Writer Kim Eun Sook's pattern of pairing drama couples with big age gaps

Mr. Sunshine: Lee Byunghun (46) and Kim Taeri (27)

Gentlemen's Dignity: Kim Minjong (45) and Yoon Jinyi (26)

Goblin: Love line between a high school student and an adult
Kim Goeun (26) and Gong Yoo (38)

Daum: A 20-year difference? Writer Kim Eun Sook's pattern of pairing older-younger couples

1. [+1444, -93] Lee Santa on a romance drama... Writer Eun Sook.. this is too much.  Knowing your dramas haven't failed yet, are you willing to take this risk?

2. [+1388, -101] Ah seriously.. the problem isn't the age difference, it's that Lee Byunghun's going to be on it..

3. [+1125, -57] If you're a popular star writer you have the leeway to cast rookies but she just always goes for the top qualified actors

4. [+596, -23] Santa can freely act out his fantasy...... Kim Eunsook you're the one at fault!

5. [+537, -22] I'm not going to watch this 'cus of Lee Byunghun

6. [+473, -23] I can't agree with it this time

7. [+433, -26] Writer Kim changed after she got an award ~

8. [+426, -28] Not gonna watch Lee Byunghun!!!

9. [+318, -18] Feels like she's just riding on her name for the drama to do well now.  Please watch "Fight My Way" and reflect

10. [+291, -13] Aigoo~ writer, have you lost your touch? Don't you think Lee Byunghun's really wrong for this??  Feels like a dirty affair

11. [+262, -13] Gong Yoo saved Goblin.. were there really no other actors? You should've just used Jung Woosung instead.. can't believe you're leaving fine and normal actors and going with sicko Lee Byunghun ㅋ This is too much

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Top drama stars paid too much, producers leaning towards 'cheap' rookie actors

With the Korean wave and investments pouring in from China, Hallyu stars' worth are currently on the rise.  Their appearances fees fetch anywhere from $8,700 to $87,000.  SBS "Saimdang: Light's Diary" was 100% pre-produced and received a $10 million investment from Hong Kong's Emperor Entertainment.  The lead actress, Lee Young Ae, reportedly received $87,000 per episode.  

The drama scene is becoming quite different though.  You don't see Hallyu stars like Lee Young Ae as often and it seems like more new faces are filling in the spots of lead roles.  Naturally, the average payout for lead roles are decreasing because of this change.  Insiders say the salary gap between lead actors is starting to get bigger and bigger.  

A starred in a drama on a public broadcast channel which gained a lot of popularity this first half of the year.  'A' received somewhere between $5200 to $6000 per episode.  'A' is rising as a top star, though it hasn't been long since A rose to a 'lead' level position so with that in mind, A's pay was much lower than expected.

New actors B and C have been appearing on a variety of public broadcast mini series and they've both been getting lots of love calls from drama producers.  The reason was because their fees are cheap.  Combining the fact that their faces are somewhat known, their acting skill is alright, and their fees are only around $2600 per episode... a nickname has spread among drama producers, half-jokingly and half-seriously they call them "actors that are a bang for your buck." 

With the after effect of China's ban on Korean entertainment, more of these "bang for your buck actors" are filling up the spots of lead roles.  A broadcast insider said, "Dramas aren't getting enough money without the Chinese market.  So naturally broadcast companies are tightening their belts.  The good days where you could spend almost the entire production budget on the actors' salary alone to make a drama are long gone."

"The reason we're leaning towards new faces is because we also want to give out spots to rookies but truthfully, the biggest reason is because their appearance fees are cheaper.  I think this will continue until the Korean-Chinese relations are resolved."

With that said, there are still actors receiving over $8700 per episode.  These actors are usually the ones appearing on dramas produced by CJ E&M (operates tvN, Mnet, OCN).  They've received a huge investment and have grown their cable viewers so they are able to give actors huge salaries.

D is an actor who isn't yet known to be a 'lead spot' worthy actor but D received a $43,000 contract.  This is something that would hardly be seen for public broadcast channels.  More Hallyu stars are pursuing cable dramas aggressively with the main reasons being they produce higher quality projects and their pay is much larger.

The huge gap between public broadcast and cable companies has formed a gap between salaries.  Another insider revealed, "The higher the actors' fees go up, the less there is for the production budget.  But we still have to offer top stars a huge sum of money.  So all the more, we would rather lean towards new faces to take the lead spots and stop this abnormal rise of salaries.  Even so cable TV channels are still offering large amounts of money so it's hard for public broadcast companies to co-exist with CJ E&M."

Daum: "From $2,612 USD to $87,000 USD.. salaries of small screen leads, a gap between the rich and poor"

1. [+1380, -82] Lee Young Ae ahjumma who can't act, isn't it shameful to take $87,000

2. [+810, -21] The sincere actors, singers, and artists can't get the spotlight.  The big bullies armed with dirty tricks, technique, and media play are the ones living well off the entertainment industry.  But rookies have no choice but to end up following the same cheap tricks and technique... so it's becoming a place filled with bullies.

