Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Babies Will Be...
Babies will be still born and beasts (pigs, the cattle and the sheep) will come out...
Babies will be still born and beasts (pigs, the cattle and the sheep) will come out...
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Strange Love Letters
They were just like kids, the 50-odd National Assemblymen of 'the Open Uri Party of the Hinterland Republic'. What's different was that sights and sounds of their making were magnified and synthesized. What made all that possible was due to sophisticated electronic gadgets. Of course, pack mentality of blind loyalty worked just like kids do.
What counted was that it was necessary for their allegiance to be conspicuous. They made a real scene. They yelled, stomped the floor, wielded their fists, cried to their hearts' content, with their tears running down their cheeks. At last, they took their proud badges off their coats in a gesture of protests against the passage of the Presidential Impeachment Bill on the 12th of March, 2004.
Before you know, a representative made a town cry as if on cue. He said he would resign the post of a National Assemblyman. The rest of the party cadres would do his bidding. Every sympathetic politician of the party scrolled the resignation form in haste and put his or her signature on it and left it with the party whip.
Ten days have elapsed. Sulking children have been drawn to the reality they would face. Sobering up, the politicos have been consternated to find that with the resignations they would have to forfeit all the perquisites and election subsidies from the national coffer. Scratching their heads and bowing to the unseen audiences, they have sought generous understanding from the national electorates. They said, "we are very sorry for the repudiation of our pledge of resignations."
In an awkward defense of their brash behaviors, a novice legislator put forth a bizarre "Theory of Love Letters". Resignations, just like love letters, mostly written in the heat of nocturnal passion, are not worthy of saner review in the next morning, he opined.
They were just like kids, the 50-odd National Assemblymen of 'the Open Uri Party of the Hinterland Republic'. What's different was that sights and sounds of their making were magnified and synthesized. What made all that possible was due to sophisticated electronic gadgets. Of course, pack mentality of blind loyalty worked just like kids do.
What counted was that it was necessary for their allegiance to be conspicuous. They made a real scene. They yelled, stomped the floor, wielded their fists, cried to their hearts' content, with their tears running down their cheeks. At last, they took their proud badges off their coats in a gesture of protests against the passage of the Presidential Impeachment Bill on the 12th of March, 2004.
Before you know, a representative made a town cry as if on cue. He said he would resign the post of a National Assemblyman. The rest of the party cadres would do his bidding. Every sympathetic politician of the party scrolled the resignation form in haste and put his or her signature on it and left it with the party whip.
Ten days have elapsed. Sulking children have been drawn to the reality they would face. Sobering up, the politicos have been consternated to find that with the resignations they would have to forfeit all the perquisites and election subsidies from the national coffer. Scratching their heads and bowing to the unseen audiences, they have sought generous understanding from the national electorates. They said, "we are very sorry for the repudiation of our pledge of resignations."
In an awkward defense of their brash behaviors, a novice legislator put forth a bizarre "Theory of Love Letters". Resignations, just like love letters, mostly written in the heat of nocturnal passion, are not worthy of saner review in the next morning, he opined.
Monday, March 22, 2004
A Mystery of Popular Minds and Votes
O.K. Ignore lexical definitions. Let's call them "popular minds". The minds to elect legislators and Presidents. Then what should popular minds be like?
Frankly speaking, do you have correct knowledge of your minds? What are they like? Where are they located? What are they made from? Where are they from and where are they heading? How do you know whether your minds are heading in the right direction or not?
The odd thing is that the people are inclined to think that they should have one-track minds. Isn't it necessary to think otherwise? How come people come to divorce? Didn't you ever order different dishes from what you hadn't thought of doing?
Take a closer look at the odd experience of yours, will you? Let me take mine. On entering a Chinese restaurant, finding folks eating some other foods with relish than I had planned to do, I found myself joining the majority. Oh, what a pity. Where was my mind gone?
