Teach Korean, get white women.

That's the approach Sindorim Korean School (산도림한국어학당) is taking with their advertisements on the Korea Times.

Of course news sites like the Korea Times aren't known for the subtlety or classiness of their advertisements (more here and here, for example). This particular article, "Foreigner attacks old person on a bus," is surrounded by ads for a plastic surgeon, a dating quiz, two male enhancement clinics, two online shopping sites, and a wristwatch camcorder convenient for secretly taking pictures of women on the street.

This school's ad speaks to the increasing need for qualified Korean-language teachers during the swell of the Korean Wave, and unsurprisingly uses the appeal of white women---who are often fetishized and sexualized in Korean media and ads---to do it.

I'm reminded of what I dug up a couple years ago for a post I never got around to finishing, about the big language-exchange clubs in Seoul that used flirtatious white girls as their draw (inspired in turn by material found for this post about pestering foreigners to learn English).


Take a look at the "traditional" American dress used to promote the English Conversation Club.

Hana Republic is one of the best-known of these "international party" groups, and probably the most widely-advertised on Korean-language sites, and has images like this on its site to promote its language exxxchanges:



It has, um, "evolved" to include pictures of white men hanging out with Korean women as well. But nevertheless the drunk white girl angle is somewhat notable considering the reception a language-exchange site, or a Korean-language school, would get were its main aim to hook up white guys with Korean women. There's no need to spend too long imagining.

World Roller Speed Skating Championship coming to Yeosu.

The 2011 Yeosu World Roller Speed Skating Championship (2011여수세계롤러스피드스케이팅선수권대회) will be held August 29th through September 5th in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do. Information is characteristically sparse on the official website, though you can find a time-table of events for the week in English. A news article from last week estimates 700-some athletes from 50-some countries will compete.

Big trouble at small Gangjin college.

A good edition of "Korea Finder" might start with this:



A better edition wouldn't give it away in the title, though.

The JoongAng Daily writes of the troubles surrounding Gangjin county's Sunghwa College (성화대학), located in a small village northwest of the county seat:

Education authorities said the former president of Sunghwa College in South Jeolla embezzled billions of won from the school, explaining why the college paid just 130,000 won ($124) a month to its professors.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced yesterday that the former president and school founder, surnamed Lee, embezzled a total of 6.5 billion won since 2005, including 5.2 billion won that he transferred from the college’s coffers to a company that he owns.

. . .

According to the ministry, Lee appointed his wife, high school classmates and hometown friends to the college’s board as well as naming his 31-year-old daughter as his executive assistant.

Lee’s second daughter, 27, was appointed as the head of the accounting unit.

On a similar topic in the neighborhood, two weeks ago the JoongAng Daily also wrote that Myungshin University (명신대학교), between Boseong county and Suncheon,

was dealt a heavy blow by the educational authorities who cited it for corrupt management, including embezzling 6.5 billion won ($6.1 million).

The paper called it, in an editorial the same day,

a typical example of the mismanaged private universities that have degenerated into a profitable business by selling diplomas.

It's been a slow news year for Jeollanam-do, and the reason this story caught my eye is not simply because it talks about an untenable business model close to "home", but because I've worked in the area and visited the school a couple times. When I worked in Gangjin county I taught in Seongjeon-myeon each Friday at a small elementary school a block from the college. Basically the only post-secondary institution in the county, its campus was distinctive for a couple reasons: for the caged deer it kept across from the administration building, and for the four airplanes it kept on campus.

Satellite view from Naver Maps. The big green thing on the left is a driving range on campus.

Daum's Road View gives us a look at smaller model by the entrance:

From May 16, 2010.

Taken March 29, 2007, outside the school's main building:



From Road View:



For more pictures, click the first blog link---a bike trip from Mokpo to Seongjeon-myeon--- from this Naver search. As is often the case with Naver Cafe posts, I can't link to it directly, because for many, making entries inaccessible is just as much fun as writing them.