3. [+642, -24] Lee Young Ae's photo is revealed front and centre~~ yet the other actors are A B C D

4. [+401, -4] Don't use top stars and start raising actors who have the skill... their salaries are way too high~~

5. [+345, -11] Please go to universities and recruit good actors.. don't just play around with companies and use idols..

6. [+248, -9] We need to get rid of entertainment programs that go out and have fun but receive lots of money.. they even film overseas~.. where's the money coming from?..

7. [+239, -11] Lee Young Ae and Song Seunghyun should return all that money if they have a conscience~

8. [+228, -4] That damn ABC is so annoying, at least reading the comments helped quench my curiosity..

9. [+159, -5] At least invest all that money you receive into practicing your acting... some of them don't even have the fundamentals as actors...

10. [+124, -5] Please don't cast actors who can't even pronounce things right, can't act, and only stare at the screen with wide eyes.  The viewers can't understand what they're saying since they can't even speak Korean properly

SOURCES
Daum: From 3,000,000 KRW to 100,000,000 KRW.. salaries of small screen leads, a gap between the rich and poor
Soompi: 13 of the highest paid K-drama actresses and what they earn
Hancinema: 2015 actresses and their salaries
Billboard: China blocks Korean entertainment on streaming platforms over THAAD row
CJ E&M: No.1 contents creation & marketing company
XE Currency Converter [Used to convert KRW to USD]

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"Shortage of actors", no one to pick from to meet drama demands say casting directors

If you're a producer or a casting director for a new drama, you're sure to get a headache.  The reason?  There are no actors to cast, especially if you're trying to find actors in their 20s.  It's even harder knowing that most drama roles are about characters in that age range.  Just take a look at Fight My Way, My Sassy Girl, Bride of the Water God, Ruler: Master of the Mask, Suspicious Partner, or Duel.  

Even though casting directors try their best to find someone with the same age as the drama roles, they say the problem is "there are no actors for us to cast" or better yet, "there are no actors that can take on the lead role."  They say there's a shortage of actors in their 20s but why is this?

Male actors in their 20s or 30s have their military enlistment hanging above their heads.  A few examples include Joo Won who officially enlisted in the army after finishing My Sassy Girl, Ji Changwook is planning on enlisting after Suspicious Partner and Im Siwan's on the same boat too. 

The same thing is happening with actresses.  Those in their teens like Kim Yoojung and Kim Sohyun were recently cast for Moonlight Drawn By Clouds and Ruler, respectively.  An insider revealed, "A lot of dramas portray characters in their 20s or 30s but actors that are within that age range are very limited.  There aren't a lot to pick from so it becomes a battlefield.  A lot of male actors have to enlist in the army and as dramas are getting longer and longer, it's getting harder to cast people."

"We're at a state where the supply can't meet the demand.  So us producers can't help but worry when we have to do new castings and find new leads."

Daum: "There are no actors".. drama casting is a battlefield

1. [+2031, -21] I know they cast people based on popularity to get the ratings up but I hope they give a chance to unknown actors who have the skill.  They really need to dig out actors that are earnest and passionate for acting

2. [+1663, -20] Please give more unknown actors a chance rather than idols~

3. [+974, -17] Is that why idols and singers are popping up as actors?  Because supply can't meet the demand.........

4. [+600, -3] Actually they just wanna use the popular kids

5. [+592, -4] What they mean is there are a lot of actors but they don't really want to hunt them down

6. [+503, -4] There's so many students majoring in acting though?  There's so many people at university theatres?  You mean you just can't be bothered to find them

7. [+446, -7] Give unknown actors a chance

8. [+440, -2] So that's why model turned actors who can't really act are given leads...?

9. [+369, -2] If you listen to what actors say on variety shows, they're probably all just stuck at home

10. [+333, -2] They just pick the most obvious choices.. let's all give people a chance..

11. [+295, -8] There's gotta be actors. It's just that they're trying to find actors who are already stars.. you can't find an actor like Seo Hyunjin just like that.  Look at how Yoo Yeonseok got bigger after he was given the opportunity. I think there's a lot of people who can become stars as long as they do the audition well

12. [+191, -2] It's not that there's no actors it's that there are no actors who can earn money for these writers, producers and broadcast companies... there's so many skilled rookie actors!

13. [+162, -3] I actually think it'd be a fresh and exciting idea if they were to cast a good actor no one knew at all

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Should English brand signs be written in Hangul or left as is?

Caffé Pascucci

7-Eleven

Baskin Robbins

Dunkin' Donuts

Starbucks Coffee

Paris Baguette

Ministop

Daum Cafe: Hangul signs are pretty vs they look out of place

- I'm for them. They look pretty. It's just a lot of those signs need to change the font...

- It's because of the font that makes them look out of place but some of them look okay

- I think it looks so cute. Look at how adorable Dunkin' Donuts in Hangul looksㅜㅜ

- It'd actually be nicer if there were more Hangul signs just for some of the elderly who can't read English

- I don't think it looks nice or anything but the purpose behind it is clear! There are people who might not be able to read English so it's good to write it in Korean too...

