TresSugar

Oh Snap! Larger Than Life Love

TresSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0700

Two statues kiss at South Korea's outdoor sex-themed sculpture park, which sits on an island often visited by local honeymooners. The park displays 140 sculptures depicting people in a variety of sexual positions, and visitors can also watch films on sex education. Check out some of the more PG exhibits.

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Oh Snap! South Korea Is Ready to Kick North Korea's Butt

TresSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:00:15 -0700

With North Korea getting all the attention these days, let's turn our eyes to South Korea. The country's "special warfare" command soldiers took part in a sea-infiltration drill today. The military is preparing against possible threats from communist North Korea - the neighbors have technically been at war since the 1950s.

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Oh Snap! South Korea (En)lights Up For Buddha's Birthday

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Buddhists march in the streets of Seoul, South Korea yesterday to prepare for Buddha's 2,553 birthday. The streets glowed with lotus lanterns, symbolizing Buddha's enlightenment.

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Parking in Pink: Girly Color Marks Women-Only Parking Spots

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:00:00 -0700

I came across a story yesterday about pink parking spaces in South Korea. One city has decided to paint extra large spots a pretty pink so unskilled (women) drivers can park with ease. Apparently driving while female is a handicap.

In shock (and with a few giggles) I did a quick Google search. I discovered that South Korea is not alone.

I found an airport in Germany that also reserves some "very special rows" for women. And Swiss parking enforcers also adorn extra large spaces with pink outlines and flowers, hoping it will deter male drivers.

Before I could get too mad, I realized there was some method to Switzerland's apparent madness - the women-only spots are located next to a parking lot's exit, and under video surveillance.

So while South Korea insults "unskilled" women drivers, Switzerland promises to keep us safe. Either way, who wants to park in a bright pink spot? Well, maybe. It is sort of pretty.

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Commit Adultery in South Korea? Go Directly to Jail

CitizenSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:00:00 -0800

South Korea's high court upheld an adultery law that can send people to jail for having an extramarital affair last week. It has been called anachronistic and an infringement on personal freedom by critics.

The appeal made to the Constitutional Court since 1989 was brought by the lawyers for a popular actress who was charged when her actor husband filed a criminal complaint against her for having an affair with an opera singer. Sure, that sounds juicy, but to find out why the law was created in the first place, read more.

The law was enacted in 1953 to protect women because the male-dominated society offered women little protection when a husband had an affair. At the time when a wife walked out of a marriage, she would often end up penniless.

Today, it is rare for people to actually serve jail time, but several thousand spouses file criminal complaints yearly. Five judges found the law unconstitutional, one short of the six needed to strike it down. Do you think the law is fair in 2008?

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2.7 Million North Koreans Will Starve This Month Without Aid

CitizenSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:30:04 -0700

According to the World Food Program, North Korea may be facing one of the most serious food crisis in its history. Nearly 2.7 million people who live on the country's west coast are facing starvation this month unless food does not reach them. 2.7 million. Hungry millions recalls the similarly stark problem in India.

The cause of the food shortages are for a variety of reasons, devastating floods in 2007, lack of employment, and a centralized leadership that has mismanaged resources. It is estimated that a recent famine has been responsible for nearly 2 million deaths already. The country has been relying on aid to feed its 23 million people.

To see who's been called upon to give them aid, read more.

South Korea, which has a typically hostile relationship with its northern neighbor, has not committed to sending aid as yet, despite the fact that the World Food Program has requested it. Their reluctance is due in part to heightened political tensions, including the shooting death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier at a resort.

In oddly related food news, scientists in England are developing foods that slow down the digestive system, signaling the brain to suppress appetite. It's a discovery that according to one professor, "would be a big help for people having trouble losing weight." It's a poignantly stark contrast between the global tug of the problems of the have-nots and have-way-too-muches.

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South Korea Blames Internet Rumors for Death of Actress

LibertySugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:00:15 -0700

A couple of weeks ago Choi Jin Sil, South Korea's most famous actress, committed suicide. Now the country's officials and media have placed the blame of the tragedy at the feet of the Internet, and the rumors its users perpetuate.

Before she took her life, South Korea's vigorous online community accused Choi of being a loan shark, and motivating another actor to gas himself because she pressured him to repay a $2 million loan.

Choi's death has increased the urgency for a government that already put quelling verbal abuse at the top of its agenda, after online comments critical of their plastic surgery apparently caused the suicides of two young celebrities, a singer, and another actress. Nine hundred agents from the Cyber Terror Response Center are searching blogs and discussion boards for slander, or users who instigate cyber bullying.

