'Makgeolli' gains nickname 'Drunken Rice'

Read the article here: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/05/123_66565.html
**I've never tried Makgeolli so I can't describe it. I don't drink alcohol.
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Makgeolli is a rice wine in Korea. It has been given the name "drunken rice". The event was launched to promote sales of Makgeolli.

Other names in the running were Koju, Kori, Soolsool, McKorea,Makcohol and Rainydaywine but they failed to beat Drunken Rice.

They were looking for an English nickname because Makgeolli is hard to pronounce for expatriates.

"Both consumption and exports of makgeolli are expected to rise down the road. Based on the easy-to-pronounce names, it will be able to gain more attractiveness among foreigners," Park said.

NK threatens to cut all relations with South

read the article here: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/05/120_66513.html

N. Korea wants to cut all relations with S. Korea during the remaining term of President Lee Myung-bak.

They want to cut off all communication and remove all South Korean workers from Kaesong, an inter-Korean industrial complex.

They will also ban South Korean ships and airliners from passing through North Korean waters and air.

North Korea, which has strongly denied any involvement in the sinking, has threatened to wage an "all-out war" if there are any attempts to punish the North.

On Monday, President Lee and his ministers announced a slew of punitive measures against the North, including halting trade with the impoverished neighbor, banning commercial North Korean ships from passing through southern waters, resuming anti-Pyongyang broadcasts, and staging military and anti-proliferation drills.

The president then indicated Tuesday that South Korea will re-designate North Korea as its main enemy

China Tells N.Korea to Restrain Itself

read the article here: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/05/26/2010052600551.html

China has asked N.Korea to restrain itself over sactions from S. Korea.

China "reiterated the importance of stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula and delivered the same message to the North".

"The request could be a warning that Beijing may turn its back on Pyongyang if it should launch further provocations," a diplomatic source said.

자기소개

저는밸러리예요
저는28살 이에요
저는직 업없어요
저는 미국 사람이에요
저는미국 살아요.
저는 여동생이 있어요.
제 여동생 이름은캔디스예요

Seoul confirms North Korean topedo sank warship..North Korea denies, threatens war

Article from Korea Times: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/05/205_66225.html

Investigators announced on Thursday that a North Korean sub attacked the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, with a torpedo on March 26. 46 sailors were killed because of the incident.

North Korea claims that investigators fabricated the findings. They are sending investigators to check the validity of the investigation.

The Joint Civilian-Military Investigation Group provided evidence that shows that North Korea was involved in the sinking. They displayed parts of the torpedo that matched blueprints of a North Korean torpedo. Invesigators found markings in hanguel that said "No. 1" in English on the parts. The font was similar to another North Korean torpedo that was found 7 years ago by the South.

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Pyongyang denies sinking Cheonan, threatens war

Full article in Korea Times: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/05/120_66231.html

North Korea denies sinking the Cheonan on March 26 and is threatening war.

They promised a "merciless strong physical blow," if South Korea responds with even a minor act of aggression on its territory.

The attack on the Cheonan is speculated to be retaliation for a naval skirmish that occurred last November.

Youtube star keeps it real with his music....David Choi

His brand new music video:


You can read the full article at: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/05/201_66076.html

David Choi, a 24 year old Gyopo from California, became famous on Youtube. He is an unsigned musical artist. His 2nd album will be released soon in South Korea.

Choi will perform at the Welcomm Theater from May 20 to 22. Tickets cost from 35,000 to 40,000 won.

Choi didn't always dream of being a singer/songwriter. He heard someone in his high school class play an electronica song they wrote. Then he wondered if he could do the same. Then he composed his first piece.

Choi continued to compose music and entered contests. He won most of them including the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for Teens and the David Bowie Mash-Up Contest in 2004.

He got his big break when he entered into a 2 year contract with Warner Chappell Music. He was suppose to write 10 songs each year, but ended up writing 100.

Then he turned to Youtube. He wrote a song entitled "YouTube Love Song". It was featured on the main page and received over 1 million views in the first week. He just posted the video for fun and didn't know it would be such a big hit.

He posts videos where he sings, performs and travels. He is the 10th most subscribed musician on YouTube and the 69th most subscribed overall. He has over 300,000 subscribers. He has more subscribers than Beyonce, Usher and Madonna.

Links:

His website: David Choi Music
YouTube channel: David Choi Music

Kim Yu-na to debut as a singer

Kim Yu-na is a popular figure skater in South Korea. She won a gold medal in the 2010Winter olympics. Now she is preparing to debut as a singer. She is preparing for a duet with K-pop singer Lee Seung-gi.

Kim has already proven that she has singing ability on many TV shows.