- The English ones look better. Starbucks' looks so ugh..

- I freaking love it. You gotta make it Korean~~~ there's people who don't know English, kids, elderly, the point is so that we know what the name of the store is right? I mean we're in Korea ㅋㅋㅋ I wish all of the signs were in Korean

- What's up with the designs

- I like it a lot! Where else are you going to use Korean signs other than in Korea? ㅜ ㅜ On the contrary there should be more of these!!!

- Honestly I don't know how to pronounce new brands that I see so I like this plus isn't this one of Insadong's unique characteristics?

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NJTW4: Episode 4

Naver: 'NJTW4' Ahn Jaehyun x Eun Jiwon, 'New Crazy One' and 'Original Crazy One', crazy chemistry

1. [+1474, -25] Eun Jiwon hard carried today with the cone hatㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

2. [+1316, -19] Ahㅋㅋㅋ Eun Jiwon's face when he went to hug Ahn Jaehyun.. so cute

3. [+1030, -11] Lee Soogeun was born to be a gag manㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I laughed so hard todayㅋㅋㅋㅋ 

4. [+1050, -34] It's funnier when Eun Jiwon gets involvedㅋㅋㅋ He hard carriedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

5. [+900, -29] As expected of Eun Jiwon

Naver TV: Kyuhyun's eyes on the beer "BTS fuc~" (Sorry...)

1. [+2644, -10] ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋKyuhyun must've been in such a hurryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

2. [+1834, -6] Ah Cho KyuhyunㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋHe was in a rushㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

3. [+1521, -12]ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Just how much of a rush was he inㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

4. [+1459, -13] BTS fuc~ Cho Kyuhyunㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ you beer loverㅋㅋㅋ

5. [+1232, -9] Were you hurrying that much Kyuhyunㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ NJTW is so funny!!

Naver TV: 'Human jukebox Lee Soogeun! Solo time~'

1. [+1920, -32] Kyuhyunㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ"I'm SM you know"ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

2. [+1496, -27] Mino didn't recognize his bossㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So funny. Lee Soogeun's amazing

3. [+1250, -8] This was just a game made for Lee Soogeun

4. [+1064, -26] ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He couldn't recognize his CEO 'till the endㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Mino was firm until the end

5. [+783, -45] ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋIt's funny but Mino didn't know a lot since there were a lot of 90s songsㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Daum: 'Season's best ratings 'NJTW4', no member that's not funny'

1. [+220, -6] So damn funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

2. [+177, -11] Kang Hodong is really entertaining...

3. [+127, -6] Kang Hodong & Yoo Jaesuk support the people around them well

4. [+79, -3] It's the only variety show that makes me laugh out loud these days~ it's really, really fun~~~

5. [+76, -3] I'm only finding out now that Lee Soogeun's this funny

6. [+74, -2] I laugh so much that time passes by so fast

7. [+68, -1] NJTW = ignorant version, Dictionary of Useless Knowledge = intelligent version

8. [+58, -4] Isn't Seunggi getting discharged soon? Hahahaha

9. [+42, -4] To be honest I'm watching for Song Mojiri

10. [+27, 0] I binge watch it all the time. Season 4 is so funny

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'Blind hiring', no more photos or school names on Korean applications

On July 5th, President Moon Jae In and the Ministry of Employment and Labour announced a new policy regarding applications for all public jobs.  

- Any information unrelated to the job can no longer be requested (incl. photos, name of school, hometown, and family background) 

- Currently, the policy doesn't include private sectors and >52% said they are not willing to adopt the new system

Naver

1. [+3146, -231] It's really great and all that they won't look at schools but if we're going to do that, might as well make it so they're not allowed to see our GPA.  A 3.0 would be the same 3.0 for someone else then

2. [+2519, -296] Please conceal age and sex too.  In that way, skill will be put upfront.  You're not sitting there to pick the young guy who will drink with you 'till the end or a pretty girl to look at.

3. [+1968, -138] They'll still ask this at the job interview but at least documents are one less thing to be frustrated about.  While we're at it, it'd be great to get rid of age and sex too.

4. [+1512, -76] It's only right that they shouldn't be demanding unnecessary information.  This is great for job seekers that shell out almost $200 for their application photos.  Those that already got their application photos taken must feel like it's unfair but that's just how it is

5. [+1308, -96] What about age??

6. [+368, -25] Photo, sex, age.  Get rid of it, just like how it is internationally.

 7. [+326, -12] Honestly speaking I don't understand why we need to include our family members' occupation. Ugh. What does that matter?

8. [+302, -12] Our application photos aren't even our real faces.  It's good that they'll be able to see what we look like at the interview instead.  I support this.

Daum

1. [+1278, -151] This is what a country should be Geun Hye~~

2. [+1112, -31] They also need to look into public workers getting hired through special application processes.  They should exclude participation from internal employees as judges.  