What happened to popular voting then? It occurred to me oftentimes that I had changed my mind the moment I had entered the polling booth. The devil in me had coached me to consult my mind for the last time.
To consult my mind? To begin with, the effort to locate it has never been successful. How was I able to consult my mind which had been invisible, unidentified and inevitably evasive? So I have so far made up my mind to put my fickle mind to rest.
I accuse my wife for all the torture she has inflicted on me for decades. On every and each national election day, she has never left me alone, free and peaceful. She has changed into a nagging type. She has made sure time and time again that I vote for Mr. so and so.
Sure sure, I promised. You and I, as wife and husband used to be, are one mind. I won't betray you on that. Furthermore, I always knew the peace of my family and home was at stake.
However, not until we reached the polling station our peace broke down. Popping her head out of her booth, she used to throw a knowing smile at me. The torment used to begin with the exit of the station. Nudging at my ribs, she spoke between her teeth, "Betrayer!"
Getting down to the matter of "popular minds," I have thought it proper and fitting that the people must not have "fixed mind-set" bordering on obsession. Which gives politicos grounds on which he (or she) builds his (her) reign of prejudice, hypocrisy, greed and deception.
The ordinary people should make it a rule to keep their minds secret. Keep their mind-set wavering and vacillating. Swinging voters must be a rule and a subsequent norm. Which gets the politicos titillating to obtain hearts and minds of the electorates.
So the the political leaders and the people at large don't have to be afraid of the crowd gathered at the "Candlelight Vigils." Why? They don't always end up voting for and against specific political party and its candidates. That's a mystery.
O.K. Ignore lexical definitions. Let's call them "popular minds". The minds to elect legislators and Presidents. Then what should popular minds be like?
Frankly speaking, do you have correct knowledge of your minds? What are they like? Where are they located? What are they made from? Where are they from and where are they heading? How do you know whether your minds are heading in the right direction or not?
The odd thing is that the people are inclined to think that they should have one-track minds. Isn't it necessary to think otherwise? How come people come to divorce? Didn't you ever order different dishes from what you hadn't thought of doing?
Take a closer look at the odd experience of yours, will you? Let me take mine. On entering a Chinese restaurant, finding folks eating some other foods with relish than I had planned to do, I found myself joining the majority. Oh, what a pity. Where was my mind gone?
What happened to popular voting then? It occurred to me oftentimes that I had changed my mind the moment I had entered the polling booth. The devil in me had coached me to consult my mind for the last time.
To consult my mind? To begin with, the effort to locate it has never been successful. How was I able to consult my mind which had been invisible, unidentified and inevitably evasive? So I have so far made up my mind to put my fickle mind to rest.
I accuse my wife for all the torture she has inflicted on me for decades. On every and each national election day, she has never left me alone, free and peaceful. She has changed into a nagging type. She has made sure time and time again that I vote for Mr. so and so.
Sure sure, I promised. You and I, as wife and husband used to be, are one mind. I won't betray you on that. Furthermore, I always knew the peace of my family and home was at stake.
However, not until we reached the polling station our peace broke down. Popping her head out of her booth, she used to throw a knowing smile at me. The torment used to begin with the exit of the station. Nudging at my ribs, she spoke between her teeth, "Betrayer!"
Getting down to the matter of "popular minds," I have thought it proper and fitting that the people must not have "fixed mind-set" bordering on obsession. Which gives politicos grounds on which he (or she) builds his (her) reign of prejudice, hypocrisy, greed and deception.
The ordinary people should make it a rule to keep their minds secret. Keep their mind-set wavering and vacillating. Swinging voters must be a rule and a subsequent norm. Which gets the politicos titillating to obtain hearts and minds of the electorates.
So the the political leaders and the people at large don't have to be afraid of the crowd gathered at the "Candlelight Vigils." Why? They don't always end up voting for and against specific political party and its candidates. That's a mystery.
