gangwon notes

What Global Warming? A review of Crighton's 'State of Fear'

noreply@blogger.com (kwandongbrian) — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 01:26:00 +0000

I read and enjoyed State of Fear although I was also annoyed and later, confused and worried. State of Fear tells the story of a philanthropist who finds his donations are being used for unsavory purposes; specifically, to fake evidence for an environmental catastrophe. He quickly fades from the story but his assistants and some federal agents continue to follow the conspiracy and foil the plot.

The story is good. There is a lot of action and close escapes, some memorable women and great exotic locations. There were some problems though. The close escapes are all of the kind that Austin Powers lampooned so well, "Aren't you going to kill him?" "No, I'm sure the sharks will. I will just walk away and assume that he did die." "But you've already assumed that five times."

Crighton's book always carry a message and his popularity stems both from these controversial subjects and from the way they don't get in the way of the action. Jurassic Park was a thrilling story of man vs monster, but it was also a story of the way man himself can be a shortsighted monster focusing on profits, and a glimpse of the ways our increasing understanding of DNA will change our lives.

State of Fear is a spy story of sorts, and an exciting one, but it also encourages us to question some strongly established views. For example, and least controversially, charitable organizations might not be so benign after all and charitable does not mean free of greed.

The controversial story in State of Fear is that Global Warming is a lie, or at least completely unproven. This is the part of the story that confused and worried me. Crighton backs up his claim with scientific reference after reference, which is good. However, in his book, the people showing global warming as an unproven or unsupported hypothesis are all brilliant, while the environmentalists are mean-spirited idiots, which is annoying.

The book made me reexamine my assumptions on the subject. I listened to Dr. Forbush speak out against global warming and big business (don't bother unless you want to learn how not to do a podcast) in the most boring, unsupported way possible.

I also visited Cooler Heads, a site that tries to show the global warming for the myth it is. To my shame, as soon as I saw it was a consumer site, and related to big business, I turned away. This is exactly what the deluded folk in State of Fear did. It did have references, if you are interested. One was the Marshall Institute, which has a Q&A with responses like this:

"15. Will global warming produce more violent storms? This is not likely."

They may be right in this case, but the bare bones answers were kind of annoying. Violent storms may be caused by global warming but the evidence for that will be statistical. One storm does not prove GW, not even a bad decade of storms is enough.

Added 20 years later. I wonder if anyone reads these things. Anyway, we see for sure that global warming has indeed produced more, and more violent storms. The Marshall Institute was wrong.

Three sites that felt they had evidence for global warming were Global Warming Early Warning Signs, The Earth Institute and the Global Warming International Centre. Crighton visited the Earth Institute and the scientists there apparently are dismayed that he didn't ask them their opinion (they feel GW is real).

One thing I'd seen before is the way one organization tries to hijack another's visitors. There is a "globalwarming.org" and a "globalwarming.net" site, differing only in the suffix. Which came first, I don't know but I have seen this used as an underhanded way to steal visitors who mistype the name.

Anyway, in my opinion, global warming is probably occurring but it doesn't matter. GW is caused by CO2 (and a few other gases) emissions and to stop emitting would be to stop all enterprise. However, reducing emissions of other polluting gases would automatically reduce greenhouse gases..

To reduce various fossil fuel exhausts would reduce pollution: smog, acid rain, and a number of lung ailments. For individual drivers to drive less or to carpool, would reduce the number of cars built and the energy that goes into constructing a car is probably as much or more than the energy that goes into driving it. Driving less would likely improve people's general health...

I have calmed down as an environmentalist as I learned a little (really, the least possible) about economics. I have a vague idea that reducing automobile production would not help people's total quality of living. Still, if people are concerned about global warming and pollution, leaving their cars in the driveway would be the reasonable thing to do.

Forest Fire in Gangneung threatens Olympic Village

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Sun, 07 May 2017 00:28:00 +0000

I am typing this from Incheon, on the other side of the country so I don't have personal details to add but I did write about a similar fire powered by strong winds years ago so I felt I should share the details I have learned.

This YTN report - in Korean - does not mention the Olympic Village but does blame the high winds for making the fire uncontrollable.

Yonhap News has a small report on the fire.
As with the fire I witnessed years ago, the entire nation is working to fight this one with fire fighters and vehicles from all over the country coming to help.