Here's a commercial where she sings:



skating video:

’Most foreign tourists happy with visit to Seoul’

Here's the full article from the Korea Herald: http://www.koreaherald.com/entertainment/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100511000725

Seoul City and Nielsen Korea conducted a survey on 2,000 tourists in major airports.91% of foreign tourists were satisfied with their visit to Seoul.There was an increase in satisfaction from previous years-79.1 percent in 2007 and 84.6 percent last year.88% of tourists were positive about revisiting in the future.The most popular tourist spot was Myeong-dong. The next most popular places were Dongdaemun and Namdaemun. All 3 spots are known for their shopping districts.

Lindsay and 2PM have similar song titles...

Here's the link to the article in the Korea Times:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/05/135_65561.html

2PM has a lyric that says "Don't Stop, Can't Stop". Lindsay Lohan's new song is titled "Can't Stop, Won't Stop".

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린제이도 "Don't Stop Can't Stop"

린제이 로한이 공교롭게도 한국의 아이돌그룹 2PM과 유사한 제목의 노래를 발표한다.

2PM의 신곡은 "Don't Stop Can't Stop"이지만 린제이 노래의 제목은 "Can't Stop, Won't Stop"이다.

린제이 로한은 최근 최악의 상황에서 아이러니컬한 제목의 "멈추지 않겠다"는 신곡을 내놓아 눈길을 끌었다.

네티즌들은 그녀의 신곡에 대해 대체로 우호적이다.

"린제이가 이런 재능이 있는지 몰랐다. 의외다", "이런 재능을 갖고 있는 그녀가 안타깝다", "이 곡을 계기로 재기하면 좋겠다"는 응원의 댓글이 쏟아지기도 했다.

Voluntary exit program launched for illegal aliens

**If you want to go to another country why don't you just go legally? I've lived in South Korea before. Getting a Visa isn't a hard or long process if you are an upstanding citizen in your country. You have to send in a few documents. You need a valid reason for coming. I was teaching English so I got an E2 which is the visa for Foreign English Instructors. It was a very short process. I think I started applying in November of 2008 and I got my Visa on December 15 and I was in the country on December 18, 2008. I left before my visa expired.

Maybe the USA should do this. Tell illegal aliens that they have a window of time where they can exit without fines. After this window of time there will be consequences. Would it work in America? probably not. Nothing works like it should in America.
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The government will launch an incentive program aimed at encouraging foreign workers who overstayed their visa to leave the country "voluntarily," the Ministry of Justice said Monday.

Under the program, those who exit will be exempt from fines and will not be regulated on a possible revisit to the country.

The authorities are aiming to reduce the number of illegal sojourners here ― estimated at 180,000 ― before the G-20 Summit slated for November.

The program will run from May 6 to September 31.

Employers who come clean with such workers will also be granted exemptions from fines and be given priority in recruiting substitute workers.

The workers will have to report to immigration offices at airports with their employer, passport and flight ticket to confirm departure.

Apart from this campaign, immigration officers and police will conduct a joint crackdown on illegal foreign workers, who have mostly entered Korea on an E-9 visa and stayed after authorization expired. Those caught will be fined and deported. Employers will be fined up to 20 million won and be restricted from hiring a replacement for three years.

According to the ministry, there are 178,163 foreigners staying here without valid visas, about 15.1 percent of the total 1,180,598 foreign residents. About half of them are Chinese, including ethnic Koreans, followed by Vietnamese, Thais, Mongolians and Filipinos among others. As of March, only 5,226 have turned themselves into the authorities, while 4,826 were caught and deported.

English Deciding Factor in Success of Office Workers

English-language skills have become the determining factor for the success of office workers, with many companies considering English test scores an important criterion for promotion and favoring conversation skills over standardized tests like the TOEIC and TOEFL.

More and more firms use English for their intranet boards, meetings and reports. One 35-year-old deputy director at an IT company said, "The reality is that even divisions where English is not needed for work have to speak it. When there are restructuring plans, rumors spread that those who can't speak English are most likely to get laid off."

According to a survey by job portal Job Korea in January of 2,042 salaried workers about their regrets in the recession, 27.2 percent picked poor English skills, 25.1 percent chose lack of professional skills or licenses, and 15.3 percent answered lacking a degree from prestigious university.

Among students at English-language schools around the business district in Gangnam, Seoul, office workers have a significant presence. "The English component in reviews for promotion was changed from a TOEIC score to conversation skills. I score fairly well on the TOEIC thanks to the vocabulary I learned at university, but there is no better option to improve my English conversation skill. That's why I come here early in the morning," one said.

Lunchtime classes at a school are packed with office workers. A staffer said, "Unlike university students who tend to give up one or two months after taking classes, more than half of these employee students take classes for more than a year. That shows how desperate they are."

The English divide deepens when it comes to recruitment of fresh graduates. Average English proficiency is not enough in a generation where many have been educated abroad or gone through intensive courses from an early age, a human resources manager at Shinsegae Group said.

A 27-year-old jobseeker added, "It seems that Korea is going the same way as India, where totally different jobs are available for those who can speak English and those who can't."