The Backdrop for the (Ongoing) Korean War
The Korean War is heating up again. The 1950-53 microcosm of the Cold War never truly ended, being resolved not with a peace treaty but with a cease fire. There have been several times over the years that things heated up, first under national founder Kim Il-Sung (The Great Leader), then under current national leader, Kim’s son … Read more
Chinese in Korean
The Korean language is so different from English, it really makes a fascinating study. But to understand anything about Korean, it helps to understand a little Chinese. Most Westerners know that Chinese is written with pictographs. A simple (or not so simple) character represents a concept, an idea. The symbol 山, for example, means mountain in … Read more
How a White Guy Came to Speak Korean
Over the years, I’ve been asked many times how I came to speak Korean. My favorite is when shopping for the wife at the Korean market – being a white guy who answers in complete Korean sentences is pretty much a rarity. But over the years I’ve had the opportunity not only to surprise people, but … Read more