Unsurprisingly, the air quality in the area is terrible (Gangneung is the one red dot on the right on the map):

Earlier fire at Naksan temple.

Hoengsong and Sokcho. Camp and Pokemon

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 04:09:00 +0000

I haven't taught at every GLPS camp at Minjok Sagwan High School in Gangwon Province, near Wonju, but I have been to many and greatly enjoy them. I probably enjoy them more than the students but I will save that kind of commentary for the end of this post.

It has been six years since I lived in Gangwondo and the places I remember have changed greatly. This post will be something of a tourist's report of my visit.

I had been suffering a slight abdominal pain, low and in front of my left hip joint for nearly a year. Will trying to get in shape using the rowing machines at camp, something worked the pain is gone!

But I didn't exercise much as the temperature was high all camp. I think we saw rain twice, both early in the first week of camp. The rest of the time, we cooked. I took the dog for walks but she didn't get as much time outside was either of us wanted.
Camp Pictures!

My son on the steps on the right. He joined a class attempting to safely drop eggs from great heights.

A student taught me about Hot Pepper Dragonflies. This one, Crocothemis servilia only turns such a beautiful red during mating season.

These two of a spider were the only good ones I took. My phone camera would only focus on the distant sky. What really drew me to this individual though was his loss of legs. This is a four-legged spider!

Walking stick.

Some of my students had trouble doing actual research outside rather than just catching critters.

I found this salamander after one of the two rains we experienced.

One weekend, we returned home. Good for us, but boring to write about. The next weekend we went to Sokcho. My son was born there eleven years and a few months ago but he hadn't visited in the six years we'd lived in Busan. He was very interested in seeing our old apartment and seeing what he might remember.

But mostly he was interested in Pokemon Go! In Korea, this game can only be played on Sokcho so far. This audio interview (autoplay) explains why. Basically, Korea is officially at war and Google isn't allowed to publish certain details on its maps in Korea so the resolution isn't good enough for game play (Daum does have that level of details for some reason). The block of globe that Google aloted to Japan has a funny wing that reaches into one part of Korea - Sokcho - so the game is live there.

Sokcho is Pokemon-crazy with sign everywhere directing you in where to go and how to play.

It is horrifying to think that people are so into Pokemon that they throw their pets into the garbage!

Below, Ulsan Bowi was barely visible through the heat haze.

After cooking in the direct sunlight, we found my only friend who still lives in Sokcho after six years and hung out on the beach.

These tetrahedrons are huge and break up the motion of the surf to protect the piers. They are mostly jumbled together so I found the long view below fascinating and unique.

We also swam at Mul-Nori Soo-young Jang, a concrete box near the camp. I didn't take any pictures but here is what I can tell you. Yoo-bi Castle Pension has rooms and campsite for rent. They also have a pool filled by stream water that is wonderfully refreshing. To find it, use Daum maps and enter "강원 횡성군 둔내면 영랑리 119 새주소강원 횡성군 둔내면 강변로영랑6길 115" in the search bar - hope you have the Hangeul character set on your computer.

4 rivers project: possibly not all that bad

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Fri, 26 Dec 2014 08:32:00 +0000

Yonhap news has the details in English.

An excerpt:

"Dredging and the dams were believed to worsen the water quality by prolonging the time water stays there," the commission noted.
Overall, however, the 16 dams have no serious safety problems, the commission highlighted, adding that, "The 16 dam structures were properly built in consideration of standard weight and the safety level proposed in the design have been attained."
The river project also has successfully lessened the risk of flood in the areas adjacent to the rivers and enabled the use of pooled water for drought-hit areas, the government panel said.
"All in all, the four-river project has attained its goals to some extent ... but it has generated some side effects because it was carried out too hastily amid some limited local river management technology," it said.

I'm (soon to be) back!

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 02:08:00 +0000

I'm taking some time to return to Gangwon Province this summer. I'm looking forward to snorkeling in Sokcho and swimming in many places.
If you want to get to Gangwon, Seoul Searching has good news:

In an effort to increase tourism in their regions, many provincial governments have begun to offer special services to international guests. Lucky us! One such example is the Gangwon Shuttle Service sponsored by Gangwon Province. This shuttle bus is a great way for foreigners to experience Korea's most breathtaking natural landmarks as well as some of its best festivals.