3. [+884, -64] Good

4. [+319, -13] What about age?? Isn't age #1 when it comes to job discrimination?

5. [+285, -4] There are even public institutions that take note of your parents' academic background.  Isn't that insane? Seriously

6. [+238, -5] Get rid of places that look for your elementary, middle and high school background, your parents' occupation and wealth.

7. [+233, -20] What's the point if they'll still ask this during the interview

8. [+189, -16] Please, it's not too late to go through this properly.  In order for us to be judged solely on skill, this goal needs to be accomplished.

SOURCES:

'Blind hiring' for public jobs, no more photos and school names on applications

Naver: Starting this latter half of the year, no more photos on public sector job applications

Daum: 'Blind hiring' for public sector jobs.. no more photos or school names on applications

Korea Times: Korea begins 'blind hiring' for all public jobs

Quartz: South Korea's president wants to ban photos, and questions about your parents, in job applications

Naver: School, hometown, photos... concealing flashy qualifications

YouTube: [Weekly Moon Jaein Ep. 4] A resume without unnecessary qualifications

피드백은 언제든 환영이니 말씀해 주세요.

Please let me know if there are any mistakes.

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"Please tell me your resident registration number."

Man: Please say your resident registration number.
Girl: 010... (t/n: Phone numbers usually start with this.)
Man: No, not your phone number, your resident registration number.
Girl: Yeah I got it, 010...
Man: No!! Not your phone number!! Your resident registration number!!
Girl: I'm telling you right now! I was born in 2001!!

OP: "A similar experience happened with kids I was teaching in a class, the student teacher got such a shock when one said their number started with 010 ㅋㅋㅋ......"


---
(The first 6 digits of the card represent your birthday starting with the year [more explained below], to differentiate someone born in 1901 compared to 2001, the 7th number is needed which indicates whether you're male/female and the century you're born in.)

t/n: Every resident in SK receives one just a month before their 17th birthday where they have to register their fingerprint at a local government office and be issued a resident registration card that has their identification number, name, address, photo, and fingerprint.

A resident registration number consists of 13 digits and each digit indicates a particular type of information about the person in the form of YYMMDD-SBBBBNC.

YYMMDD: Birthday
(Ex. Someone born on February 10, 2001 would have the first six digits as 010210 or someone born in April 22, 1982 would have 820422.)

S: Sex/Century born in
3 - Male, Born in 2000-2100 or 4 - Female, Born in 2000-2100
1 - Male, Born in 1900-1999 or 2 - Female, Born in 1900-1999
(Ex. If a male was born on June 1, 1901 and another male on June 1, 2001.  They'd have 010601-1****** and 010601-3****** respectively.)

BBBB: Place of birth
N: Differentiating number
C: Check digit

Daum Cafe: Please tell me your resident registration number 

- Feels like '01 kids were born just yesterday though..?

- Mine starts with 8.. uh.. nevermind..
> Hehe halmeoni~!~! Take me with you~!!!
> ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- I work in a hospital and a police officer and I were asking a patient their resident registration number (RRN) and they said 000***-4******.  The police officer and I were just like, "I'm sorry, what??" three timesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I think the patient got mad too because they had to repeat it three times and even had to clarify that they're a '00 line kid ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- In my head, anyone starting from '99 line are still kids
> '99 line this year are in their last year of high school this year...... exam times....ㅜ
> So true, my cousin had a baby and in no time they were already in senior year...

- Never thought about why they needed to make the new 3, 4 (sex/century number 'S') but now that I think about it, you do need it because they could get mixed up with those that were born in 1905 or 1904

- Wow... 01... freaking crazy

- So weirdㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Feels so weird

- Wow these kids can seriously use their RRNs as phone numbers

- '01 line feels like they're still babies though......

- Time is so heartless

- A '00 is getting their ID already...? You're not kidding with me??

- Geez... I'm actually getting a bit of a culture shock... just a bit

- This is really making me feel old

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Young woman having sex at her own place vs. the neighbour who criticized her for it?

A young woman in her 20's brought her significant other to her rooftop place to visit.  Her room was very small and not soundproof so the couple had to keep the noise down.  When they opened their door in the middle of the night, the door next to them slammed open and an elderly neighbour started screaming at the young woman.

"A woman who lives alone, what right do you have to bring a man over to your place!  I can't believe, a woman doing this!"  The elderly then started to threaten her.  "Does your own mother even know you're acting this way?  I'm going to tell her right this moment.  If you're going to be bringing men to your place, move out right now!"

The young woman could not even act freely in the comfort of her own home and after this incident, she became conscious of her actions.  Even when she talked to her mom who always took her side, the word 'sex' never popped up in their conversation.  As someone officially on the government's map of childbearing age, she felt as if she was in a position where she could not even have sex.

Women in their 30's are criticized by elders for being no-good women not being able to get married whereas women in their mid-20's are criticized for bringing men over to their place.  The young woman feels conflicted about which ideals they expect her to conform to and wonders if the same situation would have played out if she was a man instead.

