tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390337204072771092024-03-05T22:01:24.940-08:00Breaking Down Borders: KoreaAs Seen By One Han (한 韓) -- A weblog that explores various bits of politics, history, and culture as seen by Joe Chang.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-40752939731718516152012-10-02T15:41:00.001-07:002012-10-02T15:58:35.767-07:00Barcelona, SpainI've been in Barcelona for almost a week now and I just got my computer connected. I'm now a student in the MSc. Economics program at Barcelona Graduate School of Economics. <br />
<br />
I'm finding the first week very taxing. I couldn't attend math camp or brush-up courses to review the math and statistics necessary to do well in the program, so I'm trying to catch up as best I can and I'm finding it extremely taxing as it's also been a couple years since I graduated from college. Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-13579152655854802172011-12-19T17:22:00.000-08:002011-12-24T18:56:38.375-08:00Looks like I won't be locked out next year<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have blamed being locked out of grad school for my thoughtless climbing accident last winter. It led to being in the hospital for four months and probably the most boring time of my life this year. However, this year to ensure I wouldn't be locked out I applied to more than a half dozen terminal master's programs in economics, albeit also largely out of a desire to use one of these programs as a proctor to see if I'm fit to move onto a doctoral program. Strangely enough, as I was on the web checking to see if civil war erupted in North Korea over Kim Jong Il's much anticipated death, I received the strangest offer from Barcelona Graduate School Of Economics at Universidad Pompeu Fabra. While this is a terminal master's program not too different from LSE's <a href="http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/graduate/taughtProgrammes2012/MScEconomics.aspx">MSc. Economics(Research)</a> program in that it is possible to move onto the doctoral program at Universidad Pompeu Fabra after completing the MSc. with distinction, I was surprised by being offered both a partial fee waiver and a TA-ship. As I'm on blogger still trying to see if I can gather anything from Kim Jong Il's death, my mind keeps giving way to thoughts about when a decision from LSE will come. No, I don't think I'll be going to Barcelona without an unfavorable decision from LSE, but I sure do prefer Barcelona over another climbing accident. Any thoughts or suggestions?</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-74600443190015268072011-11-25T16:04:00.000-08:002011-11-25T16:13:55.760-08:00Korea needs soccer to beat out Japan ?Japan must again be absolutely furious at Korea again being closer to the center of the world that just happens to not just be the center of Asia.It must be Japan's fate that a powerful farm lobby was the one that pushed the KORUS(Korea United States Free Trade Treaty) forward and from the view of misguided nationalists of Korea (Democratic Party of Korea) one that was not powerful enough in South Korea to prevent the ratification of American Beef to South Korea or Japanese capital and American machinery sales into and to South Korea(KORUS) rather than the opposite way around as has come to characterize the Korea-United States relationship in or, equivalently, small car expertise for China, has come to symbolize.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-49156353702882896062011-07-20T14:41:00.000-07:002011-07-20T14:46:28.153-07:00<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/8650099/North-Koreas-elite-defies-international-sanctions-ban-by-importing-McDonalds.html">The Telegraph:</a><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><blockquote><h2><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: black;">Some officials have had had McDonald's hamburgers delivered to their homes from China through North Korea's Air Koryo. While North Korea has no McDonald's franchises, its neighbour has 850.</span> </h2></blockquote></div>Perhaps South Korean speakers in 2012 could blast that there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_McDonald%27s_franchises">more than 240 McDonald's "restaurants" in South Korea</a> to show which country is really the "rich and prosperous nation"Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-30994962483913472332011-03-26T16:41:00.000-07:002011-05-09T19:28:03.898-07:00Unable to PostI went climbing and fell pretty bad to the point it required surgery and a long stay in the hospital. I will not be able to blog again until after the follow up surgery some time in <strike>Apri</strike>.May.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-74842535343884967542011-01-05T00:42:00.000-08:002011-01-16T00:17:06.825-08:00One of the reasons as to why I have viewed the Sunshine Policy to be so ideologically bankrupt<blockquote>The widening income gap between South and North Korea continues. One of the prime reasons as to why I viewed the Sunshine Policy to be ideologically bankrupt was the widening income gap between North and South Korea even as proponents of the Sunshine Policy stated the policy would prepare the two states for unification by closing the income gap.</blockquote><br />
Note that the statistics for the size of South Korea's economy as reported in the article/blog posting are in nominal terms as procured by exchange rates. Considering South Korea to have been the second worst performing currency in the globe in 2008 after the disaster that Iceland faced, the wealth gap has grown to actually be much greater between South and North Korea.The article reports South Korea's GDP to have been 837 billion dollaars in 2009, whereas in nominal rates<br />
<a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html">CIA World Factbook:</a><br />
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="color: #707070; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; width: 598px;"><tbody>
<tr class="eas_light" style="background-image: url(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/eas_light.jpg); color: #666666; text-align: left;"><td height="20" width="390"><div class="category" id="field" style="color: #666666; font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 16px; padding-left: 5px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: middle;"><a alt="Definitions and Notes: GDP (official exchange rate)" href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/notesanddefs.html?countryName=Korea,%20South&countryCode=ks&regionCode=eas#2195" style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; padding-left: 8px; text-decoration: underline;" title="Definitions and Notes: GDP (official exchange rate)">GDP (official exchange rate)</a>:</div></td><td align="right"><a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2195.html?countryName=Korea,%20South&countryCode=ks&regionCode=eas&#ks" style="background-color: transparent; color: #436976;"><img alt="Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order." border="0" src="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/field_listing_on.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr height="20"><td colspan="2" id="data" style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 1.25em; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 50px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: left;"><div class="category_data" style="font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: middle;">$832.5 billion (2009 est.)</div></td></tr>
<tr></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2011/01/04/dprk-rok-income-gap-reaches-record-in-2009/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+NorthKoreanEconomyWatch+(North+Korean+Economy+Watch)">Arirang News via North Korean Economy Watch:</a><br />
<div class="post" id="post-8718" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><blockquote><a href="http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2011/01/04/dprk-rok-income-gap-reaches-record-in-2009/" rel="bookmark" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;" title="Permanent Link: DPRK-ROK income gap reaches record in 2009"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">DPRK-ROK income gap reaches record in 2009</span></a></blockquote><div class="entry"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><div class="topsy_widget_data topsy_theme_blue" id="topsy_id3-3-3-5-3-1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(data:,%7B%20%22url%22%3A%20%22http%253A%252F%252Fwww.nkeconwatch.com%252F2011%252F01%252F04%252Fdprk-rok-income-gap-reaches-record-in-2009%252F%22%2C%20%22shorturl%22%3A%20%22http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FhsHwB5%22%2C%20%22style%22%3A%20%22big%22%2C%20%22title%22%3A%20%22DPRK-ROK%20income%20gap%20reaches%20record%20in%202009%22%20%7D); background-origin: initial; float: right; margin-left: 0.75em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><div class="topsy-big" classname="topsy-big" style="float: none; width: 50px;"><a class="topsy-big-total snap_noshots" classname="topsy-big-total snap_noshots" href="http://topsy.com/www.nkeconwatch.com/2011/01/04/dprk-rok-income-gap-reaches-record-in-2009/?utm_source=button" style="display: block;"><span class="topsy-big-count" classname="topsy-big-count" style="background-color: #e6e7e2; background-image: url(http://cdn.topsy.com/img/tb-widget.png) !important; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 231, 226) !important; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px 3px !important; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px 3px !important; border-bottom-style: solid !important; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; border-left-color: rgb(230, 231, 226) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-color: rgb(230, 231, 226) !important; border-right-style: solid !important; border-right-width: 1px !important; border-top-color: rgb(230, 231, 226) !important; border-top-left-radius: 3px 3px !important; border-top-right-radius: 3px 3px !important; border-top-style: solid !important; border-top-width: 1px !important; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 5px !important; text-align: center !important;"><span class="topsy-big-num" classname="topsy-big-num" style="display: block;"></span></span></a><br />
<blockquote><a class="topsy-big-total snap_noshots" classname="topsy-big-total snap_noshots" href="http://topsy.com/www.nkeconwatch.com/2011/01/04/dprk-rok-income-gap-reaches-record-in-2009/?utm_source=button" style="display: block;"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div></blockquote></div></div><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 5px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 15px; padding-left: 20px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The income disparity between South and North Korea has widened by close to 40 times.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote>According to figures released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday South Korea’s Gross National Income reached 837 billion US dollars in 2009 about 37 times more than North Korea’s 22 billion dollars.</blockquote><blockquote>South Korea’s GNI per person posted 17,175 US dollars roughly 18 times more than North Korea’s 960 dollars while in annual trade the South saw 686 billion dollars in 2009 which is 202 times larger than the North’s 3 billion dollars.</blockquote><blockquote>As for economic growth that year the South saw a [0.2%] expansion in the wake of the global financial crisis whereas the North posted a contraction of 0.9.</blockquote><blockquote>Economists say such figures show that it is almost impossible for North Korea to catch up with South Korea anytime soon.</blockquote><blockquote>An official with the finance ministry in Seoul says South Korea’s overall economic strength is about 40 times that of the communist regime adding that such power provides the foundation for South Korea to stay ahead of North Korea in every field including defense.</blockquote></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 23px;">Read the full story here:</span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">Income Gap Between South and North Korea Records 37 Times Differences in 2009</span></blockquote></div></div><div id="disqus_thread" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="clearfix" id="dsq-content" style="display: block;"></div></div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-58918033877527158392011-01-02T13:29:00.000-08:002011-01-02T13:33:40.738-08:00After 2009 and 2010, It's high time the United States began exporting F-22's to Japan...In light of the United States Air Force ending procurement of additional F-22's and with the Chinese still manipulating its currency amidst years of trade surpluses with both the United States and Japan, it's high time the United States began exporting the high tech F-22s to the super loyal Japanese. The <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BM0Y920101223?pageNumber=2">Chinese have sped up plans</a> to procure an aircraft carrier and are deep in their development of a counterpart to the U.S.A.F.'s F-22.<br />
<br />
<h1 style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/j-xx.htm">Global Security:</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chinese Stealth Fighter</div><div style="text-align: justify;">J-X / J-XX / XXJ</div><div style="text-align: justify;">J-12 / J-13 / J-14 / J-20</div><div style="text-align: justify;">(Jianjiji - Fighter aircraft)</div></h1><br />
<blockquote><b>On 29 December 2010</b>, the right estimable <a href="http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2010/12/latest-batch-of-j-20-photos.html">China Defense Blog</a> published the first no-kidding photographs of the long rumored J-XX Chinese stealth fighter. Unambiguous confirmation of the existence of this program will<b> require re-evaluation of aircraft modernization</b> efforts in a number of countried, including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the<b> United States</b>. Chinese combat aviation has made remarkable strides in recent years, moving from a collection of obsolete aircraft that would have provided a target-rich environment to potential adversaries. Today China flies hundreds of first rate aircraft, and even flies more Sukhoi Flankers [the aircraft the American F-22 was designed to counter] than does Russia. The Chinese stealth fighter has arrived right on schedule. Chinese military technology is generally rated about two decades behind that of the United States. while the advent of a Chinese counterpart to the F-22 fighter might be disconcerting, the first flight of the prototype American F-22 stealth fighter came on September 29, 1990.</blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/j-xx-pics.htm"><img src="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/images/j-xx_1293601723_90032-s.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 10px;" /></a> <a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/j-xx-pics.htm"><img src="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/images/j-xx_1293601825_34997-s.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 10px;" /></a></span></blockquote>January 1st, 2011 brings a new year after China has condoned<a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-does-north-koreas-attack-on.html"> North Korean acts of aggression </a>against South Korea, <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/09/senkakudiaoyu-islands.html">bullied Japan over the Senkaku Islands</a>, and <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/07/us-returns-to-asia-now-spratly-islands.html">driven the United States to defend Vietnamese interests over the Spratly Islands</a>.<br />
<br />