North Korean Drones in Gangwondo

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 17:08:00 +0000

Three crashed drones have been found in South Korea suggesting that many more have traveled into and back out of South Korean airspace. One of these Unmanned Ariel Vehicles crashed near Samcheok, which is quite a bit south of where I worked, already 80 or more kilometres south of the border.

Arirang video - autoplay - on the subject,

Dong-a Ilbo, which called the UAVs suicidal,

and the Marmot's Hole on the subject.

Koreans Carrying on - and other Google Alerts

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 12:36:00 +0000

Although I'm no longer in Korea, much less Gangwondo, I have a Google alert set for Gangwon News (and also for my name. Man, a whole of people with the same name die every year). Most of the alerts are about soccer standings, others appear interesting to me but not enough to share. I am not sure if these three articles are, in fact, interesting enough to write about but the first one I looked at filled me with cynical snark.

Indeed, I felt so bad about being so snarky, let me point out the positives in Strittmatter's opinion article in the Gazette. Strittmatter is a new teacher and probably a fresh college grad who is in a tiny town near the DMZ. I first planned to write about her naivete, but really, it is a tough time to be a newby in Korea and having military tanks frequently driving through town. She does pass on the important message that most 'old Korea hands' share:

Although I awake daily to emails from uneasy family and friends, the South Koreans are unintimidated by the North Korean nuclear threats. Even in this small town, the residents carry on with their daily lives despite the escalation of threats from the North. Korean families have not stockpiled bottled water, rice, or kimchee (a Korean food staple often made by fermenting cabbage underground for several weeks). Farmers continue to tend their crops, shops stay open until dark, and children still practice taekwondo after school.

I guess I feel her naivete most shines through in the way she describes her Korean friends optimism for reunification. This is a popular line, and relatively easy to explain in a second language, but the less palatable truth is that reunification, even peacefully arranged, will be hugely costly and few South Koreans are eager to consider it.
Now that I have just remarked on how most Koreans are unconcerned about North Korea's bluster, let me offer the contrast of a Chosun Ilbo account on the lack of emergency shelters in Gangwondo.

South Korea started building evacuation shelters in 1975, but the project was virtually suspended in the late 1990s since rapid urbanization and industrialization meant many buildings had their own underground facilities.
Instead, the government designated underground car parks, basements of apartment buildings and subway stations as evacuation points.
But critics say even purpose-built shelters cannot guarantee the people's safety since they cannot be perfectly sealed against chemical attacks and lack gas masks.

Indeed, CNN knows about the Parking Garage- Bomb Shelters.

Finally, my son loves the big cats, especially cheetahs. This story doesn't feature cheetahs but it does feature leopards. The Hankyoreh reports that there may still be some in Gangwon Province. The evidence, as supplied by the article, seems pretty weak to me but I can still hope it is true. To my Minjok Sagwan friends, be careful!

Four-rivers project a terrible boondoggle

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:43:00 +0000

Well, I'm leaving the country soon and one place I regret not visiting is Taebaek in Gangwondo, the start of two of South Korea's four major rivers. While in Gangwondo and somewhat afterward, I was a keen observer of the Four Rivers project started by past president Lee Myungbak. Now the project is mostly finished and considered a mess. I still want to visit Taebaek, but perhaps the sights will not be as wondrous and natural as they could have.

People became suspicious of the project immediately, not due to evidence of poor planning but due to the connection to a previous proposal. The first plan was to build a series of locks on the Han and Nakdong Rivers so that goods could travel by ship from Seoul to Busan via Daegu on an inland route. When there was too much opposition, he proposed similar work for a different purpose.

From the Donga Ilbo, November, 2009:

In his 2007 presidential campaign, President Lee had pledged to build a cross-country canal in Korea, but strong resistance from the opposition and a faction in the ruling Grand National Party prompted him to give up the project to prevent dividing public opinion. He then suggested the restoration of the country’s four major rivers.

To me, this was definitely suspicious, but being ignorant of the details I had to accept that there could be some truth or idealism to President Lee's plan. This statement of his contains both a reasonable rationale and remarkable naivete:

Some civic groups say that the four-rivers projects will hurt water quality, but it makes little sense to leave already polluted rivers alone without even trying to improve them. As the president remarked, would a head of state carry out a project to deliberately pollute the environment?

And so, at the start of the project, I was suspicious but unable to form a conclusion. I used the 'foreigner card': "I can't vote here and can't read the relevant technical information; it is not really my country, I guess I'll wait."

