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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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 Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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| dzeisons wrote: |
my father in law is a rice farmer in korea- in preparation for the loosening of rice importation restrictions he started organic rice farming. the law change provided the impetus for this.
i find ti funny that the us carries on about free trade all the time but at the same time is one of the biggest protectionist economies. |
All too often "free trade" in the minds of many US corporations is "free access to your cheap labor and resources". When free trade means actual competition for manufactured goods or services, well well, time to rethink this free trade notion. |
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Gord
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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| rapier wrote: |
| But grow up korea. japan went through the same thing: but overcame the full market opening by focussing on specialised varieties, sensible pricing and distribution policies, and finding new ways to diversify farmers incomes. |
Japan has a tariff on imported rice of 341 Yen per kilogram. In Korean currency, that's 35,000 Won per standard 10KG bag of rice. That's pretty damn high given that I bought a 10KG bag yesterday for 25,000.
Further, it's not really open. Imported rice is entirely bought by a government agency where it then sits in a warehouse for a year at a minimum before usually ending up being given away as food aid. The far distant second, some rice (4%?) is used in industrial projects such as being used to make sake and beer. Actual retail consumption hardly registers as a trackable statistic.
In short, Japan's rice market is not open.
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| A country packed with golf courses is not the answer. Korea is not a desirable climate for most international golfers, nevermind having the water needed to maintain thousands of hectares of perfect turf, with the simultaneous environmental degradation caused by huge amounts of toxins to upply the greens. |
As a shareholder in a golf course, I am curious for you to support your claim here because it certainly doesn't compliment what I know to be true. And I like to think I know what I'm talking about given that I was involved in the early development stages of the course itself including environmental impact considerations (as the course is within 2km of a water reservoir intake) and in an area considered a semi-arid region which gets a fraction of the rainfall Korea does.
But if you really know more than me and everyone else involved in the development of the project whose very jobs and education degrees are to know this stuff about this issue, I am listening. I don't want to be part of a team that causes the deaths and illnesses of thousands, so please share with me your vast knowledge of golf courses and their environmental impacts. |
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 3:09 am Post subject: |
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The nation's second gas field has been found near Donghae-1, the first gas field in East Sea and 60 kilometers off the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan, the Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) said Thursday.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200503/kt2005030317505910220.htm |
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Guri Guy
Joined: 07 Sep 2003
Location: Bamboo Island
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:12 am Post subject: |
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I agree that Korea needs to change. Traditionalists will fight against it of course and Confusionism is profoundly anti-change. Change can be painful at first but they will be much better off in the long run.
The United States is an unfair trader as well. They routinely subsidize their farmers and then scream bloody murder when the EU does the same. The US has been "ripping off" Canada for years with our Free Trade agreement. Canada plays by the rules but the US doesn't.
Did I hear right Gord? Golf courses have a negliable impact on the environment?
Read this link Gord. http://www.american.edu/TED/jpgolf.htm
Here are a few select quotes.
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An 18-hole golf course requires three to four tons of various
germicides, herbicides, and pesticides every year to keep the
green and fairways healthy, to combat weeds, and kill insects. |
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Some of these chemicals are carcinogenic, while others are known
to cause deformities and nerve damage. There have been reports of
massive fish kills in fish hatcheries polluted by toxins in the
water from golf courses. The nitrogen and phosphorus in the
fertilizers will mix with rainwater and eventually flow into a
reservoir. The high nutrient content of water will stimulate the
growth of algae. Consequently, this requires the water treatment
plant to use higher volumes of chlorine to cleanse the water. |
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Forests serve as a kind of natural dam, storing rainwater in the
leaves and soil. Natural water circulating from forests feeds
rivers and streams. In contrast, golf courses have only one-fourth
the water retention capacity of an equivalent forest area. Most
rainwater simply runs off the greens and fairways. |
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Medic
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Maybe the mountains are all rocks |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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Regarding Korean rice- it is really way superior to Vietnamese rice, which would flood the market, all things being open to free trade.
Vietnamese live in Vietnam, with a very cheap cost of living. Korean farmers have to pay the cost of living in Korea. Flooding the market with inferior Vietnamese rice would drive farmers out of business and lower to quality of rice in Korea.
This has happened in the States with a number of products. Clothing is cheap there now, because it is all made in Asia. The quality sucks, and garment workers in the U.S. have been driven out of work. But, hey, I can buy a sweater there for $10-20. Of course, it will fall apart and pill like crazy in no time, but then I can buy another one. Yippee.
Cheapest is not the best. Korean rice is a bit more expensive. I doubt Korean farmers are rich, but they have to live. If it is available, eople will buy the cheap Vietnamese rice because they think they are saving a won or two, but there are much bigger costs to the transaction- and they are not evident to the individual consumer. |
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Blind Willie
Joined: 05 May 2004
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Hey hakwon owners...
why not run your hakwons as a school instead of as a business for openers?
Isn't it about time to start thinking about the future of your country instead of your wallet?
Concentrate on having students learning how to speak the world language instead of having them waste money on the books you sell them. |
"Kim Wongjamgnim, why do you cry so?"
"Some stranger on the internet has revealed to me what a sham my life and my business has been up until this point. Thankfully, I read ESL Cafe closely everyday, and I shall now dedicate my life to feeding baby chipmunks. " |
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Len8
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Location: Kyungju
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| Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| The mountains in North Korea are suposed to be full of minerals. I don't know if the same ranges come through South korea. The Geumgang mountains do though, so maybe they might find uranium if they start prospecting. |
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