A fencer's musings... Life...Saber...Epee...Foil...and other things...

Campaign Against Abortion (Korea Herald Article)

2009-11-09T13:15:00.004+09:00

During my daily news scan, I cam across a Korea Herald article that grabbed my attention. The article was about a group of Korean obstetricians in their 30s and 40s resolving not to comply with any abortion request that is not based on medical reasons, but the article also brought to light the current trends and some of the debates regarding abortion in South Korea. One thing I didn't know until I read the article is that abortion is actually illegal in South Korea with certain medical and legal exceptions such as mother's health, cases of rape, etc. Really...you wouldn't know abortion is illegal in South Korea if you just live here and listen to all the stories about people who has had an abortion.

The article mentions that most of the abortions in South Korea are due to social and economic reasons. What it doesn't mention is that quite a bit of the abortions are due to the gender of the fetus (I suppose that could fall under social reason) - South Korean society, like numerous other Asian societies, has a high preference for male babies - thus the South Korean law that prohibits the physicians from telling the parents gender of their baby (apparently, starting next year the law will change to allow the doctors to tell the parents gender of their baby after 7th month of pregnancy). It is still a common place in Korea where mothers-in-law discriminate against their daughters-in-law for only having girls instead of boys.

For me, this is a difficult phenomenon to understand - not from the perspective of right or wrong, but more from the point of view that South Korea is an industrialized modern nation-state where it seems its society should have advanced pass issues such as this. I suppose centuries old social traditions die hard, but I certainly do hope that these archaic preferences will disappear soon (Yes, here's the idealist in me peeking through).

OK...so, here's the article from Korea Herald:

===============

Campaign Against Abortion

Early this month a group of young doctors declared a war against abortion, which is illegal but rampant here.

Consisting of some 600 obstetricians in their 30s and 40s, the group tentatively named "Gynob" resolved not to comply with any abortion request that is not based on medical validity.

"Despite the huge gap between law and reality, our society has left the issue of illegal abortions long unsettled. Most abortions in Korea occur because of social and economic reasons. And all of them are illegal," they said in a statement issued on Nov. 1.

After ending their anti-abortion campaign within the year, the group plans to seek criminal proceedings from Jan. 1. Doctors here say an age-old Pandora's Box of abortion has just opened up.

Rampant abortions

The current Mother and Child Health Law permits abortions only in limited cases such as when one of the parents suffers from a hereditary disease, when the pregnancy arises from rape or incest, or when pregnancy would damage the mother's health severely.

According to the latest data from the Health Ministry, almost 330,000 abortions were induced in 2005 and only 4.4 percent of them met the legally required conditions. While nearly 450,000 babies are born every year in Korea, doctors say the actual number of abortions would be two to three times greater than the official figure.

However, the number of people who faced trial on charges of performing or receiving illegal abortions was one in 2005, five in 2006, four in 2007 and five in 2008, Rep. Jang Yoon-seok of the ruling Grand National Party noted last month during a parliamentary inspection of the Seoul High Court.

"We doctors, judicial authorities and the Health Ministry all have committed a grave error for a long time. That's why the uncomfortable truth has never been able to be revealed," said Choi Ahn-na, spokesperson for Gynob, who also runs a private clinic in Mapo, western Seoul.

Desperate doctors

Obstetrical and gynecological clinics in Korea have long struggled from old issues such as low medical fees, ceaseless legal conflicts and a shortage of specialists.

Under the system, most private clinics have given up risk-bearing delivery services. But practicing cheaper gynecological treatment does not make a profit. As a result, a growing number of specialists do abortions or turn to other more favorable departments such as dermatology and plastic surgery.

Currently an abortion's operation fee stands at 300,000 to 400,000 won (or $257-$343) and has become a major earning procedure for some obstetricians. A Gynob member doctor said in an interview that he performed 20 abortions in a month while delivering 14 babies.

Young doctors started sensing that they could be the nation's last generation of gynecologists, resulting in the establishment of Gynob, which comes from gynecology and obstetrics, in December last year. And the issue of illegal abortion has topped their agenda.

"We thought that it would be difficult for us to voice our opinion unless old practices such as illegal abortions are rooted out by our efforts," the Gynob spokesperson said.

"In Korea, the issues related to disabled people or unmarried mothers have been largely solved by abortions. No meaningful efforts have been made by the government. Babies should be born without discrimination. Their rights should be claimed, then the government's policy would follow with better social infrastructure."

Opening up a debate

Lee Na-young, sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, observed the move led by doctors have opened the first meaningful debate over abortion in Korea.

"Unlike in other countries, there have been almost no disputes on the issue here. Because society has secretly sympathized with abortion, even feminists here don't need to stage a pro-abortion movement," said Lee.

But she remained cautious about the actual effects of the declaration, adding that it should not be misinterpreted by religious groups and conservatives.

