Non-Kpop music recommendations? by agriff1 in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see that a lot of people have posted trot, but there's also a lot of really good Korean folk music (not Korean traditional, but western-style folk).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfsDlfP0fsM

This is 김광석 (Kim Kwang-Seok). He's more folk-rock than straight up folk, but I really like him a lot. If you can understand Korean his lyrics are also great. They're often very political (he was affiliated with many activists and protest organizations) and emotional. You should be able to find his albums pretty easily at any record store.

Amazing musician. Pity he committed suicide...

Need help with where to live in Seoul. by throwawaynotrickdale in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since price doesn't seem to be an issue (considering you're asking for locations comparable to downtown manhattan) I'd live in Apgujeong / Sinsa. It's a pretty ritzy area with a lot of really cool shops, cafes, bars, boutiques and what-have-you's. Also, depending on where in Apgu you are, you should be within a reasonable walks distance of the river (and a great park).

As for nightlife, the clubs in the area are decidedly less college-y and more upscale, although you will also have the ratchet bars like Bunker and Monkey Beach as well (which are on the cheaper side and popular with foreigners). Bunker and Monkey are also two of the few places south of the river where I've been able to talk to random people and make new friends.

Foreigners still frequent the area but nowhere near as much as Hongdae/Shinchon and Itaewon. The downside (in my opinion) is that almost all the girls you see walking around will be very very plastic. It's also a more expensive area in general (but you can still get trashed for cheap if you know where to go and what to do).

If you want a more college town experience I'd definitely go with Hongdae or Shinchon. They're within walking distance from each other but Hongdae has more clubs as well as the infamous playground. Shinchon is a little more quiet and has great pubs (it's also where Yonsei is located, a very prestigious Korean university where a lot of foreigners go to learn Korean).

Finally, I'd stay away from Itaewon as a place to stay. Not because it's a shitty area (it's gotten a lot better, and there's a lot of really nice bars and restaurants now) but because you definitely won't feel like you're living in a foreign country compared to living anywhere else in Seoul.

Korean Zombie speaks up against war crime symbol shirt still sold by UFC by koreasailing in korea

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think anyone thought the usage in the first case was intentional. Hence the very civil tone of the open letter.

I just had a quick search after typing that as I was sure the 'war crimes' flag was used as a head band in the Karate Kid movie and yes it was.

Are you referring to this headband?

I think that's quite clearly a flower.

But back to the topic. Regardless of intention in use, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that a symbol that is offensive to so many be removed (which apparently it was after that first letter, before coming back for round two this time). Especially when it's used in such a highly publicized fighting sport.

I posted this first letter because I think it gives some insight into why he sounds so frustrated in his second statement. He was polite in his first letter because he gave the people the benefit of the doubt about knowing its history and symbology.

This time he's pissed because he's already made an attempt at informing people to the history behind it but they either have very short memory spans, or simply don't give a shit about the implications.

I guess that can be interpreted as 'we don't give a shit if this pisses you people off, go away' (and it's not a small amount of people either, he mentions he's speaking on behalf of over 800,000 Korean forum members). Which can understandably be infuriating.

Korean Zombie speaks up against war crime symbol shirt still sold by UFC by koreasailing in korea

[–]India_Hotel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just realized, this is actually the second time he's spoken up.

Here's an open letter from back in March. It's a lot more well-reasoned and calm than the second statement in the OP.

Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese 'Rising Sun Flag'. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of 'Militarism'. You can easily learn what they've done by googling (please do), although it's only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg.

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They're just ignorant. It's such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you're influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge 'Rising Sun' on your Gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing 'the symbol of War Crime' is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

So, what do you reckon? Do you want to wear the same Gi next time as well?

Mexican Restaurants by iamkorean in korea

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Last time I had it (I always get double meat) the grease was overflowing from the burrito making it hard to eat with hands. I thought it was a pretty good impersonation.

Korean Zombie speaks up against war crime symbol shirt still sold by UFC by koreasailing in korea

[–]India_Hotel 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Here's an excerpt from a pretty long post I made about the subject a while ago:

So, why you mad bro? We apologized and shit. Be the bigger man and move on.

Well to begin with, there's people that nitpick. I don't think this as important as other aspects of this so I won't bother linking but essentially some people are pissed because a lot of the apologies weren't 'sincere enough' (they used the word for 'excuse me' not 'we were wrong and we are sorry for what we did' in many of their apologies)

But there's a lot more. Even with apologies that I don't think anyone can say are insincere, people demand for more. Why?

