7. Terrorism against South Korea.

    Before I start talking about the topic I just want to thank my classmates, the presenters who choose the subject of “Terrorism in Korea” for their presentation. It was nice and interesting listening to the presentation.

      When I first here about the word terrorism my mind goes directly to AlQaeda, Binladin, Israel, and what is known as the war against terrorism. Yes, we have heard about the “feud” between the two countries, North Korea and South Korea, but it was my first time to hear that north Koreans using terrorist acts against South Korea. What is really weird here is that North Korean government does not admit most of the attacks, as if they are doing this for no reason except provoking South Korea.

     It’s really interesting to know that North Korea has used most types of terrorist tactics that include bombing, shooting, hijacking, and kidnapping. Since the clash between the two countries still exist, we find that South Korea are working on promoting a anti-terrorist protecting program. This actually answers the question that was asked in the class that says “ what should the government of South Korea do to protect itself from any possible terrorist attack. Talking more about the program, it’s called USFK (United State Force in Korea). This is a counter-terrorist program supported by United State to protect both US service member and families stationed in the republic of Korea.

I strongly recommend every one interested in the issue of terrorism attacks against South Korea to read this article: “South Korea’s next challenge against terrorism” you can find it in the website I have attached below. It talks more in details about USFK and it has a valuable information about the subject.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8397011/Homegrown-Terrorism-South-Koreas-Next-Challenge-Against-Terrorism

  

Fashion in Korea.

Luxury Look and Fashion in Korea

      One of the questions that have been in class by the presenters was “ Do you think fashion market will keep growing in Korea?” My personal answer is definitely yes when it comes to a country like Korea where appearance and facials are very important. Taking a look at plastic and cosmetic surgeries, last year the performed plastic surgeons in South Korea were nearly 700,000surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. It has become very common that 15-30 percentages of Korean women are said to have undergone a cosmetic procedure.
     Back to fashion, from what I have noticed, fashion are used to be the main concern for females. But now days you see teenagers from both genders are interested in fashion. A huge amount of money goes for fashion market. In that last decade, Korea has witness a big change in the world of fashion and incredible growing of the fashion market. I think Korean teenagers don’t care about the function, the quality or the usage of the item as much they care about how luxury it looks or what brand name it carries. The idea that they are seeking for the image of privilege that comes a long with it. If you have been once to a fashion show, I sure that you have noticed that more than 90 percent of attendants are women wearing the most fashionable clothes and the handbags are of the most known brands. They will not hesitate to pull out the credit card and pay hundreds of dollars to buy a pair of shoes or black strappy stilettos with a pointy toe. For them it is worth of sexy. As a boy you may spend too much money on an electronic gadgets trying to show off or be a technosexual person.

      I think these days, boys are very much concerned about fashion and appearance but one of the things that makes them not as uxorious as girls is the harabojie’s mind and the down look on those how tries to have the gay sense of fashion, get waxed or what is known as Metrosexual man or What ever became of the `man`s man`. Back to their days, they had war and they were fighting to survive and put food on the tables. Now all the boys have gone soft. Pretty soon they will be wearing makeup!

Review Yellow Sand

       Yellow sand is a natural phenomenon that causes lots of serious problems and damages over the places it covers. Specifically talking about Korea, the yellow sand that comes from china is very polluted. The storm contains harmful chemicals such as ulfur (an acid rain component), soot, ash, carbon monoxide, and other toxic pollutants including heavy metals. But actually this is not like the yellow windy storms that we have in Saudi Arabia. The one that comes over Saudi Arabia usually comes from Iraq or Kuwait. These two countries have wide big deserts similar to the ones in Saudi Arabia. Most of these deserts have pure sand. Many of Saudi people love to go camping in these deserts despite to this yellow sand wind. It could be only harmful if you suffer from serious cough or for those already with asthma or respiratory infections.

     Most of the natural disasters have no practical solutions. Thunder strikes, volcanoes, earthquakes or storm are all over humans’ ability to have a control on or to stop. We have created some techniques to help us to coexist with these natural phenomena. In some countries you may find building that observe and reduce the earthquake vibrations. The project of planting a desert so that we get rid of yellow sand sounds like a good idea to me. We have a similar project in Saudi Arabia where billions of palms were planted in order to be some kind of an obstacle are a wall that block the sand, it worked efficiently. The idea was to block the movement of the sand. It was not for the desiccation of the desert like what china trying to work on. 

    One of the graduating projects we are working on this semester is a yellow sand alarm system. The idea of the project is worn people when the wind is about it come by installing a device in Namsan tower that has a sensor sense the yellow sand.  Once the yellow sand is caught by the device, a yellow lamp will be blinking as an indicator or a warning.  

Holiday Working Visa

     Working holiday visa is such a great opportunity since it encourages the culture exchange and closer ties between arrangement countries. I envy my Korean friends for having such an opportunity because not all nationalities can have it. Unfortunately I have looked all the 13 countries that offer a working holiday visa but no one of them includes Saudi Arabia to the list. To have a chance to work, study and experience others’ culture is such a great opportunity that every person in theses days should have the chance. Thanks God that Saudi government has opened one of the biggest scholarship programs where student with good grads is granted a scholarship to study abroad and learn others culture.

     I have noticed that going abroad either as an exchange student or working holiday student is something that most of the Koreans do it before finishing their universities.   Like after high school or lets say after being admitted in one university each student works on three major projects: the military service, the school major and going abroad to study and may work at the same time.

     Experience living in foreign countries has it advantages and disadvantages. As it has been mentioned in the presentation, some people have to work in 3D jobs in order to escape from poverty or to be able to cover their funds. In addition to this, in most of the WHV offering countries there are placed where the traveler or the foreigner student who is not familiar to the place is subjected to some crimes like fraud or being abused which may result in a serious trouble.

     I think it is important in a country like Korea where a big number of students applying for such a visa to have a special program or conference to learn, warn and educate the going people about the country they are going to and to show some of the cases where people have faced difficulties and troubles. And teaching them a little about the culture and what they have to eschew in order not to be offended or cause troubles.