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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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 Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:30 am Post subject: |
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| anyangoldboy wrote: |
| This wont apply if you are Korean by why should us foreigners care about what the Korean's do to their own country when it's their's??? |
I'm a kiwi. I simply want to show my support for the already large numbers of Koreans who are opposed to LMB's ridiculous plan. I've been in contact with the organizers of one of the groups opposing the canal plan and they very much appreciate and welcome interest and involvement from non-Koreans. One guy said they need an English language page on their site so that they can make potential foreign investors (there's been some interest from the Middle-East) feel ashamed of being involved in such an environmentally damaging and economically wasteful project.
Also, environmental problems don't end at international borders. Environmentalists in countries as far away as New Zealand fear their migratory bird populations may decline due to the Korean government's destruction of the Saemungeum tidal flats, and it looks like the canal project will do equal damage to migratory bird habitats. LMB's people claim that the canal will reduce greenhouse gas emissions but Korean environmentalists argue that there are far more economical and less destructive ways to reduce Korea's carbon dioxide emissions. Given that Korea is one of the world's greatest producers of greenhouse gases, and that this pollution contributes to climate change that effects the entire globe, I think everyone here, whether they are Korean or not, has a right to speak out. |
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SHANE02
Joined: 04 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| flummuxt wrote: |
| canal from Seoul to Tokyo? |
Farcanal |
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anyangoldboy
Joined: 28 Sep 2007
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Oreovictim
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:40 am Post subject: |
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| kiwiduncan wrote: |
| cazador83 wrote: |
| what are the pros and cons to this? why is there even discussion? i dont have a clue what this really means so thats why im asking... |
I've been ranting against the evils of Lee Myung Bak's grand canal plan for some weeks now. Check out this link to see why so many environmentalists, economists and everyday Koreans are opposed to canal plans.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=110273&highlight=
I only set up the facebook group this afternoon so there's not much background detail up there yet. I'll add more information this evening. |
I'm glad that someone explained it, thanks. I'm 34, and I can't bother with Facebook. (But perhaps it changed like myspace, and people older than 28 sign up.) |
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IncognitoHFX
Joined: 06 May 2007
Location: Yeongtong, Suwon
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| Oreovictim wrote: |
I'm glad that someone explained it, thanks. I'm 34, and I can't bother with Facebook. (But perhaps it changed like myspace, and people older than 28 sign up.) |
My mum is on Facebook actually, as are all of her friends. It's a lot cleaner and less teenager-oriented than Myspace. You and your geriatric friends would probably be fine signing up.
Myspace angries up the blood. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| IncognitoHFX wrote: |
| Oreovictim wrote: |
I'm glad that someone explained it, thanks. I'm 34, and I can't bother with Facebook. (But perhaps it changed like myspace, and people older than 28 sign up.) |
My mum is on Facebook actually, as are all of her friends. It's a lot cleaner and less teenager-oriented than Myspace. You and your geriatric friends would probably be fine signing up.
Myspace angries up the blood. |
Facebook is ok. I try to avoid spending too much time on it and steadfastly refuse all my friends' invitations to use the various extra applications and games.
You should consider signing up. It's good for getting involved in various kinds of groups and learning about issues. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:04 pm Post subject: Re: 'Stop Korea's Grand Canal!' on Facebook |
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| itaewonguy wrote: |
| kiwiduncan wrote: |
I've just set-up a grand canal opposition group on Facebook if anyone is interested.
It's called 'Stop Korea's Grand Canal!'
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WHY???? its a great idea!!
its just going to cost us all money! as taxes are on the up..
but over all its not a bad idea..
I hope they get around to the cleaning the banks of the hangang
as there could be more parks, cafes, resatuarants, and activity things down there to do.. still way to much bush down there.. |
Thanks for the input Itaewonguy. Please check the information on the group page if you want to learn more about the flaws with the plan though.