Historically, Korean women have never claimed rights over their bodies, Lee said. During the 1960-70s, the government's birth control policy forced them to get abortions. But now they are encouraged to bear more babies due to the nation's falling birthrate.

"In order to change people's thoughts more fundamentally, a fierce debate over women's bodies and their rights should be prompted," she said.

"In countries such as Germany, unmarried couples and single mothers are not labeled by society and they benefit from government support. If women, especially unmarried mothers, can raise their children without feeling any disgrace and are supported by a strong social safety net, why would they decide to get an abortion?"

The first and last chance

Over the resolution of doctors, the first of its kind in Korea, the Korean Catholic Church immediately issued a message welcoming the announcement while the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists with a membership of 4,000 doctors underplayed it as a minority opinion of radical doctors.

"Regardless of culture and system, it is widely considered that illegal abortion should be eradicated. However, the issue cannot be solved by making some obstetricians criminals," said KAOG in a statement.

Choi said the group had tried but failed to reach an agreement with KAOG before announcing the declaration on its own. Within Gynob, the number of members also decreased from 680 to 650 in the process of discussions.

"We know doctors would feel humiliated as they have to confess their past wrong-doings. And abortion has already been an important source of profit," Choi said.

She admitted their efforts could be meaningless without the participation of all doctors.

"If some doctors quit performing abortions, others would do more. That's why we are considering criminal charges against illegal abortions," she said.

"Yes, some of us are criminals too. If necessary, we are ready to be investigated first. We think this might be the last chance to make a change."

16th Korea University Invitational Fencing Tournament

2009-10-12T00:42:00.002+09:00

A small contingent of fencers from the Seoul Fencing Club (SFC) participated in the 16th annual Korea University invitational tournament on Saturday, 10 October. The tournament consisted of three individual events - men's foil, women's foil, and men's epee. The SFC fencers secured third place in all three events. Yonsei University club and Yonsei alumni club swept the first place honors while Korea University club came in second in men's foil and Seoul National University club took home the second place in men's epee.

Since the City of Seoul "indefinitely postponed" the Seoul Fencing Association Cup tournament (originally scheduled for 26 September) due to worries over the H1N1 virus, this tournament marks the last amateur fencing tournament for 2009 unless the city decides to have the tournament before the year's end (which I doubt it will happen...not because of H1N1, but because I know how city employees think...). So, the next amateur tournament is probably going to be held summer of 2010 - the Yonsei University Invitational. Who knows, though, the city employees may surprise me, yet, but I seriously doubt it.

At any rate, a job well done for all those who participated, placed, and administered.

Here are some photos of the SFC members from the tournament.

Left to Right: C.D. Lee - Men's Foil 3rd Place;
G. Nostrant - Men's Epee 3rd Place;
E.K. Paik - Women's Foil 3rd Place

SFC members after the tournament

CSI: NY Season 6 Opener

2009-09-29T10:18:00.005+09:00

Out of all the CSI series, my favorite happens to be CSI:NY. This season opener was quite emotional and I think will probably end up being one of my favorite episodes. For sure, it will be one of the more memorable ones.

Funeral Dimplomacy - Cautiously optimistic

2009-08-24T13:47:00.007+09:00

The State Funeral for the late Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung was yesterday. Regardless of the different personal views the readers of this blog may have about the late President, I think everyone can agree that he was a true statesman and an internationally recognized leader.

I am certain quite a lot of people saw the memorial and funeral services via the television broadcast or the Internet. If not, most would have at least seen the photos of these events.

For me, I think this is a sign that I am a workaholic, the most memorable photo out of the memorial and funeral services is the photo that I've inserted to the left of this posting - a photo of Kim Ki-nam (Vice-chairman of the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and aSecretary of the North Korean Workers Party) and Kim Yang-gon (Director of the Unification Front Department and Chairman of Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee) paying respect at Kim Dae-jung's alter, placing a wreath Kim Jong-il sent, which they brought from North Korea. The picture clearly shows Kim Jong-il's name (in Korean on the right) and the message of condolence (in Korean on the left).

Needless to say that this is the first time the North had sent a delegation to pay respect to a late South Korean President. But wait, that is not all. The delegation even had a meeting with the sitting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, and the South Korean Unification Minister Hyun In Taek on 23 and 22 August respectively. Reportedly, the North Korean delegation delivered a verbal message from Kim Jong-il to President Lee.

According to Chosun Ilbo, the meeting "led to a consensus between the South and the North on the principle that both sides need high-level government-level dialogue. But it remains to be seen when and at what level such dialogue will be held." According to the same report, President Lee reportedly told the North Korean delegates that the South is willing to talk at any time at any level, including a summit - which has been rebuffed by Cheong Wa Dae (the South Korean Presidential Office). In response, Cheong Wa Dae released a statement saying:

President Lee Myung-bak is fully prepared and ready to hold an inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il if conditions are met, but no such summit has been proposed by either side.

