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A Korean's viewpoint
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Julius



Joined: 27 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yaya wrote:
The U.S. has had South Korea's back for too long and Seoul should foot most, if not all, of the bill.


this has always been my position as well. Korea is fit enough to stand on its own. Neither China nor NK are about to invade.

SK has accounted for a massive % of US overseas military aid for the past 60 years. Much more than any other country (including even Israel I believe).
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Steelrails



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I was actually talking about the officers/NCOs. I've met some idiot conscripts especially in infantry units, but I was amazed at the number of incompetent buffoons who worked at the division HQ as staff officers.


In the history of the military, around the world, staff has been where the privileged have been sent. Relatives and family friends and what not.

Private soldiers everywhere think people at Division level are generally morons.

It's been said that soldiers fighting each other had more respect for their enemies across the line than their own generals and staff types.

Given Korea's penchant for nepotism, I wouldn't find it surprising that Maj. Gen. Kim's nephew So-Ju Kim is running around his office while he does his mandatory.

That's not to say that I don't have any faith in the SK Army's ability to perform. I hope that the core of regulars, ROK Marines, and the ROK Air Force are more professional, and from what I've heard and read they are regarded as such, but the conscript base will hopefully be doing something less vital if there is ever a dustup, like watching Pusan harbor for a potential NK amphibious assault. Notice I didn't say hauling supplies. That's too big a job...
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Julius



Joined: 27 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:02 am    Post subject: Re: A Korean's viewpoint Reply with quote

PeteJB wrote:
The following is a large snippet from a blog of a Korean studying in America.


I tried to find the blog but couldn't. Do you have a link?

Reason being i wanted to invite her on here. Or relay her comments.
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Illysook



Joined: 30 Jun 2008

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm so tired of people spouting off about soldiers and teachers. A few soldiers get into a bar fight, or some grunt is discovered to be a rapist and for this reason the entire American military is evil and should leave Korea. American teachers should also leave Korea because they are nothing but money grubbing bloodsuckers on Korea's economy and most of them aren't even qualified.

Blah, blah, blah, yadda-yadda-yadda, and so it goes. Nevermind that there are thousands of US Soldiers here who are not rapists and that plenty of the western teachers here have certifications from their home countries that were not easy to aquire while other teachers have worked hard to acquire the needed skills on the job and/or by aquiring a CELTA or TESOL certificate.
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DIsbell



Joined: 15 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The funny thing about the lack of qualifications is when you consider our Korean counterparts. In hagwons, most Korean teachers have zero qualifications. Even if you consider an English degree to be a qualification, lots of hagwon teachers have unrelated degrees (design, etc). In public schools they all have a basic teaching license, but frankly I think there's a specialized skillset and knowledge base for teaching EFL, compared to the training to teach content courses in a shared native language. On top of that, many report (including on Dave's as well as the recent SNU study about student/teacher perceptions floating about the news) that Koreans with less than stellar English are teaching. I don't think you have to be a "master" of a language to teach it, but common sense dictates that you ought to be pretty darn good at it.

Of course there are some great Korean teachers of English, but I'd wager there's a similar proportion of great NETs too, with native language ability, some combination of training and experience, and even some basic Korean ability.
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fermentation



Joined: 22 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:

I hope that the core of regulars, ROK Marines, and the ROK Air Force are more professional, and from what I've heard and read they are regarded as such


I don't where you're getting your sources from, but they aren't. Korean career soldiers are the farthest thing from professional. And I don't mean that they're mean to conscripts and engage in petty work gossip (although they do plenty of that too). Some of the stuff I've seen borders close to criminal in my opinion and some of the people I've met were downright scumbags and/or morons. The large majority of Korean guys who served, harbor nothing more than disdain for the "professional" soldiers of the ROK military. I've even met ROTC officers who regret being an officer because they're surrounded by these idiots on a daily basis. I've met more conscripts who were more professional, competent than officers. Some were better leaders than the officers who lead them.

