Korean Job Discussion Forums

sojourner1 · Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:37 am Post subject:

Sounds like it is nothing more than new push to capitalize from commodities through charging higher prices just as oil companies have been doing in the past 4 years. You know oil company profits are at record highs and diary companies are not too far behind in being the most profitable in history. Company chiefs and analysts in most sectors are exploring new ways to instill the idea that a product or commodity is becoming rarer to justify raising prices, when in fact, it is just a big push to make more money while ultimately producing less than their capacity further decreasing costs and increasing profits. Korea is well known for charging artificially high prices to support the wealthy family owned suppliers and shareholders to get as rich as they and as fast as possible. Western countries are taking strong note of aggressive Asian business ethics and practices, because Asians have it in them to go to all lengths in turning as much profit as possible. (not good for the majority) This is why American CEO's have a relatively newfound love for Asia, particularly China besides the fact you get find subservient women to manufacture export products for a little bit of nothing. To put it into perspective, I am paying $8 for a gallon of skim milk here and $6 for a gallon of regular milk and ground Korean beef can easily top $25/pound and $20 is not uncommon. I am very sure, those of you that were in Korea 4 or more years ago, were paying half of that we are today for food. With GDP and wages being only about half of that in the states, things ought to be quite cheap here. There is no way commodities can rightfully command these outrageous prices unless US $60,000 to $100,000 was common middle class level of pay with blue collar jobs paying $15/hour minimum wage. That would set teachers at $60,000 a year. Too bad it just isn't so.

You can bet that in the coming years, things are going to get more difficult from the consumer perspective in most all countries of the world while it gets easier for the rich investors and executives to make the most money anyone ever has in the history of the world, even if you adjust amounts for inflation over the years. It's an exciting time for those in the finance/executive career areas which are really only accessible by inheritance or nepotism or by staying single and saving up your money to hopefully be a 60 year old dude with his own office and fat accounts. Personally I need the $60,000 to $100,000 today as it's quickly becoming a very expensive time in history to live in and only will continue. Incomes are not rising in relative to commodities inflation. I am sure this is not the first time in history this economic scenario played itself out as 1700's Europe and early 20th century was like this in many ways. In case you wonder how the old people in western countries did so well as to come out on top with a golden retirement, they saw times of cheap food, housing costs, and gas relative to their incomes which is how they had it made in the shade as to actually see home ownership a reality for them and their families, something many of us younger adults will never realize due to tougher economic dynamics coming into play. This is not our parents and grand parents world anymore, that's for sure.

thepeel · Joined: 08 Aug 2004

I'd strongly suggest that you familiarize yourself with the functionings of commodity markets. Also, you might want to explore the protectionism/price relationship as it relates to your Korean beef/milk story.

Smaller paragraphs would help too.

flummuxt · Joined: 15 Mar 2007

I agree that food prices are going to go up, but I don't know if they will go up that much. The reasons are not that complicated.

Newly affluent people in China have suddenly decided they like to eat rather than going hungry. And they especially like to feed their children, milk in particular. That's a lot of milk.

This is bound to increase the worldwide price of milk, and other foods. Already, I have had trouble finding whole powdered milk.

So what is George Bush doing in the U.S.? He's got a program to convert farm land to grow fuel for cars. And the crop, corn, soaks up petrochemicals, like natural gas, to make the fertilizer that is used to grow the corn. So there will be increased demand for alternatives to gasoline, pushing up their prices. Plus price increases for corn, otherwise fed to cows (which produce milk) or made into other food products, and increased prices for farm land.

Add this up, and the price of food is bound to increase. When the price of food goes up, it tends to lead to inflation in other sectors.

This is not so complicated.

But I am glad that our fearless president has an MBA from Harvard so he can understand these issues if he wants to. Too bad he doesn't.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Leavingkorea · Joined: 27 Apr 2007

Holy Shit people it's PEAK FOOD!!!! Laughing

flummuxt · Joined: 15 Mar 2007

Quoth Leavingkorea:

thepeel · Joined: 08 Aug 2004

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_fertility_rate

nautilus · Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

7 billion people is not good for the world, but aging populations are not good for societies either.

keane · Joined: 09 Jul 2007

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

7 billion people isn't a bad thing. 4 billion of those people in Asia and Africa and only 30 million of them in all of Canada is not necessarily a good thing. If people were more equitably distributed the world could easily support more.

idonojacs · Joined: 07 Jun 2007

Thus sayeth mindmetoo

Ilsanman · Joined: 15 Aug 2003 Location: Bucheon, Korea

Is it liveable? The few people there need to use a lot of resources just to be able to live. Maybe it's best left uninhabited.

thepeel · Joined: 08 Aug 2004

I think that the millions and millions of scientists and engineers that India and China will be pumping out ever year over the next decades will help add to the massive pool of scientific knowledge and significantly help us move towards scientific solutions for our problems. Every new scientist puts us closer to a solution for problem "x".

I'm really not worried about it. Especially after having lived in Nowon (with very high population density and in Singapore with VERY high population density, I think that humans can make large numbers work if the right planning is done.