Whether or not substantive discussions occurred during the North-South meetings on the 22 and 23 August, it was significant that those meetings were the first high level inter-Korean governmental meeting that occurred since President Lee took office 18 months or so ago.

I don't believe the inter-Korean relations will improve over night drastically because of the North Korean delegation's visit and these meetings, but one could be cautiously optimistic. After all, one can always hope.

Interesting blog of a young North Korean defector living in Japan

2009-08-12T10:34:00.005+09:00

Found an interesting blog today. The title of the blog is A North Korean Living in Japan: Steps of Hana Lee. The blog is carried on the Asia Press website and has apparently been gaining popularity and has been the object of numerous inquiries from newspapers and television stations in Japan.

According to the blog, the author, Hana Lee (리하나), is a 25 year-old young woman who fled North Korean and arrived in Japan in 2005 (She currently resides in Osaka, Japan). She was certified by a university as possessing the academic qualifications of a high school graduate and has been attending college since this spring.

From a quick peruse of the blog…she writes frankly, discussing about her life in Japan. Her postings are replete with bewilderment, occasional frustration, and agonizing recollections of life in North Korea.

The only downside of this blog is that it is in Japanese. Time to breakout the translator…

Uhh...Madam Secretary...please....

2009-08-11T12:30:00.003+09:00

Secretary Clinton has had a few diplomatic stumbles in her tenure as the Secretary of the State. This latest one takes the cake, though. Based on CBS, however, apparently the translator made a mistake.

According to a pool report, the person who asked the question later explained to the secretary of state that he wanted to know what President Obama thought about the deal, not what Mr. Clinton thought.

Although I can understand where the Secretary might be coming from, her reaction seems to be a bit over the top to say the least.

Haeundae (해운대) ... a diaster movie, it is NOT ... a love story and human drama, it IS ...

2009-08-03T11:42:00.000+09:00

Wife and I went and saw the movie Haeundae (해운대) this weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie...even got misty-eyed for parts of the movie.

Before I go any further, I need to make a few points clear: 1) I do not like disaster films because the story lines are all too predictable; and 2) I do not have a good impression on the Korean movie industry's ability to pull off a decent sci-fi or action movies (to include disaster movies). When I first heard about the movie, I didn't want to see it, let alone go on a date with my wife just to see it. My wife, however, told me that a friend of hers, who had seen the movie, told her that the movie was actually a combination of melodrama and comedy that just happens to have the natural disaster element as a punctuation point.

Korean movie industry may not do large blockbuster action and sci-fi movies, but it does genres such as melodrama, comedy, and romantic comedy very well. I have found Korean melodrama movies to be quite thoughtful and very often reflects on the social conditions and issues of the day or the days past. So, I thought it may be worth it to go see it with the wife.

Well, I am glad I did. The movie, as expected, was not much of a disaster movie. It was, however, a pretty good melodrama sprinkled with adequate dose of comedy and a lot of sentiment and numerous sub-plots woven into the overall storyline. It was a really nice story of everyday people, family, and sacrifice. It made me laugh, and dare I say it, misty-eyed. Of course, the computer generated tsunami, which accounted for 60% of the movie's production cost, was not too bad.

So, if you go expecting you will see a Hollywood-like tsunami movie like The Day After Tomorrow, you will be surely be disappointed; but if you are in for a nice human story about common people and family, I would say it's worth it to take some time out and go see it.

Kim Jong-il with P. Diddy...

2009-07-31T16:22:00.005+09:00

Now...only if Kim Jong-il is actually this hip....ahhh....the possibility of what could go on behind the closed doors of the Six-Party Talks....oh wait, te Six-Party Talks is... is... is...

Source: Kim Jong-IL & P. Diddy from MAD TV

Kim Jong-il, the Wocket Man...

2009-07-31T15:48:00.001+09:00

This was just too funny to pass up....

Soure: TNOYF.com

A Passion for fencing and teaching

2009-07-29T14:54:00.008+09:00

As usual, I was wandering around the cyber arena today (no...really...it REALLY is a part of my job) and happened upon what seems to be a fairly recent photo of my first fencing coach, Vincent (Vinnie) Bradford. The below photo is what I stumbled on...a photo taken with (what seems to be) youth members of the Alamo Fencing Club located in San Antonio, Texas.

Finding the photo above got my curiosity peeked. So, I looked around to see what else I could find, and what do you know? I found a video clip of Vinnie teaching. From the looks of it, the location seemed to be UNC (I could definitely be wrong).

I first met Vinnie in 92 at the University of Texas when I took her fencing class to satisfy the university's P.E. requirement. Who would have thought then that I would still be fencing 17 years later. When I think about it, fencing is the only thing that has been constant in my life for the past 17 years. To me fencing is more than just a sport or a hobby - it is a passion.

