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Korea: The Impossible Country
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bobbyhanlon



Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Location: 서울

PostPosted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

so, anyone other than the op actually read it? is it any good?
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PatrickGHBusan



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go a copy yesterday. I will read it over the next couple of days.
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bobbyhanlon



Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Location: 서울

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

it was in the ft as well today, in their book review section http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/bb82930a-3493-11e2-8b86-00144feabdc0.html
the reviewer here doesn't seem to think of it as much of a happy-clappy book though
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PatrickGHBusan



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finally got time to read the book.

My verdict: a light entertaining read that skims the surface. This is not the place to go for deeper understanding of Korea (as the author does state right off the bat) but it is a more than decent overview of Korea today and how it got where it is now. The author presents Korea positively but does not shy away from presenting some of the negative aspects or darker sides of the culture. In fact, a lot of the book is dedicated to brief discussions of those darker aspects of Korea today of left overs from bygone eras.

The author does try to cover too much ground and the chapters on food and kpop are weak and the space could have been used to expand some of the other more meaningful topics he chose to tackle. The end (last couple of chapters) turns into a speculative analysis/prediction of what Korea can become and that too is somewhat weak at points.


A decent read in general terms.
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Yagremohbhg



Joined: 04 Oct 2012
Location: Busan

PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I heard that with the declining birth rate and increasing suicide rate, Koreans are literally wiping themselves off the face of the earth within a hundred years.
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PatrickGHBusan



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -

PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 4:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yagremohbhg wrote:
I heard that with the declining birth rate and increasing suicide rate, Koreans are literally wiping themselves off the face of the earth within a hundred years.


Well if you heard it, it must be true.

Wink
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ilikekimchi



Joined: 11 Sep 2012

PostPosted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I cannot believe the lies that
South Korea has such a high suicide rate. South Korea is heaven on earth. I don't mean compared to Detroit, Baghdad or even St. Louis, I mean it's the greatest place I have ever lived, and that includes Saskatoon.
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PatrickGHBusan



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -

PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh well, the socks/trolls are here in a small pack now. This thread is infected and will die off. Time to move on.
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ilikekimchi



Joined: 11 Sep 2012

PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One sure sign of a troll is a poster who consistently uses emoticons instead of a clever choice of words, banter or sarcasm. Countrymen, if you know of a longtime poster who uses emoticons far too much, stop giving said poster the attention it craves; do not enable such nonsense, and move on.
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Weigookin74



Joined: 26 Oct 2009

PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PatrickGHBusan wrote:
Yagremohbhg wrote:
I heard that with the declining birth rate and increasing suicide rate, Koreans are literally wiping themselves off the face of the earth within a hundred years.


Well if you heard it, it must be true.

Wink


I heard from Benji over at the Fed (Federal Reserve) that money grows on trees too. So, it all must be true.
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