Korean Job Discussion Forums

[afsjesse]

So I have poured over the forums looking at all the negative and positive things about LMB. I admit I am no fan of the Canal plan which we all no about by now. But seriously, 95 percent of the crap on this board is about how he's going to destroy Korea and how dumb his ideas are. Specifically I am thinking about the all English by 2010 idea. I admit its a long shot of this having any success, but atleast he has the audacity to dream of such a thing in this land of no change.
Personally, alot of people have been attacking this guy as being retarded, a dumbass and many other innapropriate words that should not be used to describe a human being unless you personally know them to be such things. So why not give the guy a chance and lets see what he does over the next few months, instead of portraying him as the next G. W. Bush.

[mithridates]

The first good thing he did today was to meet with the prime minister of Japan right after officially becoming president. Koizumi and Nomuhyeon were about the worst combination to have for bilateral relations when they were in power.

[kiwiduncan]

There are a few things I've got to give him credit for such as some of the improvements around Seoul (buses, pedestrianisation etc, but the jury is still out on Cheonggyecheon), and I like his approach to Japan. I also find some of the representations of LMB by his opponents to be going a step too far. I'll admit I've called him a weasal and a dinosaur, which is a bit cheeky, but I've seen LMB depicted as Adolf Hitler on some websites, and that's just hateful and counterproductive.

Still, I basically think many of his policies suck.

I think most of us would agree that the English education system here needs a serious overhaul, but his transition team's ideas about having science, mathmatics and even Korean history taught in English is ludricous given that they struggle to get even high school English teachers to use the language effectively in class. It sounds like they've back-tracked a bit on this now, but LMB has lost a lot of support and respect due to his transition team's bbali bbali bungling.

I've ranted on enough about the grand canal in other threads so I won't bring it up in detail here again, except to point out once again that it's an awful idea.

And aside from the grand canal plans, many of his other policies also look like they'll turn out to be white elephants and/or have serious impacts on the environment. First we have the continuing shambles down at the Saemangeum wetlands, where they still have time to reverse this vote-buying failure of previous administrations and at least partially restore the ecosystem, but where LMB has instead decided to build 'the Dubai of the North-East Asia'. There would be far better ways to attract more foreign investment to Korea, but this would require changes in attitudes and policies in all levels of Korean society and business, whereas LMB prefers to think in more - how shall we put it? - concrete terms.

LMB also wants to build a massive artificial "Manhattan-like" island in the mouth of the Han river, quite close to North Korea. I understand the idea is to then send lots of NK workers over to the island to work in South Korean factories there. This way the South Korean industry gets a cheap labour source and at the same time the South can help prop up the North Korean regi - oops, sorry, I mean help foster economic development and reconciliation with their brothers in the North. This proposal is already causing concern about the risks of increased flooding further back up the Han river, as the island would block up two-thirds of the river's mouth, and of course they'll be screwing the local ecosystems with all the dredging and island building.



LMB also wants to abandon the law requiring coffee shops and other businesses to charge a refundable 50 won fee for disposable paper and plastic cups. They claim this fee has done little to reduce paper cup usage in Korea, which is a pity if it's true, but I think LMB's main reason for wanting to abandon the law is to give business another boost. One thing is for certain though, all the money collected from this 50 charge (which you can reclaim if you take your cup back) was going into lots of other recycling and eco-projects.

Lastly, at a time when oil-import dependent Korea is paying more and more and more for its oil LMB wants to combat this by cutting vehicle fuel taxes to 'lessen the burden' on poor Koreans. Who drives cars the most in Korea? It's certainly not the poor. This, like so many of LMB's policies, is mainly going to benefit the rich.

[tzechuk]

[kiwiduncan]

[MrsSeoul]

Let's hope he does a better job for foreign teachers than that last President. He was awful. He treated us like criminals.

[Mi Yum mi]

He's been in power for 2 days and the Koreans already have a name for him. Not good.

MEGA

[Captain Corea]

[Donkey Beer]

Most of my kids don't like him already. They are now praising Roh Muh Yun who was a villain a few months back- all because of LMB's desire to make English more widely spoken.

That's enough for me to at least give the man a chance.

[nicholas_chiasson]

Your PRESIDENT wants me to teach you ENGLISH so listen good you little blighters!

[RACETRAITOR]