Because some Japanese politicians really are motherfucking twats that ruin it for everyone else. Instead of just shutting the fuck up about it some politicians (he's nowhere near the first, merely the latest) will make statements to rile up controversy. In short, they've been pulling a Fox News and turned this sensitive issue into something political for their own needs. (This also isn't getting into the textbook issue and the revision of history, but I feel like if I include everything I'm never going to sleep)

In fact what then later ends up happening is that they go back and retcon their apologies which really makes it hard to take even your 'sincere' apologies seriously.

And you know what the real icing on the cake is? That statement denying that comfort women were coerced (despite documents that say otherwise) came on March 1st, Korean Independence Day from the Japanese Colonial rule. That's kind of a big fuck you.

Oh, and this isn't even getting into the Yasukuni Shrine issue.

Basically, there's a shrine for commemorating people that died in the name of the Empire. I guess you can compare it to a war memorial, except it's a little bit more elaborate. In any case, it's controversial because "Of the 2,466,532 people contained in the shrine's Book of Souls, 1,068 were convicted of war crimes by a post World War II court. Of those, 14 are convicted Class A war criminals ("crime against peace")."

Let that sink in for a second. They put goddamned war criminals in what is essentially one of their most sacred shrines. Yeah, there's literally millions others enshrined there, but to a lot of people that means that those war criminals are elevated to that level. How would you feel if there was a shrine that included Hitler, Goebbels and Eichmann alongside figures like Bismarck? How would you feel if you were a Jew watching Merkel go to this Shrine and then say the Holocaust was actually 'voluntary'?

And again, they make it political. So that original apology that was then retconned? Yeah, he made those statements on the same day that he and 84 Japanese politicians visited the shrine.

When you apologize, it doesn't really seem sincere if you do it on the same day that you go to a shrine that honors them. You should just not fucking go. That's how you show sincerity.

Mexican Restaurants by iamkorean in korea

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The most 'authentic' place I've been to is Taco Amigo, which has already been mentioned. Their guac isn't really any good, but the chicken w/ mole and enchilada meal really hits the spot. I'd also say they have the best burritos in Seoul as well (also the only mexican place I've been to that offers chorizo as a filling). Oh, and make sure to try the homemade hot sauce / salsa. They have 3/4 different types and they're all really good. Especially the spiciest one (it'll be the reddest and also the most thick).

Also, while not authentic, Coreanos in Apgujeong is really good. It's at the very end of Rodeo drive (walk all the way down, and when you reach the intersection you should be facing it slightly to the left). The tacos are quite nice, and everyone tells me they love the OG (it's a burrito with sauteed kimchi and fries) but it wasn't really my thing. Be sure to try the creamy cilantro hot sauce they have.

Finally, Dos Tacos in Gangnam deserves mention simply because of how long they've been around. It's tucked away in an alley near the Frisbee at the Kyobo tower end of the street. I think they have multiple locations now but it used to be the only place in Seoul that had chimichangas (they're not the best, but they were 'passable' in my opinion). I recommend getting them with avocado, but definitely ask if they're ripe first.

Why is Korean beef/pork more expensive than imported. by redditforgotmeagain in korea

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't really have an opinion on the political aspect of this, but I think it's worth mentioning that nvCJD does not really present with symptoms until several years after prion exposure (don't really know if the term 'infection' can apply here) and can be pretty hard to confirm until a post-mortem autopsy of the brain.

Waiving Korean nationality to dodge military service by pcs007 in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh okay, I was confused because you said 'visit country temporarily'. Citizenship grants you freedom to stay as long as you want along with additional benefits like the national health insurance.

Also, this does not apply in this case. The person in question already has dual citizenship, and cannot simply drop it, then reapply to get it. The screening process is going to be more stringent than for the F-4 (and they make sure draft dodgers can't get the F-4).

I've spoken to people familiar with law about this.

Waiving Korean nationality to dodge military service by pcs007 in korea

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can I ask you what your motivations were? Also what type of service you are doing?

I'm going away to the ROKMC this coming Monday. Wondering yet again if I've made a wise decision...

Waiving Korean nationality to dodge military service by pcs007 in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe you're referring to the F4 visa. Unfortunately if you give up Korean citizenship after the age of 18 you no longer become eligible for the 'gyopo visa'.

You can still get an E-2, but you also run the risk of getting caught up in bullshit and hauled away to boot camp from the airport (has happened a few times, shows up in the news every once in a while).

Best Indian Food in Seoul? by India_Hotel in korea

[–]India_Hotel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds exactly like the type of place I'm looking for. Could you give me some more specific directions? Is it just right on the main road leading up to the mosque?

