Exporting South Korea's economic policy to Taiwan

So there's a debate in Taiwan about whether or not Samsung threatened to "kill" Taiwan by taking over some industries there.

Here's another reason I will never have a leadership position in Taiwan. Instead of debating about whether or not Samsung had such a plan, I would visit South Korea on a fact-finding mission. I would then announce that I was going to apply South Korea's various restrictions on business on Samsung:

* Force Korean businesses operating in Taiwan to shut down their businesses at least twice a month.

* Restrict large Korean companies from expanding into other industries.

* Prevent Korean companies in Taiwan from open in randomly designated areas (such as, within 500 feet of mom and pop stores)

* Force large Korean companies in Taiwan to share their profits with smaller companies.

* Demand that they increase their CSR giving.

* Even monitor and control such things as the temperature in their buildings.

* Threaten to tax them more to pay for numerous social programs.

Well, actually, I wouldn't do such stupid things, proof that I am not a politician in South Korea.

To paraphrase Mark Twain:

Suppose you were an idiot.
Suppose you were a politician in Korea.
But I repeat myself.

Of course, that isn't true. I'm just talking about the ones intervening in the economy.

My local Lotte Mysuper. Forced to close because of the government's (national, local, regional) idiotic "economic democratization" campaign.

One night, I stopped by to go shopping, then, oh, Snap! The door was locked. Thanks, Korean government!

The Korean government's effort to slow economic growth.

I asked an employee if I could have the sign the day after. I'm sure if she knew how much I am opposed to the policy that she would have given it to me.

I guess she didn't get the memo that the store was closed, per the government's orders.

Definitely, she didn't get the memo. She walked even closer to the sign, then stomped her foot. I wonder if she voted for the politicians who supported the policy.


If I were CEO of E-mart, the banner would have a photo of the politician responsible for the closure, thanking him for his vision for helping the economy.

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

Rich talking back

The rich are talked about very often in negative terms, but how often do the rich respond in kind? Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who inherited most of her money but apparently has also done very well with it, recently railed against class warfare and had some advice for the non-rich : "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working." She complained about politicians raising taxes, regulations that slow investment, and other anti-business policies that harm the poor. "If you want to help the poor and our next generation, make investment, reinvenstment and businesses welcome."

Common Sense on North Korea (Korea Times, April 2, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. As interesting as Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov’s writings are, there is nothing quite like attending one of his lectures. He can barely restrain himself behind the podium, often pointing and waving his arms. I also enjoy his unscripted speeches, but his answers in Q&A sessions are like the difference between watching Michael Jordan shoot baskets in warm-ups and an actual game. I have finally discovered the secret behind Lankov’s consistently solid analysis about North Korea: Use common sense. At an Asan Institute conference last summer, he argued that North Korea watchers should try to understand North Korea from its perspective. Don’t most people know that you must understand the mindset of others you are dealing with? Yet, common sense in theory gets ignored politically. From the North Korean perspective, nuclear weapons are the best thing they’ve got going. They will NOT give them up easily, even if President Obama ...

Why I won't go to North Korea (Korea Times, December 27, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. “Have you ever been to North Korea?” This is the question I am almost always asked here in South Korea when people learn that I have become an activist for North Korean escapees. My response is curt: “No.” “Do you plan on going?” they ask next. My answer remains the same: “No.” When they start to ask a follow-up question, I cut them off: "No." People are often just trying to make conversation, I know, but I am blunt for a reason: I am not interested in going to North Korea as long as North Koreans are held captive. I could go one day, but for now, I can do without a government-guided tour by " men-stealers and women-whippers ," to borrow a phrase from American abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. I don’t mean to criticize people who have gone to North Korea for political, educational, business, religious reasons or just plain curiosity. However, some people push me on the issue, ― and I push back. A good friend wh...

Last weekend: Suicide, Kim Young Ha, NK

Credit: Joanne Cho Event 1: Friday night I went to a talk given by Fulbright junior researcher Joanne Cho. She did a great job putting together statistics about some of the most commonly cited reasons that so many Koreans commit suicide. Probably the most provocative tidbit: Cho watched 86 dramas from the spring of 2012 to now, she says that 63 had "scenes depicting or discussing suicide" in a favorable light (as a way to solve problems, that troubled people can be forgiven for their sins and are even seen as sympathetic). Another interesting tidbit: While it is often cited that Korea is number one in the world in suicide (among countries reporting reliable statistics), what I had not realized or had forgotten is that Korean men are number 8 in the world compared to men in other countries with reliable statistics, Korean women are #1 in the world when compared to women in other countries. My questions for the speaker: 1) What was a finding in your research th...

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