As it happens, the proponents of the canal have promised that no taxpayers' money will be spent on the project, and that 100% of the investment will come from private companies. Opponents are worried however that the government will sign a deal with private investors in which, if the investors don't make the revenue they expect, the state (ie, taxpayers) will obliged to make up the difference. Such was the case with the new highway between Seoul and the Incheon International Airport. It was supposed to be a privately funded road but, in the end, the government had to bail the company out.
You may be interested to know that Seoul city government does have some ambitious plans to remove a lot of the concrete lining the banks of the Han river and develop much more natural shorelines. I don't think this project, which sounds like a pretty good idea to me, has anything to do with the grand canal plans however. |
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Tokki1
Joined: 14 May 2007
Location: The gap between the Korean superiority and inferiority complex
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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Ok, the Panama Canal....good investment (although many people died).
Canal through Korea? LOL?
Yesterday Lee Myong Park's insane policy to force 'all Korean teachers to teach all subjects in English only' fell on its face after a lot of protest.
What's next? Build a giant electric fan as a military weapon of mass destruction? |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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"Who are the people sitting behind you? The transition team?"
투기 = speculation (i.e. all the rich Kangnam ajummas who are swarming around the proprosed route of the canal, hoping to cash in on rising land prices)
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Tokki1
Joined: 14 May 2007
Location: The gap between the Korean superiority and inferiority complex
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Maybe other gargantuan countries like Taiwan and Singapore should engage in extremely costly canal projects. Oh...wait....they don't have such mountainous terrain....wouldn't be expensive enough... |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:33 am Post subject: |
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| Tokki1 wrote: |
| Maybe other gargantuan countries like Taiwan and Singapore should engage in extremely costly canal projects. Oh...wait....they don't have such mountainous terrain....wouldn't be expensive enough... |
Don't worry, LMB thinks they can pay for it by selling sand 
The Hangyeore newspaper stated that the amount of gravel and sand to be extracted from the Han and Nakdong rivers in order to make them navigable for shipping would be equivalent in height to a 33 storie high apartment building stretching from Seoul to Busan.
한반도대운하연구회는 전체 굴착량을11억5천만㎥로 잡고 있다. 이는 서울~부산 경부고속도로(6차로 기준)에 33층 아파트(90.3m) 높이만큼 쌓을 수 있는 어마어마한 양이다 |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:09 am Post subject: |
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LMB is so optimistic about the success of his grand canal project that he's already made some proposals to the Italian government.
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bgreenster
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Location: too far from the beach
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| Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| Tokki1 wrote: |
What's next? Build a giant electric fan as a military weapon of mass destruction? |
I would have fallen down laughing if I wasn't already lying down, just imagining this WMD.
The only flaw with this is that they'd have to make a giant enclosed space as well- what if the defending country simply opened a window?? |
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bgreenster
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Location: too far from the beach
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| Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:05 am Post subject: |
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ps: I've joined, and now I'm just trying to figure out who is in the group from Dave's 
Duncan, I take it you go to some of these demonstrations(?) I don't know much about activism here, but I'd love to get details whenever there are things I can go to/support/participate in. Cheers. |
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kiwiduncan
Joined: 18 Jun 2007
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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| bgreenster wrote: |
ps: I've joined, and now I'm just trying to figure out who is in the group from Dave's
Duncan, I take it you go to some of these demonstrations(?) I don't know much about activism here, but I'd love to get details whenever there are things I can go to/support/participate in. Cheers. |
Unfortunately all the demostrations seem to be up in Seoul and other big cities, whereas I am in little Yeosu on the south coast.
The main Korean anti-canal group's webstie is www.gobada.co.kr. If you want me to I can contact them again and ask if they would like some more volunteers for their next petition day. They seem very keen to have non-Koreans involved in the campaign. Where are you based in Korea?
Also, check out 환경운동연합 (the Korean Federation of Environmental Movements) www.kfem.or.kr for other environmental issues in Korea, and have a look at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7153561274
Cheers,
Duncan |
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