Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mises]

Obama said:

[Gopher]

His position is good here, as are several of his positions. But this is campaign talk, specifically intended to influence population groups X, Y, and Z's vote. Also, the Clinton Administration went into office highly, highly committed to its agenda -- "investing in the American people," "universal healthcare," "gays in the military," among other things. Clinton pledged to focus on domestic issues and leave foreign adventuring out of governance. Clinton's people, including his highly motivated wife, could not pass these initiatives, even over the military, for example, where the President, in theory, simply issues executive orders from the top down. And foreign affairs have a way of coming to the United States, whether it wants them or not.

In any case, B. Obama's supporters are setting themselves up for massive disappointment once he, probably at this point, wins the election, enters office, and starts governing (which means, alliance-building and compromising, all geared, primarily, toward winning that second term in 2012).

Taking these campaign pledges and neat-sounding debate positions at face-value is a bad idea.

[mises]

While I have no doubt that Obama, like all politicians says things to get elected while assuming that he will not be able to deliver, I do see the FTA with the ROK as dead, dead, dead. This is I think guaranteed.

Beyond this, there is the possibility that he could use various tariff and non-tariff measures to slow the import of Korean cars and other finished manufactured goods. I suspect a renegotiation of the FTA would be attempted, but I seriously doubt that the Korean people would agree, or allow their leaders to agree (without the emotive and festive tearing half of Seoul apart) to an Obama - Korea FTA.

After the "tank" nonsense, the beef nonsense, the FTA madness.. I don't think the Koreans deserve the good will of Americans.

[mises]

I found this link in Marmot's comment section:

[Ya-ta Boy]

That chicken is not the only chicken Koreans have to think about today. China just banned the import of cars made in Korea. Here's a link: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200810/200810160017.html

What with Wall Street doing gyrations and now this Chinese ban, the KOSPI is down to 1223.91 (2pm) and the Won has plummeted 80 today. Just a year ago, the market was a hair over 2,000. It's getting uncomfortably close to having lost 50%.

[Gopher]

[mises]

Check out the Shanghai market. Lost 65%+ since Nov 07.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=000001.SS&t=2y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=


I really don't know how Korea is going to cope. Their unions will rip up the cities if serious reforms are attempted. The country is a bit of an exporting one trick pony. And IF Obama did find a way to enforce fair'ish trade, you can stick a fork in Korea for at least a decade.

[mises]

[mindmetoo]

Koreans send USA cars. Americans send dollars. Koreans send those dollars back (along with 20 year olds) and employ people in the university system.

Where's the problem?

And I think anyone who teaches ESL should not complain about this so called trade deficit. Where you do think Koreans get the money to pay your salary?

[mises]

The problem is that the United States has been using favorable trade relationships with states like Korea to keep them in the United States ideological or strategic camp. The idea was that they could be on Team America provided America kept her economy open and tolerated the Korean one being closed. This only benefits the United States from a very narrowly defined strategic perspective, and not a wider economic one.

Normally, I wouldn't care. But the Korean government and many people have behaved so goddamed terrible, like excitable and overly emotional children in regards to the hand that feeds them, that I welcome the "perfect race" having to face a world that doesn't give it prosperity on a platter.

In addition, the United States is no longer economically healthy enough that "cheap shit" can be the number one, and only one, economic benefit of trade. Kia, Hyundia and whoever else can go ahead and manufacture those cars that they want to sell in the US, in the US.

[mindmetoo]

[mises]

It isn't because it is another multi billion dollar addition to various American deficits.

[Neil]

Not being up to speed on US politics/demographics ect as most I must ask as there's a big online presence of gyopos who bang on about the wonders of Korea despite having never having visited the place, why isn't there a Korean-American voting bloc which can organise itself as the Cuban-Americans in Florida have done?

Surely VANK (whose members I think must be mainly US based) would devote their time to going on about this rather than East Sea/Sea of Japan rubbish...

Maybe it's because of

[Paji eh Wong]

[mises]