Monday, March 15, 2004
Sheraton Walker Hill Show? Forget It
Reputation is deceptive. Sheraton Walker Hill Show? Forget it. It was a sham.
My company and I were benumbed by its ear-splitting noise and stunned by its blinding light. It was all din and scintillation.
It began with a wham and ended with a fizzle. It was no fun. Irritation was the word for the occasion. Programs were a real bore.
Eight huge drums arrayed on a tiered stage and their ferocious beating by beautiful young women were what we could stand. Nongak (Farmers' Melodies) troupe offered some staggering "whirlpool" dance, bordering on dizziness. Fan dance was a bore, too. "Magic Show on Ice" occupied the latter half of the program, which deserves a title of a scam.
Lack of imagination? Might be. But the major reason for the degradation of the famous performance must have come from the shortage of fund. Economic recession was palpable at every niche of the place.
Reputation is deceptive. Sheraton Walker Hill Show? Forget it. It was a sham.
My company and I were benumbed by its ear-splitting noise and stunned by its blinding light. It was all din and scintillation.
It began with a wham and ended with a fizzle. It was no fun. Irritation was the word for the occasion. Programs were a real bore.
Eight huge drums arrayed on a tiered stage and their ferocious beating by beautiful young women were what we could stand. Nongak (Farmers' Melodies) troupe offered some staggering "whirlpool" dance, bordering on dizziness. Fan dance was a bore, too. "Magic Show on Ice" occupied the latter half of the program, which deserves a title of a scam.
Lack of imagination? Might be. But the major reason for the degradation of the famous performance must have come from the shortage of fund. Economic recession was palpable at every niche of the place.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
The Nation Is Going Nuts
Visibility was hindered by the thick 'dusty rain' (tohwoo:토우:土雨) shrouding Seoul and its adjacent cities yesterday (March 11, 2004). Everything before your eyes was murky. Eyes were sore and noses and heads ached. The aisles of children's clinics were crowded with young patients.
The dusty rain, otherwise called "hwangsa" (the Yellow Sand), has been dusty clouds composed of particles of sand off the western Chinese border and the toxic gases emitting from chimneys of Chinese factories using fossil fuels. The easterly air drift, coming across from the China proper via the West Sea, has been a real public nuisance of annual recurrence, an international nuisance lasting hundreds of years.
The nation was going nuts in the air, on the land and indoors. It was as if the onset of the cloudy weather had heralded the ominous onrush of calamities all through the day. Two Air Force jet fighters are reported to have made a head-on collision in the West Sea air. An ex-CEO of Dae Woo Construction Company is alleged to have taken his life in the afternoon, feeling insulted by the barrage of harsh remarks made by the President. Wild fires were raging. As steel and its products are in short supply steel bars are stolen across the nation. Vandalisms are rampant.
Visibility was hindered by the thick 'dusty rain' (tohwoo:토우:土雨) shrouding Seoul and its adjacent cities yesterday (March 11, 2004). Everything before your eyes was murky. Eyes were sore and noses and heads ached. The aisles of children's clinics were crowded with young patients.
The dusty rain, otherwise called "hwangsa" (the Yellow Sand), has been dusty clouds composed of particles of sand off the western Chinese border and the toxic gases emitting from chimneys of Chinese factories using fossil fuels. The easterly air drift, coming across from the China proper via the West Sea, has been a real public nuisance of annual recurrence, an international nuisance lasting hundreds of years.