One other possible defense of the project was flood control, including maliciously released water from North Korea. It is not really on point, but here is a link to a post on the subject from 2009.

Before I get to the bad news about the four rivers project, let's look at what Arirang TV had to say. Follow the link to the video. Here is the 'About' info:

Published on Apr 29, 2012We take a look at Korea's multi-purpose green growth project, the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, along with a group of special guests.

Well, Arirang is the national cheerleader station and nothing in the video is wrong. I'm sure there are beautiful parts of the river and had personally enjoyed the riverside biking trails. I guess I just feel they left a lot out.

Okay, enough suspense. What are people saying now that a new report has been released. Briefly, "Effed-up", "a train wreck" and a "Scathing study".

"Due to faulty designs, 11 out of 16 dams lack sturdiness, water quality is feared to deteriorate... and excessive maintenance costs will be required," the report said.
Silting would require another round of dredging at an estimated cost of 289 billion won, it said.
Driven by tight timetables, work was pushed through without proper inspection and the river bed protection of 15 dams has partially subsided or been washed away.

A common though minor complaint about the work was the algae outbreaks seen after construction.

Global voices reports:

However, mass algae-outbreaks have been reported in several rivers in 2012, which many believe somehow correlate to the construction.

Note the cautious language used. The best phrase in this regard is "many believe somehow".

The Minister of the Environment rebutted the claim:

The Ministry of Land and Maritime Affairs and the Ministry of Environment convened a joint press conference yesterday.
They said the reservoirs are strong enough to bear an influx of waters and the algae was not related to the project.
“The appearance of algae occurred before the construction,” Yoo Young-sook, Minister of Environment, said. “We need to take a long-term perspective in evaluating water because it’s been only a year since the construction was completed. Water quality can be affected by many factors, such as weather conditions.”

While I don't know what the cause of the algal blooms is, they are reported world wide these days so I am willing to accept the minister's defense, for now.

At this point, January 22, it seems President-elect Park Geun-hye is taking a wait-and-see approach. it is probably wiser than leaping in.

As my in-laws farm on a floodplain, I hope the expectations of increased flooding prove exaggerated.

------------

Background at Gangwon Notes.

Seaways, Canadian and Korean

Time to learn about the four rivers project

How could government...

"Makeshifts" at the Pyeongchang Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:18:00 +0000

I have an idea for an Olympics-themed post but this is not it. While my big idea percolates a little more, let me discuss 'makeshifts' a little. From the Herald:

The Ice Hockey I arena for the men’s competition will be constructed at the Gangneung Athletic Complex as planned but in the form of movable makeshift so that the facilities will be relocated to Wonju, Gangwon Province, after the Games for use as a gym for ice hockey and other sports....“In a bid to provide the maximum benefit at the minimum cost, we are trying to build makeshifts as much as possible, for example, media centers. By doing so, we will be able to minimize problems in redeveloping Olympic sites after the Games,” Kim said.

In the context, I understand what a 'makeshift' is, but I have never seen the word as a noun before.

Provisionally, I like the idea. In Canada, we may still be paying for the Olympic stadiums used in the '76 Montreal Olympics. Olympic stadia are often underused after the games finish, so making the facilities transportable or temporary might be a good idea. Indeed, if done well, my fading love for the games (and this is the concept for my 'big think' post on the Olympics) may well brighten again.

Chiaksan -Bori Peak

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:40:00 +0000

I quite enjoyed my trip to Chiaksan. The park seems more public friendly, with more signs and difficulty ratings for various parts of the hike are all described. It was another day of great weather and I started cold but was soon carrying my coat. At the peak, the wind was gentle enough that I rested there a bit before descending.

On the way to the parking lot, I found this sign. I've seen signs for tanks elsewhere in Gangwondo but not in Sokcho-Yangyang and I was happy to finally photograph one.

I had likewise seen this type of caccoon elsewhere but hadn't taken a picture of it. A coworker suggested that it was chemically tricking the tree into retaining the leaf, perhaps as a temperature control measure. I have no idea what's inside it.

Handsome guy with no coat:

Please click to embiggen this picture. I am quite proud of how the ice crystals turned out.

Near the peak, perhaps around 1000 metres, the snow crystals on the ground changed shape. I am no Inuit, but I do recognize different types of snow.