To ensure both the security of the United States and our East Asian ally, Japan and keep highly skilled Americans employed as unemployment and underemployment rates remain sky high, F-22s should be made for our super loyal Japanese allies by our countrymen.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-76454226808380540852010-12-31T20:13:00.000-08:002010-12-31T21:33:37.894-08:00How I view Graduate School in 2011<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 20px; position: relative; text-align: justify;">Last year, applications to doctoral programs in economics spread into my celebration of New Year's Day. I wanted to see how sure I wanted to apply to terminal masters programs.</h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 20px; position: relative; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #575757;">Me: Jan. 1st, a year go (2010):</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;"> <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/of-malibu-2010-and-puzzling-dearth-of.html">Of Malibu, 2010, and the puzzling dearth of Korean Nobel Laureates</a></span></h3><div class="post-header" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="position: relative; width: 570px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEatXJvg5e5ZU8oHDKxSQTS41IrCaq2Hxab3w3jO6TNREQxScjekl0gY8ccPD7bWZADSON8WgxOUASJmlds8kqGTBzk8vnGNo-GjL6yFKbh6JaQ1Raep5_AaWbe_OVtXo2hrSjVL5DXkM/s1600-h/IMG_7036%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEatXJvg5e5ZU8oHDKxSQTS41IrCaq2Hxab3w3jO6TNREQxScjekl0gY8ccPD7bWZADSON8WgxOUASJmlds8kqGTBzk8vnGNo-GjL6yFKbh6JaQ1Raep5_AaWbe_OVtXo2hrSjVL5DXkM/s1600-h/IMG_7036%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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</blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MZQalR0Rjc-qGbSU1esG6d6khgacXxzXJLyIyIDbxgfqWTibpu0AGVzgiIZat0fJMRNDDRjYhlMNyTG0H4LMWYsZ5vTWUwOPKHf38VSW1jx4wOlhugpNId4j1YSk-6gMDbuGSULqBsAN/s1600-h/IMG_7031%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MZQalR0Rjc-qGbSU1esG6d6khgacXxzXJLyIyIDbxgfqWTibpu0AGVzgiIZat0fJMRNDDRjYhlMNyTG0H4LMWYsZ5vTWUwOPKHf38VSW1jx4wOlhugpNId4j1YSk-6gMDbuGSULqBsAN/s1600-h/IMG_7031%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div style="clear: left; display: inline !important; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MZQalR0Rjc-qGbSU1esG6d6khgacXxzXJLyIyIDbxgfqWTibpu0AGVzgiIZat0fJMRNDDRjYhlMNyTG0H4LMWYsZ5vTWUwOPKHf38VSW1jx4wOlhugpNId4j1YSk-6gMDbuGSULqBsAN/s1600-h/IMG_7031%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black; line-height: normal;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MZQalR0Rjc-qGbSU1esG6d6khgacXxzXJLyIyIDbxgfqWTibpu0AGVzgiIZat0fJMRNDDRjYhlMNyTG0H4LMWYsZ5vTWUwOPKHf38VSW1jx4wOlhugpNId4j1YSk-6gMDbuGSULqBsAN/s1600-h/IMG_7031%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #004dee; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MZQalR0Rjc-qGbSU1esG6d6khgacXxzXJLyIyIDbxgfqWTibpu0AGVzgiIZat0fJMRNDDRjYhlMNyTG0H4LMWYsZ5vTWUwOPKHf38VSW1jx4wOlhugpNId4j1YSk-6gMDbuGSULqBsAN/s400/IMG_7031%5B1%5D.JPG" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; position: relative;" /></span></a></div></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's 2010 and it's been twenty-two years since the Dodgers won the pennant, one hundred years since Japan annexed Korea (Joseon/Chosun/朝選), and ten years that I've had the right to vote. And, probably a a little more time than that since I've been to the Rose Parade in Pasadena (the Rose Parade's on TV right now). And, on a side note, it's interesting how there are probably as many floats from Chinese companies as there were from Japanese companies back when I went to the Rose Parades. My younger brother graduated from La Canada High School in La Canada-Flintridge, which would make a float for the parade each year. I attended the school for a semester as well and, well, it's a pretty big thing in that city. </span></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Me in 2011: My attitude has changed considerably. I will not apply to doctoral programs out of both the questionable likelihood of being able to pursue research interests life long in academia and due to the attractive feature of terminal masters program in economics being able to function as a prognosis to measure how suitable I am to pursue my research interests within academia. I would like to return to London and attend the MSc in Economics program beginning in October of this great new year. I guess you see the first paragraph of my statement of purpose first draft. But, that's also what this blog does - share thoughts</span></div><br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: #575757; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 20px; position: relative;"> I view these programs as prognostic programs that see whether I am suited to continue studies within Academia.</h3></div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-43730916194455262822010-12-30T19:16:00.000-08:002010-12-31T15:57:49.335-08:00How many North Koreans Are Relegated to be just Waitresses for China?<div style="text-align: justify;">About a month ago, I was in a long line to see one of my old professors, and sitting next to me at the time were three graduate students from China. If you ever meet me in real life, you'll notice that I like to talk and ask quite frequently about people, places, and things I identify with, such as California and Korea and a multitude of cities in both states. And sure enough, I asked the graduate students if there were any North Koreans in China and was told that a lot of North Korean ladies are in the service industry in China with a belittling look. I rarely get offended by such talk, but as I sit here and wonder how many North Koreans are relegated to be waitresses in China, I wonder how the conversation would've went if I brought up that the manner in which you describe North Koreans is the exact image that Chinese nationals hold in South Korea. Also, pregnant North Korean refugees in China that are caught by North Korean fascist agents undergo abortion forcibly as they try to ensure that<i> Korean blood does not become tainted</i>. I'm curious how their reaction would be to such a comment and if I were to see them again, I want to see if Chinese nationals really view Koreans to be too nationalistic as I have picked up on the Internet during the Winter Olympics some time ago when Korean female athletes held up a sign claiming that "Mt. Baekdu is ours." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, I would be grateful if someone could provide a link to a paper or data set that can provide an answer to how many north Koreans are relegated to low level service jobs in China. Happy New Year ^^</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-33378882497498102242010-12-29T01:53:00.000-08:002010-12-29T02:11:32.824-08:00Happy New Years! ^^<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://media.maangchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/rice-cake-slices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://media.maangchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/rice-cake-slices.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/03/03/rice-soup-ck-429504-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img4.myrecipes.com/i/recipes/ck/03/03/rice-soup-ck-429504-l.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So 2011 is near as January 1st floats ever closer. And, no, I don't think Steve Jobs qualifies as person of the year. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to give him a decade?</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-16615145465361237982010-12-23T20:09:00.000-08:002010-12-24T17:49:44.851-08:00A planned visit to South Korea. What does North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong Island mean? rev 1<div style="text-align: justify;">Dec.23.10 - Part 1, draft<br />
<br />
I plan on visiting South Korea for a month or so in the new year, contingent on my schedule for 2011. I find news of North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong Island to be quite shocking and the numerous number of protests that followed the provocative act. After North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong Island, this was then followed by a number of demonstrations that were either targeted against North Korea or South Korea's response for being too forceful.I would like to get a first hand impression of how things are/ in South Korea in late spring of the new year.<br />
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The United States finally sent the U.S.S. George Washington to the Yellow Sea in live fire exercises. This was not followed by another North Korean response by North Korea's military, but rather hideous claims by North Korea re-inviting inspectors to suspected sites in North Korea's nuclear weapons program and of the existence of a nuclear weapons program not unlike that of Pakistan or Iran (parallel uranium enrichment program).<br />
<br />
I lived in South Korea in 2001 - 2005 and I cannot imagine how South Korea could be now. The years I was there were memorable for its livid Anti-American protests.<br />
<br />
I had earlier thought that in the wake of the deployment of the USS George Washington that another North Korean act of aggression in the 2010 calendar year to just not be possible out of North Korea's fear over a China angry that there happened to be a U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier off the waters that surround Beijing and Shanghai. Furthermore, the sinking of the ROKN <i>Cheonan</i> brought forward a (weakly worded) UNSC statement and large joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea in both the waters west and east off the Korean peninsula.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, this was then followed in November with a North Korean attack on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, which happens to be located in the Yellow Sea. North Korea then announced that the country welcomes back inspectors to suspected sites for its nuclear weapons program and also happily announced an existence of a parallel, uranium enrichment program. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This finally brought the USS George Washington off the waters of the heart of China and an easy way to bring forward thoughts that criticize China -- such as the AEI's proclamation of concern for North Korean aggression.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To finally bring the USS George Washington to the Yellow Sea as well as provide the AEI or organizations that lack any genuine interest over North Korea to use the country as a convenient method to attack China -- by attacking North Korea, the attacker could bring to attention how useless and ineffective Chinese leadership in the region is. Almost as in a textbook example, China protects North Korea out of concern for her provinces that border North Korea and North Korea responds by selling out China in order to gain a security guarantee from a power that rivals China. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With a transition in North Korea leadership still in progress and this being situated next to promises by South Korea's Lee Myung Bak Administration for a more forceful response to future North Korean acts of provocation, it might be too early to say these events will be followed by a long period of silence. This should in no way lead to absolute fabrication of heightened tensions resulting from President Lee Myung Bak's policy toward North Korea being too aggressive towards fascist North Korea.<br />
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This is a political environment that I'd like to see first hand.</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-24854047967160967342010-12-22T19:56:00.000-08:002010-12-23T19:30:38.830-08:00Reportage of causes for Reduced inter-Korean trade figures in both North Korea Economy Watch and Yonhap are just flat wrong or blindly misguided. *final rev*<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>12/27 rewritten for clarity</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Causation in the posting below is just flat wrong.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a href="http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2010/12/22/inter-korean-trade-falls-sharply-amid-heightened-tensions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+NorthKoreanEconomyWatch+(North+Korean+Economy+Watch)">North Korea Economy Watch</a>:</div><div><blockquote><blockquote>Inter-Korean trade falls sharply amid heightened tensions</blockquote></blockquote><div class="entry"><div class="topsy_widget_data topsy_theme_blue" id="topsy_id3-3-3-5-3-1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(data:,%7B%20%22url%22%3A%20%22http%253A%252F%252Fwww.nkeconwatch.com%252F2010%252F12%252F22%252Finter-korean-trade-falls-sharply-amid-heightened-tensions%252F%22%2C%20%22shorturl%22%3A%20%22http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FfpnnuO%22%2C%20%22style%22%3A%20%22big%22%2C%20%22title%22%3A%20%22Inter-Korean%20trade%20falls%20sharply%20amid%20heightened%20tensions%20%22%20%7D); background-origin: initial; float: right; margin-left: 0.75em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><div class="topsy-big" classname="topsy-big" style="float: none; width: 50px;"><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><br />
</blockquote></div><blockquote><br />
</blockquote></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><blockquote>According to <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2010/12/22/3/0401000000AEN20101222003100320F.HTML" target="_blank">Yonhap</a>:</blockquote></blockquote></div><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 5px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 15px; padding-left: 20px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><blockquote>Inter-Korean trade has fallen about 30 percent this year, largely affected by South Korea’s move to cut almost all business relations with North Korea after the North sank one of its naval ships in a torpedo attack in March, the customs office said Wednesday.</blockquote></blockquote></div></blockquote>This is absolutely ridiculous. If a state takes hundreds of lives from a neighboring country, then to suppose the response of country that had lost hundreds of her citizens is the cause for the fall in trade between the two countries is bewilderingly ridiculous. It is as if this article completely ignores the horrendous sinking of the ROKN (Republic of Korea Navy's) <i>Cheonan </i>and the attack on South Korea's Yeonpyong island. The fall in trade reflects terrible relations between North and South Korea as North Korea seeks a security guarantee from the United States as North Korea has announced a successor to Kim Jong Il.</div></div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-5551880691216159872010-12-21T21:07:00.000-08:002010-12-21T21:08:49.393-08:00Doubts about how North Korea was lost to China VERIFIED...<i>draft: 12/21</i><br />
Back in September I <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/09/doubts-about-how-north-korea-was-lost.html">posted against</a> Aiden Foster Carter's (a senior research fellow of Modern Korea at Leeds University) view that influence over North Korea is prized over that over South Korea -- a slightly more academic version of a political view that embraced the Sunshine Policy.<br />
<br />
In August China loudly complained against the proposed deployment of the largest aircraft carrier in the world -- the U.S.S. George Washington -- in the Yellow Sea. The United States minded these concerns when China had just condoned North Korea's sinking of the South Korea's <i>Cheonan</i> by deploying the U.S.S. George Washington off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula rather than off the western coast.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/09/doubts-about-how-north-korea-was-lost.html">I earlier bet that</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Consider that as a result of the Cheonan fiasco -- from none other than a Sinocentric point of view -- the huge cost for China has been South Korea. I would think the ultimate end game for China -- again from a Sinocentric point of view -- is to dominate East Asia, which includes kicking out or splintering the U.S.-Japan and U.S-ROK alliances and unifying with Taiwan. The end game for China is not about paying for North Korean food, roads, and ports and extracting natural resources that North Korea may have. The real gold is elsewhere.</blockquote><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><blockquote><b><u>I'd bet that North Korea surely sees this too and would love at any cost to get the United States to guarantee the security of the country any day over the Chinese</u></b>. In the meantime, China will continue to feed North Korea, build North Korean roads and ports, and bring the northern half of the peninsula out of the dark ages all of which North Korea will not be grateful for. After all, China is doing this for self-serving reasons. </blockquote><br />
<br />