The nation was going nuts in the air, on the land and indoors. It was as if the onset of the cloudy weather had heralded the ominous onrush of calamities all through the day. Two Air Force jet fighters are reported to have made a head-on collision in the West Sea air. An ex-CEO of Dae Woo Construction Company is alleged to have taken his life in the afternoon, feeling insulted by the barrage of harsh remarks made by the President. Wild fires were raging. As steel and its products are in short supply steel bars are stolen across the nation. Vandalisms are rampant.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Soju, Not Shoju
Shoju? A stark example of brazen Japanese plagiarism or distortion as we see in the case of kimuchi. The New York Times reporter who covered the Japanese restaurant should have been discreet enough to point out in his article that the brand Shoju is a misnomer. That the correct name of the brand should have been soju of Korean origin, a sort of liquor made from rice, barley or chopssal 좁쌀 distilled through very sophisticated process, of which Andong Soju has been the most popular and expensive (30 more dollars a bottle). Proud Korean words such as kimchi, hangul and taekwondo have made entries in Webster English Dictionary Unabridged, and the liquor brand has to enter the prestigious lexicon by the name of soju.
[The Article at Issue]:Shochu, the cool drink among the younger set in Japan, is beginning to show up on these shores. Like sake, shochu (or soju), can be made from rice, but more often is based on barley, buckwheat or sweet potatoes. Whereas sake is brewed like beer, shochu is distilled like vodka, often twice. At about 50 proof, it has less alcohol than vodka, whether on the rocks or in cocktails like the honeyed shochu at Sushi Samba, and the kumquat sour at Riingo, both in New York. The shochus, from Landmark Wines and Spirits, 167 West 23rd Street, range from $10.99 to $24.99 a bottle. I liked two made from barley, the fruity Iichiko and the citrusy Alakey. Zuizen Awamori, similar to shochu and made from rice, had a mushroomy bouquet and a creamy aftertaste. There are also Korean brands, like the syrupy Green, made from sweet potatoes.(NYT)
Shoju? A stark example of brazen Japanese plagiarism or distortion as we see in the case of kimuchi. The New York Times reporter who covered the Japanese restaurant should have been discreet enough to point out in his article that the brand Shoju is a misnomer. That the correct name of the brand should have been soju of Korean origin, a sort of liquor made from rice, barley or chopssal 좁쌀 distilled through very sophisticated process, of which Andong Soju has been the most popular and expensive (30 more dollars a bottle). Proud Korean words such as kimchi, hangul and taekwondo have made entries in Webster English Dictionary Unabridged, and the liquor brand has to enter the prestigious lexicon by the name of soju.
[The Article at Issue]:Shochu, the cool drink among the younger set in Japan, is beginning to show up on these shores. Like sake, shochu (or soju), can be made from rice, but more often is based on barley, buckwheat or sweet potatoes. Whereas sake is brewed like beer, shochu is distilled like vodka, often twice. At about 50 proof, it has less alcohol than vodka, whether on the rocks or in cocktails like the honeyed shochu at Sushi Samba, and the kumquat sour at Riingo, both in New York. The shochus, from Landmark Wines and Spirits, 167 West 23rd Street, range from $10.99 to $24.99 a bottle. I liked two made from barley, the fruity Iichiko and the citrusy Alakey. Zuizen Awamori, similar to shochu and made from rice, had a mushroomy bouquet and a creamy aftertaste. There are also Korean brands, like the syrupy Green, made from sweet potatoes.(NYT)
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Mired in His Own Rhetoric
Causes for an individual person's misfortune might be multifarious. Illnesses such as cancer are the first to arise in your minds. Accidents such as a car crash are what will come after that. Causes for the misfortune of a national leader might be more diverse and complex. But President Roh's downfall was that of his own making. He has literally incurred the disaster.
He has been a man of words. He had mouthed his way to political stardom in the National Assembly of Korea (Republic of), where he had gained fame as a major interrogator in the 1988 National Assembly hearings. And he had his career ruined through his undisciplined command of the language as well.
He has not realized so far that what had been considered his political asset turned out to be not just a personal but a national burden. His brilliant resume as a labor activist and fiery interrogator has not helped him deal with the Legislature and the media since he rose to the Presidency in the year 2003. His major flaw and mistake has been that he did not make a metamorphosis from a warrior to a negotiator, which is a necessary qualification for a national leader. Still, he has opted to take a defiant stance as a fighter.