The young woman feels that she not only has to watch out for her safety as a woman living on her own, now she has to uphold a certain reputation.  Although she knows she shouldn't bother with those types of thoughts, she can't help but feel on edge when she brings her significant other because of the way her neighbours look at her and treat her.

Hankyureh via Daum: "Where do you think you're bringing a man in!"... It was my place but I was kept on my toes

1. [+4510, -426] These old geezers are really overstepping their boundaries.  They're the problem.  With her earned money, do they want her to do it in a car instead?  They don't see the bigger problem, these citizens that are on the same level as Park Geun-hye.

2. [+3397, -347] It's something that we can't even do anywhere we please, and it must be in a place where the others can't hear.  We have to save up money just to book an inn instead, the young generation is pitiful

3. [+2697, -295] Women who live alone have worries and anxiety because of men.  Your home is a place where you're supposed to be the most comfortable and we can't even have that.

4. [+1549, -217] I'm a woman too but this is totally wrong -_-.. The article keeps mentioning it as "her house" and "her place" but she lives in a small room that's not soundproof, do you think the neighbour would want to hear that kind of noise in 'their own house' too??  If she's so caught up in wanting her 'own space' then move to a place where no one can hear you do that.. a room that's as small as a container box can be a total bother, the person here is being way too selfish??!!  If you don't have the money to afford a better, more private place, then save up some money with your part-time job and do your thing at a motel;;;

5. [+1680, -349] The article is a piece of trash.  Without regard to whether you're a male or female, the fact that you're having sex in a place where the neighbour next to you can hear everything you're doing, isn't it basic manners to think about the neighbour?  That's the problem here.

6. [+1073, -147] I understand what the article is trying to say but the case they used just isn't it.

7. [+1014, -119] Isn't the article being too one-sided?  If the rooms are the size of a container box then the owner herself should know the level of that house and how sound can travel so easily.  With that, she should know to live quietly so is she trying to show off that she's being a nuisance to her neighbours by bringing her boyfriend to a place like that to have sex???

8. [+785, -56] Isn't it too much to be doing that in a rooftop place that's not soundproof?  Imagine how pissed off the elder beside them is?  She can just go to her boyfriend's, in any case the article gave a bad example!!!

9. [+694, -47] Looks like the problem isn't the fact that she's bringing her boyfriend over, it's her lack of manners for her neighbour for bringing him in a space where the next place can hear everything.  If you look at the other person's perspective, you'll find your answer.

10. [+597, -49] I don't think this is anything for her to be proud of ;  Looks like you're the one who made the mistake... you should think about your neighbour...

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Customers who speak to service workers informally?

Customer A: Excuse me
Waiter: Yes?
Customer A: Water

Customer B: There's this thing... don't you think it's better to address restaurant workers politely?
Customer A: How?
Customer B: "Please give me water," like this.
Customer A: Why should I?  I'm a customer.

Customer A: Hey (to the waiter)! Beer.

Daum Cafe: I'm embarrassed when I'm at a restaurant with this type of person.jpg

- This is my mom and dadㅜㅜ They always speak informally to part-time workers it's very embarrassing..

- So true ㅋㅋ They can't even speak like that to those who are higher in status than themㅋㅋㅋ but they abuse their power on service workers

- I have a similar experience.  I was riding a taxi with this person and they were such an asshole to the driver so when I asked about it when we got off, they said that the driver's getting paid so what.. ugh.. that's not even the problem, the fact is they treated that person like dirtㅠ

- You can tell what kind of person someone is through how they act in those situations

- But there's some people who are just shy so they don't like to talk a lot and will just say 'Hey.. water..' with their cups raised, would that still be considered rude?
> Employees won't know for sure if that person is just shy so they could get mistaken for being rude too
> But there's a clear difference between someone disrespectfully saying "Hey! Water!" and "Hey.. water.."
> The words I hate the most is when they say "Miss! (t/n: ahgashi) Water"

- I work part-time and an old man wanted a new plate, he didn't say anything and all he did was tap his chopsticks on the plate and made a noise like 'ddaeng ddaeng ddaeng!'
> I've gone through something similar, I was bringing them food and I asked where I should put it and they didn't even acknowledge me and just tapped with their hands at the spot in front of themㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It made me feel like I was their dog, that bastard

- Ugh..... seriously... they think they're way above you or something

- Huh, there are actually people like that?? I've never seen anyone like that...
> If you've worked part-time at a restaurant, there are actually a lot

- I asked them, "How many people?" and the old guy said, "Ha! Ahgashi? Can't you count? Try to count! Then you'll find out how many of us there are!" He actually got mad at MEㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ the bastard

- A lot of elderly act like that.. from my experience

- This is just a problem with those people's characters

- That's why I always tell my family members if we're out somewhere to always use formal language with anyone... even if they're an elementary student or a middle school student, it's always formal language for me.  Why would you use informal language with someone you don't know;;  When I used to work in a service job, I would speak formally to kids too...

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What are ways to help improve self-esteem?