In the US, the cyber bullies who contributed to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl had to answer to the law - do you think there should be a different legal standard when the victim is a celebrity being bullied by the public?

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Front Page: Stocks Rally on Bailout Plan, I-35 Bridge Has First Day, South Korea Withdraws Troops, Prison Riots

CitizenSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:00:47 -0700

Stocks Rally on Bailout Plan:
European stocks rebounded sharply after US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced yesterday evening plans to introduce new laws to buy hundreds of billions of bad debt from struggling banks. Options include establishing a government agency to buy bad loans, a plan that could, "ultimately undermine the dollar, push up inflation" according to one expert.

I-35 Bridge Has First Day:
The rebuilt I-35 W Bridge in Minneapolis had its first full day of service yesterday, three months ahead of schedule. Hundreds of vehicles lined up on both sides of the span to inch across shortly before 5 a.m. The 10-lane, $234 million span replaced the bridge that collapsed on August 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145.

South Korea Withdraws Troops:
South Korea is set to completely withdraw its remaining troops in Iraq by the end of the year. The country has had troops stationed in Iraq for a reconstruction mission at the request of the US. From a high of 3,600 troops, now only 520 remain. The Defense Minister said, "There is no more need for us to stay there."
More Than 20 Die in Prison Riots:
Over 20 inmates in an overcrowded Tijuana prison died in riots this week according to police. The violence broke out after a prisoner died, apparently after abuse from a guard. The prison was built to hold 3,000 and now houses 8,000.

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Right Touch? South Korea Reserves Job of Masseuse For Blind

CitizenSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:00:19 -0700

If you find yourself in South Korea in search of a massage, if you visit a legal parlor, you won't even need a towel for modesty. That's because for the past century the job of masseur has been reserved for the legally blind. Just over 7,000 blind people with magic fingers work in 1,000 massage parlors throughout the country, but it's not enough to keep up with demand. A black market of massage has sprung up supplying another 150,000 to 700,000 illegal, sighted, masseuses who can face fines from $450 to $4,500 and up to three years in jail.

The stand off over the right to rub down has led to violent protests and suits filed by the sighted masseurs asking the Constitutional Court of South Korea to declare unconstitutional the blind-only law and a violation of their rights. A ruling on the matter could come next week.

To see both sides of the argument, read more.

One sighted and illegal masseur says, “It breaks my heart when I think that what I am doing every day, what I consider my calling, is a crime. We are not trying to steal jobs from the blind. We just want to share the market. We want to live as normal citizens, not as criminals.”

However a blind masseur is fearful of losing his niche saying, “I have a wife and two children to support. If I lose this job, I will have to beg on the streets. How can taking away one job from people who only have one compare with taking one job away from sighted people who have a hundred jobs to choose from?”

Should the government be able to assign one profession to a group of people? Is it discriminatory to those left out - and does it hamper the progress of those the law is trying to help? Or is it a perfect plan, matching abilities with their opposite?

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Front Page: Bush Arrives in Seoul, Storm Hits Coast, Food Shortages for Nepal

CitizenSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:53:56 -0700

Bush Arrives in Seoul:
President Bush arrived in Seoul, Korea today for talks aimed at communist North Korea - and instead of the large anti-US rally that was expected, a huge crowd of support gathered in the city center. Amid a background of gospel music, the pro-US rally attracted about 15,000 people for what is thought to be Bush's last trip to the country as president. One of those gathered said, "I came to pray for the country to come together and with President Bush coming, for his visit to go smoothly." There was little sign of the tension that sparked huge anti-government protests over the ending of the ban of US beef imports. 20,000 police has been mobilized for protests that never really materialized.

Storm Hits Coast:
Tropical Storm Edouard has made landfall on the Texas coast east of Galveston and is expected to plow inland as the day goes on. Texas and Louisiana have made declarations of disaster and statewide emergency pending the storm with 65 m.p.h winds. No evacuation edicts have been issued.

Food Shortages For Nepal:
The UN and the government of Nepal announced that hundreds of thousands of Nepalese are facing severe food shortages. Efforts to get food aid to those in need are being delayed by fuel shortages and strikes. The price of rice has risen 50 percent in the last year. Meanwhile, the EU has pledged $4.6 million to Haiti to help with the crushing hunger crisis there.

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