So what is it about fencing that makes me feel this passionate? Well, I have no clue, but whenever I am on the piste, I feel a sense of extreme peace. Fencing, for me, is much more than a physical or mental activity. It is truly an emotional and almost spiritual experience. While I do not know why I feel this way about this particular sport, I do know who had a hand in me developing these feelings about fencing - Vinnie. Of all the teachers, professors, instructors, mentors, and coaches who have touched my life, Vinnie is without a doubt one of the most influential.

In my own career, I've had the honor and the opportunity to work as an instructor and a mentor, and my dream is to someday become a professor at an institution of higher learning. My hope is that I will be 1/10 as good as Vinnie in teaching students to love the subject I am teaching them (whatever that subject may be). If I can do that, I think I would count myself successful as a teaching professional.

Saber vs. Kendo

2009-07-28T22:04:00.004+09:00

Ever wonder who is faster between fencing and kendo? Well, the results are in, folks...

saber rules!!!

2009-07-28T22:01:00.003+09:00

This is why I fence saber...enough said.

Seapower

2009-07-27T20:48:00.003+09:00

I found this picture today just surfing around and thought it was a cool picture. George Modelski and William Thompson theorized in their book, Seapower in Global Power, 1494 - 1993, that long cycles begin and end with "global wars" and as a result a new (and improved) dominant global power emerges. They argue that one of the critical elements of these "global wars" (and the dominant global powers) has been the naval power because naval power provide global reach, which has been one of the defining attributes of the dominant powers. Of course, wars cannot be won only with a large and strong navy, but it does play a very large role in winning wars.

Anyway, as I looked at this picture, I just thought it was a great snapshot of the modern American naval power.

Going PRO in something other than sports

2009-07-27T16:46:00.005+09:00

I found this NCAA commercial couple of years back and kept it all this time because it had a pretty cool fencing sequence in it. I was moving some files around today and stumbled upon it again...so I opened it and took a renewed interest in what the narrator in the commercial actually says.

The commercial shows a series of fencing sequence in a court room in front of the judge and jury. The two fencers supposedly are the attorneys representing each side. As the fencing sequence comes to an end, the narrator's voice starts and it says:

11 years of fencing, 3 years of law school...find out how your child could become one of many student-athletes that go pro in something other than sports.

Now, this got me thinking. 11 years of fencing...since this is an NCAA commercial, the guy probably did not do any NCAA fencing in law school (and assuming the guy only went to college for four years...or at least done NCAA fencing for only four years since there aren't that many scholarships for fencing, and there's certainly no one that actually "red-shirts" a fencer), that means, this guys fenced competitively starting at 6th grade (3 years in middle school, 4 years in high school, and 4 years in college). All of a sudden it felt just so depressing. What is the reality of the message behind this NCAA commercial?

If you are a cup is half full kind of person, you may say...hey, this guy succeeded in his life. See? There IS a life after NCAA and sports.

On the other hand, if you are a cup is half empty (or perhaps just a realistic) person, you may wonder...hey, what's the hidden message in this NCAA commercial here?

As for me, I only have one question....why did they have to use fencing? What are they saying? That us fencers really have no future in sports after we are done with college? OK...the reality is that we don't since there's no such thing as pro fencing in the US, nor is fencing federally subsidized like it is in France and other European countries that are big into fencing. But still...couldn't they have picked something else other than fencing to make that point? You know...like field hockey, lacrosse...

As I think more about it though, this is not exactly only an American story. This is a story for a lot of the fencers in other countries as well...for one Korea...the details of the story is different, but the theme is pretty much the same here as in the US. If nothing else, fencing is at least more popular in the US than it is here in Korea.

Anyway.... ah.... the woes of non-popular sports....

Oh yeah, here's the video of the commercial....thought you might actually want to see it....

Source: NCAA

Kim Jong-il's bodyguards

2009-07-24T08:54:00.003+09:00

Source: YouTube

South Korean democracy in action...literally...

2009-07-23T08:30:00.005+09:00

The South Korean legislators broke out into an all out brawl yesterday at the National Assembly. Here an excerpt of the Associated Press report:

Hundreds of competing lawmakers screamed and wrestled in South Korea's parliament Wednesday as a rivalry over contentious media reform bills descended into a brawl that sent at least one to a hospital.
Lawmakers from the ruling Grand National Party occupied the speaker's podium in a bid to quickly pass the bills aimed at easing restrictions on ownership of television networks. Opposition parties responded by stacking up furniture to block ruling party members from entering the main hall of the National Assembly.
The parliament plunged into chaos, as lawmakers scuffled and shouted abuse at each other. Women lawmakers from the rival parties joined in the melee, grabbing each other by the neck and trying to bring opponents to the floor.

This is not the first brawl at the South Korean National Assembly, nor is South Korea the only country that practices this form of physical democracy. The News York Times News Blog has a good piece looking into some of the previous brawls, both in South Korea and elsewhere. This piece also includes some great video clips of these brawls.

