South Korea should respond actively against the attack of North Korea.

    
     On November 23th, Yeonpyeong Island, an island near the ceasefire line was under fire by the North Korea. By this accident, two soldiers and two civilians died. It was quite shocking because North Korea hasn’t attacked civilians so far. Furthermore, the attack to Cheonan-ship by North Korea was only a few months ago. Therefore, Koreans came to worry whether a war will occur or not. Also, there are many controversials about the attitude of South Korea against the attack of North Korea. Someone say we should keep patience about the provocations of North Korea to prevent a war. However, in my opinion, although there is some possibility of a war, South Korea should respond actively against the attack of North Korea.

     Someone say that we should minimize the military action against North Korea to prevent a war from occurring. However, to avoid a war is not always the best way. So far, the scale of North Korea’s attack has become larger and larger because South Korea has responded it passively. In this time, they attacked even a village and killed civilians. If we leave it as it is, the damage we get will increase. As the process repeats, the damage is only ours. Innocent civilians should not be sacrificed anymore. Therefore, we should not skip this situation. We should respond actively to this provocation and represent our determined attitude for the sacrifice of civilians.

      Also, another people say that we should not respond to North Korea because it is just a provocation of North Korea. Although whether it is provocation or not, we have been so patient so far. During the patience, innocent people were rubbed their lives. If we keep our passive attitude continually, we cannot compensate the death of innocent people. And North Korea will think their attacks work and keep going so that only the number of innocent death will increase. Therefore, we should responds actively this time to give an example to North Korea.

     Finally, some people say our response to North Korea was already sufficient this time. However, it is not true. Because of the recommendation of UN for peace, we only shoot 80 shots as the response agianst North Korea’s 130 shots. North Korea shoot even our civilians’ area. The main purpose of the recommendation was only to prevent a war, so we couldn’t respond to North Korea’s attack effectively. Even we didn’t keep the basic military law, the law of proportion. We should have responded to North Korea’s attack with the same size of attack. If we keep the passive attitude toward North Korea, we will only be rolled in the cruelty of North Korea.

     Now, Korea is under the tension between North Korea and South Korea. We are preparing for another attack of North Korea in the future cooperating with United State’s army. It is tragic that same race aims each other. However, compassion or arguing the peace is not the solution of the relationship between North Korea and South Korea. We should not regard the attack of North Korea as a slight problem anymore. We should consider this problem seriously and respond firmly against the provocation of North Korea so that we should not make the death of our people in vain.

Secret Garden

    ‘Secret Garden’ is the hottest TV show in Korea these days. It is broadcasted on every Saturdays and Sundays. It consists of 20 episodes. By the last weekend, 6 episodes were broadcasted. The genre of this drama is romantic comedy. The actor of the main male character is Hyeonbin, one of my favorite actors, and the actress of the main female character is Jiwon Ha who is also one of my favorite actresses. At first, this show seemed just one of the traditional Cinderella stories: A rich handsome guy loves a poor but strong girl. However, it was different from my expectation. Surprisingly, the bodies of the main man character and the main woman character changed last weekend.

    Looking into the outline of the TV show, the main male character whose name is ‘Juwon’ is an owner of a department store. He is young but he is very rich because his grandfather is a conglomerate. He is intelligent and has nice looking. Only one but big flaw he has is that he is somewhat rude to other people. But this perfect guy Juwon falls in love with a ‘Laim’, a stunt woman, in the way of helping his cousin ‘Oska’ who is famous Korean Singer in this show. Juwon went sweet hearting but Laim ignored him because his attitude is quite strange and rude. Juwon got hurt by her attitude toward him so that he tried to affront her like a child although he loves her. As time goes by, she opens her mind to him gradually because she felt his true mind among his arrogant and childish attitude. However, they bicker continuously, because they couldn’t understand each other fully because they are so  different in characteristics, circumstances, and mindsets. When, they piled up misunderstandings against each other, their body changed by a strange alcoholic drink they drank. It was magical.

    The event which occurs after the two bodies of Juwon and Lime changed was very funny. Their strange behavior made others puzzled. I expect that the writer wrote this story to show the process of how man and woman understand each other. Now, Juwon and Laim will get to know about each other’s circumstances and minds gradually. I am expecting it for this weekend. Also, there are many comical factors and parodies in this TV show which make this show more interesting. And the acting of the actors and actresses is very good. Also both the story and direction is great. I want to make dramas as interesting as this one if I become a director of TV show. Anyway, I hope this weekend coming fast.

It's fall!

