http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/11/north-korea-says-they-unearthed-unicorn-lair/59483/ You can't direct link to the actual article because North Korea sucks at internet, so here's the text: http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm UNICORNS. Because this is debate and discussion we should probably talk about how this affects the balance of power between the North and South. Please have your monocles at the ready! edit: UNICORN LAIR
"A rectangular rock carved with words "Unicorn Lair" stands in front of the lair" Well that fucking settles it then.
"The carved words are believed to date back to the period of Koryo Kingdom (918-1392)." This fact is believed by everyone who wishes to have a meal today. The people who don't believe are over there in that corner, clutching their empty stomachs.
You have no idea how accurate that is. Kim Jong Il had a thing for slogan trees. It requires a bit of explanation. Part of the Kim family myth is that Kim Il Sung (the first Big Daddy Kim) spent all of World War Two running around the Korean wilderness personally kicking Japan's ass so hard they eventually lost the war (as in, yes, the entire World War 2). In reality, Kim spent most of WW2 in Russia on the Chinese border and Kim Jong Il was actually born in Kharbarovsk, but that's not NEARLY sextastic enough so instead in North Korean history Kim Jong Il was born in a log cabin atop a pure water crater lake at the summit of Korea's most holy mountain. I am making none of this up. Anyway, while Kim's merry band of bandits ran about the Korean wilderness happily kicking Japan in the jimmies, they were just so overjoyed at being in the company of the great Kim Il Sung that they just had to whip out a knife and carve slogans into the trees, such as "General Kim Il Sung is the sun of the nation", "We'll make the Great General leader of our land after liberation!" and "Korea, rejoice! The Great Sun has been born!" (referring to baby Kim Jong Il). In fact, over 13,000 trees, miraculously discovered in North Korea's forests right up to Kim Jong Il's death with such predictive carvings (including some referring to Juche, which didn't even exist until 1955) have been found, which implies that Kim Il Sung's guerillas literally did nothing during World War Two save carve anachronisms in pine trees. Each tree is lovingly preserved, protected, and guarded so that this totally not faked at all relic of the totally really happened Great North Korean Guerilla Defeat Of Japan War would stand the test of ages. So, yeah, given slogan trees, unicorn lairs aren't really that big a deal.
NORTH Korea. North Korea is South Korea's somewhat mentally challenged sibling who they're kind of embarrassed about.
The standard book if you want to understand WTF North Korea: http://www.amazon.com/The-Cleanest-Race-Themselves-ebook/dp/B004EWETZW/ Short version: North Korean culture is actually very similar to that of fascist Imperial Japan (which occupied Korea until the end of World War Two), being childlike is seen as the greatest of virtues, and as virtuous children, the Koreans (who are the most pure - literally, the cleanest race in the world) must be led by strong parents who will take care of them - the Kim family. South Korean culture is nothing like this at all.
Well, they're kinda embarrassed about them, but they're also kind of proud that their cousins were able to develop a nuclear bomb and thumb their noses at the Americans. Korea is fucked up, whether we're talking about North or South. It's just that The Best Korea has taken "fucked up" to a whole new level.
South Korea isn't that fucked up - they have a slight racist tinge but it's the same one that infects almost every Asian nation (Korea hates Japan hates China hates Vietnam hates etc.) and the "gosh, North Korea is awesome because they have the bomb and it's Korean YAY TEAM KOREA" attitude is only heard on the very far left (and can technically get you arrested; expressing admiration for North Korea is literally against the law in South Korea though it's not enforced very often any more). The mainstream left's attitude towards North Korea is "they're primitive children, let's help them grow up and give them what they need and not taunt them too much"; the mainstream right's attitude is "they're crazy tyrants AND THEY HAVE TONS OF WEAPONS AIMED AT US LIKE NUKES HELLO". They're both right, really.
I disagree. It's more than a tinge, and every single Korean that I've met (and I've met quite a few) has been full of themselves and their culture. They take xenophobia* to a level I've never encountered in any other group, with the possible exception of right-wing Americans. Their spousal abuse rate is sky high, and there are many aspects of their culture that are pretty disgusting. *Edit- xenophobia is probably the wrong word. Maybe "ethnocentric" is closer to what I mean. Basically, their belief that their culture is superior is very deep rooted.
That seems like more of a human trait than a Korean one. Certainly it's present in large quantities in the United States and Israel.
Alright. Those traits exist completely equally in all cultures, and to say that one culture has it stronger than another is just crazy talk. In fact all cultures are the same in every way. You got me. (By the way: you're right that it's present in parts of the U.S. I explicitly said so in my post. But feel free to restate my point, if you like.)
Myers makes the comment that North Korea is the most racist country in the world, South Korea being the second most racist. I don't recall if this in the cleanest race or if I saw it in a youtube video where Myers discussed his book. So Myers certainly attributes much more than slight tinge of racism to South Korean culture, even if half jokingly. Edit: here is the video I spoke of Myer talks about his book, about an hour long and both informative and enjoyable http://www.booktv.org/Watch/11315/T...oreans See Themselves And Why It Matters.aspx
Now why would you want Korean unicorns? Much rather have Japanese ones. I think it's going to be interesting to see what happens with "historical" sites like this when the current North Korean regime either stops being quite as shitty or simply fails entirely. (...And what happens with genuine sites that've been adjusted to suit the current regime's needs.)