And, now it seems quite clear that North Korea on the flip side would rather transfer Chinese aid in exchange for a grand bargain with the United States.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.freekorea.us/2010/12/21/must-read-gordon-flake-on-uranium-and-agreed-framework-30/">Joshua Stanton:</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote>Lastly:</blockquote><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(232, 231, 208); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 4px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #363636; font-family: verdana, Georgia, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Sans', arial;"><i>Most political analysts in Seoul said the most likely scenario was that the North had decided to bide its time while waiting to see whether its attack last month would pressure South Korea and the United States into talks, and possibly even concessions. They said this was a recurring pattern in the North’s unique brand of brinkmanship: making a provocation in hopes of forcing the other side to the bargaining table.</i></span></blockquote></blockquote>China was rewarded with a November deployment of the U.S.S. George Washington in the Yellow Sea after North Korea attacked South Korean troops deployed in Yeonpyong Island in the Yellow Sea. Influence over North Korea doesn't seem to be much of a blessing. Doubts about how North Korea was lost to China VERIFIED.<br />
<br />
By the way, I did suppose that there wouldn't be another North Korean act of provocation, but more on that later...Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-48098538316939135502010-12-21T15:42:00.000-08:002010-12-21T16:01:53.686-08:00Wikipedia: [King] Sejong the Great<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great">Wikipedia</a>:</h2><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life">Early life</span></h2><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong was born on May 6, 1397, the third son of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taejong_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Taejong of Joseon">King Taejong</a>. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-3" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[4]</a></sup> When he was twelve, he became <b>Grand Prince Chungnyeong'</b> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">충녕대군</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">忠寧大君</span>) and married a daughter of <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shim_On&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #cc2200; text-decoration: none;" title="Shim On (page does not exist)">Shim On</a> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">심온</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">沈溫</span>) of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheongsong" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Cheongsong">Cheongsong</a> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">청송</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">靑松</span>), commonly known as Lady Shim (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">심씨</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">沈氏</span>), who later was given the title<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Soheon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Queen Soheon">Queen Soheon</a> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">소헌왕후</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">昭憲王后</span>).</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">As a young prince, Sejong excelled in various studies and was favored by King Taejong over his two older brothers.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong's ascension to the throne was different from those of most other kings. The eldest son, <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grand_Prince_Yangnyeong&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #cc2200; text-decoration: none;" title="Grand Prince Yangnyeong (page does not exist)">Yangnyeong</a> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">양녕대군</span>), viewing himself as lacking in the requisite skills for kingship, believed that Sejong was destined to become king. He believed it was his duty to place Sejong as king, so he acted extremely rudely in the court, and soon were banished from Seoul. This plot ultimately brought Sejong to the throne. The eldest prince became a wandering traveler and lived in the mountains. The second son traveled to a Buddhist temple, where he became a monk.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">In August of 1418, following Taejong's abdication two months earlier, Sejong ascended the throne. However, Taejong still retained certain powers at court, particularly regarding military matters, until he died in 1422.</div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=2" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Strengthening of the Korean military">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Strengthening_of_the_Korean_military">Strengthening of the Korean military</span></h2><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">King Sejong was an effective military planner. In May of 1419, King Sejong, under the advice and guidance of his father <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taejong" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Taejong">Taejong</a>, embarked upon the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Cei_Invasion" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Ōei Invasion">Gihae Eastern Expedition</a>, the ultimate goal of this military expedition to remove the nuisance of Japanese pirates who had been operating out of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsushima" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Tsushima">Tsushima</a>. During the expedition, 243 Japanese were killed, and another 110 were captured in combat, while 180 Korean soldiers were killed. 146 Chinese and 8 Korean kidnapped were liberated by this expedition. In September of 1419 the Daimyos of Tsushima and <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sadamori&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #cc2200; text-decoration: none;" title="Sadamori (page does not exist)">Sadamori</a> capitulated to the Joseon court.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Gyehae" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Treaty of Gyehae">Treaty of Gyehae</a> was signed in 1443, in which the Daimyo of Tsushima recognized and obeyed the suzerainty of the King of Joseon; in return, the Joseon court rewarded the Sō clan preferential rights regarding trade between Japan and Korea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-4" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[5]</a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">On the northern border, Sejong established four forts and six posts (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>: 사군육진 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">hanja</a>: 四郡六鎭) to safeguard his people from Manchurian nomads living in Manchuria. He also created various military regulations to strengthen the safety of his kingdom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-5" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[6]</a></sup> King Sejong supported the advancement of Korean military technology, and cannon development increased. Different kinds of mortars and fire arrows were tested as well using gunpowder.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">In 1433, Sejong sent <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kim_Jong-seo&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #cc2200; text-decoration: none;" title="Kim Jong-seo (page does not exist)">Kim Jong-seo</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>: 김종서, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">hanja</a>: 金宗瑞), a prominent general, north to destroy the Manchu. Kim's military campaign captured several castles, pushed north, and restored Korean territory, roughly the present-day border between North Korea and China.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-6" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0645ad;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; white-space: nowrap;">7</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">]</span></a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Science_and_technology">Science and technology</span></h2><div class="thumb tleft" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 1.4em; margin-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><div class="thumbinner" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: center; width: 202px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_Waterclock.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Korean_Waterclock.jpg/200px-Korean_Waterclock.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.4em; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; float: right;"><a class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_Waterclock.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; color: #0645ad; display: block; text-decoration: none;" title="Enlarge"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; border-width: initial; display: block; vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></a></div>A modern reconstruction and scaled down model of Jang Yeong-sil's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striking_clock" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Striking clock">self-striking water clock</a>.</div></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong is credited with technological advances during his reign. He wanted to help farmers so he decided to create a farmer's handbook. The book—the Nongsa jikseol(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>: 농사직설, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">hanja</a>: 農事直說)—contained information about the different farming techniques that he told scientists to gather in different regions of Korea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-0" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup> These techniques were needed in order to maintain the newly-adopted methods of intensive, continuous cultivation in Korean agriculture.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-1" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">During his rule, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jang_Yeong-sil" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Jang Yeong-sil">Jang Yeong-sil</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>: 장영실, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">hanja</a>: 蔣英實) became known as a prominent inventor. Jang was naturally a creative and smart thinker as a young person. However, Jang was at the bottom of the social class. Taejong, the father of Sejong, noticed Jang's skill and immediately called him to his court in Seoul. Upon giving Jang a government position and funding for his inventions, officials protested, believing a person from the lower classes should not rise to power among nobles. Sejong instead believed Jang merited support because of his ability. Jang created new significant designs for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_clock" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Water clock">water clocks</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillary_sphere" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Armillary sphere">armillary spheres</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundial" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Sundial">sundials</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[9]</a></sup> However, his most impressive invention came in 1442, the world's first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_gauge" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Rain gauge">rain gauge</a> (source?); this model has not survived, since the oldest existent East Asian rain gauge is one made in 1770, during the reign period of King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeongjo_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Yeongjo of Joseon">Yeongjo</a>. According to the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Records_of_the_Royal_Secretariat" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat">Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>: 승정원일기, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">hanja</a>:承政院日記) King Yeongjo wanted to revive the glorious times of King Sejong the Great, and so read chronicles of Sejong's era. When he came across mention of a rain gauge, King Yeongjo ordered a reproduction. Since there is a mark of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Qing Dynasty">Qing Dynasty</a> ruler <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qianlong_Emperor" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Qianlong Emperor">Qianlong</a> (r. 1735–1796) of China, dated 1770,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_51_9-0" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_51-9" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[10]</a></sup> this Korean-designed rain gauge is sometimes misunderstood as having been imported from China.</div><div class="thumb tright" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 1.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><div class="thumbinner" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: center; width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_celestial_globe.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Korean_celestial_globe.jpg/220px-Korean_celestial_globe.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" width="220" /></a><br />
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.4em; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; float: right;"><a class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_celestial_globe.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; color: #0645ad; display: block; text-decoration: none;" title="Enlarge"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; border-width: initial; display: block; vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></a></div>Korean celestial globe first made by the scientist Jang Yeongsil during the Joseon Dynasty under the reign of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Sejong" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="King Sejong">King Sejong</a></div></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong also wanted to reform the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_calendar" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Korean calendar">Korean calendar</a> system, which was at the time based upon the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Longitude">longitude</a> of the Chinese capital.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup> Sejong, for the first time in Korean history, had his astronomers create a calendar with the Korean capital of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Seoul">Seoul</a> as the primary meridian.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-3" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup> This new system allowed Korean astronomers to accurately predict the timing of solar and lunar <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipses" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Eclipses">eclipses</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-4" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-10" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[11]</a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">In the realm of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Korean_medicine" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Traditional Korean medicine">traditional Korean medicine</a>, two important treatises were written during the reign of Sejong. These were the <i>Hyangyak jipseongbang</i> and the<i>Euibang yuchwi</i>, which historian Kim Yongsik says represents 'Koreans' efforts to develop their own system of medical knowledge, distinct from that of China.'<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-5" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup> They were now separated.