In these days, I’m exhausted about the endless homework. When I see the maple and ginkgo trees, I want to travel somewhere throwing out everything I am holding on. I’m worrying about all the red and yellow leaves are fall down soon. I hope the trees hold their leaves longer. Before all the leaves all fall down, I want to leave.

Over half of this semester has passed already. Time goes very well. When I was young, my aunt said that the faster time passed, the older people gets. At that time I thought it is nonsense. But, in these days I think it’s true. The time in university goes faster than one in middle school or high school.  I’m afraid of the speed of time. I can prevent it from flowing but just watch it passes. How week a human being is! I think I am in the mood of fall to say so. As time passes fast, I want spend the time which is given to me preciously and meaning fully.

It’s too cold these days. I thing the weather in Koreas is getting stranger. The summer is too hot and it cool down suddenly. It seems probably influenced by the Global warming. The fall is very short. It’s said. Even if I love winter, but too short fall is sad news. As the leave, the trees’ cloth peeled out steadily, the tree seems lonely and solemn. As it gets colder and the trees become more naked, my mind becomes cold. I seem to be the girl who enjoys the solitude of fall.

Two entrance exams a year.



students who are studying for the SAT



The scholastic ability test, which is a kind of university entrance exams, is now coming very close. Not only the students but also their parents are nervous because many Koreans think the result of the exam is very influential to one’s life. Even if it is not absolute true, many Koreans believe that to enter a good university is the key of success. Therefore, all the members of a family, who have a third grade student of high school, put a lot of attentions to him or her. Unlikely SAT which is held in the United States, Korea operates only one test in a year. Nowadays, according to the announcement of government, they will let the students take two exams in not very far years. There are a lot of arguments for and against this topic. In my opinion, this change is a good decision.

The people who opposites the change say that it can be very stressful to students because they prepare two exams. But I think that it is more stressful that one’s life is determined by only one opportunity. It is too harsh. If a student is not in a good health condition or meet inevitable a accident at the exam day, his or her efforts for several years disappears. Of course they can take the exam next year but the economic and psychological damage they get is too much. If the number of the test is two in a year, the burden for test will reduce. In addition, whether the number of test is one or two, students should study to take the exam well. So the burden for studying will not increase much by the increased number of exam.

The opposite side also says that it is unfair because the degree of difficulty of problem is not exactly same between two exams. It can be true. But usually, the difficulty is equally apply to all students. If the exam is only once, the influence of one's luck is larger rather than one's ability. So, if the number of exam is twice, the influence of luck can be reduced because there are more problems. Therefore, it can be helpful to level the students fairly based much on their ability. And the detailed worries about controlling the difficulty of problems can be solved by employing more education experts.

Finally, someone says that the cost for test will increase. It is possible but I think it is valuable to take the risk because it can improve the students’ welfare. Students can determine their future not by only one chance but by two chances if the system is changed. It gives them more possibility for their future. Also it can lead the potential of students come out by reducing the stress. So, it has more value than the cost. The students are the member of society and they will be the main member of few years. So to spend money for them is not wasteful way.

In conclusion, I think the idea to increase the opportunity is very good. It can reduce the psychological burden of students and make them to show their potentials without regret. But the detailed supplementation about how to execute the new system is required. It may take several years but I think it’s going to better way. Furthermore, I think the current system and recognition, which is only concentrated on entering a good university, should be changed basically for the development of Korean education.

Woman transvestites in TV shows

      There are a lot of TV shows or movies which deal with female transvestites. How could a female transvestite, which was even a forbidden topic in the past days, be a popular topic of media? Well, I think that a strong and passionate love which overcame gender attracted many people. The main man character of the TV show or movie loves a woman who dressed up like man even when he knows her as a man. He hesitates to confess his mind because love between same genders is not very normal yet, and there are still underlying social prejudices about it. Also the hero worries about the partner he loves because his love can damage her. However, most of the dramas have happy endings. The hero comes to know that his lover is a woman and all the worries are removed out so that they love each other happily.

There are various kinds of TV show or dramas for example...

1.     Scandal of Sungkyunkwan(Korea, 2010)

     It is a very hot fusion historical drama that is telecasted at 10 pm every Monday and Tuesday in these days. Sungkyunkwan is a Korean traditional higher educational institution which can be compared to a university nowadays. At that time the distinguish between man and woman was more strict than now, but our heroin disguise as a man and go to Sungkyunkwan to earn money for living for her families. Also, she realizes her dream to study. At that time, studying was only for man so woman could not study. She came to know the pleasure of learning. Also, in Sungkyunkwan she made true friends and meet her lover. Recently her lover came to know that she is not a man but a woman. It is very interesting. The last round will be broadcasted tonight. I am eagerly looking forward watching it!