Heck even I did the bulk of the administrative work in my unit because of the master sergeant in charge didn't know or care what was going on. Dude barely knew how to type so I did most of his work for him. He would sit me down at his office and give me a list of stuff that needed to be done while he would go outside to chill out with other NCOs equally afraid of doing work. Of course he still got paid about 400mil won a month while I got a measly 10thousand.
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Steelrails



Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System

PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fermentation wrote:
Steelrails wrote:

I hope that the core of regulars, ROK Marines, and the ROK Air Force are more professional, and from what I've heard and read they are regarded as such


I don't where you're getting your sources from, but they aren't. Korean career soldiers are the farthest thing from professional.


A couple military authors cited the S. Korean military as being professional in comparison to other forces the U.S. trained with, and an ex-Marine friend of mine had good things to say about the ROK Marine guys.

But I can imagine the ROK Army not having the quality.
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World Traveler



Joined: 29 May 2009

PostPosted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 10:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Illysook wrote:
I'm so tired of people spouting off about soldiers and teachers. A few soldiers get into a bar fight, or some grunt is discovered to be a rapist and for this reason the entire American military is evil and should leave Korea. American teachers should also leave Korea because they are nothing but money grubbing bloodsuckers on Korea's economy and most of them aren't even qualified.

Blah, blah, blah, yadda-yadda-yadda, and so it goes. Nevermind that there are thousands of US Soldiers here who are not rapists and that plenty of the western teachers here have certifications from their home countries that were not easy to aquire while other teachers have worked hard to acquire the needed skills on the job and/or by aquiring a CELTA or TESOL certificate.


You are right. Many young Koreans have a low opinion of the American soldiers and Western English teachers.

Quote:
I think there are many foreigners to teach English and work there
and there are so many American armies...
Armies have made many crimes in Korea. Unfortunately that is true like rape and murder. So some people avoid forigners.


Quote:
If you're misusing or will misuse Englishteacher job in Korea as a teporary job, go back to your country!


Quote:
hahah they are VIPs in Korea Smile And we Students who give 200% are considered as Junk peopl! What an Irony! I am not big fan of foreigners (from western countries) in Korea. They are spoiling the name of foreigners in Korea!


Quote:
That is too right !!! I experiences foreigners with really a bad behavior.


Quote:
if I ask caucatians their job, 95% of them are English teachers..


Quote:
Koreans now a days can already guess what their job are..


Quote:
Teaching is the very noble profession in Korea. But my perception has been changed after observing many foreigner teachers here.


Quote:
most of the ETs will just stop by and take miney, and then leave here...recently, because of the bad US economy... 2biggest priblems are 1) they're not qualified. 2)they are well-paid than Korean teachers
one teacher of my lastest institute was kicked out because she was a club-girl,haha;;


Quote:
Most of my korean friends call foreigenr who came to teach loser! foreigner are everywhere in korea now but its not they fault but rather gouvernement and company's fault who keep hiring people just because they are native english!


Quote:
yes I agree that too. employers have fault. but stupidly, they don't stop...
but ETs are not also well-qualified but are well-paid than Koreans. thats the problem
plus, they won't teach with their ambition and sicerity..


Quote:
Lol well people dont care about sincerity but money!! if they come all the way to korea its for money..which is fine korea need them easy way to get money just wait few years and people will have difficulty to fine a job as teachers as most of korean speak english they wont need them..no reason to complain its life^^
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tatertot



Joined: 21 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 12:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

World Traveler wrote:
Illysook wrote:
I'm so tired of people spouting off about soldiers and teachers. A few soldiers get into a bar fight, or some grunt is discovered to be a rapist and for this reason the entire American military is evil and should leave Korea. American teachers should also leave Korea because they are nothing but money grubbing bloodsuckers on Korea's economy and most of them aren't even qualified.