OP: I'm someone who has very low self-esteem.  Whenever something happens, I'll always feel like I did something wrong.  If someone doesn't take my calls, I'll feel like I must have done something bad.  If I've made a mistake, I'll feel like trash and pick at my own faults.  So I get nervous if I've drank a lot and not know exactly what I've done.

I went to a therapist and the doctor told me this, "Don't focus on what you might've done wrong after drinking, what you should think of is the reason you drank that much.  You should think of thoughts like, 'Ah, that day I wasn't feeling great so I drank a lot.'  By focusing on your own emotions, you won't blame yourself as much."

After I heard those words, I realized how much I've been focusing on other people and events around them instead of my own feelings.

It isn't easy to become confident in yourself, but I'm gradually working towards that goal!!

Daum Cafe: 'Let's share a way of thinking that helps improve self-esteem.'

- I read this post everyday:
"There are two ways to live life comfortably.  One is to not be afraid to say no.  You have to be able to say no to requests or favours if you don't want to do them.  Another is to not get hurt when someone has rejected you.  Your worth doesn't drop just because another person doesn't like you... especially the words, 'You're not pretty', 'You don't have any charms', you have to get over these things by thinking, 'OK, well that's your opinion." A lot of women struggle with this... I myself had a hard time with this, but if you think about it, it's not important for every single person to like you."

- Whenever I start to worry or think about if I've made a mistake.. I scream, "FUCK IT SO WHAT" in my head to stop those thoughts.  It's like thinking 'I've already done it, so what can I do?' but with more impact, "FUCK IT, SO WHAT".  It lifts a heavy load off my shoulders.

- If something doesn't work out for you or you're not really sure of something, just think "As expected, it's because I'm so freaking cute." We're all cuties

- I'm the main character of my life

- Always think of positive thoughts!

- Don't focus so much on social relationships

- I try to dress nicely and put on make-up when I go out

- I think of only good things, and if not I write my thoughts and feelings in a notebook to clear my mind.

- I live my life thinking I'M THE BEST SCREW YOU GUYS

- As a clinical psychologist, the most common concern I hear from people is that they have low self-esteem.  I want to say something.  There are people who believe it's their own fault that they have low self-esteem but it is almost entirely the fault of other people.  Instead of trying to change your own feelings, I think we need to fix how people treat each other.  We need to move away from a world where people judge others by excessive and cruel standards even when friends wield hurtful comments disguised as jokes.  You need to lead your own life and not live it by trying to measure up to other's standards.

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Korean superstitions that have been introduced to foreign countries

Daum Cafe: Korean superstitions that have been introduced in other countries

- What I was taught was when you whistle at night, a snake will come out

- I really believed that I'd go blind if I touched a butterfly and then my eyesㅋㅋㅋㅋ My mother always used to nag me about that

- I'm so embarrassed about the fan thing

- But I do watch out for these things thoughㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- It's my first time hearing about the last oneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- So for years I never knew about the 'fan death' and I've been sleeping with a fan on in the summer.  I haven't died

- I was always told not to cut your fingernails at night.. I forgot why though? Was it because you'd turn into a mouse-like person..?

> Isn't it because you'll go "aahh!!" if you cut it wrong since it's so dark at night??

> Someone told me that you'll hear footsteps come up behind you if you do..

> I think it came from Japan.  I heard that if you cut your nails at night, something that's not human will appear

- For the chicken wings superstition, I don't think it's just for men, it's to anyone who eats it.  I also heard your skin will become really nice if you eat the meaty parts of the chicken wingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- I've heard that the fan superstition was a lie started by elders to save up on electricity

- There are a few on there that I'm finding out for the first time

- Yeah I've heard of theseㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

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SBS 'Inkigayo' gets rid of live voting?

Inkigayo Chart Calculation Method
Digital 55%
SNS 35%
Physical Album 5%
Pre-vote 5%

Daum Cafe: Live voting disappeared from today's Inkigayo

- Did this just happen today????  I guess we now have to focus on digitals and youtube views

- Album % shouldn't be increased because then idols would be at more of an advantage, right?  I think this is a good thing...

- Isn't it because not a lot of people typically buy physical albums

- I think digitals are fair.  No matter how many fans you have, if non-fans don't care for your song, it's going to be hard to get a stable #1 on the charts.  So I think this reflects the public more

- They made a good choice getting rid of the votes.  People normally just watch the MV on Youtube and listen to the digital..

- It's like they're not even caring for the physical albums anymore, what's up with 5%???

- This is nice.  I've always felt bad whenever there was an artist who was #1 on the digitals but got won over by idols

- I still think SNS % is too high..

- Physical album percentage is too lowㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'd expect at least 20-30%;

- Just go with 60% digital and 40% physical~~!

- Why are people complaining about the Youtube scores, isn't it good for that to be a high %?
> Because if there is no MV, it's 0 pointsㅠㅠ
> For songs that don't have MVs and for ballad MVs that people don't typically watch...