At the peak: Chiaksan is enough lower than Seoraksan, that despite the very steep climb and descent, my knees were not totally worn down.

After my hike, I drove around a little looking for a grocery store. I didn't find one - I didn't look too hard- but I did find a reservoir where many people were having fun. Some people were fishing for Bongeo - similar in shape and size to a smelt in Ontario- and kids were sitting on sleds and pushing them with spiked sticks - traditional sledding.

I have more photos and some video, but I will post those after returning home and using something other than this poor nine-year-old notebook. It has served me well this camp, but it doesn't have many features (Thanks go out to Firefox, which has breathed new life into it. Google Chrome won't run on it).

Visiting an old friend

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000

On January eighth, I returned to Seoraksan and hiked to the peak, Daecheongbong. I had a great time getting reacquainted but I have to admit that I was nervous the day before.

It's been a few years since I last climbed it and my fitness has declined. The night before, I slept at a friend's apartment -he took excellent care of me gave me a Pine Ocean hoodie as a gift -and my anxiety woke me frequently through the night.

I didn't get lost exactly, but I did take a wrong turn briefly in Yangyang; The road to Osaek has improved greatly since my time there.

I started my hike around 8:00

Almost immediately, I wondered if I had enough clothes. I soon discovered I did. Fifteen minutes into my hike, I had my hat packed away, my coat strapped to my backpack and my shirt entirely unbuttoned.

There were many birds to be seen during the hike. My camera isn't great and birds are typically small, but these ones allowed me to get quite close.

I normally don't pay much attention to the trees but you have to admire their tenacity in growing at over a kilometre in altitude.

I love how spiralled the trunk is on this old cedar(?)

I've never see the sky this clear at the peak. This was around 11:00 and I feared there would be too much haze.

You can see I am wearing a lot more clothing now!

Here is an awkward bit of stitching.

The climb was great. I carried 'ijen' or half-crampons but chose not to use them. I did use them in the descent and they gave me great traction. In light of my poor fitness level, I allowed for four hours to reach the peak. In my prime, I typically made it in two and a half. This time, under three, so I am happily surprised. The confounding variable may be my advanced age; I just took it slow and steady and enjoyed the view wherever I could. Never fast, but without any long breaks either.

So, the climb was great. The first half of the descent was pretty good, too. Then, the pounding on my knees took it's toll. Although I rested more frequently on the way down, I was hobbling painfully by the time I reached the ranger station.

I saw some rangers on the trails and am unsure what to think. They were dressed in beige and had good boots and gloves and walking sticks and a garbage bag. I found them at about the halfway point and they were dressed appropriately to collect the garbage and orange peels that jerks leave as they hike but insufficiently to reach the summit and without any rescue or first aid materials - unless their pockets were packed.

I stumbled to my car and dropped off most of my belongings, then stumbled further down to Osaek hot springs!

My knees are sore now, but I think the soak I took will speed my recovery. Whatever, it sure felt great at the time.

I am at an ESL camp near Wonju and using my nine-year-old computer. It is working great for it's age but I am limited. I have a video I made at the peak and will consider posting it when I get home.

A Winter Tradition

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:14:00 +0000

We had a great swim. The final still shows west-bound traffic on highway 50. A whole lot of people came to see us swim. One hour to get to the beach, five hours to get back to camp!

briefly back, baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 09:42:00 +0000

Click to Embiggen.

I'm working again at Minjok's leadership camp. It's Christmas day and I'm a little lonely, but I celebrated Christmas (Kitzmas) with my family on the 20th.

Yesterday, I had a short but great hike at Hwa-am Sa. I did this hike a few years ago with a Sokcho friend and the wind was so strong my glasses were ripped from my face. This year, I held on to my glasses (and kept a spare pair in the car just in case). It was every bit as cold and windy as last time. In fact it was so windy that I couldn't see precisely where I was shooting - hence the gap in my stitched photo above.

Government blacklist of Korean universities includes one in Gangneung

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:39:00 +0000

The news was apparently on Monday: now the English news is full of it.

I first learned of the blacklist from Asiaone:

The naming and shaming of 43 poorly managed universities by the Education Ministry on Monday has spawned confusion and concern among universities, with some decrying the label or expressing worries about next year's freshmen recruitment.

But a closer look and deliberate search finds the news everywhere.