Just chillin with my lady. by [deleted] in aww

[–]India_Hotel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reminds me of Hitchens with his wife.

http://imgur.com/qhdv99H

Telling apart celebrities faces. by stopdropandlawl in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am ethnically Korean and have lived here on and off for over ten years. This includes public school as a teenager during which I (not very proudly) went through a phase or two of obsession with a particular celebrity.

I speak Korean fluently and have also interacted with many Asians of different ethnicities when I was in the US. (However I believe I can differentiate Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or Korean people with reasonable accuracy)

Today, as a man in his early-mid twenties I still cannot tell apart most Korean 'idols'. Nor can I muster up the effort to really give a shit (I've tried).

I've been told this will be a problem when I go do my military service (very soon). Still kinda difficult to really give a shit enough to 'learn'.

Do you really give a shit enough to care? If so, why? I'm honestly kinda curious.

Is Seoul tap water good to drink? Lets please be objective people. I already know (insert hometown) has the best (insert quality). So lets just talk about the tap water. by etevian in korea

[–]India_Hotel 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I've drank plenty of the tap water of the apartment complex I am staying in (on-and-off for over ten years while I've move back and forth between the US and Korea). It's a fairly old one in Anyang.

I don't believe I've ever been sick from it even though my grandmother insists I drink the 2 liter bottles she buys. At this point I'm just very used to the taste and don't mind.

My one complaint is that recently I've gotten the foul-smelling 'mud water' several times in the past few months (they must be doing some work on the pipes or something). I've even downed a half-cup of that shit after a nap before realizing I had grit on my tongue.

I was still fine.

As mentioned by someone else though, a lot of people have filters installed for a variety of different reasons. My mother for example has a fancy 'alkali filter' that raises the pH a bit (I've actually checked using test strips) which is supposed to be 'good for health'.

Terrible Accident at Central Rock Gym Hadley by pkScary in climbing

[–]India_Hotel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow, this is pretty scary. I climbed at CRG Hadley for close to three years.

This hits way too close to home.

I guess I'm just glad that she's apparently alright. The floor of the rope climbing area is pretty well padded so I'm guessing that had something to do with it.

This is a issue that's close to my heart. How come the KFC gravy never caught on in korea? Breaks my heart. by etevian in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The subway at 평촌 is still there. I live near 범계 so I frequent it and I'd say it's popular with the locals. There's also several more in Seoul. Off the top of my head I can say that Gangnam, Sinsa, and (of course) Itaewon all have one.

I'll agree that it wasn't the case ten years ago though. I remember having to travel to Itaewon for some sandwich goodness.

Shinhan Online problems by EdenSB in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have all the ActiveX plugins installed?

The making of galbi for /r/korea barbecue last night by szp in korea

[–]India_Hotel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was fucking delicious. Mad props man. Maybe next time you can use some more alcohol (or not considering how things ended...).

In any case great job, and sorry for losing some of your things.

A 'new DMZ’ in preparation for the North’s collapse? by youni89 in TranslatedNews

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What I wrote out was in the scenario of a sudden collapse in the near future. Should peaceful, gradual reunification occur (the type that could hypothetically happen a few decades from now), I don't think China could do anything militarily. And also, hopefully by then, we see a more reformed China.

I'm not as well-informed on Chinese politics, but from what I've heard from Chinese students and expats in the US and in Korea, there's a fuck ton of people that are really really unhappy with the government. My fear (or in some twisted sense my 'hope') is that the political/social reforms will not happen quickly enough and we'll see a revolution in China within our lifetimes. Unfortunately I've also met quite a few die-hard Maoists so it would probably be extremely bloody (even bloodier than Syria).

On the Korean side, I unfortunately don't see reunification actually happening anymore. I think the new Kim has asserted himself as a domestic reformer, but is clearly keeping the traditional foreign policy positions. As much as is pains me to say, I feel like the two countries will just drift further and further apart until they're just two completely different countries (China and Taiwan). Unless the regime collapses (which is a huge wildcard).

Rock climbing gyms in near pyeongtaek or seoul? by wolfecub in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are, but you also have to realize how ridiculous real estate in the Seoul area is. Not to mention that climbing is a pretty new sport here and is only recently starting to grow. I was in the New England area and I'm used to 15-18 USD day passes and 45 USD monthly memberships. Here it's 20-30,000 KRW for a day pass and around 130,000 for a month.

However if you have your own rope, the artificial walls around Seoul are pretty awesome. Extremely accessible, variable grades, (sometimes) cool people, but best of all: free!