</div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=4" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Literature">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Literature">Literature</span></h2><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong supported literature, and encouraged high class officials and scholars to study at the court. King Sejong created the written language of hangul and announced it to the Korean people in the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunmin_Jeongeum" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hunmin Jeongeum">Hunminjeongeum</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">Hangul</a>:훈민정음, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">Hanja</a>: 訓民正音), meaning 'The verbally right sounds meant to teach the people.'</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong depended on the agricultural produce of Joseon's farmers, so he allowed them to pay more or less tax according to fluctuations of economic prosperity or hard times. Because of this, farmers could worry less about tax quotas and work instead at surviving and selling their crops. Once the palace had a significant surplus of food, King Sejong then distributed food to poor peasants or farmers who needed it. In 1429 <i>Nongsa-jikseol</i> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>: 농사직설, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanja" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanja">hanja</a>: 農事直說) was compiled under the supervision of King Sejong. It was the first book about Korean farming, dealing with agricultural subjects such as planting, harvesting, and soil treatment.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Although most government officials and aristocrats opposed usage of hangul, lower classes embraced it, became literate, and were able to communicate with one another in writing.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong's personal writings are also highly regarded. He composed the famous <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yongbi_Eocheon_Ga" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Yongbi Eocheon Ga">Yongbi Eocheon Ga</a></i> ("Songs of Flying Dragons", 1445), <i>Seokbo Sangjeol</i> ("Episodes from the Life of Buddha", July 1447),<i>Worin Cheon-gang Jigok</i> ("Songs of the Moon Shining on a Thousand Rivers", July 1447), and the reference <i>Dongguk Jeong-un</i> ("Dictionary of Proper Sino-Korean Pronunciation", September 1447).</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">In 1420 Sejong established the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Worthies" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hall of Worthies">Hall of Worthies</a> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">집현전</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">集賢殿</span>; Jiphyeonjeon) at the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongbokgung_Palace" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Gyeongbokgung Palace">Gyeongbokgung Palace</a>. It consisted of scholars selected by the king. The Hall participated in various scholarly endeavors, of which the best known may be the compilation of the <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunmin_Jeongeum" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hunmin Jeongeum">Hunmin Jeongeum</a></i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-11" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[12]</a></sup></div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=5" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Hangul">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Hangul">Hangul</span></h2><div class="thumb tright" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 1.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><div class="thumbinner" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: center; width: 142px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hunmin_jeong-eum.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="162" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Hunmin_jeong-eum.jpg/140px-Hunmin_jeong-eum.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" width="140" /></a><br />
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.4em; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; float: right;"><a class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hunmin_jeong-eum.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; color: #0645ad; display: block; text-decoration: none;" title="Enlarge"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; border-width: initial; display: block; vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></a></div><i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunmin_Jeongeum" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hunmin Jeongeum">Hunmin Jeongeum</a>Eonhae</i></div></div></div><div class="rellink boilerplate seealso" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 2em;">See also: <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunmin_Jeongeum" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hunmin Jeongeum">Hunmin Jeongeum</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">Hangul</a></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">King Sejong the Great profoundly impacted Korean history with his introduction of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hangul">hangul</a>, the native phonetic alphabet system for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_language" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Korean language">Korean language</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-12" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[13]</a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Before the creation of Hangul, only members of the highest class were literate (hanja was typically used to write Korean by using adapted Chinese characters, while<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanmun" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hanmun">Hanmun</a> was sometimes used to write court documents in classical Chinese). One would have to learn the quite complex hanja characters in order to read and write Korean. Further, despite modifications to the Chinese characters, hanja could prove cumbersome when transcribing the Korean language, due to considerable differences in grammar and sentence order.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-13" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">King Sejong presided over the introduction of the 28-letter Korean alphabet, with the explicit goal being that Koreans from all classes would read and write. He also attempted to establish a cultural identity for his people through its unique script. First published in 1446, anyone could learn Hangul in a matter of days. Persons previously unfamiliar with Hangul can typically pronounce Korean script accurately after only a few hours study.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Each hangul letter is based on a simplified diagram of the patterns made by the mouth, tongue and teeth when making the sound related to the character. <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphemes" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Morphemes">Morphemes</a> are built by writing the characters in syllabic blocks. The blocks of letters are then strung together linearly.</div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=6" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Death and legacy">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Death_and_legacy">Death and legacy</span></h2><div class="thumb tright" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 1.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><div class="thumbinner" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; min-width: 100px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: center; width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sejong_tomb_1.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Sejong_tomb_1.jpg/220px-Sejong_tomb_1.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" width="220" /></a><br />
<div class="thumbcaption" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.4em; padding-bottom: 3px !important; padding-left: 3px !important; padding-right: 3px !important; padding-top: 3px !important; text-align: left;"><div class="magnify" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; float: right;"><a class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sejong_tomb_1.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; color: #0645ad; display: block; text-decoration: none;" title="Enlarge"><img alt="" height="11" src="http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" style="background-attachment: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: initial !important; background-image: none !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; border-width: initial; display: block; vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></a></div>The tomb of Sejong the Great located in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.</div></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">Sejong died by diabetes complications at the age of 54 and was buried at the <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yeong_Mausoleum&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #cc2200; text-decoration: none;" title="Yeong Mausoleum (page does not exist)">Yeong Mausoleum</a> (<span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">영릉</span>; <span lang="ko" xml:lang="ko">英陵</span>) in 1450. His successor was his first son,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munjong_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Munjong of Joseon">Munjong</a>. Sejong judged that his sickly son Munjong was unlikely to live long and on his deathbed asked the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Worthies" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hall of Worthies">Hall of Worthies</a> scholars to look after his young grandson <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danjong" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Danjong">Danjong</a>. As predicted, Munjong died two years after his accession, and political stability enjoyed under Sejong disintegrated when <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danjong" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Danjong">Danjong</a>became the sixth king of Joseon at the age of twelve. Eventually, Sejong's second son <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejo_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Sejo of Joseon">Sejo</a> usurped the throne from Danjong in 1455. When <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_martyred_ministers" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Six martyred ministers">six martyred ministers</a> were implicated in a plot to restore Danjong to throne, Sejo abolished the Hall of Worthies and executed Danjong and many ministers who served during Sejong's reign.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">The street <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejongno" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Sejongno">Sejongno</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_Center" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Sejong Center">Sejong Center for the Performing Arts</a>– both located in central <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Seoul">Seoul</a>– are named after King Sejong, and he is depicted on the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="South Korea">South Korean</a> 10,000-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korean_won" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="South Korean won">Won</a> note.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-14" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[15]</a></sup></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">In early 2007, the Republic of Korea government has decided to create a special administrative district out of part of the present <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chungcheongnam-do" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Chungcheongnam-do">Chungcheongnam-do</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Province">Province</a>, near what is presently <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daejeon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Daejeon">Daejeon</a>. The new district will be named <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_Special_Autonomous_City" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Sejong Special Autonomous City">Sejong Special Autonomous City</a>, and is to replace <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoul" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Seoul">Seoul</a> as the future capital of the Republic of Korea.</div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;">The life of Sejong was depicted in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Broadcasting_System" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Korean Broadcasting System">KBS</a> Korean historical drama <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Sejong_the_Great_(TV_series)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="King Sejong the Great (TV series)">King Sejong the Great (TV series)</a> in 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_note-15" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[16]</a></sup></div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Family">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Family">Family</span></h2><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Father: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taejong_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Taejong of Joseon">King Taejong</a> (태종)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Mother: Queen Wongyeong of the <i>Yeoheung Min</i> clan (원경왕후 민씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Consorts:</li>
</ul><ol style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 3.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Queen Soheon of the <i>Cheongsong Shim</i> clan (소헌왕후 심씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the <i>Jinju Kang</i> clan (영빈 강씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Royal Noble Consort Sin of the <i>Cheongju Kim</i> clan (신빈 김씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Royal Noble Consort Hye of the <i>Cheongju Yang</i> clan (혜빈 양씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Park <i>Gwi-in</i> (귀인 박씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Choi <i>Gwi-in</i> (귀인 최씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Hong <i>So-yong</i> (소용 홍씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Lee <i>Suk-won</i> (숙원 이씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Song <i>Sang-chim</i> (상침 송씨)</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Cha <i>Sa-gi</i> (사기 차씨)</li>
</ol><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Issue:</li>
</ul><ol style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 3.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munjong_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Munjong of Joseon">Royal Crown Prince (왕세자)</a>, 1st Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejo_of_Joseon" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Sejo of Joseon">Grand Prince Suyang (수양대군)</a>, 2nd Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Grand Prince Anpyeong (안평대군), 3rd Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Grand Prince Imyeong (임영대군), 4th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Grand Prince Gwangpyeong (광평대군), 5th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Grand Prince Geumseong (금성대군), 6th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Grand Prince Pyeongwon (평원대군), 7th son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Grand Prince Yeongeung (영응대군), 8th Son of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Hwaui (화의군), Only Son of Royal Noble Consort Yeong of the Kang clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Gyeyang (계양군), 1st Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Uichang (의창군), 2nd Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Milseong (밀성군), 3rd Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Ikhyang (익현군), 4th Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Yeonghae (영해군), 5th Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Damyang (담양군), 6th Son of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Hannam (한남군), 1st Son of Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Yang clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Suchun (수춘군), 2nd Son of Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Yang clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Prince Yeongpung (영풍군), 3rd Son of Royal Noble Consort Hye of the Yang clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Princess Jeongso (정소공주), 1st Daughter of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Princess Jeongui (정의공주), 2nd Daughter of Queen Soheon of the Cheongsong Shim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">2 Daughters of Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Kim clan.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Princess Jeongan (정안옹주), Only Daughter of Lee <i>Suk-won</i>.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Princess Jeonghyeon (정현옹주), Only Daughter of Song <i>Sang-chim</i>.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">A Daughter of Cha <i>Sa-gi</i>.</li>