Yonhap:

Officials have said that an equal provision of funds to all schools would be a waste of taxpayer money and could end up as a lifeline for uncompetitive colleges. President Lee Myung-bak has also called for college restructuring as a condition for providing government money to universities.
In South Korea, 80 percent of higher education institutions are operated by private foundations that rely heavily on tuition for revenue.

And also:

The ministry said it has chosen the universities in consultation with advisory bodies based on the results of a university evaluation that used criteria, such as the employment rate of graduates, the yearly enrollment rate and the number of full-time instructors.

The Herald has copied the same press release as Yonhap.

The news has reached Malaysia, where Bermana reports:

The education ministry has selected 43 private universities that will have their subsidies partly cut or denied next year as part of a government drive to weed out poorly managed schools.

I find this big news especially as I just finished writing a big article saying that blacklists couldn't happen here. I don't exactly have egg on my face, but perhaps on my freshly washed jacket.

My old university is on the list, which I cannot find in full anywhere - Asiaone names a handful of the schools in question. I hope that my friends are okay, or will be okay during the next semester. Time to dust off those resumes!

Obligatory Flood post

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:08:00 +0000

It seems too early yet to have a strong opinion, as a layman, on what the flooding and resulting deaths and property damage means. Newspaper articles try to connect the weather to global warming and the damages to negligence or malfeasance by the Korean Meteorological Administration: I don't know. I do know the destruction was terrible but not how it relates to larger issues.

I am currently in Gangwondo and inconvenienced by the incredible rains, but my life and belongings have not at all been threatened. In this, I am very lucky, compared to the people in Seoul, Chuncheon and elsewhere in Gangwon and Kyeonggi Provinces.

From the Dong-A:

Safety standards for flooding should be urgently raised. Unexpected heavy rain can fall at any time, so drainage ways, underground water storage systems and levees should be built in areas vulnerable to floods. Existing flood prevention facilities are ineffective against torrential rain because they were designed based on standards of the past. Accuracy of weather forecasts and public awareness of the danger of flooding should also be raised. The landslide in Chuncheon is akin to a manmade disaster. The Korea Meteorological Administration’s weather forecast was incorrect and residents in the affected areas were not evacuated though houses were deluged due to blocked drainage ways an hour before the accident. In Seoul, evacuation orders were repeatedly issued for people near Cheonggye Stream Monday night amid the forecast of regional torrential rain, but most of the people along the stream remained.

I remember the typhoon flood in July, 1998, almost exactly 13 years ago, that drowned many people camping on the banks of a mountain-fed river in Chilisan. They were camping in places where camping was forbidden. I haven't heard enough yet to say for sure that the Chuncheon deaths were due to any kind of malfeasance.

From The Hanky:

On the morning of July 27, an automatic weather station in Seoul’s Gwanak District measured 110.5mm of rain per hour (4.4 inches per hour), although this was not included in the Korea Meteorological Administration’s (KMA) official statistics.

Such powerful banks of rain clouds normally pass by in a few hours. This time, however, a cold anticyclone near Russia’s Sakhalin blocked their way. As this configuration of air pressure persists, heavy rain continues to fall.

In South Korea, the pattern of a monsoon season followed by a period of sweltering weather is being broken. Even after the monsoon front dies out, heavy and localized downpours, like the current one, resulting from atmospheric instability continue until September. There is no longer a long-term forecast of when the monsoon will begin and end.

The first paragraph of the Hanky's report reinforces the claim of the Dong-A article that some of the damage and deaths could have been prevented. Why didn't the KMA report the weather correctly?

CSI comes to Wonju

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:53:00 +0000

From the Joongang:

As part of its goal to “promote balanced national development and diffusion of government,” the government is relocating the National Forensic Service’s main office from Seoul to Wonju, Gangwon.

But that means that all corpses and evidence will have to be shipped to Wonju, which is 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Seoul. And that, critics say, will waste taxpayers’ money and the agency’s time because more than half of the NFS cases occur in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi. And, they say, the move will work against conducting prompt investigations.

Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Olympics!