I am going to save the big, long, philosophical rambling about how things should be and such...don't think much of any discussion is really needed. I would just say, go to the New York Times Blog and watch the video clips...if nothing else, the video clips make for good entertainment.

Better not get too ill or hurt in Seoul....

2009-07-22T10:52:00.006+09:00

Found this photo on Chosun Ilbo (조선일보) today. Here's what the caption said:

An ambulance is moving through the Gwanghwamun intersection in downtown Seoul under the direction of the traffic police on July 20th. The ambulance came to the intersection from Seodaemun area and had to wait for over a minute (with its sirens and lights on) to make the left turn through the intersection because other cars waiting for the traffic light would not get out of the ambulance's way. The ambulance was only able to move through the intersection after the traffic police manually stopped all traffic and led the ambulance through.

What can I say? You didn't really need that medical treatment immediately, did you?

North Korea "like a child?" perhaps...but from the top diplomat?

2009-07-22T09:29:00.004+09:00

In an interview with ABC-TV on Monday, Secretary of State Clinton said about North Korea's recent behavior, "Maybe it's the mother in me, the experience I've had with small children and teenagers and people who are demanding attention: Don't give it to them."

While I personally agree with the US low-key response and the Secretary's basic views about North Korea, I am just a bit bothered that she would utter such words for the world to hear as the top US diplomat (not as a private citizen). It's just bad form for a diplomat, I think.

Don't get me wrong. I would like nothing more than smack the pesky North Korea upside the head a few times and tell it, "knock it off and grow up," but that's my personal belief, and not something I would say in public as an official representative of the US.

Now, I am going to go as far as to say that Secretary of State Clinton's statement would have been perfectly fine if she were still a US Senator...after all, making statements like that is something Senators do...almost in their job description, I think. Perhaps the Secretary has not had long enough time in her current position to make the complete switch...or perhaps she doesn't get that diplomats are supposed to be the soft spoken ones that make everything better and palatable for everyone...or perhaps she still believes she has a shot at the highest office of the land.

Cost of private English education in Korea

2009-07-20T12:22:00.009+09:00

Just came across a news article from Yonhap News Agency (ran on Chosun Ilbo) that the cost of private English kindergartens in Seoul costs anywhere between 10 million - 20 million Korean Won per year in tuition. That comes out to be somewhere between 7,994 USD - 15,987 USD (using 1,251 Won per 1 USD exchange rate, which is today's exchange rate). For comparison purposes, the article cites that the average public university tuition for the year is 4.16 million Korean Won (3,325 USD) per year.

Based on this data, tuition for private English kindergartens cost between 2.4 to 4.8 times that of average public university tuition. The numbers just boggled my mind, but what was even more astounding was that the research also showed some parents spend as much as 70 to 80 million Korean Won (55,955 - 63,949 USD) on the private education of their children before - yes, before - they attend elementary school. Now...things that make you go hmmmm...

I understand Korean economic and corporate structures dictate that one must master a certain level of English to even apply for a job, and I understand why corporations would want someone who can read, write and speak English. After all, about 70% of the Korean economy depends on international trade.

Without any earnest research or extensive thought process, I would like to submit that simply spending preposterous amount of money on private English education, and expensive private education in general, is probably not the correct educational approach.

Speaking of education system, it reminded me of a few postings my good friend Professor Hodges, aka Gypsy Scholar, and I did back and forth a

little while back about corporal 'punishment' in Korean schools and Korean education.

Don't really know what the answer is, but don't think the Korean education system is on the right track, from the looks of it. Yes, I know that the US education system has its own problems and shortfalls (I have friends who can't find Rhode Island on the map), but I would offer that Korean education system is failing in a large way.

'What's Brewin': Bob Brewin’s Take on Defense Information Technology

2009-07-13T08:02:00.005+09:00

Bob Brewin, the author of the site What's Brewin, wrote a column last week on the most recent round of cyber attacks on the US and South Korean government and commercial sites.

In his column he cited a paper that was published only a month or so earlier about the North Korean cyber warfare threat and capabilities. Here's what he said:

North Korea's Hackers in a Luxury Hotel

By Bob Brewin 07/08/09 03:14 pm ET

News reports pin the recent spate of cyberattacks against government Web sites in South Korea and the United States on North Korea.

And an internal paper published in May by an intelligence analyst at U.S. Forces Korea said North Korean hackers penetrated U.S. military networks and Web sites with greater frequency than any other country in the world, including China.

The paper, written by Army Maj. Steve Sin, a senior analyst at the Open Source Intelligence Branch of the Directorate of Intelligence at U.S. Forces Korea, said North Korea operates two cyber warfare units: the State Security Agency's electronic communications monitoring and computer hacking outfit, and Unit 121, which is part of the Reconnaissance Bureau. The bureau's staff works directly for the General Staff Department of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces.