</ol><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: His full posthumous name">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="His_full_posthumous_name">His full posthumous name</span></h2><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Hangul : 세종장헌영문예무인성명효대왕</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">English : King Sejong Jangheon Yeongmun Yemu Inseong Myeonghyo daewang</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Hanja : 世宗莊憲英文睿武仁聖明孝大王</li>
</ul><div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Notes">Notes</span></h2><div class="references-small references-column-count references-column-count-3" style="-webkit-column-count: 3;"><ol class="references" style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 3.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li id="cite_note-0" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <a class="external free" href="http://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CAYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.koreanbuddhism.net%2Flibrary%2Facademic_essay%2Fdownload.asp%3Farticle_seq%3D711%26page%3D1%26search_key%3D%26search_value%3D&ei=rzhmTL-kAcjuObmdnbIP&usg=AFQjCNHOaekqK5QoKUo826eyDOxcEdvtng" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CAYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.koreanbuddhism.net%2Flibrary%2Facademic_essay%2Fdownload.asp%3Farticle_seq%3D711%26page%3D1%26search_key%3D%26search_value%3D&ei=rzhmTL-kAcjuObmdnbIP&usg=AFQjCNHOaekqK5QoKUo826eyDOxcEdvtng</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <a class="external free" href="http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=47&BOOKNUM=3&PAPERNUM=6&SEASON=A...&YEAR=null" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=47&BOOKNUM=3&PAPERNUM=6&SEASON=A...&YEAR=null</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-2" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <i>Encylopedia of World History</i>, Vol II, P362 Sejong, Edited by Marsha E. Ackermann, Michael J. Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, Mark F. Whitters,<a class="internal mw-magiclink-isbn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780816063864" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">ISBN 978-0-8160-6386-4</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-3" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <i>Encylopedia of World History</i>, Vol II, P362 Sejong, Edited by Marsha E. Ackermann, Michael J. Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, Mark F. Whitters,<a class="internal mw-magiclink-isbn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780816063864" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">ISBN 978-0-8160-6386-4</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-4" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Korean)</span><a class="external text" href="http://preview.britannica.co.kr/bol/topic.asp?article_id=b01g3496a" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">계해조약</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-5" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <<책한권으로 읽는 세종대왕실록>>(Learning Sejong Silok in one book) ISBN 10 - 890107754X</li>
<li id="cite_note-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-6" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <<책한권으로 읽는 세종대왕실록>>(Learning Sejong Silok in one book) ISBN 10 - 890107754X</li>
<li id="cite_note-kim_1998_57-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1em;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1em;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-2" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1em;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-3" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1em;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-4" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1em;"><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_57_7-5" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1em;"><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> Kim (1998), 57.</li>
<li id="cite_note-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Korean)</span><a class="external text" href="http://www.bueb125.com.ne.kr/san311.htm" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">장영실 蔣英實</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-kim_1998_51-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-kim_1998_51_9-0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> Kim (1998), 51.</li>
<li id="cite_note-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-10" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Korean)</span><a class="external text" href="http://www.reportnet.co.kr/knowledge/pop_preview.html?dn=2075262" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Science and Technology during Sejong the Great of Joseon</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-11" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Korean)</span><a class="external text" href="http://urimal.cs.pusan.ac.kr/edu_sys_new/new/docu/history/sejong/default.asp" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Introduction to Sejong the Great</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-12" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> Kim Jeong Su(1990), <<한글의 역사와 미래>>(History and Future of Hangul) ISBN 10 - 8930107230</li>
<li id="cite_note-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-13" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunmin_Jeongeum_Haerye" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye">Hunmin Jeongeum Haerye</a></i>, postface of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeong_Inji" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Jeong Inji">Jeong Inji</a>, p. 27a, translation from <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gari_K._Ledyard" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Gari K. Ledyard">Gari K. Ledyard</a>, <i>The Korean Language Reform of 1446</i>, p. 258</li>
<li id="cite_note-14" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-14" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <span class="languageicon" style="color: #555555; font-size: 0.95em; font-weight: bold;">(Korean)</span><a class="external text" href="http://www.tourguide.co.kr/local/local_detail.htm?pCode=CULTTOMB0262" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Tourguide - Tomb of Sejong the Great</a></li>
<li id="cite_note-15" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_the_Great#cite_ref-15" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">^</a></b> <a class="external text" href="http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/3jong/" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Official website of the drama King Sejong the Great</a></li>
</ol></div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=11" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: References">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span></h2><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Kim, Yung Sik. (1998). "Problems and Possibilities in the Study of the History of Korean Science," <i>Osiris</i> (2nd series, Volume 13, 1998): 48–79.</li>
</ul><div class="references-small"></div><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=12" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Further reading">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="Further_reading">Further reading</span></h2><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><i>King Sejong the Great: the Light of Fifteenth Century Korea</i>, <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Young-Key_Kim-Renaud&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #cc2200; text-decoration: none;" title="Young-Key Kim-Renaud (page does not exist)">Young-Key Kim-Renaud</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Circle_of_Korean_Linguistics" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="International Circle of Korean Linguistics">International Circle of Korean Linguistics</a>, 1992, softcover, 119 pages, <a class="internal mw-magiclink-isbn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1882177002" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;">ISBN 1-882177-00-2</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Kim-Renaud, Young-Key. 2000. Sejong's theory of literacy and writing. <i>Studies in the Linguistic Sciences</i> 30.1:13-46.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">Gale, James Scarth. <i>History of the Korean People</i> Annotated and introduction by Richard Rutt. Seoul: Royal Asiatic Society, 1972..</li>
</ul><h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: black; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.6em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.17em; padding-top: 0.5em; width: auto;"><span class="editsection" style="float: right; font-size: 13px; margin-left: 5px;">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sejong_the_Great&action=edit&section=13" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: External links">edit</a>]</span><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span></h2><table class="metadata mbox-small plainlinks" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: right; color: black; float: right; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 4px; width: 238px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="mbox-image" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0.9em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 2px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="40" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; vertical-align: middle;" width="30" /></td><td class="mbox-text" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0.25em; padding-left: 0.9em; padding-right: 0.9em; padding-top: 0.25em; width: 170px;">Wikimedia Commons has media related to: <i><b><a class="extiw" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sejong_the_Great" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="commons:Category:Sejong the Great">Sejong the Great</a></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul style="line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/bullet-icon.png?1); list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.3em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="external text" href="http://cinema.sangji.ac.kr/WINDOW/window/win00045.htm" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">King Sejong's Confucian Humanism in the Early Choson Period</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="external text" href="http://dicimg.paran.com/100_img/jpg/180/p18050200003.jpg" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Location of the four forts and the six posts</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="external text" href="http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jbourj/money5.htm" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/vector/images/external-link-ltr-icon.png?2); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #3366bb; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 13px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">King Sejong featured on the 10000 Korean Won banknote.</a></li>
</ul></div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-78168947728653636792010-12-19T19:26:00.000-08:002010-12-21T15:34:58.758-08:00I like the Internet so much because...Are the Korean and Mongolian languages related and, if so, how?<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>edit: 12/20 for clarity</i><br />
<i>edit: 12/21 corrected dates of regarding King Sejong's rule...</i><br />
I haven't posted in a while as I've been and am being treated for falling from a wall I was trying to climb. I like to think I'm like superman at times and I guess this has been another episode, albeit one unlike any other in my life. In treatment, I haven't had an Internet connection and during this time I've arrived at an answer to the question, why do I like the Internet so much? <s>to answer the question of why I like the Internet so much. </s></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/03/about-this-blog-updated.html">I earlier wrote</a>:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">In this blog, I feel I have an outlet, where I can express my views and opinions on issues or events going around in this world that in the absence of this blog, I feel I otherwise would not have. I mostly write about issues that I feel strongly about. I usually relate it to my own personal life experiences either in school or not. Sometimes, I write about what I feel I like to share. At other times, I find myself too busy to write anything at all or with nothing I'd like to share. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But, this only accounts for a fraction of what attracts me to the Internet. At the hospital, I've come to feel very lucky when a newspaper became available to me. However, gaining access to a newspaper has also made me wish I still had access to not just a single newspaper, but to the ability to read or search for articles amongst thousands of newspapers, publications, and blogs via the Internet. These feelings have shown up after I got injured thinking I was Superman. I tried climbing up a wall and fell down. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A time when I really<span style="background-color: white;"> felt like Superman was during my summer vacation in 2009 in </span>in guess where and where... ? ^^</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6VKsHrKO2NaIZZ5-4MwkisVslZd-5zcC5XjezJ-7UQH7xhCKpCE3rCeRPpuoikW0LDk2Ilf17TaqZCi1Dk_mypI5p8NZyVEq0kIHK8ZKwML430GRHtKcklI4S_0lXigQsENWdaBHFSR8/s1600/joe2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6VKsHrKO2NaIZZ5-4MwkisVslZd-5zcC5XjezJ-7UQH7xhCKpCE3rCeRPpuoikW0LDk2Ilf17TaqZCi1Dk_mypI5p8NZyVEq0kIHK8ZKwML430GRHtKcklI4S_0lXigQsENWdaBHFSR8/s320/joe2.bmp" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRjOWrV4CC7MjVoP0APJlJfbCSqi05evCi_w1F512JeJ3ZeNyJOtfjk5_Ldyga0Vp9MvviFZU869Ya0FPN0ajX7rz7PWlh5_QqrNxmdBv9QBRSJheuvHmV4G7EDAxdA32hqYJi26_r3iq/s1600/joe1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRjOWrV4CC7MjVoP0APJlJfbCSqi05evCi_w1F512JeJ3ZeNyJOtfjk5_Ldyga0Vp9MvviFZU869Ya0FPN0ajX7rz7PWlh5_QqrNxmdBv9QBRSJheuvHmV4G7EDAxdA32hqYJi26_r3iq/s320/joe1.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't quite remember the source, but a few years ago I remember reading -- perhaps it was when the Wikipedia was first introduced -- the claim that Korean and Mongolian are some how related to each other. I believe Korean as a language not unlike the Japanese language is traditionally classified as not belonging to a branch of languages, such as Altaic. One of the nurses that I have met during my recovery has been a Mongolian immigrant to California. I told her about this claim and how one of the examples had been how saying the "right side" in Korean and Mongolian are almost homonyms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Korean, one form of saying right side happens to be "Ba-reun-jjok" -- it's not my computer here so I can't access the Korean written language, which by the way had been invented under the rule of King Sejong the Great, who happens to be a great grandfather dating back to the 15th century CE on my mother's side and a reason why I tell my brother he needs to become more fluent in Korean. For more details, maternally, the creator of the lineage happens to be none other than King Sejong the Great's ninth son. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the Mongolian nurse, right side in Mongolian happens to be none other than "Ba-rrohn" (with a rolling r here).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another claim of the paper had been that the Korean dish Bulgogi or Beef was a descendant of, well, guess what, "Mongolian Beef." I wish I had Internet access as I need to get going now.</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-77013271243298525442010-11-26T11:49:00.000-08:002010-12-21T20:05:43.809-08:00Thanksgiving<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>rough draft Oct/27/10</em><br />