His penchant for street talk has caused uproar. Such expression as "screw up" had not been familiar to the decent Korean ears, especially to the major media. He has tended to enjoy harsh criticisms from the media and the grassroots. He had called the major media "the gang of the crime organization." He has not been a person of integration but the one of division all along. He has split up his own party by making the odd members out. He has driven wedges between the major and minor media.
As a controversy for his qualification as the national leader was raised, he spit out, "Bull shit! I can't handle the Presidency." His command of the extreme and extraordinary language might reflect his mental instability as an individual citizen and as a political leader as well. Although the term of the office of the Presidency is guaranteed in the Constitution, he has seemed to be nervous about the term as ever. The problem of "reconfidence" has always been on his mind as if the lack of it has hindered the proper exercise of the job.
Instead of making sincere efforts to remedy the hitherto corrupt political atmosphere, he has opted to make prey of the Opposition Parties and their members by sending them to the court, calling them "the third-grade water," not apt to drink. As a lot of his immediate confidants and members of his favorite party (He has not joined the party yet.) were involved in the corruption scandal he went out of his way to put forth a conditional stepdown from the office. "If and when the illegal slush funds diverted to my party were to exceed the one tenth those of the Opposition Party I shall resign."
In due course of events, the Opposition Parties submitted yesterday Impeachment Bill for President Roh Moo Hyun. To be enacted, the bill requires two thirds of the National Assembly members and the subsequent yea votes of six Supreme Court Justices out of the nine. Impeached or not, he has taken a fatal blow to his political career.
Causes for an individual person's misfortune might be multifarious. Illnesses such as cancer are the first to arise in your minds. Accidents such as a car crash are what will come after that. Causes for the misfortune of a national leader might be more diverse and complex. But President Roh's downfall was that of his own making. He has literally incurred the disaster.
He has been a man of words. He had mouthed his way to political stardom in the National Assembly of Korea (Republic of), where he had gained fame as a major interrogator in the 1988 National Assembly hearings. And he had his career ruined through his undisciplined command of the language as well.
He has not realized so far that what had been considered his political asset turned out to be not just a personal but a national burden. His brilliant resume as a labor activist and fiery interrogator has not helped him deal with the Legislature and the media since he rose to the Presidency in the year 2003. His major flaw and mistake has been that he did not make a metamorphosis from a warrior to a negotiator, which is a necessary qualification for a national leader. Still, he has opted to take a defiant stance as a fighter.
His penchant for street talk has caused uproar. Such expression as "screw up" had not been familiar to the decent Korean ears, especially to the major media. He has tended to enjoy harsh criticisms from the media and the grassroots. He had called the major media "the gang of the crime organization." He has not been a person of integration but the one of division all along. He has split up his own party by making the odd members out. He has driven wedges between the major and minor media.
As a controversy for his qualification as the national leader was raised, he spit out, "Bull shit! I can't handle the Presidency." His command of the extreme and extraordinary language might reflect his mental instability as an individual citizen and as a political leader as well. Although the term of the office of the Presidency is guaranteed in the Constitution, he has seemed to be nervous about the term as ever. The problem of "reconfidence" has always been on his mind as if the lack of it has hindered the proper exercise of the job.
Instead of making sincere efforts to remedy the hitherto corrupt political atmosphere, he has opted to make prey of the Opposition Parties and their members by sending them to the court, calling them "the third-grade water," not apt to drink. As a lot of his immediate confidants and members of his favorite party (He has not joined the party yet.) were involved in the corruption scandal he went out of his way to put forth a conditional stepdown from the office. "If and when the illegal slush funds diverted to my party were to exceed the one tenth those of the Opposition Party I shall resign."