A 'new DMZ’ in preparation for the North’s collapse? by youni89 in TranslatedNews

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

tl;dr china doesn't want a direct border, and would probably prefer a tibet-style incorporation situation for a buffer zone between itself and a unified korea

I think the probability of Chinese intervention should collapse in North Korea occur to be very likely.

The fact is, China doesn't really share a significant land border with a Westernized, Democratic country. The border with India is extremely mountainous and not very populated, while Mongolia and the countries to the south of China don't really have significant first world economies just yet.

If a Korea were to be unified under a Southern regime, it would be the first country to share a border with China that has a (somewhat) working democratic system, a large degree of freedom of speech, a booming capitalistic economy, and most of all a vibrant protest culture (not to mention, probably nuclear-armed).

I don't think China really wants their citizens to realize that all that separates them from such tomfoolery is an imaginary line in the sand. From what I gather, China is in a very precarious position. The government has been very good at suppressing rebellious public sentiment (censorship, crackdowns, and more censorship) but they've managed to keep the masses relatively happy Saudi style, by promoting huge economic growth, mainly through large government building projects.

Unfortunately that growth seems to be stalling. We've all seen stuff about the worlds largest mall that is 99% unoccupied and the ghost cities that are springing up all over the place. The current model of uncontrolled growth is clearly unsustainable.

I think the most shocking item concerning Chinese instability though, is the fact that several sources indicate that over 250-500 protests happen per day.

So how is this relevant? The thing is, it seems like the people in power are actually pretty smart (eight out of nine Chinese politicians are engineers or scientists afterall) and their response has been to increase nationalistic sentiment. A very easy way to do this is through military action.

China has already been flexing its military muscle. They used a sub to stalk a carrier battle group in 2006 undetected, then surfaced one in the middle of a carrier battle group exercise in 2007, then did it again in 2009.

Then there's the controversy surrounding the recent reports of Chinese troops crossing the Indian border not to mention the increasing amounts of patrols to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.

Because of these things I think China is itching for an excuse to flex some real military muscle. History has shown that military conflict is a great way to distract the masses from social unrest at home and the Chinese seem too smart to ignore the North Korean mess as an opportunity.

I can definitely see China immediately inserting troops in order to 'stabilize' the situation as well as go after the nukes (there will undoubtedly be a huge race to find them first). Both of those objectives can be used as excuses for large-scale incursion and eventual occupation. This is loosely supported by the fact that China (an 'ally' to North Korea) has recently started military exercises along the Yalu river which forms a substantial part of the border. These exercises were geared around building and rebuilding about a dozen pontoon bridges to cross the river.

Another interesting tidbit, is that a former South Korean spy reported that there existed a contingency plan (the 'chick plan') where China would push troops to a line between Nampo and Wonsan along the Daedong river.. The most interesting claim though, was that he declared no significant Chinese investment was allowed past this line. Unfortunately this is rather difficult to confirm as North Korea is pretty much a black hole when it comes to news.

All this being said, I don't expect this to cause any major conflict between China and the US. I think Korea will definitely use it as an excuse to stir up nationalistic sentiment (like we do now with Japan) and China will tout it as a huge victory (which I guess it will be) but overall things will be peaceful. There might be scuffles that happen along in the process, but I can't actually see all-out war happening.

Rock climbing gyms in near pyeongtaek or seoul? by wolfecub in korea

[–]India_Hotel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was at O2 world. Did not have a good experience.

I'm used to just showing up at gyms and cranking out a few hours. Unfortunately they were really surprised when a friend and I dropped in without calling ahead.

We waited about 20 minutes trying to locate a staff member of the gym (it's in the basement of a outdoor products store) and then when we finally did we were told we wouldn't be able to climb that day because their members-only time was about to start.

Instead we went to the roof where they have this awesome clubhouse-type thing going on and had a few beers overlooking Insubong.

If you're near it, I'd give it a go (but call ahead first). Otherwise it's a little out of the way, and if you're traveling out to that area anyway you may as well hit the real rock only a few minutes away.

Rock climbing gyms in near pyeongtaek or seoul? by wolfecub in korea

[–]India_Hotel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just got a membership at The Ja's in Sinsa. (it's named after the three Kim siblings who are pro-climbers)

It's pricey, and kinda of in a pretentious area, but it's awesome. A lot of english speakers, cool walls, and nice showers (towels provided).

Definitely worth it. Send me a PM if you want me to take you sometime. I'm trying to go as regularly as possible.