Unit 121's staff of about 100, Sin said, has the capability to launch "moderately advanced" Distributed Denial of Service attacks, the kind that took down South Korean and U.S. government Web sites this week. The attacks this week, though, sure give a new meaning to the word moderate. Unit 121 also has moderate ability to infect target computers with viruses and malicious code, Sin added.

North Korea has cyber warfare capabilities that could damage the military networks of the U.S. Pacific Command and those located in the continental United States and networks operated by South Korean and U.S forces in South Korea, Sin reported.

Sin traced North Korean activities back to at least 2004, when he said the country "tapped into 33 out of 80 military wireless communications networks used by 14 different ROK [Republic of Korea] units during the Corps level field exercises and the ROK-US combined Ulchi-Focus Lens exercise."

While the cyber warriors at the North Korean State Security agency labor away in the Korean Computer Center in the rather grim capitol of Pyongyang, Sin said at least some of the Unit 121 personnel work in a luxury hotel owned, he said, by the North Korean government in Shenyang, China, about a three-hour drive north from its border with North Korea.

I'm not going to name the hotel here (you can find it in Sin's report), but Web sites for the 160-room, four-star establishment portray it as quite a spiffy place, decorated in a "traditional Chinese theme that is stimulating, while comforting at the same time. The pastel hues and new furnishings are ideal for travelers that want calm surroundings."

Based on what I have read, this does not sound like standard North Korean housing. The Shenyang hotel, which houses the North Korean hackers, also features wireless Internet access, a must for anyone in their line of work, as well as a restaurant that serves Chinese food, the favored grub of hackers worldwide.

In his column, Bob Brewin says the paper was an internal document, but actually, the paper he found online was the English translated version of a Korean language article that was published in the June 2009 edition of Defense and Technology Monthly, No. 364 (pp. 28-33) as a part of the US Forces Korea Professional Writing Program.

Anyway, I was very surprised to see someone actually quote something that was published in a not very well known Korean language magazine....I guess people do read stuff....who would have thunk it....

Perhaps the last tournament as a semi-competitive fencer

2009-07-05T10:30:00.006+09:00

This year's 4th of July was personally very special. Well...OK...there were some North Korean missile launches (again) on the 4th...but that's not what I had in mind - after all, it would not be like the North Koreans if they didn't do something outrageous to "commemorate" the American Independence Day.

This 4th of July was special at a very personal level - I participated in the 27th Annual Seoul Mayor's Fencing Tournament. Why is this anything special other than it was held on 4th of July? Well, I won the men's individual epee event (a first sanctioned tournament [Korea or US] win for me) at what was the last fencing tournament as a competitive fencer in Korea (that is for sure); and the tournament could also have been the last tournament for me completely (we'll see about that after I finish my physical therapy and rehab, but I doubt that I will ever compete again at any level...I'm pretty bad off...).

Don't worry...I am not hanging up my mask and weapons for good...I just won't be competing anymore. I will continue to fence (for fun) and teach.

Anyway, this may not be anything big for everyone else, but I thought it was somewhat memorable for me to mark my last tournament with a gold medal.

As for my current club - Seoul Fencing Club (SFC) - we came away from this year's Mayor's Cup with a gold and a silver in men's individual epee, a gold in men's team foil, and a gold in men's team epee. Here's a photo of the men's foil and epee teams (The first photo - or the one on the left - the the foil team) that represented the SFC at this year's Mayor's cup.

Oh, and what made the event really special for everyone from the club was that we got to take some photos with Nam Hyun-Hee, the silver medalist in women's individual foil at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Corporal 'Punishment' in Korean Schools?

2009-07-02T07:54:00.005+09:00

A good friend and a fellow blogger Gypsy Scholar wrote about status of corporal punishment in Korean schools a few days back and I thought it was worth sharing it with everyone.

I usually don't respond to others' blog postings, and I usually stay very much in line with posting just the facts on my own blog as well...staying away from offering any opinions...but this particular Gypsy Scholar's posting hit me in just the right place....so I offered some comments....below is what I had to say.

At 11:21 PM, Saber Fencer said...

Watching and reading about this took me back to my elementary and middle school days....when I went to school here in Seoul before moving to the US.

Although this post was about corporal punishment in Korean schools, it also brought two points forward for me: 1) asking the question "why"; and 2) shaking things up in Korea.

1) Korean school system not only tell the very young students not to ask "why," but this "culture of blind acceptance" persists all the way to the very highest level of education.

Allow me to give a specific example. My wife is a Ph.D. student at S university right now, where the professors constantly remind their students that they are the selected lucky few because they can attend this "prestigious" institution of higher learning (I hate to say it, but I think my alma mater, which is a state university, actually was ranked ahead of this school last time the top 100 universities in the world list came out -- and we know how much Koreans love to rank things). Anyway, this is what happens at that school when a graduate student asks the professors "why." The answer is usually either 1) Ah, that is because you do not understand correctly the subject of *fill in the blank*. You would know that what I said is true and would not have asked that question if you understood it correctly in the first place; or 2) You didn't understand what I said because you did not go to this school for your bachelor's degree. If you had, you would not be asking such an idiotic question.