I apologize; I was posting while tired, and failed to coherently state what I meant. I haven't been to South Korea, but the impression I've gotten from all of my friends who have visited there, whether on business (generally tournaments) or just traveling, is that South Korea is much less racist than many parts of the US, and no more racist than most. How do you measure racism, anyway? In an object, quantitative way, that is. Proportion of intermarriage as compared to ratio of natives/non-natives? Promotion rates in various fields, likewise?
I *have* been to South Korea, and have worked for a Korean company, and can back up that statement. Additionally: - Most Koreans' experience with Americans (and vice versa) is through the US military presence. As anyone who lives near a military base knows they do not always make the best ambassadors and there is a lot of resentment (the fact that there's a huge US base in the middle of downtown Seoul doesn't help). I'm given to understand that non-military Americans are treated far better than active-duty military Americans. - Most of the PLANET is more racist than most of the US. I think many people don't realize how parochial/tribal most of the world is, and how unusual a mostly peaceful multi-ethnic society like the US is, until they go somewhere besides North America. - I see you edited your original post, and yes, ethnocentric is a better description. However that, again, describes pretty much everywhere and Korea isn't that different; they're just more monocultural than most places (and actually share a lot of derp-tastic characteristics with Japan in that regard). Ethnocentricism is especially an Far East Asian thing in general.
When I read The Cleanest Race, the biggest surprise for me was how messed up South Korea was. These two passages were memorable: Although South Koreans are glad that they compromised their nationalist principles for wealth and modernity, many of them feel a nagging sense of moral inferiority to their more orthodox brethren. They may disapprove of the North’s actions, but rarely with indignation, often blaming America or Japan for having provoked them. Hardly had the new president taken office than the South Korean public lashed itself into another of its xenophobic frenzies. This time the occasion was the administration’s intention to open the beef market to American imports. As rumors spread of a unique Korean susceptibility to mad cow disease, massive crowds took to the streets of Seoul denouncing Lee as a dictator and traitor, and accusing the Yankees of saving their most diseased meat for the peninsula. By the way it is a really good book and I second Lum's recommendation.
There's also the whole fan death thing. This is a fairly widespread South Korean belief that leaving an electric fan on overnight can kill you by inducing hypothermia or asphyxiation or something. Really.
Koreans are pretty messed up in that they are really really shallow. It actually really bothers me how well accepted and even expected plastic surgery is over here, to the point where double eyelid surgery is gifted to kids graduating from highschool. And the V-line surgery (reconstructing the chin so that it's pointy). Oh, and the thing with girl getting their calf muscles cut out so that they don't look "fat." Not that people in other countries don't get plastic surgery, but there's a reason all of the celbrities look so similar, and that's because they all want to follow a certain template. I actually saw this ad in the train station: This was one of 3 or 4 surgery ads I saw in that station, I only took a pic of this one because it's the most amusing. They also like to stare at people on the train. I mean, seriously, just stare at them for several minutes at a time. Especially if you're White or Filipino. It also weirds me out to see how poorly pets are treated around here :< I mean, one house down the block has their tiny, maybe 6 lb dog outside on a chain in the front of the house. And it's freezing here now, they should at least bring it inside. Oh and the pet stores here are really creepy. They take the pups away from their mom waaaaay too early because they only want to sell tiny cute dogs. Though generally, people in shops are very courteous. Going to privately owned small shops is so much better than normal retail places, they sometimes give you stuff for buying lots of things (I went to get some stuff at a stationery store around Pepero Day (their version of Valentines, chocolate everywhere) and the sales lady gave me a pack of ferrero rocher). Also its a lot of times cheaper from what I've noticed. The one plus I've seen from the vast shallowness is that the skin care products are fantastic though. And I can vouch for Military not really being the best ambassadors of Amurrcan kind. They can act like complete dicks sometimes, especially on the weekends >_> But in general there's a lot of animosity from both sides. It's hilarious when people walk up to my half Korean friend (who does not speak Korean) and start talking to her really fast, but basically ignore her tall, white husband (who does speak Korean fairly fluently). Oh, and According to Koreans, anywhere that is Not Seoul = Podunk ass Ghetto.
I am white, hairy with a beard, 6'5" and fat. You have literally NO IDEA how much I got stared at in Korea. I may as well have been from Pluto. (however, liking kimchi and downing soju in one shot forgave every sin.)
no, that's a SomethingAwful joke. Koreans do not actually believe that fans will kill them in their sleep.
Well. this is the wikipedia article, but the one time I was drunk enough to bring it up before Koreans they looked at me like I was a dumb gaijin on crack and informed me with very small words that they did not think fans would kill them in their sleep. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death
Well, that's the thing. I know Koreans that don't believe it, and I know the wikipedia article. I just don't know where there's credible evidence that the whole thing is a hoax. My guess is that it's something like "Americans believe the world is 6000 years old", but I'm not sure because sometimes things like Penis Theft Epidemics defy all outside interpretation.
Living over there for seven years, I lost count of how many Koreans I met who seriously did believe in fan death. It's probably right up there with no swimming after eating.
Well, letting a fan blow over you while you sleep could probably cause you to have dry, chapped skin. And to certain South Koreans, that might be as bad as being dead.
I read Nothing to Envy recently. Fascinating and depressing. As far as I can remember, though, it didn't mention unicorns.
LUM is Santa? Anyway, surprised this wasn't mentioned whilst speaking of North Korea: http://www.theonion.com/articles/kim-jongun-named-the-onions-sexiest-man-alive-for,30379/ North Korea picked up the story as real! Unicorns indeed.
Thank god. It's way too early in the day for me to be as disappointed as I was by Lum's post that said it was a hoax.