In due course of events, the Opposition Parties submitted yesterday Impeachment Bill for President Roh Moo Hyun. To be enacted, the bill requires two thirds of the National Assembly members and the subsequent yea votes of six Supreme Court Justices out of the nine. Impeached or not, he has taken a fatal blow to his political career.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Why the Government Exits
The March 5th Incident propels us to ask ourselves why the government exists anyway. Why so? Because the nation was in the state of a total panic bordering on lethargy. We the people of Korea (republic of) were exposed to the merciless attack from nature. It was an anarchy. The blitz snow storm, although the precipitation had been record-breaking (40 cm in less than 4 hours), was not a natural disaster at all if the government had been working properly. It was a man-made calamity.
One of the many reasons for the government's existence is that it should prepare itself for contingencies, protecting the people from unexpected consequences as the guardian of people's lives and properties. But there was not a government agency that did its job. The Weather Bureau failed to forecast the snow storm. The Transportation Ministry was not prepared for the mercurial winter weather. The Highway Authorities were at a loss how to deal with the worst road condition.
As a result, the unfortunate folks behind the wheels and their passengers--families, customers and their freight--were stranded on the road, having to stand the cold and hunger. "Vinyl houses"--the facilities for the growth of special farming produce--crumbled, with the cattle, poultry and plants exposed to brutal cold. Electric lights of the countryside neighborhoods were cut off.
The March 5th Incident propels us to ask ourselves why the government exists anyway. Why so? Because the nation was in the state of a total panic bordering on lethargy. We the people of Korea (republic of) were exposed to the merciless attack from nature. It was an anarchy. The blitz snow storm, although the precipitation had been record-breaking (40 cm in less than 4 hours), was not a natural disaster at all if the government had been working properly. It was a man-made calamity.
One of the many reasons for the government's existence is that it should prepare itself for contingencies, protecting the people from unexpected consequences as the guardian of people's lives and properties. But there was not a government agency that did its job. The Weather Bureau failed to forecast the snow storm. The Transportation Ministry was not prepared for the mercurial winter weather. The Highway Authorities were at a loss how to deal with the worst road condition.
As a result, the unfortunate folks behind the wheels and their passengers--families, customers and their freight--were stranded on the road, having to stand the cold and hunger. "Vinyl houses"--the facilities for the growth of special farming produce--crumbled, with the cattle, poultry and plants exposed to brutal cold. Electric lights of the countryside neighborhoods were cut off.
Friday, March 05, 2004
Language:Excuse My Hand
A man was at the end of a long chow line. He was very hungry, so he decided to jump the queue. He went forward and hopped into the line, saying "excuse my stomach." (It's not been my fault; my famished stomach is to blame.)
A woman was at a theater. Her hair was dishevelled. She did not shampoo for a while. She did not bathe for a while, too. Spectators near her seat shied away from her. The embarrassed woman, noticing the cause of their demonstration of open annoyment, apologized, saying, "excuse my odorous body." (It's not been my fault; my odorous body is to blame.)
A commuting passenger in a crowded subway car stepped on a lady's foot. He apologized to the lady, saying, "excuse my feet." (It's not been my fault; my disoriented feet are to blame.)
An African lady was on her business travel. She checked in Hilton Hotel in Seoul, Republic of Korea. After a successful business negotiation there, she enjoyed some booze far into the night. Under alcoholic influence, she groped for a very private part of her company. Reproached, she fumbled for words, saying, "excuse my hand." (It's not been my fault; my lascivious hand is to blame."
President Nobody has been notorious for his rude remarks. He attacked the major media, calling them "the gang of the crime organization." He once said that what counts is the normalized relations with the neighbor countries, adding, "screw up everything else." The beleaguered President, cornered by the press and threatened by the Opposition Parties to step down, he went to a television station and apologized to the nation, saying, "excuse my language." (It's not been my fault; my language has been the problem.)
A man was at the end of a long chow line. He was very hungry, so he decided to jump the queue. He went forward and hopped into the line, saying "excuse my stomach." (It's not been my fault; my famished stomach is to blame.)