What any of these really have anything to do with the original question of "why?" Simple...the professors have no idea themselves, but they reply using personal attacks so that other students would not ask the same question. Who can blame them? I, for one, would not want to be personally attacked and humiliated in public like that for actually wanting to understand things.

The other reason for these professors' reactions, I think, are simple laziness -- mentally, I mean. My experience is that the question "why" is actually the most difficult question to answer and requires a lot of thought.

Finally, I am willing to bet that a large number of these professors actually never learned to ask and think about a questions this way either. After all, they are also products of the same education system where the student who asks "why" is the abnormal one.

Of course, according to my wife, there's not a lot of students in the graduate school who actually ask "why." Two reasons - 1) The question will not be answered; and 2) Students themselves do not know how to think, even at graduate level, to ask the question "why."

Sad...I thought one of the things we humans differ from other organisms living on earth is because we are the ones who could ask "why."

OK...before I get flayed for saying what I said about the professors above...I am not saying all professors in Korea are like that...just the majority of the ones I know at the S university in Seoul. So, I suppose that my observation and my hypothesis why this phenomenon occurs is limited to that specific school. :)

Moving on to 2) making waves in Korea.

Interesting thing...in the US, if you make waves and point out something that is wrong in the school or the university (especially about a faculty member), usually the faculty member is either asked to leave or gets reassigned. In Korea, usually it is the student that gets asked (sometimes not so nicely) to leave the school.

Again...my examples goes back to the famed S university. A faculty member there published a paper in the journal in his name. A student protested, and showed the school authorities a paper that he wrote for a class (and the paper was graded and everything). Although the student's paper was written much earlier than the paper the faculty member submitted to the journal (and upon comparison, the two papers were exactly the same...word for word), the student is no longer a student at the university. What happened to the faculty member? he's still teaching at the university. Oh, if you want to know why the student is no longer at the university...it is because other faculty members of the department refused to allow the student to register for their classes following this incident. Since this meant that the student could not take core classes required for his degree, he had to seek other options...actually, only one practical option for him...leave the university.

So, with this kind of mentality, who would want to make waves? I suspect that the parents of Jeffery's daughter's friend are not saying anything precisely because of this reason. They don't want their kid to be the one that gets ostracized because they stood up for something that is right and just.

As I tell my wife all the time:
I look at South Korea as a country and I see that it has all the right conditions and the ingredients to become a regional leader and one of the global leaders. Somehow, however, South Korea always falls short of its potential (almost at all things). South Koreans usually blame the external factors (or the other political party) for falling short. I would like to offer another view point.... first try fixing the things like the ones I mentioned above before blaming everyone else for your problems.

Well, that's my two cents worth of rambling....sorry if I just rambled on, Jeff.

Saber Fencer

Well, I tried not to be emotional, but couldn't help it this time.

134 Billion Dollars worth of Fake US Treasury Bonds in a Suitcase

2009-06-24T09:49:00.005+09:00

On June 20th, Jiji Press, a Japanese media outlet carried a report stating that two people carrying Japanese passports were arrested in Italy on June 3rd attempting to smuggle 134 billion dollars worth of US government securities out of Italy. The US Treasury Department spokesman has verified that the securities are fakes.

Today, YTN (South Korean version of CNN) reported that an Italian news paper Il Messaggero's carried a story on June 22nd that the Italian investigators are working with three theories surrounding the two men who were arrested.

The Italian investigators believe the men could be: 1) terrorists attempting to purchase WMD; 2) Japanese currency smugglers; or 3) North Korean agents.

The Il Messaggero also reported that the fake bonds were not of high quality.

I thought this was a very interesting news that's been gone fairly unnoticed. Below is the Jiji Press report that I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

U.S. Bonds Seized From "Japanese" in Italy Found Fake (Jiji Press)

Washington -- U.S. government securities seized in Ital yearly this month from two people who declared themselves as Japanese have been found to be fake, a U.S. Treasury Department spokesman said Friday.

The two people, in their 50s, were detained by Italy's financial police near the border with Switzerland on June 3 after being caught attempting to sneak bearer securities with a combined face value of 134 billion dollars out of Italy by hiding the securities in their baggage.

But the Treasury spokesman said the department has issued 105 million dollars in bearer securities.

The case has been drawing attention because of the duo's alleged attempt to smuggle out such a large amount of fake securities certificates in a sloppy way. There is even speculation that the two might be North Korean agents.

An official of U.S. law-enforcement authorities told Jiji Press that the United States is keeping in touch with Italy's financial police and prosecutors regarding the case at request of the Italian side. But the official declined to disclose details.

According to the official, it is still being investigated whether the two people, who were carrying Japanese passports, are actually Japanese citizens.

The official declined comment on any possible involvement of North Korea in the case.

