paris attack

Paris attack was the most heinous crime and barbaric acts of terrorism. It is not acceptable in any way to mass murder hundreds of people who are unarmed.
I personally think that the world power should intervene in full-scale and get rid of IS.
It would be the only way to bring peace back to the Middle East and the world.
This is 21st century. We cannot tolerate barbarism which allows beheading, burning people to death, and striking a non-military airplane.

Mekbang is a special phenomenon in Korea in which people cook and eat something with thousands of views watching them. I have never liked it personally or watched it closely but it is surely a bizzare thing to see someone eat on TV.

I have no idea why those shows are gaining much traction and I suspect that the popularity is going to hold up.

For the next class, I will cover the story concerning the issue of history textbooks in Korea. There is an article which summarize what has been happening and will play out in the future.



http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21676832-government-efforts-influence-history-teaching-schools-create-furore-manual-drive


Discussion Q.

1. Is it wrong or right for a government to publish a history textbook?

2. Do you think the new history textbook is going to be made by balanced views ?

3. Why do you think that conservative party tries to actively lead this movement?

4. What would be the best way for young students to learn Korean history without any
   prejudice and biased ideas?

5. Do you think the Korean government should keep its effort to achieve what they          want?

Second Amendment vs Regulation

I gave a presentation on this matter when I was spending my senior year in college. 

The reason why I had chosen that topic is because I had watched the movie 'Bawling for Columbine' and was feeling kind of awful about it. So, I gave a very emotional and a little biased speech to the audience pointing out the evil nature of NRA. 

Now, I am thinking a little differently. the US is not Korea or any other state for that matter. America is just different from other countries. The constitution of the US states that american people have a right to bear arms and be armed. This amendment provides a chance for people to protect themselves from federal gov. Thus, the constitutional right should be protected too. 

However, there is no doubt that more strict regulations are needed on gun controls. 

There should be more laws and due process as to purchase of guns and bullets. Most importantly, american politicians should make bipartisan effort to make sure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands. Moreover, the special interest group like NRA or gun manufacturers must recognize the gravity of the situation and do their parts in building a safer society.

Being an interpreter

I had a very vague idea about translating graduate school thinking "it might be tough, but it is not going to be THAT difficult to handle". 

Of course, people tend to rush to a conclusion before they actually start and i was exactly doing that. 

It has been getting close to a year now since I set foot on the campus and the feeling I have right now is diverse. However, one thing is for sure. I found something that is suited for me and enjoy doing it. All the job descriptions and experience shared by the famous figure 'Lee Jung Hwa' are what I wanna do following graduation. 

Military Parade in Beijing

I personally think that this parade is just another excuse to muscle their military power.

High-level officials in China probably wanted to flaunt arms and soldiers and they succeeded in that aspect. People on the globe recognized their ability to wage a war and accept the fact that China can confront the US which has the greatest armed force in the world. However, Chinese people suffered a lot in preparation for this parade. Some of them were locked in their apartments or others had to shut down their factories to prevent noises. Of course, they lost lots of money.

I am not Chinese and do not care about their pride in a victory against wartime Japan, but I have a doubt that Chinese people would agree to the way this whole event operates.

Refugee crisis

The refugee crisis that European countries are facing right now came from stateless state of Syria. The tragic death of 3 year old boy changed minds of many leaders around the world. I found out in this class that more than 700 refugees applied for refugee status in Korea.  Korea claims to be a 'homogeneous' people , but the reality is different. The expat population accounts for almost 5~6 % and Korea is becoming more diverse.
There are no reasons why we should not take those people in need. If we turned out head away from them, it would be like we are turning away from responsibility as a committed member of international community.

News article 1

http://www.arirang.com/News/News_View.asp?nseq=183012


This news cast shows that many refugees of Syria and other unstable nations are going through perils such as hunger, death and even kidnapping.
I feel sympathy for these refugees and the international community should to anything in its power to help these poor people.


Q.

- Why are these refugees exposed to the danger of hunger and death?

- what should world leaders do to tackle this problem and prevent such atrocities from
  happening