Blah, blah, blah, yadda-yadda-yadda, and so it goes. Nevermind that there are thousands of US Soldiers here who are not rapists and that plenty of the western teachers here have certifications from their home countries that were not easy to aquire while other teachers have worked hard to acquire the needed skills on the job and/or by aquiring a CELTA or TESOL certificate.


You are right. Many young Koreans have a low opinion of the American soldiers and Western English teachers.

Quote:
I think there are many foreigners to teach English and work there
and there are so many American armies...
Armies have made many crimes in Korea. Unfortunately that is true like rape and murder. So some people avoid forigners.


Quote:
If you're misusing or will misuse Englishteacher job in Korea as a teporary job, go back to your country!


Quote:
hahah they are VIPs in Korea Smile And we Students who give 200% are considered as Junk peopl! What an Irony! I am not big fan of foreigners (from western countries) in Korea. They are spoiling the name of foreigners in Korea!


Quote:
That is too right !!! I experiences foreigners with really a bad behavior.


Quote:
if I ask caucatians their job, 95% of them are English teachers..


Quote:
Koreans now a days can already guess what their job are..


Quote:
Teaching is the very noble profession in Korea. But my perception has been changed after observing many foreigner teachers here.


Quote:
most of the ETs will just stop by and take miney, and then leave here...recently, because of the bad US economy... 2biggest priblems are 1) they're not qualified. 2)they are well-paid than Korean teachers
one teacher of my lastest institute was kicked out because she was a club-girl,haha;;


Quote:
Most of my korean friends call foreigenr who came to teach loser! foreigner are everywhere in korea now but its not they fault but rather gouvernement and company's fault who keep hiring people just because they are native english!


Quote:
yes I agree that too. employers have fault. but stupidly, they don't stop...
but ETs are not also well-qualified but are well-paid than Koreans. thats the problem
plus, they won't teach with their ambition and sicerity..


Quote:
Lol well people dont care about sincerity but money!! if they come all the way to korea its for money..which is fine korea need them easy way to get money just wait few years and people will have difficulty to fine a job as teachers as most of korean speak english they wont need them..no reason to complain its life^^

Using horrible English to complain about English teachers' ability to teach is genius. The poorly written complaints validate themselves. Wink
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ghostrider



Joined: 27 Jun 2011

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 12:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

More comments from Koreans about English teachers:

Quote:
This illustrates perfectly what is wrong with too many ESL teachers in Korea. They act like armchair sociologists, thinking that they know everything about Korean society by working at one school in Korea, when they can't even speak the language or understand the culture.


Quote:
You know the source of all the problem is Hagwon (petty ESL learning institutes) according to ESL Westerners but we all know it's not just Hagwon's problem, the whole problem started with these male ESL teachers with no real educational background. If you let the trash get into warm water then war becomes rotting and smelly. These Hagwon and Korean schools were cozy and warm for foreign ESL teachers and now they have became corrupted and ripoffs.

North Korea doesn't have any foreign ESL teachers but their English proficiency is some what equaling South Korea, so how this is possible? This is because North Koreans have dedicated education system for learning foreign language.


Quote:
This is problem of our current government, paying foreign soldiers to stay here and letting ESL teachers have the best benefit plans in Asia! President LMB and his gang are pro-American and anti-Korean, nothing more.


Quote:
Here we have ESLer publicizing Korean transsexual bar, it's shocking to see these work with school kids and little children are into prostitution, transsexual and drugs and more..

This guy is even proud of being at Tranny bar in Itaewon, disgusting ESLer.
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fermentation



Joined: 22 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:
A couple military authors cited the S. Korean military as being professional in comparison to other forces the U.S. trained with, and an ex-Marine friend of mine had good things to say about the ROK Marine guys.

But I can imagine the ROK Army not having the quality.


I'm guessing a lot of those comments from experts are political in nature. No one is going to train with another country and openly say that they suck. Joint exercises are also political in the sense that its also about showing the other guys that you're capable. I'm sure troops of all sides in multinational joint exercise are told to show their best. But maybe I have a too high an expectation when it comes to the people who are being paid taxpayer money to defend our nation.

