korean Peninsula almost as large as Africa. / Courtesy of US Library of CongressBy Jon DunbarMaps are everywhere these days thanks to various online services offered by Naver, Daum/Kakao, Google and others. But it is still fun to look at old maps and see how geographic perceptions have changed and refined through the centuries. Koreans have been mapping their territory and region for centuries, but foreign explorers were considerably later to the game. The first really accurate map came from Kim Jeong-ho (1804-66), who is said to have walked the entire Korean Peninsula. His creation, the premodern “Daedong Yeojido,” came out in 1861, consisting of 22 foldable booklets combining to create a map 6.7 meters by 3.8 meters.Earlier maps are not so accurate, even approaching abstract art. Last week the U.S. Library of Congress shared some old Korean maps from its collection. One of the oldest known maps showing Korea dates to 1402. A surviving copy of this map dating to 1560 exaggerates Korea’s size, making it almost equal to Af

TNKR to hold speech contest

TNKR co-founders Lee Eun-koo and Casey Lartigue Jr. at the Speech Contest in Seoul last year. / Photo by John RedmondBy John RedmondTeach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) will hold its 7th English Speech Contest at State Tower in Seoul on Saturday. Seven North Koreans will address the theme, "My Little Big Heroes." Refugees applied for the contest by submitting short videos explaining their speeches.“In 10 minutes or less, they will discuss their little big heroes they knew in North Korea, or met while they were escaping through or living in China, or special people they have met as they settled down in South Korea or other countries,” organizers said.“The speeches are moving and promise to open your eyes up to the struggles, experiences and challenges facing North Korean refugees.”The refugees will give TED-style talks.The speech contest will be held at the Shin and Kim Law Office from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.The office is on the eighth floor of State Tower Namsan, about 120 meters from exit 4 of Myeong-dong Station on Line 4. TNKR is a Seoul-based NGO that provides f

(1754) Popular appliance - LG Styler (II)

(1753) Popular appliance - LG Styler (I)

Starkey Korea donates hearing aid products to Dutch Korean War veterans

Starkey Korea CEO Richard Shim, third from left, and Dutch war veterans and family pose for a picture after receiving hearing aid products Tuesday. Courtesy of Starkey KoreaBy Kim Hyun-binStarkey Korea CEO Richard Shim took the opportunity to conduct free audiometry and consultations Tuesday for Dutch Korean War veterans who were invited to the country to attend the Winter Olympic Games. The veterans were also provided with two years worth of hearing aid batteries and PyeongChang Olympic souvenirs. Netherland Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Dutch Ambassador to Korea Lody Embrechts, and Pi Woo-jin, minister for veteran’s affairs accompanied the veteransLast month, the ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs invited 10 Dutch Korean War veterans and their families to attend the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.For over half a decade, Starkey Korea has been a strong contributor to veterans.The company made generous contributions worth 100 million won ($92,200) of hearing aids to 16 UN Korean War veterans for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014.In both 2014 a

(1752) Year of the Golden Dog (II)

Naturalized men may face conscription

By Kim Se-jeongNaturalized male citizens may be subject to the country’s mandatory military service.The government said Tuesday it will begin discussion this year on whether to oblige foreign nationals who acquire Korean citizenship to serve in the military as all able-bodied men here have to.Currently, military service for naturalized Koreans is voluntary. Adding naturalized Koreans to the pool of mandatory military service is expected to fill the gap caused by the decreasing number of native born Koreans.The announcement was part of new government policy plans for foreigners covering the next five years.Starting this year, the government will toughen requirements for permanent residence visa applicants and require permanent residents to renew their visa every 10 years. The government will also expand the tax delinquency screening system to all 34 immigration offices so foreigners will not get their visa renewed if they have delinquent tax payments. Currently, the screening takes place at 18 immigration offices. The administration will discuss requiring inbound travelers from

Seoul to host underwater show

By John RedmondThe Korean Underwater Sports Show (KUSPO) takes place in conjunction with the Seoul International Sports & Leisure Industry Show (SPOEX) at COEX from Feb. 22 to 25.Last year over 61,000 people attended SPOEX, and this year sees the inclusion of the Asia-Pacific arm of the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).SPOEX includes outdoor, camping and bike shows.The NAUI story begins with a shared vision of what quality scuba training should be and a commitment to “Dive Safety Through Education.”Recreational diving in North America traces its roots to 1948 when Jacques Cousteau convinced Rene Bussoz to import self-contained underwater breathing units he called Aqua-Lungs, but it wasn’t until the late 1960s that the term “scuba diver” became the accepted name for Aqua-Lung users.The Aqua-Lung would, for the first time, allow divers to stay underwater much longer than they could on a single breath. In those early days, the only training a new diver received was a warning not to hold their breath.Since then the NAUI has grown to

Yongsan Legacy Discovering Broadway on Yongsan Garrison

A young Samia Mounts, center stage, arm raised and holding onto a large dog, performs as Annie in musical revue “Broadway Tonight!” staged in an auditorium on Yongsan Garrison. / Courtesy of Samia MountsBy Samia MountsAs the U.S. military relocates out of Yongsan Garrison, Yongsan Legacy aims to archive the living memories of those who served, worked and lived there. This is one of them. When my family moved to Seoul in 1989, I was a precocious six-year-old who had just discovered her love for the stage. My dad was a JAG lawyer for the U.S. Air Force, and later became the U.S. SOFA secretary, and my mom was a teacher and school administrator who worked for the schools on post. Luckily for my young heart, there was a thriving community theater program on Yongsan Garrison, my new home. We had this beautiful old theater on South Post, complete with dozens of dusty costume racks in the attic, a scene shop backstage on the ground floor, a gorgeous auditorium space with tiered seating and a stage big enough for full-scale musicals and plays. In the lobby hung framed posters fro