2.     She’s the man(the United States, 2006)

     It is a movie which was released 2006. Amanda Bynes, who is the queen of high-teen romance, took the role of the heroine and Channing Tatum who was a hero of Step-up took the role of the hero. The main woman character went to a high school disguised as a boy student. She plays soccer which was her favorite sports with man. She plays hard because she wanted to show that she is better than man soccer player. Anyway she fall in love her roommate, Channing Tatum, who looks very handsome but is a shy boy. Sometimes She and he missed each other but the movie ends with happiness.

3.     Coffee prince(Korea, 2007)

     It is the first woman transvestite trendy TV show in Korea. Actually I was embarrassed when I first watched this show because the main man character’s name was same with mine. Anyway, the background of this drama is a coffee shop. Our heroin became a waiter of the coffee shop pretending she is a man because the coffee ship employs only men. However, the hero, the owner of the coffee shop, falls in love with her. As his mind growing, he was both happy and sad because he didn’t want to do homosexual love. However, as his mind grew continually, he confessed to her that he loves her even though she was a man. After a while the misunderstanding solved and they come to love each other fervently.

A true teacher - Dead Poets Society

     After I watched the TV show, Good Wife, I was fascinated by the actor, Josh Charles, who took the role of "Will Gardner" in the show. So, while I was searching about Josh Charles, I found some movies he appeared. One of them was "Dead Poets Society." Since this movie was released 1989, Josh Charles in the movie was a young cute boy. As I watched this movie, I was attracted by not only Josh Charles but also the whole movie.

young Josh Charles

Kitting(Robin Williams)

     The background of this movie was a famous private high school in the late middle of 20^th century. The head of this high school boasted the high entrance rate to the Ivy League. The discipline of that school was so strict and their goal of education was to train the students devote only on the study to bring them to a good university. One day, a new teacher, Kitting came to this school to teach English poetries. (The actor of the role of Kitting is Robin Williams, who is one of my favorite actors!) Different from other teachers, he didn’t restrict students only on the study. Instead, he said to his students, “Carpe diem!” which means ‘enjoy the pleasure of the moment.’ By the teaching of Kitting, the students who were worn out by the pressure of study, changed. They learned about the poetry itself not by the poetry as a subject to study and analyze. They made a secret group to write and read their own poetries. Also they started to find their identities. For example, Neil grew his dream of being an actor of a play. Knox achieved his first love. Todd overcame the lack of confidence and became a sensitive poet. I thought those changes was very positive things to students, but the school, which attached importance only on the study didn’t like such a teaching of Kitting. Moreover, one day, Neil committed suicide suffered by the objection of his father about being an actor of a play. The principle of the school attributed all the responsibility to Kitting so that Kitting got fired. I think the tragic ending is more effective to criticize the irrationality of education atmosphere of that age than happy ending.

      The last scene was the most memorable scene to me. When Kitting visited the class for the last time after he was fired, the students of the class stood on their desk and showed their respect to Kitting crying “Oh, captain, my captain.”

Oh, captain! my captain!

Gossip girl & 10 things I hate about you

      Have you ever heard about ‘Gossip girl’? It is famous American TV drama show. The main characters are teenagers who lives in Manhattan and most of them are very rich. This drama is famous because of not only the story but also the fashion style of main characters. Therefore, ‘Gossip girl’ is often compared to ‘Sex and the city’ which is famous for the fashion style. There is another drama which deals with teenagers in America: ’10 things I hate about you’. This drama is relatively less popular than ‘Gossip Girl’ but it was very interesting to me as much as ‘Gossip girl’. The motive of ’10 things I hate about you’ is a play of Shakespeare, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. Also, it was once made for movie 1999 and the famous actor ‘Heath Ledger’ was the hero of the movie. These two dramas have similarity and difference.




Gossip girl

 

10 things I hate aobut you

1.     Similarity – love and friendship

     The main character’s age is same in ‘Gossip girl’ and ‘10things I hate about you’. They are all high school students excepting the later season of ‘Gossip girl’. In that age, what is the most interests of them? It is love and friendship. Even though the circumstance of both dramas is different, the main characters worry about love and friendship. They always repeat fighting and reconciliation. By experiencing those processes, teenagers in the drama got matured and became adult gradually.

2.     Difference – life style

     The main characters of ‘Gossip girl’ are very rich but those of ’10things I hate about you’ are not that rich. Their lifestyle is very different. The main characters of ‘Gossip girl’ go to private high school riding limousine, host magnificent parties often, and wear suits and dresses. On the other hand, the main characters of ’10things I hate about you’ go to public high school, host home party, and wear T-shirts and jeans.