<em>edit: Dec/21/10 - corrected link to <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/09/doubts-about-how-north-korea-was-lost.html">previous post</a> criticizing Aiden Foster-Carter's paper...</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After receiving surgery a couple weeks ago, I've been in a hospital with another surgery being scheduled for one in another couple weeks. As my stay has continued to grow longer, the stay has proved to be quite positive in the sense of recovering from surgery. At the same time though, I've noticed the hospital also functions as a shield in that it has kept me from reading news articles (no Internet) or watching televised news articles. (no television in rooms). However, I've been approached a couple times about the possibility of war breaking due to the recent North Korean attack on a South Korean controlled island.This has out in Korea and it has drawn me to write this post in the nurses computers as I try to compute what the possibility of war will be.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> To get an understanding of why North Korea has done this, it's important not to forget that North Korea has named Kim Jong Il's youngest son in a position of authority. With Kim Jong Il still, alive, the possibility of war is zero and the most recent action to attack South Koreans functions to display how weak the North Korean-Chinese alliance is. </div><br />
In this context, North Korea attacked South Korean forces largely to illustrate that even with Kim Jong Il's terrible health, North Korea is still run by a powerful, centralized government. This is a highly important issue when looking for the primary goals for North Korea deciding to attack South Koreans.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I<a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/09/doubts-about-how-north-korea-was-lost.html"> earlier wrote</a> against the principle that China <em>won</em> a prize by having North Korean support and it seems China is losing more than it gains by "allying" with North Korea.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/17577117">The Economist</a> has a recent article that binds the recent DPRK attack within this context of China actually losing out by North Koean agression:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">China cannot be blind to the Kims’ bungling and bellicosity, nor welcome their nuclear ambitions. But it has had two worse fears. One is of a rekindled war on the peninsula, which would damage China. The other is of North Korean collapse, with millions of desperate refugees pouring into China and South Korea or even American troops on China’s border. It is as a bulwark against this “instability” that China cossets the Kims. It refused to condemn them even for the sinking of the <em>Cheonan</em>, and this week issued blandly even-handed calls for restraint. It apparently believes that if their only ally abandons them, the Kims might do something really rash. </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">To assess the value of this action by North Korea, all we need to do is consider that the purpose of these attacks are to suggest that even when Kim Jong Il passes away, the government is strong and led by his brother-in-law/sister, and his 27 year old son. News coverage that asks the average joe what the chances of war will be after the North Korean attack is proves to a positive consequence for North Korea attacking South Korea.Of course, if the average joe answers that chances of war are still almost zero, then the miliary attack happened to be a failure for all countries in the region.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>p.s.</em> I've been very sick for the past couple months and I've been unable to post on this webblog until, well, I was driven to post on this topic. But, me being sick, does not get me to start concluding that there will be war in Northeast Asia. It does hint that future elections will be won by SKorean politicians siting to the right of center - GNP/Han Nara Dang)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1126/After-North-Korean-attack-South-Korean-island-empties-out">Chrisian Sciene Monitor:---------------After North Korean attack, South Korean island empties out</a></div><blockquote><br />
<br />
After North Korean artillery showered this island in the Yellow Sea Tuesday, locals say they're fearful of North Korea's latest threats of a peninsula 'on the brink of war.'<br />
<br />
Police officers patrol near houses destroyed by a North Korean attack on the Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, Friday. Yeonpyeong is evacuating its 1,700 residents after North Korea said they were on the 'brink of war.'</blockquote><em>(rough draft )</em>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-45393184189342603622010-09-20T14:54:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:55:10.307-07:00Gwanghwamun Restoration<a href="http://www.rjkoehler.com/travelog/2010/08/gwanghwamun-new-improved/">Robert Koehler</a>:<br />
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rjkoehler.com/travelog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/DSC_5341-934x621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://www.rjkoehler.com/travelog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/DSC_5341-934x621.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After a lengthy restoration process, Gwanghwamun Gate — the main entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace and a major downtown landmark — was <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/08/135_71448.html">finally unveiled to the public yesterday</a>, the Liberation Day holiday.</div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">The Cultural Heritage Administration brought in some heavy hitters for the restoration, including calligraphic engraving master Oh Ok-jin (Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 106) to paint the signboard and <i>dancheong</i> master Yang Yong-ho to paint the superstructure. For those of you wondering, <i><a href="http://www.koreanculture.org/06about_korea/symbols/14dancheong.htm">dancheong</a></i> is the colorful painted designs found on many of Korea’s historic wooden public building — not only is it decorative, but it also protected the wood from the elements.</div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Gwanghwamun Gate <a href="http://londonkoreanlinks.net/2009/03/29/the-gwanghwamun-is-reborn/">has had a tumultuous contemporary history</a>, making it something of a microcosm of Korea’s contemporary history as a whole. The gate was first constructed in 1395, making it — along with the rest of Gyeongbokgung Palace — one of the first buildings constructed in the new royal capital of Seoul. Also like the rest of the palace, it was burnt down during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasions_of_Korea_%281592-1598%29">Japanese invasion of 1592</a>, and left in ruins until <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daewongun">Heungseon Daewongun</a>‘s grand restoration of the palace in 1867.</div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote>Then things started to get funky. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea. In 1926, the Japanese — great preservationists of Korea’s cultural heritage that they were — had Gwanghwamun Gate torn down and moved to the east side of the palace, all so it wouldn’t restrict the view of the massive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_General_Government_Building,_Seoul">Japanese Government-General Building</a> (demolished in 1996), which they had oh-so-sensitively placed right in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, blocking the view the historic palace from downtown Seoul. The demolition of the gate sparked protests from not only Koreans, but also from Japanese intellectuals, most notably <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanagi_Soetsu">Yanagi Sōetsu</a>, the founder of Japan’s Craft Art movement and an admirer of Korean traditional art. </blockquote><br />
<blockquote>[...]</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Still noticeable is the decision to reverse the Chinese script on the gate from left-to-right to right-to-left as it had historically been. I guess this is the ever existing problem of translation, whether a strict, literal interpretation is better than a more liberal interpretation. In this case, I think it looks funny. Modern Korean when written horizontally doesn't read from right to left. </div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-70912793401248034272010-09-20T08:54:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:36:07.988-07:00Doubts about "How North Korea was lost - to China"<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Add/Update: For clarity. Sept. 20th, '10</i> <br />
<br />
There's an interesting article here that looks at how Seoul and Washington "lost" North Korea; I don't find it very agreeable </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2010/09/17/how-north-korea-was-lost-to-china/">North Korea Economy Watch</a>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Aiden Foster-Carter has written an long piece in the Asia Times on North Korea’s geopolitics. It is a fairly long piece, so here is the punch line:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><blockquote>So there’s our winner. Its rivals’ missteps have helped, but Beijing has long played a skillful, patient game. Like Moscow, it irked the North by recognizing South Korea (in 1992), but unlike the abrupt Russians it worked hard to soothe sensitivities.</blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote>Eighteen years on, guess which power is the top trade partner of both Koreas? Now, there’s subtle hegemony for you. No prizes either for guessing who’s snapping up North Korea’s mines, and beginning the lengthy, costly process of modernizing its decrepit infrastructure.</blockquote><blockquote>Face it: who else has the motive, or the means? As all agree, China’s overriding worry about North Korea is not Kim’s nukes but fear of collapse, and the chaos this could cause on its own borders. Beijing’s consistent strategy is not to paint Kim into a corner, no matter what.</blockquote><blockquote>Knowing that, how did policymakers in Seoul or Washington delude themselves that China would hurry to join a chorus of condemnation over the Cheonan? No way. Beijing squirmed a bit, but the game was worth the candle. Let Washington and Seoul huff and puff. All that achieved was to push an ever-more isolated North Korea further into China’s orbit and influence.</blockquote><blockquote>Nothing is certain, especially about North Korea where forecasts (this writer’s not least) have a habit of turning out wrong. I expected North Korea to collapse long ago: guilty as charged, m’lud. I understimated this tough regime’s staying power, or the horrors it would impose on its people – including famine – to cling to power while refusing to see sense.</blockquote><blockquote>But this can’t go on forever. The old game of militant mendicancy is finally up. Kim Jong-il’s frail health, a delicate succession, and an empty treasury – United Nations sanctions have hit arms exports, and crime doesn’t pay like it used to – make defying the entire world just too risky.</blockquote><blockquote>North Korea needs a sugar daddy. There is only one candidate left standing, and one who fits the bill perfectly. It may not be a marriage made in heaven, mind you. Pyongyang will keep squawking, and even try the old game of playing off its interlocutors – as in its latest thaw with Seoul.</blockquote><blockquote>But at the end of the day Beijing is making an offer no one else can match, and which North Korea can’t refuse. It goes roughly like this: Okay, we’ll bail you out, we’ll guarantee your security, we’ll even stomach your weird monarchical tendencies – unless the kid turns out to be a complete klutz, in which case you know what to do. Jang Song-taek (brother-in-law to Kim Jong-il) knows the score.</blockquote><blockquote>You can count on us too not to shame you by spelling all this out and giving the game away. But yes, we do need something in return. Two things. First: markets. For goodness sake just leave them alone, nay let ‘em rip – as we’ve been telling you to, ever since Deng Xiaoping.</blockquote><blockquote>Look where we are now, and where you are. We’ll do the heavy lifting of investment, so you have functioning factories and railways again. But you have to let it happen. No going back.</blockquote><blockquote>Second: no more trouble. We know it may take time for you to give up your footling pesky nukes. But we need an absolute guarantee of no more tests, or else. No other provocations, either. Our People’s Liberation Army will teach your Korean People’s Army how to adapt and how to make money. The new North Korea will be a good global citizen, trading like we do. The returns are good. It beats mugging any day.</blockquote><blockquote>And guess what? You’ll love it, all of you. You’ll prosper. No more worries. Your people will eat; your elite will make money. What’s not to like? Just stop all that shouting and marching; what a relief, eh? The rest of the cult can stay, if you must. All hail the young general Kim Jong-eun, finally fulfilling grandpa’s dream of peace and prosperity for all! (With a bit of help from his friends, but we’re modest.) You’ll love him. You really will.<br />
This seems to me a plausible scenario for North Korea’s future. In fact, I struggle to imagine any other. Korean reunification? Maybe in the very long run – but right now, who wants it?</blockquote><blockquote>Not the North, whose elite know the fate of their East German counterparts after unification. Can we really expect them to put their faith in the tender mercies of Lee Myung-bak? Even under Kim Dae-jung or Roh Moo-hyun it would have been tricky. What place would there be for most of them, frankly, in a reunified peninsula? Not a privileged one, that’s for sure.</blockquote><blockquote>Ordinary North Koreans, too, have learned, from the trickle who have made it to Seoul, that South Korea is no land of milk and honey. True, they’d like a life, and to eat. But China, or a North Korea open to and learning from China, might look a better bet on that score.</blockquote><blockquote>Nor is the South enthusiastic, despite all the rhetoric. It would be embarrassing and galling to see the North become a Chinese satellite – yet perhaps also a huge relief. Let Beijing bear the brunt, the burden, and the costs of transforming the madhouse they have long sustained.</blockquote><blockquote>Further down the line, blood could prove thicker. By 2040 or so, a by then semi-transformed North Korea may tire of great Han chauvinism, slough off the Chinese yoke, and embrace the cousins south of the demilitarized zone (which would long ago have become more permeable). They’d be easier to absorb, too, now smoothed by a few decades of Chinese-style modernity.</blockquote><blockquote>Speculative, to be sure. But what other scenarios are there? And though from one viewpoint China has edged out rival powers as argued above, presumably to their chagrin, might some of them in truth be quietly relieved to be spared the responsibility? </blockquote><blockquote>Let China take it on and deliver a new-style North Korea, vibrant and fit for a new century. It could last a long time, and spare the region and world much headache and risk. Does anyone have an alternative?</blockquote><blockquote>Aidan Foster-Carter is honorary senior research fellow in sociology and modern Korea at Leeds University, and a freelance consultant, writer and broadcaster on Korean affairs. A regular visitor to the peninsula, he has followed North Korea for over 40 years.</blockquote></blockquote></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">In its <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/LI16Dg02.html">entirety</a>, Aidan Foster-Carter writes:</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Knowing that, how did policymakers in Seoul or Washington delude themselves that China would hurry to join a chorus of condemnation over the <i>Cheonan</i>? No way. Beijing squirmed a bit, but the game was worth the candle. Let Washington and Seoul huff and puff. All that achieved was to push an ever-more isolated North Korea further into China's orbit and influence. </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">I mean just as much as China likes to make deals with military juntas -- primarily North Korea and Burma,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">"But at the end of the day Beijing is making an offer no one else can match, and which North Korea can't refuse." </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">I think Washington and Seoul expected, well, more from China. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But, what I'd like to ask is why is China settling on North Korea when the country should be eying South Korea? In the past few months, China has basically pushed Vietnam, South Korea, and, <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/09/senkakudiaoyu-islands.html">now</a>, Japan to the arms of, well, the United States. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not as if China has just won a strategic competition against other countries for the great prize that is North Korea. <strike>Rather -- and </strike>I think many (e.g. Scott Snyder) have argued that this is how North Koreans see it as well. It is not the case of a calculating China defeating the U.S. and the other countries in some grand chess game for influence in North Korea, but rather just a simple case of China looking to gratify its own immediate desire -- "<b>Chinese</b> stability."<br />
