Trump is mad 'Parasite' won Movie of the Year because it's from South Korea
“Can we get 'Gone with the Wind' back, please?” — Donald Trump, 2/20/2020, Colorado
Attribution is hard: the incredible skullduggery used to try to blame the 2018 Olympic cyberattack on North Korea
Wired has published another long excerpt from Sandworm, reporter Andy Greenberg's (previously) forthcoming book on the advanced Russian hacking team who took the US-Israeli Stuxnet program to the next level, attacking Ukrainian power infrastructure, literally blowing up key components of the country's power grid by attacking the embedded code in their microcontrollers. Read the rest
Why South Koreans are boycotting Japan
Last month Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe announced that shipments of high tech equipment and material to South Korea will undergo additional screening to make sure the imported materials are not being used for military or weapons purposes. The screenings will start on August 28. Until the announcement, South Korea' enjoyed most favored nation status with Japan, but now it will be treated like any other Asian country Japan trades with. Many Koreans have taken to the streets to protest.
Asian Boss went to Seoul to interview Koreans about the new restrictions.
Image: YouTube/Asian Boss Read the rest
Two arrested for hiding cameras in motel rooms and charging for access to livestreams
Some 1,600 people were secretly livestreamed while staying in South Korean motel rooms where cameras had been hidden by criminals who operated a 4,000-user service for voyeurs, where a $45/month upcharge bought subscribers the right to access replays and other extra services. Read the rest
This travel videographer made an incredible short video of his month in Seoul
Brandon Li captures the dazzling excitement and beauty of Seoul and its environs in seven minutes. The transitions and camera work are stunning. He shot two terabytes of data and spent three months, off and on, editing it.
He also made a director's commentary version of the video, which you can see here:
Authoritarians used to be scared of social media, now they rule it
A new report from the Institute For the Future on "state-sponsored trolling" documents the rise and rise of government-backed troll armies who terrorize journalists and opposition figures with seemingly endless waves of individuals who bombard their targets with vile vitriol, from racial slurs to rape threats. Read the rest
Young woman presented with 10 ideal men all at once
In this video, a 27-year-old Korean woman is playing an odd dating game, kind of like a live-action Tinder.
She first chooses her ideal type of guy using options on her phone (e.g. "isn't cocky," "funny," "buff") and then 10 men (in masks) who meet her qualifications are seated in front of her. Communicating with them individually only in a chatroom, she then spends the next 30 minutes deciding who is the best guy for her.
She finally picks one after eliminating the others. Pulling her chair closer to his, he then quietly takes his mask off, and the video awkwardly ends. Will they go on a date? Was he tall enough for her? Did his stamina meet her requirements? We may never know!
(Honestly, I was surprised that not one guy sent her a dick pic.)
Watch Jack Black listen to K-pop songs, try to sing them, Korean contestants try to guess song
In South Korea, there is a popular TV (and completely wacky) variety show called Infinite Challenge. From what I've been able to gather, contestants go through a series of challenges with celebrity guests. Read the rest
South Korean law bans mobile crapware, network discrimination, deceptive native advertising, and anti-adblock
Last year, Korean rules regulating abusive practices by online services went into effect, under terms set out in the "Amended Enforcement Decree of the Telecommunications Business Act Now Effective, Specifically Classifying and Regulating Certain Prohibited Acts of Telecom Service Providers." Read the rest
South Korea, gripped by suicide epidemic, criminalizes suicide-pacts
South Korea has one of the world's highest suicide rates -- it has steadily mounted since 2000, rising to 25.6 per 100,000. Read the rest
Ugandan ethics chief boasts of his new magic South Korean pornography filter and its efficacy against "homos"
It's been a year since the Ugandan government placed an order with a South Korean company for a "censor gadget or machine" that would "detect homos and porn actors, especially those misusing applications like Whatsapp with sex acts." Now, they've taken delivery of same. Read the rest
Video about differences between visiting North Korea and South Korea
Sixty years ago, North Korea and South Korea were one country. Jacob Laukaitis recently spent a week in each country and made a video of the differences he saw. His guide in South Korea was a man who escaped from North Korea. He told Jacob that only the most privileged North Koreans get to live in the capital of Pyongon. He paid human smugglers $30,000 to take him out of the county. He spent three years working on a farm in China to pay off the debt. Read the rest
North Korea displays massive live-fire artillery drill as U.S. nuclear sub docks in South Korea
As a U.S. nuclear-powered missile submarine docked in South Korea today, North Korea put on a huge live-fire artillery drill to commemorate the foundation of its military--and, presumably, show the world who's boss.
Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs are the subject of renewed concerns in recent weeks, as the blundering Donald J. Trump administration 'forgets' where its armadas are. Pretty much the entire world is freaked out today over the possibility of future nuclear tests (or worse) by 'that gentleman' in Pyongyang, as forgetful Donald likes to call him. Read the rest
What do South Koreans really think of America?
From the Statue of Liberty and Chipotle to big boobs, Trump and racism, South Koreans tell us what they think of America – and Americans – in this episode of "What Asians Think of America" series by Asian Boss. Read the rest
South Korea's Constitutional Court upholds President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment
The Constitutional Court in South Korea upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye on Friday. She has now been formally removed from office over a bribery and big business corruption scandal that dragged on for months. Park is the first democratically elected leader in South Korea to be kicked out of office. The nation's constitution states that presidential election shall be held in 60 days.
And now the question is, will they “lock her up”? Read the rest
Hereditary Samsung chieftain arrested for bribing disgraced president's "Shamanic" cult leader
Lee Jae-yong is nominally "vice-chairman" of Samsung, but his father, Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, is considered to be a mere figurehead, with Lee Jae-yong as the true boss of the company. Read the rest
Before 1988 Olympics, South Korea sent 'vagrants' to camps where rape and murder were routine
In the runup to the 1988 Olympics, the South Korean government ordered Seoul's "vagrants" to be cleared from the street. Thousands of people, many of them small children, were sent to a "welfare facility" called "Brothers Home," where they were subject to vicious, often fatal beatings and routine rape. The order to round up the vagrants came from then-President Park Chung-hee (father of current President Park Geun-hye) whose successor, President Chun Doo-hwan, suppressed any investigation into the atrocities. Read the rest