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:50:00 +0000

From the Herald:

PyeongChang won the bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in a vote by the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday, succeeding in its third attempt to bring the Winter Games to South Korea for the first time.

mine found in Gangwon- not a coal mine, either

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:12:00 +0000

UPDATED: I'm updating this on Aug 1, 2011, after a week of nightmarish rain and deadly floods in Seoul and Gangwondo. Mudslides occurred in various mine fields and there are now mines that are not accounted for. We don't know where they are. Friends of mine wonder how the mines could have been tumbled in a multi-ton mess of mud and not have gone off. I do too, but they were first to bring it up. I suppose these are old and unstable mines. Hit them with a hammer enough and something might happen on the twentieth try even if it didn't the previous 19 times.

From Marmot's Hole, The Herald and the Joongang.

Joongang: The areas where the search is focused on include air-defense entrenchments in Mount Umyeon, Gyeonggi and Gangwon, as well as some areas in Yangju, Gyeonggi. The border areas where North Korea’s wooden land mines are often discovered at a time of flooding were also included.
Note that Umyeon is in Seoul, just south of the Han. I lived near Sadang Station and learned the danso at the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Centre just below Umyeon mountain.

--------------------------------
ORIGINAL POST
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The Joongang reports that recent storms in North Korea have washed land mines -the exploding kind, if you really didn't know -into South Korea. It appears that two mines drifted in the ocean and landed on South Korean islands, but the one in Gangwondo was carried by a river.

I have heard that mines shifted by storms, floods and mudslides are a problem in South Korea, too. Without being able to recall the specifics, I do recall hearing that some mine fields in South Korea are impassible to South Koreans because the current locations of the mines is unknown.

Arirang is also reporting on the story.
Hmm. the Joongang seems to describe the Gangwon mine as being in a river:

One mine was found on Gyodong Island, one on Bolum Island in Incheon, and the other in Suip Creek in Yanggu District in Gangwon.

.
...but Arirang states that it was found at sea:
.

Two were discovered in waters off the west coast near Incheon and the other on the east coast off Gangwon Province.

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I have discussed cross-border flooding before.

Surfers from Gangwon - and elsewhere - try to compete in Busan

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:14:00 +0000

The original post is here at my new blog. Note the final few paragraphs where I discuss the typhoon's effect on Gangwondo and nationally.

Who is protected by Korea's libel laws?

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:39:00 +0000

The Joongang has an article about 'bad universities' and how they maintain their enrollment.

A reporter recently visited one of the schools, a four-year university in Jeju. The campus was eerily quiet, despite it being final exam time. “It’s a ghost town,” said a 72-year-old Jeju resident.

When the reporter finally caught up with some students, he couldn’t understand what they were saying because they were from China.

“It’s become so difficult to recruit students domestically, so the faculty and staff went to China and toured around its cities, pitching half-priced tuition for Chinese students,” said a university official.

Around 30 percent of the school’s 490 students are from China. The figure is 50 percent if you include students taking short-term Korean-language courses. Most of the Korean students pay 6.1 million won ($5,629) annually, an expensive sum by Korean standards. The Chinese pay half.

If a university's enrollment falls below a certain number, it loses out on government funding, so shipping in Chinese students to fill seats might work. On the other hand, the Korean students are paying double!

The problem for me -well, the price is a problem, too - is that we can't be told what university this is. We also can't know the name of the university that here is "forced to cut costs to the bone. “The toilet in one building has no toilet paper, so students have to bring it with them,” said a 23-year-old student at a college in Gangwon. "

The university in Gangwon that I worked at had toilet paper back in 2009, so this article probably isn't about it. Students, and their parents, should be able to learn these things, though. It sounds like the Joongang attempted some good investigative journalism here, but the attempt is useless without the names.
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Sorta Related: GI Korea wonders if Koreans are paying too much tuition.

storing electricity

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:22:00 +0000

As readers know, I have moved out of Gangwon Province and so post here much less frequently. In addition, I was in Canada for a month, having recently returned - to Korea, not Gangwon, which I miss very much.

Consequently, I missed the whole "Corrupt Governor" story and now am commenting on an article that only slightly relates to Gangwon Province.

National Geographic has an article about ways to store electricity for utilities. We are not talking about AA batteries, but ways to handle demand surges for large regions. Storing electricity is important if new alternative energy production methods are to become mainstream. Solar and Wind power can provide great quantities of electricity, but not consistently.

The article discusses using flywheels and compressed air as energy storage but also mentions pumping water uphill during off-peak periods.

Beacon's flywheel facility can dispense power for up to 15 minutes, but if a power plant wants to store energy for a longer period of time, it can do so by pumping water uphill. When the energy is needed later, the water flows back downhill, powering turbines that generate energy.

