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Smithington
Joined: 14 Dec 2011
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 Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 5:54 pm Post subject: Pyeongchang 2018 (the good, the bad, and the ugly). |
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So I think we'll all agree that it's time for a Pyeongchang 2018 thread. The Suchi olympics have been over for so long that Russia has even invaded a neighboring country since the closing ceremony. Suchi, smuchi. Ancient history, baby! Time to prepare for Pyeongyang. Now the Suchi olympics, and Russia itself, received a lot of mixed reviews from the foreign press. One wonders what we can expect from the international media when it descends on Korea. I imagine the opening ceremony will be beautiful, with beautiful women dancing in hanbok to traditional music. All the pleasant things about Korean culture will be displayed there.
Then the media will step outside, check the place out, walk around the streets, go back to their hotels, etc. So what "good, bad and ugly" aspects of Korea will grab the attention of the media? Like in Suchi the whole "please don't put dirty things in the toilet" thing will get attention, as will the shabby love motels, piles of trash, spitting, and lawless traffic. But they will also comment on the beautiful countryside, delicious food, etc.
Any predictions as to what will grab the media's atention at Pyeongyang? Has anyone here even been to Pyeongchang? What's it like? |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: Pyeongchang 2018 (the good, the bad, and the ugly). |
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| Smithington wrote: |
| I imagine the opening ceremony will be beautiful, with beautiful women dancing in hanbok to traditional music. |
I can see it now: the best-looking women in Korea enacting a slow, lovely, traditional dance, and then suddenly the music changes and they start doing that ridiculous jumping song that's so popular now for some reason.
Just kidding of course, the vapid song fad will have changed by then. |
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radcon
Joined: 23 May 2011
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Psy and Kangnam Style will be involved somehow. |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:10 pm Post subject: Re: Pyeongchang 2018 (the good, the bad, and the ugly). |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Smithington wrote: |
| I imagine the opening ceremony will be beautiful, with beautiful women dancing in hanbok to traditional music. |
I can see it now: the best-looking women in Korea enacting a slow, lovely, traditional dance, and then suddenly the music changes and they start doing that ridiculous jumping song that's so popular now for some reason. Just kidding of course, the vapid song fad will have changed by then. |
LOL. I bet anyone that they'll have Psy doing his horsey song because in 2018 that will still be the only K-pop song any Westerner will have heard of. Sad thing is, nobody will have given Psy or his silly song a moment's thought over those years, but Koreans will nevertheless be convinced that Gangnam Style had become an entrenched part of Western pop culture. I'm serious; I will be very surprised if Gangnam Style is not a part of the opening or closing ceremony.
Anyone up for a bet? |
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Scorpion
Joined: 15 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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I wonder how many idiots will be trying to book hotel reservations in Pyeongyang (as opposed to Pyeongchang).
Westerners know so little about Korea, and these two cities / regions sound so similar to many of us. And we've all been asked back home if we're living in North or South Korea. Even that idiot Sarah Palin thought the US was allied to 'North' Korea. I honestly think the name thing is going to be the source of some funny stories. I remember four years ago, before the Vancouver olympics, the hotels in 'Vancouver' in Washington state (USA) were booked solid by idiots thinking they were going to the olympics. And if so many cock-ups occured in relation to an internationally well-known city like Vancouver, I think the Pyeongchang location (which noone has ever heard of) is going to provide us intertainment worthy of a Monty Python skit.
If I was Kim Jung Un I would get that massive hotel finished up north, and get it booked solid for the olympics. They will, of course, have a no refunds policy on room bookings.
Fun times ahead. |
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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That's an idea. NK has three star hotels that are, to say the least, sparsely occupied at the busiest of times. Open up the rail link again, and travel from PyeungYang to PyungChang. As far as I know, PyungChang currently only have half-star minbak and smatterings of 3/4 star love-motels.  |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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I would imagine the lack of adequate housing is going to be a giant problem. Also, transportation is going to be a cluster.
Use of non-Korean websites to do anything will also be fun to watch.
