Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thomas pars]

That's right the new Jeju water with the catchy commercial and
pretty pink cap comes from none other than the coca cola
company. If in fact the water is drawn from natural springs one has to wonder if the cola giant's past dealings might play in the island.

Perhaps they've dodged a bullet and the pure Jeju water is like their UK Dasani brand: Nothing more than Kent Tap water.

Below are articles detailing the corporations water dealings.

http://asnycnowradio.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/cola-giants-criticised-amid-india-water-crisis/

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0307-30.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3523303.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3809539.stm

Either way it is a thinly veiled market grab by a multinational corporation
with a dubious history.

[Senior]

OOOOhhhhhHHH. Ooger boooger. Big bad coke.

I'm 100% sure the Jeju water is probably filtered tap water. And I'm 100% sure it is safe to drink. What's the issue. Are they hurting anybody? No they are offering a safe and enjoyable product, at a competitive price. Everyone wins.

In the link you have a classic ownership issue. No one owns the ground water (well actually, it is probably owned by the state), so you get a commons problem. The simplest solution is for some private group to own the ground water, then all those problems go away.

Not to mention it is India. So, most of the issues are tied up with back room deals, various wang tackling and gerry mandering, not to mention old fashioned corruption in general. By the sounds of the article, much of it was stirred up by the local socialist factions in the first place. You know that if there is cash up for grabs, they will have their hands out just like coke, and everyone else, all whilst paying lip service to "workers rights", or some such.

[Hyeon Een]

I worked in a shop in the UK when Coke launched their Dasani brand. We had to pull it all off the shelves haha. It was kind of annoying on a personal level actually.. but still amusing.

British people were not impressed with having filtered tap water sold to them.

[kiknkorea]

I'm always amused by those who insist on bottled water (especially back home in the US) when so much of what's sold comes from a municipal supply.

http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/rethink-what-you-drink/article51807.html

[VanIslander]

[Underwaterbob]

Sort of reminds me of the time I bought a big can of Sapporo with "Japan's Oldest Brewed Beer" blazing on the front and "Product of Canada" subtly printed in tiny letters on the back.

[thoreau]

[thoreau]

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/18024-water-harvesting-big-business-jeju

[thomas pars]

[thomas pars]

"In the link you have a classic ownership issue. No one owns the ground water (well actually, it is probably owned by the state), so you get a commons problem. The simplest solution is for some private group to own the ground water, then all those problems go away"

If you think that way take a look at this: http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.10-online-exclusive-daniel-aldana-cohen-bolivia-water-violence


"Under Reyes Villa, Cochabamba�s water utility was sold to the only bidder, a subsidiary of the American corporation Bechtel, and prices rapidly skyrocketed as much as 200 percent. Under the Bechtel contract, it became illegal for city residents or peasants in surrounding communities to collect rainwater for drinking, irrigation, or anything else. The water that irrigated the farm fields of communities like Tiquipaya would instead be confiscated and rerouted into the leaky pipes beneath the city."

and this.... http://www.cbc.ca/news/features/water/

Oh and you think it only happens in the developing world?

It's happening in the Us as well.

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/8/1/stockton_california_city_council_reverses_water

and.... http://www.sierraclub.org/committees/cac/water/


Look I appreciate your passion but you simply have no idea what the heck you are talking about. Large multinational corporations, with the help of the World Bank are taking over publicly held commodities and auctioning them to people who have absolutely no choice but to pay whatever those companies wish to charge. Their choice is literally pay or die.

Do your homework and then get back to me.

[Senior]

[Senior]

The state sold the water rights to the only person who bid? And you blame the company for taking advantage? You don't see the state's role in this debacle?

Really. If the state hadn't handed over, piecemeal, its monopoly, we wouldn't be in this situation.

I'm 100% sure your suggested solution will be more state ownership of resources. Genius.

[thomas pars]

yep.

[Senior]

[thomas pars]

With public ownership the people own the resource. So if the government is irresponsible with it then the people can vote them out and replace them with one who will better represent their interests. With corporate ownership the people have no voice. And in several cases the government has no voice either. Take the fuel additive MTBE. When California decided to ban the additive because it causes cancer. The Canadian manufacturer sued California with the claim that "California's ban unfairly restricts the company's ability to sell methanol (the key ingredient in MTBE) and profit from it in the state -- and therefore constitutes a violation of NAFTA.

this is what is so troubling to me... corporations overruling the decisions made by citizens at the ballot box and the legislative process.

I'm not a terribly big fan of big government either. But explain to me how the antidote for it is unrestrained, unchecked capitalism.

The current economic crisis is a direct result of deregulation.

As for the water crisis in Bolivia at least the IMF and the world bank, agents that are supposed to HELP developing nations convinced them to relinquish their public ownerships. So that multinational corporations like good old Coca cola, or Thames water, or Nestle or any more than a dozen other firms could build a plant and sell THEIR water back to them at ridiculously inflated prices.

There was nothing wrong with the country's original water plants or operations. Bolivia wanted money from the world bank/IMF. And they agreed to give it. With the caveat that they relinquish control over state owned resources.

true Bolivia didn't have to hand it over. But let me ask you this, is is ok to allow a corporation to ban people from collecting rain water for irrigation, washing or even DRINKING?!!?!?! As was the case in Bolivia? Is that OKay?

It's been a while since I've had a debate perhaps u'd like to grab some coffee and have this discussion in public?