- To be honest I've always thought Inkigayo was the most fair out of all the music shows~

- People aren't born idol fans ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They are part of the "public" too, it's the idols power that turned them from the "public" into a "fan", isn't that right?
> ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ For real, we weren't all fans right when we were born ㅋㅋㅋ The fans are the 'public' too

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Fear of revenge attacks after a break-up, brings up need for strict stalking laws

#1 On January 9th, Ms. Lee was found unconscious and bleeding in a parking lot in front of a villa in Nonhyeon-dong where she lived.  She was transferred to a nearby hospital but she died after three days.  Her death was due to a severe injury which completely fractured her skull.  The perpetrator behind the crime was found to be her ex-boyfriend (33) Mr. Kang.  He said the reason for his random attack was because, "she didn't want to meet me..."

#2 Last year in February, a man in his 40s sprayed hydrochloric acid on his ex-girlfriend.  Mr. Yang (41) went to the woman's (31) home in Yongsan and sprayed her with the acid that he'd prepared in advance.  The problem was because of their break-up.  Her eyes and shoulders are severely injured.  In addition to this, Mr. Yang used a stun gun which he was going to use to kidnap her.

A new word "Safe Break-ups" has popped up online as it is becoming a serious social problem with crimes escalating from simple arguments to threats, stalking, murder, rape and other violent crimes.

Many have been asking for tougher punishments for stalkers and protection for victims.  In the past, perpetrators would get a slap on the wrist and did not stop as all they had to do was pay a small fine of approximately $70.  Victims continued to live in fear and mental security.   The government is currently preparing a new law to toughen punishment for stalkers by raising fines up to $17,000 plus a penalty of imprisonment as part of their plan to fight against sexual, domestic and school violence.

Newsis via Daum: 'Scared to break up after dating'... fear of 'revenge assaults' after a break-up

1. [+2152, -37] Crazy bastards

2. [+1789, -50] They're such bad people.  If they're tired of the relationship, just wish them well and date someone else, why take revenge...

3. [+1450, -127] Even when you break-up, you have to break-up well

4. [+832, -39] Guys, let's not be like this~~ if they want you gone, just let them go~~ don't hang on like a loser!

5. [+723, -17] Looks like there was a reason they wanted to break up..

6. [+670, -16] No matter the reason, they don't want to be with them anymore, the fact that they took it as far as assaulting them makes them such a loser.  What do you get from that..

7. [+637, -39] Just by reading the comments, there's a lot of people who seem to have the potential to committing something like this

8. [+504, -18] Gae-Nuri has been going on and on about making a stalker law...but they haven't even proposed anything

-

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Pyo Chang Won suspended for controversy over nude painting of Park Geun Hye

Last month, Pyo Chang Won hosted an art exhibition in the lobby of the National Assembly building.  A painting titled "Dirty Sleep" which shows President Park Geun Hye in the nude lying next to Choi Soon Sil was featured in the exhibition and is said to be a parody of Edouard Manet's "Olympia". 

Conservative supporters of Park were arrested by police at the exhibition on the chargers of damaging property as they took down the painting and threw it on the floor.  The opposition and ruling party were critical of Pyo with some saying the painting "sexually objectified" women and called for the Democratic Party to apologize.

In the face of criticism, Pyo Chang Won said the exhibition should be respected in terms of freedom of speech, but that he will take responsibility for the controversy.  "It surely does not suit my taste.  But I believe it is within the boundary of the freedom of arts.  I do not intend to intervene, obstruct, oppose, or disrupt mockery, caricature, parody, or satire against me.  In the same manner, we should respect criticism and satire of public figures including the president, politicians and other people with authority."

The artist, Lee Ku Young, defended the work and said in a radio interview, "A president of a country is an obvious target of satire".  The exhibition was planned by 20 artists who were on an arts blacklist for their opposition to the government. (Source)

YTN via Daum: Democratic Party suspends Pyo Chang Won for six months over 'nude painting controversy'

1. [+13,091, -848] This isn't right.  Why is the Democratic Party still being wary of the Saenuri Party.  Pathetic of them

2. [+10,778, -558] Aigoo... they've gone crazy..

3. [+10,316, -597] Venus de Milo is banned for display because of "sexually objectifying" women. Is this what you call a country? They seem to be living in a country to themselves.  How funny.

4. [+4042, -171] For a problem that will just flow right through the Saenuri members, I don't understand why they have to take it as far as to giving a disciplinary action.  Is the Democratic Party just following their orders?  What's the reason for them being pushed around by the Saenuri Party every time?????????

5. [+3936, -177] Gae-nuri doesn't even have near 100 seats, do they really have to watch out for them?  Let's kick out Kim Jintae for good.

6. [+3519, -163] Such bullshit... This is something that wouldn't even be a controversy in other countries... It's the presidential elections so I'm not going to write a hate comment.

7. [+3492, -162] This is unfair, retract the disciplinary action!!

8. [+3146, -139] What crime has he done?

9. [+2892, -129] Ah fuck, this is crazy!  What are they trying to do?

10. [+2720, -112] What bullshit is this

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Should Korea get rid of their age system and use international age instead?