How exactly does one book a trip in Korea from overseas? Maybe it will result in better websites for general use, here's hoping. |
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actionjackson
Joined: 30 Dec 2007
Location: Any place I'm at
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:57 am Post subject: |
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| radcon wrote: |
| Psy and Kangnam Style will be involved somehow. |
This is the first thing that came to my mind. |
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guavashake
Joined: 09 Nov 2013
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:19 am Post subject: |
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| SeoulNate wrote: |
I would imagine the lack of adequate housing is going to be a giant problem. Also, transportation is going to be a cluster.
Use of non-Korean websites to do anything will also be fun to watch.
How exactly does one book a trip in Korea from overseas? Maybe it will result in better websites for general use, here's hoping. |
http://en.yes-pc.net/
There's already multilingual websites.
There's a list of 13 resorts and condos on the above site.
A high speed rail to the Olympic site is due to be completed in 2017.
Seoul to the Olympic site within 60 minutes.
Incheon airport to the Olympic site within 80 minutes. |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 3:02 am Post subject: |
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| guavashake wrote: |
| SeoulNate wrote: |
I would imagine the lack of adequate housing is going to be a giant problem. Also, transportation is going to be a cluster.
Use of non-Korean websites to do anything will also be fun to watch.
How exactly does one book a trip in Korea from overseas? Maybe it will result in better websites for general use, here's hoping. |
http://en.yes-pc.net/
There's already multilingual websites.
There's a list of 13 resorts and condos on the above site.
A high speed rail to the Olympic site is due to be completed in 2017.
Seoul to the Olympic site within 60 minutes.
Incheon airport to the Olympic site within 80 minutes. |
rofl
thanks for proving my point.
Did you even bother to click though the (whoops, not links, Korean website coding FTW) boxes with the listed websites for hotels?
As far as I could tell, ZERO of them would take a credit card from overseas, more than half have zero English or any foreign languages on the website and, again, more than half have zero functionality without using IE6.
Yes, excellent job.
Korea will not be ready for the outside world in this day of technology.
Also, the train schedule will be horribly screwed if they cant get their unions and ownership of the damn lines figured out by then.
Personally, I think its sad as hell. Korea wants to be a tourist destination, then even advertise for it on TV, but it might be one of the most infuriating countries to get into from overseas simply because of the lack of available web resources for literally everything that has to do with travel.
Just for a comparison, I went to the Beijing Olympics, which was 6 years ago, I was able to book everything on line, have the trip completely set-up, had numbers to call, talked to people at the hotel, train stations etc all NINE MONTHS before the event. This was China, you know, the country that everyone here likes to call backwater trash.
Korea has less than three years to get this shit all set-up. It aint going to happen. |
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tanklor1
Joined: 13 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 3:10 am Post subject: |
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| Canada wins gold in hockey. |
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guavashake
Joined: 09 Nov 2013
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:27 am Post subject: |
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| SeoulNate wrote: |
Korea has less than three years to get this shit all set-up. It aint going to happen. |
The majority is already set up.
It already happened.
In Yongpyeong Resort, two Ski World Cup Games, Asian Winter Games and additional international sport tournaments have successfully been held. |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 6:45 am Post subject: |
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| They'll be ready. Koreans are really good at building stuff quickly. |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| guavashake wrote: |
| SeoulNate wrote: |
Korea has less than three years to get this shit all set-up. It aint going to happen. |
The majority is already set up.
It already happened.
In Yongpyeong Resort, two Ski World Cup Games, Asian Winter Games and additional international sport tournaments have successfully been held. |
The majority is NOT setup. Your website proves that beyond a doubt.
I have no doubt that the physical things will be built for the Olympics, thats of course going to happen. However, the infrastructure needed for tourists will be severely lacking. |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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Snow won't be a concern as this it will be held the time of year when the heavy stuff passes from Gangwon to Japan.
Mapo-gu ice rink to hold the ice skating. Any work being one on this?
Kim Yuna another 4 years? |
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