A woman was at a theater. Her hair was dishevelled. She did not shampoo for a while. She did not bathe for a while, too. Spectators near her seat shied away from her. The embarrassed woman, noticing the cause of their demonstration of open annoyment, apologized, saying, "excuse my odorous body." (It's not been my fault; my odorous body is to blame.)
A commuting passenger in a crowded subway car stepped on a lady's foot. He apologized to the lady, saying, "excuse my feet." (It's not been my fault; my disoriented feet are to blame.)
An African lady was on her business travel. She checked in Hilton Hotel in Seoul, Republic of Korea. After a successful business negotiation there, she enjoyed some booze far into the night. Under alcoholic influence, she groped for a very private part of her company. Reproached, she fumbled for words, saying, "excuse my hand." (It's not been my fault; my lascivious hand is to blame."
President Nobody has been notorious for his rude remarks. He attacked the major media, calling them "the gang of the crime organization." He once said that what counts is the normalized relations with the neighbor countries, adding, "screw up everything else." The beleaguered President, cornered by the press and threatened by the Opposition Parties to step down, he went to a television station and apologized to the nation, saying, "excuse my language." (It's not been my fault; my language has been the problem.)
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Deception Is the Norm
Deception is the norm. The ruler takes advantage of the gullibility of the ruled. The head of the republic had fled under cover of night while the people were sound asleep when the Commies from the North invaded the capital in 1950. He had shown up at a radio station at the very day and aired his pledge that his government and the army would defend the capital up to the hilt.
Appearances are deceptive. The ordianry people have naturally been attracted to apparent signs, pamphlets and slogans, albeit hollow. They even mobbed speakers of fiery eloquences and public pledges. But the hoped-for result would not come. The rough realization always came to them that they had been taken in.
A fresh attempt at another deceptiion is going on. The "Second-Rate Water Theory" is one of them. President Roh of Korea (Republic of) put forth a real weird assertion that his government is "second-rate water," at least which is potable if it is gone through chemical purification process. His premise is that the major Opposition Party is a "third-rate water" so that it might not be suitable for drinking.
A National Assemblyman of an Opposition Party asked a somewhat embarrasing yet legally essential question of Justice Minister (equivalent to Attorney General of the U.S.) Ms. Geumsill Kang. The asemblyman asked her, "does the stealth of Tico (a brand of a compact car) not constitute a crime?" The minister did not answer. Then, he asked her again, "does the stealth of a Limousine not constitute a crime?" The minister kept mum that time, too. Forced to answer the question, Ms. Kang replied in a small voice, saying that it is not such a question that befits the Justice Minister.
Deception is the norm. The ruler takes advantage of the gullibility of the ruled. The head of the republic had fled under cover of night while the people were sound asleep when the Commies from the North invaded the capital in 1950. He had shown up at a radio station at the very day and aired his pledge that his government and the army would defend the capital up to the hilt.
Appearances are deceptive. The ordianry people have naturally been attracted to apparent signs, pamphlets and slogans, albeit hollow. They even mobbed speakers of fiery eloquences and public pledges. But the hoped-for result would not come. The rough realization always came to them that they had been taken in.
A fresh attempt at another deceptiion is going on. The "Second-Rate Water Theory" is one of them. President Roh of Korea (Republic of) put forth a real weird assertion that his government is "second-rate water," at least which is potable if it is gone through chemical purification process. His premise is that the major Opposition Party is a "third-rate water" so that it might not be suitable for drinking.
A National Assemblyman of an Opposition Party asked a somewhat embarrasing yet legally essential question of Justice Minister (equivalent to Attorney General of the U.S.) Ms. Geumsill Kang. The asemblyman asked her, "does the stealth of Tico (a brand of a compact car) not constitute a crime?" The minister did not answer. Then, he asked her again, "does the stealth of a Limousine not constitute a crime?" The minister kept mum that time, too. Forced to answer the question, Ms. Kang replied in a small voice, saying that it is not such a question that befits the Justice Minister.
