Korean Job Discussion Forums

[superacidjax]

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/06/15/200906150006.asp

My question is pretty simple: who cares? The story mentions that aside from a few right-wing Japanese lawmakers, most of Japan ignores the issue. Probably because it really doesn't make one bit of difference to anyone outside of Korea.

If Korea would put half as much effort into learning English as they put into the worthless Dokdo debate.. we'd all be out of jobs and Korea would be totally fluent.

Dokdo, Liancourt Rocks.. whatever. South Korea has a very real enemy to the North that is threatening nuclear war, yet they often show more rage over a stupid little island (whose inhabitants dump 8 tons of sewage into the ocean each day.) The cell phone towers on the island are also obscene. Isn't the place supposed to be a nature reserve? If not, shouldn't it be?

Here's the solution to Dokdo: there are two islands right? Make it a jointly administered autonomous region like Cyprus. Or just clear the island of humanity and just forget about it.

And. It's the SEA OF JAPAN and the Yellow Sea. I'm so sick of seeing East Sea/West sea everywhere. The English name of a place should have no relevance to Korea. I don't demand that they change 미국 to something else.. they ought to stop demanding that we change Sea of Japan to something else. I don't know of Canada or the United States forming official government organizations to lobby other countries to change the foreign name of anything. Yet, Korea does.

How about changing the Gulf of Mexico's name to the Gulf of Texas? Most people don't care.

Thankfully, most Koreans with whom I associate don't really care about the debate that much either. I'm sure they have their personal feelings, but they don't made a crusade out of every perceived slight. I'm thankful that the majority of Koreans just want to have a country safe from nuclear attack, raise their children, drink soju and live their life..

[RJjr]

No wonder he's wearing a Yankees cap. We Americans are usually the only ones sticking our noses in the disputes between other countries, especially when they don't pertain to us. He needs to renounce his Canadian citizenship and report to New York for duty immediately.

[eperdue4ad]

Eh, he just fancies himself an academic. Actually the term (or form of) 'academic' appears five times in the article, I suppose to give his obsession more credence. But people have devoted their lives to studying much more minute things, so whatever he wishes to call the Sea of Japan and Liancourt Rocks is fine by me.

[Julius]

[eperdue4ad]

[superacidjax]

[okokok]

[Julius]

[superacidjax]

Just to clarify my position. I'm not arguing for or against Korean sovereignty of "Dokdo." I am merely suggesting that in order to save it, they feel that they must destroy it.. with either tourism or pollution.

If there is such a love for Dokdo, it should be about protecting it as a treasure rather than despoiling it by stationing a platoon of police upon it.

Additionally, I think that their passion regarding Dokdo could be better placed within the international community. If someone comes to me (if I were a diplomat) crying about a little chunk of rock when there are more significant issues facing that country, I'd have to try very hard not to laugh. After all, Korea is facing an economic downturn, mostly due to a reactive trade policy (protectionism, silly riots, etc) along with a very real crisis to the north. Yet, Dokdo still gets major attention in this country.

[Julius]

[TheUrbanMyth]

And a few years ago Canada and Denmark were feuding over a even smaller rock (1.3 square kilometers) called Hans Island.

A Canadian man even bought an advertisement on Google to protest against the Danish claim to the island.

Hmm...sound like any other nation we know?

[asams]

[supernick]

TUM. Do you mean this story?

According to an article in the Ottawa Citizen on July 27, 2005, Toronto resident Rick Broadhead saw an ad on Google stating "Hans Island is Greenland. Greenland natives have used the island for centuries" and which linked to a Danish foreign affairs webpage that stated that Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent a note to Canada's ambassador to Denmark on July 25, 2005 expressing Denmark's regret that "the Canadian Minister of National Defence had paid a visit to Hans Island without prior notification of the Danish Government."[9] Poul Erik Dam Kristensen, Denmark's ambassador to Canada, told the press that the paid advertisement was not a Danish government initiative and whoever placed it was acting alone.

Canada will seek an international resolution to the dispute, and may win. The difference is, is that South Korea will play the emotional card, and use this over and over again. They like it the way it is.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[TheUrbanMyth]