<br />
Consider that as a result of the <i>Cheonan</i> fiasco -- from none other than a Sinocentric point of view -- the huge cost for China has been South Korea. I would think the ultimate end game for China -- again from a Sinocentric point of view -- is to dominate East Asia, which includes kicking out or splintering the U.S.-Japan and U.S-ROK alliances and unifying with Taiwan. The end game for China is not about paying for North Korean food, roads, and ports and extracting natural resources that North Korea may have. The real gold is elsewhere. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'd bet that North Korea surely sees this too and would love at any cost to get the United States to guarantee the security of the country any day over the Chinese. In the meantime, China will continue to feed North Korea, build North Korean roads and ports, and bring the northern half of the peninsula out of the dark ages all of which North Korea will not be grateful for. After all, China is doing this for self-serving reasons. <br />
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<i><b>Add:</b></i> <br />
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This is the logic behind why despite China's growing economic clout over the Korean peninsula -- China is also Japan's number one trade partner, this has not translated over into political clout. I think that this type of reasoning underlying the original article could come to only feed the doubt of those that think South Korea and the United States have become too confrontational with North Korea and think that perhaps reverting back to some form of the now bankrupt Sunshine Policy may not be that bad of an idea. <br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/05/116_65474.html">Andrew Lankov</a>:<br />
<blockquote><span id="font">A senior South Korean diplomat described this problem in a private conversation by a good allegory: "China does not have leverage when it comes to dealing with the North. What China has is a hammer."</span></blockquote>I would also recommend Scott Snyder's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chinas-Rise-Two-Koreas-Economics/dp/1588266184?ie=UTF8&tag=bredowbarkor-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">China's Rise and the Two Koreas: Politics, Economics, Security</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bredowbarkor-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1588266184" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> here.</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-26506343220799343542010-09-19T13:07:00.000-07:002010-09-19T13:14:12.447-07:00There seems to be a problem with the Economist's Map...<div style="text-align: justify;">In an <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/17049121?story_id=17049121">article</a> outlining heightened tensions between China and Japan (again), the map on the article by the Economist seems to label the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima) as part of Japanese territory or being part of Japan's exclusive economic zone. The Senkaku/Diaoyu island chains are demarcated as such, whereas the Kuril Islands -- including the lower two -- are marked as Russian territory. So, it's a bit puzzling that the Liancourt Rocks are labeled to be a part of Japan. Clearly this is a matter of grave concern as, well, heaven forbid if fifty years later Japanese -- or for that matter any nationalist "historian"-- were to say, look here, we found an old map by the Economist clearly showing that Takeshima is a part of Japan.<br />
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And, by the way, a quick look at the second map shows exactly why the Liancourt Rocks seem to be so important. It takes up such a huge chunk of the seas east of the Korean peninsula. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, here's the map over at the Economist:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/images/images-magazine/2010/09/18/as/20100918_asm978.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/images/images-magazine/2010/09/18/as/20100918_asm978.gif" width="326" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And, here's a map that shows the area of the East Sea (Sea of Japan) that is disputed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Source: <a href="http://www.dokdo-takeshima.com/why-japan-cant-have-dokdo-i.html">www.dokdo-takeshima.com</a>:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dokdo-takeshima.com/wordpress/wp-content/images/eez-zonemap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://www.dokdo-takeshima.com/wordpress/wp-content/images/eez-zonemap2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(disputed waters in the East Sea/Sea of Japan)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-49352818238171333692010-09-16T04:56:00.000-07:002010-09-16T05:01:43.114-07:00[U.S. Capitulation to the Chinese] Japanese Currency Intervention<div style="text-align: justify;">For the first time since 2004...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Economist's <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/09/monetary_policy">Free Exchange</a>: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>AMONG today's big news items is the <a href="http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aL7nFh.TwR4s&pos=1">word</a> that Japan is now actively selling yen in order to improve its exchange rate against other major currencies. The yen has risen sharply in recent months, dealing a blow to Japanese exporters and slowing Japanese recovery.</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The columnist looks at the development in a positive light. </div><blockquote>Doom and gloom, but I feel more positive about this development. Consider <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/buttonwood/2010/09/currencies_gold_and_international_competition">Buttonwood's take</a>:<br />
<blockquote>As David Bloom of HSBC points out in a note responding to the move, the costs of intervention to the Japanese are not great. Selling yen and buying dollars results in more yen being created, which might be inflationary, but a bit of Japanese inflation wouild be a good thing.</blockquote><blockquote>My thought concerns the general tendency of countries to want their currencies to depreciate. Everyone would like to boost their growth by letting their currencies slide and increasing exports. Of course, not all can succeed. Someone must increase net imports and let their currency appreciate. The obvious candidate is the Chinese, but they are unwilling to let it happen (at least at a pace desired by the rest of the world).</blockquote><blockquote>The result is like a game of deflationary pass the parcel in which the countries with appreciating currencies eventually feel the pressure, and try to reverse the trend.</blockquote></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">But, I wonder if this development is in fact simply the realization that China will not fairly value its currency -- irrespective of what this may or may not do with respect to the U.S. trade deficit -- and that rather than waiting for a time that will not come, Japan has decided the country could wait no longer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Consider the South Korean Won. South Korean exports compete directly with many Japanese exports, and South Korean exporters have historically looked at a 10 KRW : 1 JPY ratio as the level where South Korean exports would still remain competitive with Japanese exports. However, this changed in 2008 as the South Korean Won collapsed. (Its performance was the second worst that year after, well, Iceland's currency.) Since that time, rather than the South Korean Won tracking the performance of the Japanese Yen -- which it historically has, the currency now seems to be tracking the performance of, well, the Chinese Yuan. Until the just announced Yen Intervention, the currencies have been trading at about 14 KRW : 1 JPY. (The link to a chart is <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=JPYKRW=X&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=">here</a>.) The story seems to be the same with respect to the New Taiwanese Dollar (TWD). (The link to a chart is <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=JPYTWD=X&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=">here</a>.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, doesn't it seem to be the case that the Japanese have decided that the expense of waiting for the Chinese to revalue is just too great? In this sense, it's hard to be optimistic when it seems to be a capitulation on the part of the U.S. to Chinese mercantile practices, which in the process seems to have dragged the rest of East Asia along with Beijing. What will it take before the U.S. "takes action"? (By the way, in this sense, I miss President George W. Bush. His ability to "take decisive action" -- whatever the costs or logic may be -- seems to be ostensibly missing right now. (I think with respect to defense issues I'm a huge supporter of current U.S. policy of re-engaging the East Asia region, but I think this would be there regardless of who is in power. e.g. Consider the Guam naval buildup since 2006.)</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-40802333226914197512010-09-12T20:55:00.000-07:002010-09-12T22:02:41.252-07:00Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands<div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, it appears that Japan has taken into custody Chinese fishermen in disputed waters as Japan and both Chinas all claim a string of islands called the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands. The funny thing about these islands is that, well, after the Second World War -- or the second Sino-Japanese War -- they were first occupied by Americans not unlike the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima), which Japan and both Koreas also claim as their own. This is East Asia...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I understand that North Korea and much of the rest of the world likes to say that Americans are a crazy nation that likes war, but I find it interesting in what America did with the "islands" when they were under U.S. control -- both became places that American planes would bomb. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, Japan has recently released most of the fishermen except for its captain as, well...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11279872">BBC News</a>: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote>The fishing boat reportedly rammed Japanese coast guard patrol boats which had been trying to intercept it.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">And, in another example of Beijing's respect for her East Asian neighbors, BBC News also reports:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote>On Sunday Chinese diplomat State Councillor Dai Bingguo warned Tokyo to make a <b>"wise political decision"</b> over the matter. </blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">and</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote>The Chinese foreign ministry said any evidence collected by Japan on the collision would be "illegal, invalid and in vain".</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, it's interesting to see this considering recent naval exercises in the region by the United States Navy and, of course, the magnanimous decision of the U.S. to facilitate territorial disputes between China and Vietnam. Maybe, the talks, if they ever materialize, could also include the Philippines, the other China (Taiwan), and maybe Japan as well, to make for new round(s) of six party talks. I'm sure they would have a better chance at arriving at a solution than those talks held in Beijing or even those talks of having the talks in the first place.</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-89123224847506916992010-09-12T20:30:00.000-07:002010-09-12T22:06:02.291-07:00[KORUS Free Trade Pact] A Pony to an Equus...<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho30DTpNBm1Pkcugp41iRJPtwydDjbMG8gAGX9srj-AG05ZU_q6va0PGE3sHi7Iumy4H7HRSAtZbVjevglIPCx1h03LwFIHWMS44pNrhECFg3Gmve9HHQrUBNj6SLbMK70PL0Mo9TRujIp/s1600/blog_toyota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho30DTpNBm1Pkcugp41iRJPtwydDjbMG8gAGX9srj-AG05ZU_q6va0PGE3sHi7Iumy4H7HRSAtZbVjevglIPCx1h03LwFIHWMS44pNrhECFg3Gmve9HHQrUBNj6SLbMK70PL0Mo9TRujIp/s320/blog_toyota.jpg" /></a>A couple days ago, I was driving -- and while waiting for the lights to turn green, of course, no idea why the light there is green...-- there was this dated Toyota truck right in front of me. Interestingly enough, all the letters from the word Toyota fell off except for, well, "YO." And, well, it sure enough perked my interest to the point where I took a picture of the car. The picture is symbolic of Toyota's fading presence recently; Toyota <a href="http://www.khabrein.info/news/Toyota_recall_update__1_13_million_Corolla__Matrix_recalled__toyota_recall_models_count_to_go_up_1282906044/">has apparently recalled over 11 million vehicles</a> in the past ten months. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, flip back a couple decades and many car American buyers thought that, well, Japan makes affordable, quality passenger cars so what's different with South Korean cars. Of course, they gap in quality was at that time a gulf. Shoddy brakes on Hyundai cars left a perceived gap in the quality of Korean cars that for some even continues to the present. It also took Hyundai almost two decades to recover its U.S. sales back to that of its heyday in the late 1980s. It's well past that now as Hyundai <a href="http://www.monster-island.net/2010/09/is-america-ready-for-equus.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kushibo+%28Monster+Island+%28actually+a+peninsula%29*%29">looks to introduce the Equus</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I first heard of Hyundai's Equus I thought the name to be pretty funny. The first passenger car that Hyundai ever built was called, well, the Hyundai Pony. In Korea, for some time now, the largest and most expensive car that Hyundai sold has been, well, the Hyundai Equus. The Equus is, well, in latin, horse. So, I thought it a bit funny and somewhat representative of how Hyundai together with its subsidiary Kia Motors has come to be I believe the fifth or sixth largest car manufacturer in the world. They have gone from building ponys to well horses. Hyundai has also opened a factory in Alabama where American workers now assemble many of the cars that are now sold to, well, Americans. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The threat that cheap Asian imports from Korea would displace American jobs seems to be overblown.The cars that South Korea produces compete directly with Japanese car manufacturers more so than it does with American manufacturers. Hyundai -- along with Kia -- seems to be poised to displace Nissan this year as the third largest Asian auto seller in the U.S. after, well, Toyota's slip up in quality. In this sense, the idea that passage of the KORUS free trade pact would displace American jobs seems to be overblown. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moreover, much of GM's success in China -- probably the only place in the world where GM's sales have been competitive and consistently profitable in the past decade is due to in large part to the expertise gained from GM taking a stake in what used to be an insolvent South Korean car manufacturer, Daewoo Motors. (By the way, perhaps America's labor unions could see how their South Korean counterparts have come to see the introduction of a large American presence in South Korea's domestic market. Whereas the Chinese takeover of Ssangyong Motors has resulted in, well, disaster, GM's investment in GM Daewoo has come to be seen as a successful merger, if it could be called that, in an industry where successful takeovers are, well, excluding Nissan, for the most part non-existent.)</div><br />