Question: "Should we change our age system?"

46.8% Let's keep the 'Korean' age system (Black)

44.0% Follow the international age system (Pink)

9.2% I don't know (White)

America: "When I first heard of the Korean age system, I thought it was very interesting.  In the US, when you're born you're considered 0 years old and you'll turn 1 year old after a year."

Japan: "I thought it was weird when I first heard about it. It's hard to understand."

China: "In China, you're 1 year younger than in Korea. So when I'm in China, I get younger but when I come to Korea, I get older."

The Korean age system has it roots in China but everyone has abolished it except Korea.

Now it's just called the 'Korean age'.  The four countries that used to use it:

China: Abolished it after the Cultural Revolution

Japan: Abolished in 1902, completely disappeared after 1950

Vietnam: Abolished after the French colonization 

What's problematic about the aging system:

A child 'A' born December 31st, 1999 at 11:59 p.m. 

A child 'B' born January 1st, 2000 at 12:01 a.m. 

They were born 2 minutes apart but according to the Korean aging system, they are a year apart.

Daum Cafe: "The one thing only Korea uses that no other country in the world uses"

- My cousin is literally 3 months old, but he's "2 years old" now ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

> ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Same when I was born, I turned 2 years old in 2 days.. hing

> Me too I was born on December 31st so in 5 hours I was already two

- I'm curious about something.  Overseas, do they call those who were born in the same year as them but already had their birthdays passed "unnie, oppa, noona, or hyung"?  Or do they just consider each other as friends so they don't really use these?

> I'm telling you in America, they even call grandpas "Hey John"~ that stuff doesn't matter

- We have honorifics so if we suddenly change into the international age system, then people would suddenly be considered 'same-age friends', and you can't call them the honorific you used to call them

> If we change into the international age system, then that'd relieve a lot of stress on the culture of hierarchy, no? Isn't that desirableㅠㅠ

- I really wish we'd just go with the international age... I hate seeing people have to call someone unnie or oppa just because they've "lived longer" and it's uncomfortable to see those younger than me by only a few months call me "unnie".

> I think I'm taking this too far but if we do change to international age, I bet it'll help get rid of this disciplinary culture we have on seniority 

- Our culture thinks of the baby inside the mother's belly during the 9 months of pregnancy as a person, so while I'd rather we use the international age for formal and legal processes, from a cultural standpoint, it'd be nice to maintain our Korean age system.

- Seriously, we use the international age for legal things anyway;;;; so it's freaking weird

- I don't think we can get rid of it... if we do, honourifics will be totally disrupted... 

- For real, it's like Korea's 'Interstellar'

- Am I the only who likes the system

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Parents enrolling their kids in 'idol academies'?

A recent trend of 'idol academies' popped up in Gangnam.  Its popularity was fuelled by the fact that kids who are "good at singing and dancing are popular in class."  One grade 2 student is enrolled in the 'idol basics' program and his mother said, "I enrolled him in it because he said he wanted to attend an idol academy and he showed no interest in taekwondo or piano.  I think if he learns to dance and sing, he'll get more popular among people his age and also it'll boost his confidence."

It's around $100-$200 for sessions twice weekly (4 hours each) which apparently isn't a big difference with fees for taekwondo and piano classes.  The expensive price also takes into account that this is an investment for children to boost their chances of being accepted into music departments in universities later on.


Korean Economics via Daum: "Do you still attend Taekwondo and piano classes?", trend these days in Gangnam and Mokdong are 'idol academies'

1. [+2897, -67] Reporter, did you research how much tuition is for taekwondo and piano classes?  5 days a week and 20 hours class time is around $100 to $150.  Meanwhile, idol academies are $200 for a 4-hour class twice weekly.  How is that a 'similar price'?  It's already worrying that little kids don't care for children's songs and only follow provocative songs and dances these days.  Please go and find out instead if that academy you're blabbing about is even registered officially.

2. [+1517, -34] Parents that think like that are just tsk tsk

3. [+790, -19] Don't cry... Ryan...

4. [+472, -5] I just think what's wrong with the world... when elementary and middle school students are forced to do sexy dances... Mass media plays a big role for a world where we can go after our true dreams

5. [+388, -3] Don't let others decide what you should do, self-directed learning is needed for kids and adults too.  Let's try to encourage people to think critically on their own.

6. [+359, -2] This is totally an ad.

7. [+302, -4] Forcing them to take this class and that class... I don't think that's right... now we've got an idol academy, what's up with that...

8. [+253, -3] I don't think there's another country where the TV ads are filled with celebrities as much as ours.. That just means that consumers choose products not for the quality but for the celebrity that endorses it.  That's why people want to become a celebrity so they can earn easy money and get a pass for gambling or drinking and driving, in the end you'll still get tons of money from modelling fees

9. [+246, -2] Is it possible to learn a talent that's only given by the heavens..

10. [+241, -5] It's a fuss here in Bundang too... every building's basement has a practice room... for people to... practice dances...

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