My father worked with US forces several years and he had nothing but good things to say about the officer corp of the US military although he didn't think too highly of the enlistees. A lot of ROK officers I know tend to be impressed with American officers while complaining about their own military. But I can imagine getting a different picture when talking to American troops. Bitching about officers if a favorite past time for us.
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krnpowr



Joined: 08 Dec 2011
Location: Midwest, USA

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 7:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

everything-is-everything wrote:

Every single Korean English teacher I've worked with and met have had poor speaking, pronunciation, writing and grammar skills.


The irony.
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Weigookin74



Joined: 26 Oct 2009

PostPosted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Floating World wrote:
Just tell the SK soldiers that the norks are saying that NK ramyeon is much spicer than SK jin ramyeon. Then watch the wrath of fury unfurl.

Very Happy


Ha ha. Myabe the two sides should just hurl spicy ramion at each other and that will settle it.
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World Traveler



Joined: 29 May 2009

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steelrails wrote:
And please, lets here you talk about the capabilities of NK weapons systems.

Please, do lay it all out here on Dave's. Prove that you have the slightest clue that you know what you are talking about.

New article released today:
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2013/02/03/82/0503000000AEN20130203001400320F.HTML
Quote:
�� "At this point, it is difficult to deny the fact that North Korea is ahead of us as it developed a 30-ton engine by itself and fired the Unha-3," a KARI official said. "However, if we succeed with the test launch of a 75-ton engine, we can say that we have better technology than the North."

�� North Korea fired a satellite-carrying long-range rocket late last year, drawing international condemnation as many see the rocket launch as a cover for the test of a long-range ballistic missile in violation of U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.

�� The North's rocket launch is still shining a spotlight on how far the North's space technology has come and also has demonstrated a technology gap between the two Koreas.

Here's another article:
Quote:

SEOUL : The top US commander in South Korea said on Wednesday that North Korea has the world's largest artillery force and could rain fire on Seoul should the communist state decide to provoke all-out conflict.

General Walter Sharp's comments came amid rising tensions on the peninsula.

Last Saturday the North's military reminded South Korea that its densely populated capital is "only 50 km away" from the border.

Sharp, commander of some 28,500 US troops in South Korea, said the North has "an old but very large military that is positioned in a very dangerous place, very close" to South Korea.

"They have a very large special operating force. It has the world's largest artillery force that is positioned as far south as possible and that can rain on Seoul today," he told local business leaders.

The North maintains 80,000 special forces and is believed to have some 13,000 artillery pieces deployed along the border, Sharp said.
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hiamnotcool



Joined: 06 Feb 2012

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="World Traveler"]
Steelrails wrote:

Quote:

SEOUL : The top US commander in South Korea said on Wednesday that North Korea has the world's largest artillery force and could rain fire on Seoul should the communist state decide to provoke all-out conflict.

General Walter Sharp's comments came amid rising tensions on the peninsula.

Last Saturday the North's military reminded South Korea that its densely populated capital is "only 50 km away" from the border.

Sharp, commander of some 28,500 US troops in South Korea, said the North has "an old but very large military that is positioned in a very dangerous place, very close" to South Korea.

"They have a very large special operating force. It has the world's largest artillery force that is positioned as far south as possible and that can rain on Seoul today," he told local business leaders.

The North maintains 80,000 special forces and is believed to have some 13,000 artillery pieces deployed along the border, Sharp said.


How can they be "special" forces when there are 80,000 of them? I take the threat seriously, I just found that part amusing.

The main advantage the North has over the South is that they are dead serious about the situation. The problem in the South, in my opinion, is that a lot of the locals and the foreigners here think this is all some kind of game. Most conversations I've had here are all about ridiculous conspiracy theories and this idea that the North is a hopeless 3rd world country.
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