A fencing tournament with a different meaning

2009-06-21T13:02:00.002+09:00

On the rainy, hot, and humid Saturday afternoon of June 2oth, about 50 men and women got together at the Yonsei University's student gymnasium for the 5th Annual Yonsei University Fencing Club Invitational Tournament.

My current club, Seoul Fencing Club (SFC), participated in the tournament with four men's foil fencers and two men's epee fencers (one of the epee fencer was me).

The tournament only had individual events (this invitational has always only had individual events) and the club came away with a gold and a silver in men's epee, and a bronze in men's foil.

I thought everyone from the club did very well, regardless of how they finished. I am especially proud of two of the foil fencers...why? Because I taught them how to fence. These two fencers are beginners and did not know how to fence when they came to the SFC about 9 - 10 months ago. Of two, one of them participated in the last year's Seoul Fencing Association President's Cup in December 2008, and for the other this was his first tournament.

To every one's surprise (especially me), when the dust settled, the person for whom this tournament was his second tournament came in third. The person for whom this tournament was his first did not qualify to advance to the direct elimination rounds, but he still did better than everyone expected.

For me, this tournament had a very different meaning than any other tournaments I've participated in the past (and I suspect from tournaments that I will participate in the future). It was great that our club did well at the tournament, but for me, this was the first tournament where students of mine participated and finished with very successful results. I don't think I will ever forget the moment when the tournament official called one of my students up for him to receive his bronze medal. Now, I know this was a very small invitational tournament tucked away far....far....far away from any serious fencing venue, but I was still very proud of my student and it DID feel so good to have had the honor and opportunity to help someone achieve...

Well, what's a post without a picture, right?

So, here is a photo of our club's medalists from this tournament as well as the photo of the club members who were at the tournament.

North Korea Contracted Abu Nidal Organization for the 1986 Kimp'o Airport Terrorism Incident?

2009-06-12T13:13:00.007+09:00

Here's a very interesting report I found yesterday while doing research on North Korea.

Chosun Ilbo (original in Korean)

02/19/2009

The March 2009 edition of Monthly Chosun reported the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) committed the 1986 bombing of Kimpo Airport, and received 5 million USD from North Korea. The Monthly Chosun said, "A record showing that Abu Nidal confessed to have executed the terrorist plot upon a contract with North Korea" was discovered.

Abu Nidal, who died in Iraq in 2002, was known to be the most brutal terrorist among the Islamic circles, before figures like Osama Bin Laden made their appearances.

The Kimpo Airport bombing was an incident in which an explosive device was detonated a week (14 Sep 86) before opening ceremonies of the 1986 Asian Games was to take place in Seoul, leaving five dead and 29 wounded. At that time, the South Korean government was not able to catch the culprit, but announced that a North Korean agent probably had committed the act in order to interfere with the Asian games with the ultimate end-state of thwarting the 1988 Olympics.

According to the Monthly Chosun, a reporter of a newspaper outlet in Bern, Switzerland, Murata, discovered a "STASI (former East Germany's governmental organ) records" on the investigations into the Kimpo Airport bombing among the Special Federal Government Records Management Center archives. This report is about how one of the sections (22nd Bureau) under the STASI, commanded by an East German colonel by the name of Franz, investigated the Kimpo Airport bombing incident. The report contained the interrogation records of internationally infamous terrorist Abu Nidal by one of the staff members of the 22nd Bureau, as well as Abu Nidal's confession during the interrogation process -- that he ordered a member to commit the terrorist act based on a contract with North Korea.

According to the STASI investigation, the ANO received the "Kimpo Airport contract" from North Korea at the end of 1985, Abu Nidal ordered his second-in-command, Sulaiman Samrin to carry out the plot. Samrin, in turn, ordered Abu Ibrahim, an expert bomb-maker [and the leader of the "15 May" Organization] for terror purposes, and Ibrahim entrusted the transport of the bomb to his live-in girlfriend Frederika Krabbe, an agent of the Red Army Faction.

Krabbe entered Kimpo Airport posing as a British citizen. She placed the bomb in a garbage can between gates 5 and 6 and departed for Hong Kong. After the successful bombing at the airport, the North Korean government wired five million USD to Abu Nidal's secret account in a bank in Vienna, Austria, from one of its accounts in Switzerland.

This kind of contractual transaction was possible due to Abu Nidal's acquaintance with Kim Il Song [Kim Il-so'ng]. Born in 1937 near Tel Aviv, Israel, Abu Nidal's birth name was Hasan Sabri Khalil al-Banna. While working for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under Yasser Arafat, he met Kim Il Song sometime between 28 Mar and 08 April 72, following Arafat's orders to solicit support from communist nations.

The two became close due to their similar views on "partizan"; thereafter, Kim Il Song supported the PLO and believed Abu Nidal as his "vicar planted in the middle east." Their friendship was to the point that Nidal had an office in Pyongyang and sent terrorists to North Korea to receive military training.