South Koreans furious at China over death at sea
AP via San Francisco Chronicle
Angry South Koreans slammed Chinese fishermen as “pirates” Tuesday, while President Lee Myung-bak pledged to spend more on policing the country’s waters after a Chinese boat captain allegedly stabbed a coast guard officer to death.
During a protest at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, a right-wing demonstrator rammed his sport utility vehicle three times into a police bus guarding the building, while others defaced a Chinese flag. A popular South Korean Internet post called for the shelling of illegal Chinese fishing boats.
Man sentenced to three life terms for Tenafly triple murders
Bergen County Record (N.J.)
Convicted triple-murderer Kang Hyuk Choi was sentenced Wednesday to three concurrent life terms for the stabbing deaths of three members of a Tenafly family three years ago.
“The last thing you will see before you die will be the inside of a cell that you are about to enter shortly,” Superior Court Judge Donald Venezia said to Choi.
Defense attorney Francis Meehan said Choi had a serious gambling addiction that depleted his finances and ruined his credit.
He came into contact with Sean Kim, who had posted an online ad to help people repair their credit, Meehan said. Choi later began working for Kim, who promised him that he could earn up to $20,000 a month, Meehan said.
Choi became angry when the money never came, and after an argument at Kim’s home in May 2008, he stabbed Kim with a large kitchen knife, Choi said during his guilty plea in September.
Happy Hug Day, Korea
CNNGo
Hugs are dangerous things.
They can get you sued, banned or — worst case scenario — caught on camera in awkward poses that will haunt you for the rest of your life.
But even lousy huggers can be fearless today. (Hug Day was moved from December 11 to December 14 a few years ago in order to match all the other quirky unofficial Korean holidays that fall on the 14th of every month.)
Korean vendors are throwing mini-events in celebration, giving away coffee and hot chocolate via Twitter. Actors are also seizing the day as an excuse for marketing ploys promoting their latest movies.
So who do Koreans want to hug?
Park Tae-joon, Founder of a Giant in Steel, Dies at 84
New York Times
Park Tae-joon, a former South Korean general who created Posco, one of the world’s largest steel companies, helping to lay the foundation for his nation’s rise from an impoverished postwar society into an industrial powerhouse, died on Tuesday in Seoul. He was 84.
Interpreters in Korean Basketball League say job is tough
Korea Herald
There are only two men on the bench during a Korean basketball game that wear a suit and tie: the manager and the interpreter.
In the Korean Basketball League, each team has at least one overseas player and one interpreter.
Coaches say foreign players are crucial for their teams as they usually score the most points. And as the demand for foreign players grew, so did the importance of interpreters in the KBL.
Chef Debbie Lee cookbook signing in Tempe
Arizona Republic
Chef and author Debbie Lee is hosting a book signing at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe Thursday, Dec. 15.
The Phoenix native, who was a finalist on season five of “The Next Food Network Star,” shares her spin on Korean dishes in “Seoultown Kitchen: Korean Pub Grub to Share with Family and Friends.” Lee, who is also known for her popular food truck Ahn Joo in Los Angeles, fuses Korean and American fare with dishes such as flavorful grilled meats, Korean style pickles, nachos, meatloaf, meatballs and cocktails.
Tears, Gratitude and Anger Mark the 1,000th Protest
Wall Street Journal
It was never meant to last 20 years.
In January 1992, a group of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II staged a protest outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. They timed the protest to a visit by Japan’s then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. They became known as the “comfort women” and their weekly demonstration became known as the “Wednesday Protest.”
Today, with a crowd of about 3,000 joining in, the comfort women staged their 1,000th protest in front of the embassy.
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“Comfort Women” visit Palisades Park
NorthJersey.com
The public is invited Thursday to meet two Korean women who recently arrived to share their story of captivity by Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Yongsoo Lee, 83, and Ok-Seon Yi, 84, will meet with the public at 12:30 p.m. at the borough library. The women were brought to the United States by the Korean American Voters’ Council, and spoke at an art exhibit at the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center in Queens earlier this week. The exhibit focuses on the struggles of the many women held prisoner during the war.
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