Moreover, South Korea really likes American beef and they like to buy a lot of it.<br />
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So, perhaps, it's time to pass that KORUS.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-92093145500181182022010-09-03T03:06:00.000-07:002010-09-03T03:07:15.036-07:00Time to amend presidential term limits in South KoreaApparently, South Korea has grown over 7% on a per annum basis for two consecutive quarters now. I can't believe this presidential pledge is coming through. <br />
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<a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2010/09/01/imf-sees-strong-skorea-growth-urges-measured-exit/">Paul Eckert</a>: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>The IMF -- which again revised the growth forecast of Asia's fourth-biggest economy upward, to 6.1 percent from 5.75 percent in a July report -- <strong>said expansion was increasingly led by private sector demand</strong> and was at or near full growth potential.</blockquote>I think it's about time South Korea amends her constitution to make way for two term presidencies. Currently, South Korean Presidents are restricted to one five year term.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-3978616471733787972010-09-03T02:54:00.000-07:002010-09-03T03:17:42.126-07:00[California] The Senate Race<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It appears that in the upcoming elections in November, polls show a tie between Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican Party candidate Carly Fiorina. When I read this, I thought this in and of itself is pretty crazy as I thought California is at least in the 21st century a solidly Democratic state. But, it gets even more unbelievable, so I kept the article in the back of my mind to share. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Los Angeles Times summarized some "key points" of a debate held on Wednesday between the two. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-senate-20100902,0,5476053.story?page=1&utm_medium=feed&track=rss&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20MostEmailed%20%28L.A.%20Times%20-%20Most%20E-mailed%20Stories%29&utm_source=feedburner">Los Angeles Times:</a> </div><blockquote>Assault weapons ban: Fiorina restated her opposition to the federal assault weapons ban, saying the law is vague and ineffective. "We have loads of laws, and most of the time, criminals are breaking those laws and we are curtailing citizens' lawful rights to carry guns," she said. "The assault weapons ban is extremely arbitrary about what qualifies as an assault weapon."</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I've been a registered Republican since I was 18 except in 2008, where I switched to independent for the presidential primaries in California, but say what? "Assault weapons ban is extremely arbitrary?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">(I very much wanted Obama to win, so much so that I made international friends watch Obama's acceptance speech when he nominally won the general election in 2008... there was a lot of American flags on that broadcast... when you're excited about something you genuinely want those around you to be excited about the same thing as well...) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, why on earth is there a need to repeal the assault weapons ban or even talk about it. There's no way that the assault weapons ban will be repealed in California and I don't know exactly where this Republican candidate lives, but if I'm in suburban Los Angeles I buy meat at usually Ralphs. If I'm in Northern California, I buy my meat at Safeway (I think Vons bought out all the Safeways in Southern California. I remember seeing them as a kid and I thought they were a relic of the past until, well, I ventured north.) But, anyways, I usually buy my meat at either Safeway or Ralphs, and definitely don't go out and hunt my dinner. So, where is this candidate from? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also don't worry about bandits coming over from a nearby village and robbing me... In my hometown, I do get uninvited and unwanted door-to-door solicitations once in a while though. I think visitors from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints stopped by a while back. There's a significant Mormon community in my hometown. On the other hand, girl scout cookies are pretty good. This district, by the way, is also represented by a Republican congressman. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">So, what on earth are these candidates talking about? Apparently, the article also covers the politicians' respective positions on some other key issues... global warming (whether one believes it, though Prop 23 does look like a substantial issue), abortion, gays in the military, same-sex marriages, what stem-cells should be used for research... The issue of the economy seemed relegated to the mere parisan litmus test that has become of President Bush's tax cuts, which by the way seems to me at least have been enacted for purely "ideological" reasons and also a little bit out of hubris and spite. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Talk about a disconnect. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh and for those that read this. I'm not sure where I stand on the political spectrum anymore, but I do believe more strongly in equality of opportunity and working hard than on equality in outcomes. This extends only to the point where everybody should have the opportunity to say, go to school, but not where there I think there should be rigid quotas along socioeconomic classifications determined by government or by abolishing standardized (and to some degree coachable) test results that studies may suggest show are positively correlated with income. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">But, on issues, I like the status quo on abortion, think the defense department should have the final say on who they want in the military, same sex marriages are not marriages, all stem cells should be used for research... But, these are purely social issues that don't really affect each and every person in Calfironia.. I guess there is where the disconnect comes in... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">And, I'm against President Bush's tax cuts which seemed to be an exercise in Republican hubris more so than anything else. </div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739033720407277109.post-20034257645146330582010-08-29T22:26:00.000-07:002010-08-30T01:32:39.802-07:00What's wrong with China? *edit*<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>edit: 08/30</i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I <a href="http://northxkorea.blogspot.com/2010/08/refuting-absurdity-behind-claims-of-us.html">earlier alluded</a> to Chinese currency manipulation and I guess I'm sharing why I feel so ambivalent about China.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span id="Zoom">But, by far, the most troubling, worrisome, and, downright outrageous aspect seems to be how as the rest of the world is recovering from a great recession, China has turned to gloating over how it is now "China's turn" to lead the world rather than seeing how the absorption of the country's products and merchandise had and has lifted millions of her people out of absolute poverty or subsistence living standards . Rather than returning this assistance in kind -- and showing the rest of the world, what a rich and prosperous China is capable of, the Chinese government seems intent to shy away from helping these very same countries recover from a recession or even trading with these countries on fair terms.</span> </blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China earlier in the year agreed -- as the rest of the world was facing a slump in demand China's economy continued to be in double digits as its "reserves" passed $2 trillion -- to slowly change the value of the Chinese Yuan. Well, if you think about it, this is by far the most egregious act that has China has committed. How can a country that is now the second largest economy and poised to be the largest exporter justify unfair trade advantages, especially with $2 trillion in "reserves." This is outrageous. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://imarketnews.com/?q=node/18424">iMarketNews</a>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>The yuan has <b>seen increased volatility</b> in the trading days since the PBOC's [People's Bank of China] June 19 pledge to increase exchange rate flexibility.<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> The yuan has risen by <b>0.37%</b> since that pledge was made. </span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not quite sure how old the author of this article is, but for someone, who is still in his twenties, I've aged more than 0.37% over the past four months.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, the reason that I write about this is that, well, every article I read as of late has much to do with the ails of the economy, and there seems to be much in the realm of U.S. domestic politics and China that really, well, vexes me. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There seems to be so many people out of the work force and for such a long period of time that it looks like it has become observable. I mean this is pretty alarming stuff. Consider that there are so many people out there that have gotten laid off or lost their jobs over the past couple of years and have not been able to find work for such a prolonged period that people can observe this as something beyond the anecdotal. and it may have brought about long term structural changes to the US economy (and along with it a lower potential economic prosperity for a long run -- maybe not the long run.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But, what's more disconcerting is that there seems to be a strangely timed, but definitely newly found apprehension towards U.S. budget deficits in the far flung future. (One of the few sectors that seems to have added jobs as of late is the health care industry.) This newly found apprehension looks as if it will lead to a paralyzed federal government that will lack the ability to engage in any new policy initiative. I strongly believe there needs to be working majorities in both senses of the word, "working majorities" for something to be done, yet it seems the U.S. public has no appetite for this. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I guess a good example that captures my concerns is this entire mosque building issue. Why is this issue capturing so much attention in the press over what little attention and patience a disappointed and apathetic U.S. electorate has left. The issue seems to have crossed over from being a traditional debate over the role of the government and into one that is now being manipulated as a regular wedge issue. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve seems to have run out of its conventional tools to stimulate the economy and is looking a bit reluctant to use its more unconventional tools to stimulate the economy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If the U.S. is facing problems at home, then it would be quite natural to look over and see what if her friends could help, say in the manner that U.S. leadership helped bring about export-led recoveries in East Asia in the aftermath of financial crisis in 1997-98 over there. Currently, with Europe being well Europe, I mean this in a way as in pretty undependable, and aside from super loyal Japan, there pretty much is only one large economy remaining -- booming China. By the way, India doesn't really count yet. But, this remarkable contrast between a booming China with $2 trillion in "reserves" refusing to abandon its currency manipulation techniques is just unacceptable. I mean something needs to be done. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I'd think it might be a bit disrespectful to not credit Chinese people for continuing to develop their country, but for some time now, the U.S. and the West wholeheartedly embraced China that made much of what China has achieved possible. China has about $2 trillion in "reserves" for lack of a better word, I guess. So, this is where I'm coming from when I earlier said the "<span id="Zoom">most troubling, worrisome, and, downright outrageous" development in China is its refusal to take on any responsibility even to the point of abandoning an unfair trade advantage as its economy is booming. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="Zoom">Now, I'm a believer in that countries don't treat each other in the manner that people have come to treat each other and it is within this sense that I think China is doing something that is simply against her interests. Economic benefits notwithstanding, </span><span id="Zoom">I think China's single-minded quest to be a superpower at all costs is creating enemies. For example, returns on investment from government spending on defense seems to be added insecurity for not only the country --a la czarist Russia or the Soviet Union-- but also for the rest of the world. China seems to think good will only comes from soft power, which comes from investing in English-language 24 hour cable news networks, but I beg to differ. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_36/b4193007945730.htm">Dexter Roberts</a>: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>Lydia Wang, a 28-year-old marketing manager in Shanghai, gripes that the shoes and clothing she normally buys are at least 50 percent pricier than in 2009. Wu Sengyun, a 54-year-old retiree living in the coastal city of Ningbo, Zhejiang, says prices of fruit and fish are both up more than 20 percent. Willy Lin has cut back on serving free drumsticks in the canteen of his Jiangxi clothing factory as meat and vegetable prices climb. "The workers suffer," he says. "Everybody is crying." </blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>Officially, China's consumer price inflation topped out at 3.3 percent in July from the year before—a 21-month high. The government says the spike is a one-off caused by crop damage in recent flooding. Other costs, they say, such as cars, mobile-phone bills, and clothing, are actually falling, and price increases should slow as the economy cools. At an Aug. 12 press conference, Pan Jiancheng, a deputy director in the statistics bureau, announced that the inflationary threat was "overhyped." </blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>Many consumers, investors, analysts, and academics disagree. </blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>[...]</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why does China need super cheap money right now? Exporting inflation would make China very popular, I bet, though I think it's just doing what it should have started on a long, long time ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyways, $2 trillion in "reserve" with 10% growth rates and still the need to engage in mercantile practices, it's quite vexing...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Note: I know today is the 100 year "anniversary" of Japanese annexation of Korea, but hey, this is what's on my mind right now. </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027263592390141987noreply@blogger.com0