Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bemused]

From The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC- a 6 minute video clip "North Korea Mapped"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#30991359

It's an interview with Curtis Melvin, a Ph.D student who has created a map on Google Earth of North Korea that has pix ranging from the only golf course in the country to the sobering burial mounds of the million plus who died of starvation.

Melvin also has the North Korea Economy Watch blog at: www.nkeconwatch.com

And the actual Google Earth map of North Korea can be downloaded at:
www.nkeconwatch.com/north-korea-uncovered-google-earth/

The video could be used, among other things, as an example of how the western media is covering the heightened tension of the past few weeks.

[cruisemonkey]

I don't know who or what you're teaching, but I'm still working on getting my students to use the proper pronoun... flame me on my teaching ability.

"Teacher, teacher he hit me."
"Who hit you?"
"He." (Points finger)
"You mean him?"
"Yes... he."
"Ok... he has my permission to do it again."

Even with uni students I'd stay 'miles away' from using any sort of ROK/DPRK/Dok-Do/Japan considerations in a lesson plan... unless I had already applied for my lump-sum pension refund.

[losing_touch]

No kidding! I would stay far, far away from this subject in the classroom. Given the current tensions, history, and cultural sensitivity, talking about this in the scope of an English class is begging for problems.

I once had my students write a speech about what they would do with a large sum of money. One of them wrote about how they would buy a bomb and an airplane to go get a family member out of North Korea who has been stranded there since the war. I didn't even know how to respond, and that was before the current situation.

[Bemused]

Interesting feedback. I've used NK as a topic in conversation classes with Korean English teachers, uni students, and business professionals and they were all fascinated with how the western media portrays NK (and SK for that matter) and the great and dear leaders. And the question, "What should Koreans say and do to change western misconceptions of the Koreas?" always sparked spirited, if not grammatically horrific, discussion. I think it's all in the framing of the topic. I even had an older member of one of my Korean English teacher conversation classes, who rarely bothered to make an effort, madly thumbing through his dictionary so that he could find the words he needed to make his point.

[CentralCali]

[cruisemonkey]

[winterfall]

[harlowethrombey]

With my advanced 2nd grade students we're reading Animal Farm and discussing the allegory.

I'm allowing the students to draw their own connections to Nork Korea at this point, but we will have some dedicated activities about that when we finish.

Just recently some of the students seemed to suddenly, truly understand the concept of a government using 'The Other' to scare its citizens into supporting it. It's a gratifying feeling.

No, this topic isnt appropriate for all classes, but I dont think we should shy away from it when we can apply it, either. It's not as easy as just teaching vocabulary but getting the students to apply some critical thinking to legitimate issues is quite satisfying.

[winterfall]

[harlowethrombey]

Really? When is 'Othering' a positive thing?

Even with a legitimate threat like North Korea, you dont get to scare your populace into saying 'ok, no representation at court' or 'wiretaps for all!'.

The reason why 'The Other' has a negative connotation is that it dehumanizes an actual people or it creates phantoms out of fearmongering. Either way, the only goal of using it is to force changes on citizens that they wouldnt accept if they werent terrified that 'someone' is coming to kill them if they dont.

I've lived through The Others being Soviets, Gangs, Mexicans and now Terrorists I guess. The world's problems are too complex to reduce things to 'good guys vs. bad guys.' Even with a pretty solid 'bad guy' like NK, just how many of the average 'Other' citizens are ordinary people who want nothing more than to have enough food to eat, watch their kids get married and have a roof over their heads?

Thus, 'The OTher's arent the problem. The dictatorial government of NK is the problem.

Besides, as foreigners are sometimes 'The Other' in Korean media I'd think we'd all be quite sympathetic to getting our hosts to understand how dangerous and foolish it is to use that label.

Although I've just spent more time defending/explaining it on the internet than in class

[winterfall]

Well I agree and disagree, extreme 'Othering' turns into genocide. Acceptable 'Othering' is anything that is different.

I wasn't trying to reduce the world into good and evil. Its perpetually gray. Though as rare as it is, sometimes the ends do justify the means. It really depends on what means you find acceptable.

If you believe in hardcore equality then the North Korean way is actually the only way to go. Mass starvation isn't pretty but in theory and practice everyone's in the same boat.

You go to any other country we both know the rich and poor aren't treated the same. The rich get commuted sentences under house arrest in mansions because they can afford expensive attorneys. The poor get good but overtaxed public defenders and live out their sentences in crowded prisons.

Well its always nice to bounce ideas around. Life would be boring if everyone was the same.

[ThingsComeAround]

here is a vid I watched and giggled at http://www.robpongi.com/pages/comboNKDANCE.html

[winterfall]

Here's a clip on North Korea's Arirang Festival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIpvm57eWfA