Danger on wheels: fast food delivery in South Korea
Christian Science Monitor
There has been a steady increase in the number of accidents involving motorcycle deliverymen, raising concerns that Korea’s obsession with being fast may need to be adjusted.
In 2009, there were 1,395, part of 4,962 injuries or deaths involving motorcycles in the restaurant and lodging industry during the past six years. And a recent poll of delivery drivers showed nearly 50 percent of those using motorcycles had indicated they had been involved in a road accident during the course of their work.
Derek Hough and the ‘Korean Britney Spears’ heat up film set with steamy kissing scenes
The Daily Mail (UK)
I guess BoA is the Korean Britney Spears. I thought this (below) was the Korean Britney Spears.
The former Dancing With The Stars professional was spotted in a steamy clinch with Korean popstar BoA Kwon as they shot scenes for Cobu 3D in Toronto, Canada.
Korean noodle maker in hot water over advertising
Reuters
Top South Korean noodle maker Nongshim ran into unexpected trouble from the nation’s fair trade officials, who Monday slapped the company with a steep fine for exaggerating the nutritional value of a new brand of instant noodles.
Students share time with defectors
Korea Herald
A group of high school students has been making regular visits to North Korean defectors who are patients at the National Medical Center, and offering their friendship.
Hurdles remain for Korean adoption
Korea Herald
Now that the government has reduced the quota for overseas adoptions to 1,013 to shed Korea’s image as one of the largest “orphan exporters,” the number of children that need to be adopted in-country is estimated to have taken off at a dramatic pace.
Insiders claim that the actual number of children abandoned and in need of families is actually much higher since some legal restraints keep a substantial number of children from being legally adopted.
Sending couples to the altar in style
JoongAng Daily
Jung Lee, a Korean-American wedding planner who runs her own firm, Fete, in New York, helped the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul overhaul its wedding planning services.
Traveler delights in South Korean journey, but glad to be home
The Times and Democrat (S.C.)
Here is a foreigner’s perspective on modern-day Korea.
[T&D Correspondent Larry Jordan] and his wife, Bonnie, recently returned from their nine-week visit there, where son Paul is stationed at United States Army Garrison Humphreys in Anjung-ri, south of Seoul.
Most people grow crops in every space available to use for themselves or to sell. Since most small farmers use hothouses to grow their vegetables, you can buy every kind of vegetable year-round. All sorts of products — vegetables, chickens, seafood and crafts — are sold at markets that abound in every city or village. Throughout the country, street markets are held on every date that ends with a three or an eight. They line the sidewalks, and it is a delight to stroll through and see the vast array of products for sale. The discerning shopper can find many bargains.
Homegrown Idols
Wall Street Journal
It’s like a pan-Asian version of the Backstreet Boys. Seasoned American music execs are spearheading efforts to make Blush the next big thing in America. The all-girl group features a member from South Korea, Japan, China by way of India, and the Philippines.
The story sounds like a teenage dream. But, in the mold of The Monkees or the Spice Girls, Blush is the product of a team of producers with a hard-nosed business plan. Five years in the making, the group’s sound and image has been carefully managed and tested against focus groups of teenage girls. Already, band members have adopted cute nicknames Queen V, Nacho, Jelly, Ali B and Tiger Lady.
“This all started with a simple thought: Why hasn’t a singer of Asian descent ever made it really big in the West?” says Jon Niermann, a youthful 45-year-old who founded Far West Entertainment, the Hong Kong-based media production company behind the band.
Public art rubs Seoul the wrong way
LA Times
Critics of an urban improvement effort in the South Korean capital that requires developers to provide public art say the law generated too many works that many find objectionable. It has been changed.