This so-called "pumped-storage hydroelectricity" is one of the most common forms of electricity storage now being used on the grid. But the DOE is looking into cheaper systems that rely on compressed air instead of water.

One thing I find interesting here is how this is not really that new. As a scout, thirty-something years ago, at the electricity generating dam in downtown bracebridge, I was told how, during low demand periods, they reduced the amount of water flowing through the turbines and building up the 'head'. I have to admit that the dam in Bracebridge could not have stored much water this way as stakeholders upstream would complain, but I do like the idea. Instead of having the water flow down to produce energy used to pump water uphill to later flow down again, just leave it up there.

I guess the pumping to a purpose-built reservoir would solve the complaints and environmental problems. it is also the route Yangyang Gun in Gangwon Province took five or ten years ago. Also, here (an excerpt although the rest is behind a paywall):

ANGYANG, South Korea, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has completed its biggest pumped-storage hydroelectric power station after 10 years of construction, a state-run electricity company said Monday. The power station in Yangyang, 215 kilometers northeast of Seoul, was constructed at a cost of 932.4 billion won (US$972.7 million) and is capable of generating a maximum of 1,000 megawatts ofelectricity an hour, according to the Korea Midland Power Co., one of the subsidiaries of state-owned Korea Electric Power Corp.A dedication ceremony for the facility, the country's fifth pumped-storage …

Not entirely on-topic, but still interesting is a discussion of how much power we will need in the future.

snowboard competition cancelled in Yongpeong

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:46:00 +0000

An international snowboarding competition was canceled after boarders and coaches claimed the course was too dangerous.

Canadian team coach and former snowboard cross champion Drew Neilson said the course at Yongpyong resort was too steep at the top and very fast at the bottom, raising concerns about the athletes’ safety.
“The turns were very tight, on a very steep pitch. With the speed involved, if there was an accident, there would be nowhere for anyone to go,” he said.
“What we do is dangerous. It’s a dangerous sport,” Neilson said, and many athletes were already struggling with injuries following the recent X Games competition.
The snowboard cross, the fourth event in the FIS World Cup season, will be rescheduled at another venue, officials said. Meanwhile, the parallel slalom event will go on as planned Wednesday, Ma said.
Pyeongchang in eastern South Korea is mounting its third bid to host the Winter Olympics, and the cancellation comes just a week before an International Olympic Committee team is due in South Korea to inspect the city’s 2018 bid.
Neilson said snow conditions were fine and praised the local organizing committee in hosting the event, but blamed International Ski Federation officials for picking the wrong slope.

Oh, it wasn't just the Canadians complaining.

The fan-death story won't go away

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:56:00 +0000

Years ago, I found on wikipedia an article on Fan-death that quoted a professor at my university. I interviewed him and found he didn't really say all those things he said but I think the audio-recording website has since disappeared. Anyway, here are some articles I wrote about fan-death.

Today, XKCD put up a comic about common misconceptions and provided a link to wikipedia's list of common misconceptions. It includes:

"In South Korea, it is commonly believed that sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan running can be fatal in the summer. According to the Korean government, "In some cases, a fan turned on too long can cause death from suffocation, hypothermia, or fire from overheating." The Korea Consumer Protection Board issued a consumer safety alert recommending that electric fans be set on timers, direction changed and doors left open. Belief in fan death is common even among knowledgeable medical professionals in Korea. According to Dr. Yeon Dong-su, dean of Kwandong University's medical school, "If it is completely sealed, then in the current of an electric fan, the temperature can drop low enough to cause a person to die of hypothermia."^[80]^[81]^[82]^[83] Although an airconditioner transfers heat from the air and cools it, a fan moves air to increase the evaporation of sweat. Due to energy losses, a fan will slowly heat a room."

two of my favorite sports rolled into one

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:21:00 +0000

I enjoy polar bear dips and I enjoy ethically-questionable Korean practice of catching live aquatic animals by hand. At the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, I could have done both.
Chris in South Korea has the details. I'm not sure if he merely watched or participated. The photo of the kid in agony is hilarious - kids in pain often are, after all.

Stop the Seorak Cable Car!

noreply@blogger.com (Surprises Aplenty) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Image from the Korea Times (which my computer is again recognizing as a malware site - visit at your own risk.)