Saturday, May 1
Foreign cars on the rise?
Lately, I have been seeing a lot more imported cars on the roads around Ulsan.
When I arrived here, almost 4 years ago, it was a surprising sight to see a foreign car on the road. These days however, it is becoming more and more common- by Korean standards that is!
In a domestic market of almost 2,000,000car sales a year, imported models reached about 20,000 units- with BMW leading the charge at 5432 units in 2003. This 2% market penertration, is about the lowest of auto producing countries, with comparable figures for countries such as the US and Germany about 30-40%.
There are many reasons for this low figure- for many years Korean believed that having a foreign car would ensure a visit from their friendly tax office in an audit. This is so widely beieved, that the tax office routinely tells the tax-paying public that it is not true!
Koreans who have foreign cars have been beaten and choked and branded as traitors by their fellow citizens in the past, and though this is not a problem these days, the feelings do linger.
People who spend 50,000,000 won on an important car are seen as vain, vulgar, show-offs who are flashing their money around. Those who spend 100,000,000 on a Korean made car- such as a Hyundai Equus, the company's flagship model, are seen as people enjoying their hard earned wealth.
These negative views seem to stymie the desire to buy an imported car.
The tariffs are also a factor, though the huge cuts made in the last few years, have helped. Tariffs of 80% are now at 8%, which is lower than those in the EU. US tariffs are 2.5%.
Koreans need to change their attitudes towards those who wish to buy an imported car. A rise in imports certainly won't kill off the local industry- one of the biggest employers here in Ulsan, home to the Hyundai Auto plant- with export sales of almost 2,000,000 units ,but could take off some of the pressure that some countries taking huge numbers of Korean cars put on Korea to try and do the same with their cars.
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When I arrived here, almost 4 years ago, it was a surprising sight to see a foreign car on the road. These days however, it is becoming more and more common- by Korean standards that is!
In a domestic market of almost 2,000,000car sales a year, imported models reached about 20,000 units- with BMW leading the charge at 5432 units in 2003. This 2% market penertration, is about the lowest of auto producing countries, with comparable figures for countries such as the US and Germany about 30-40%.
There are many reasons for this low figure- for many years Korean believed that having a foreign car would ensure a visit from their friendly tax office in an audit. This is so widely beieved, that the tax office routinely tells the tax-paying public that it is not true!
Koreans who have foreign cars have been beaten and choked and branded as traitors by their fellow citizens in the past, and though this is not a problem these days, the feelings do linger.
People who spend 50,000,000 won on an important car are seen as vain, vulgar, show-offs who are flashing their money around. Those who spend 100,000,000 on a Korean made car- such as a Hyundai Equus, the company's flagship model, are seen as people enjoying their hard earned wealth.
These negative views seem to stymie the desire to buy an imported car.
The tariffs are also a factor, though the huge cuts made in the last few years, have helped. Tariffs of 80% are now at 8%, which is lower than those in the EU. US tariffs are 2.5%.
Koreans need to change their attitudes towards those who wish to buy an imported car. A rise in imports certainly won't kill off the local industry- one of the biggest employers here in Ulsan, home to the Hyundai Auto plant- with export sales of almost 2,000,000 units ,but could take off some of the pressure that some countries taking huge numbers of Korean cars put on Korea to try and do the same with their cars.
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Will they or won't they?
In what seems to be a never ending game of chicken, the South Korean National Security Council has yet again postponed making a decision on where to send troops in Iraq.
Roh promised to send 3600 troops, including 1500 combatants, back in November, but in a cynical ploy to play off both the South Korean public who are against sending the troops, and the US government, the NSC keeps saying yes the troops are going, but we don't know where we will send them.
It was planned to send them to Kirkuk, but after attacks increased there, the NSC pulled the plug on it- apparently it was too dangerous there, and the government only wants to send their troops to areas where there is no danger of being involved in combat!
A fact finding mission went to Iraq early this year, and it was then that it was decided to send the Korean soldiers to the Kurdish region. The Korean government selected the Kurdish city of Irbil, close to Iranian border. That is probably the furthest place away from any real peace-keeping, nation building or combat that they can be, and still be in Iraq, but it seems that it is not enough for the newly elected parliament.
It is seen by many here that the NSC is delaying to deployment to get a feeling of the incoming parliament. Most of the newly-elected members of Uri want to scrap the deployment totally, as part of a sweeping examination, and re-alignment of US-South Korean relations.
"We need to review the alliance with the United States in order to lead it to a more equal relationship," so said Lee Kwang-chol, a newly elected Uri Representative. He also feels that sending troops may be against South Korea's national interests!
Small countries- even if they have the 4th largest economy in Asia, have to realise that they can't be on an equal footing with a behemoth like the US. If countries like Japan, Germany or even the UK are not on an equal footing with the US how can a small country like South Korea expect to be?
Of course- how could it be in you national interest to maintain a trustworthy and solid alliance with the world's only superpower, who happens to have 36,000 troops helping to protect your country from invasion?
What does Uri expect when they try to create an equal partnership with the US? Do they want the US to give as many TV's to the North as they do?
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Roh promised to send 3600 troops, including 1500 combatants, back in November, but in a cynical ploy to play off both the South Korean public who are against sending the troops, and the US government, the NSC keeps saying yes the troops are going, but we don't know where we will send them.
It was planned to send them to Kirkuk, but after attacks increased there, the NSC pulled the plug on it- apparently it was too dangerous there, and the government only wants to send their troops to areas where there is no danger of being involved in combat!
A fact finding mission went to Iraq early this year, and it was then that it was decided to send the Korean soldiers to the Kurdish region. The Korean government selected the Kurdish city of Irbil, close to Iranian border. That is probably the furthest place away from any real peace-keeping, nation building or combat that they can be, and still be in Iraq, but it seems that it is not enough for the newly elected parliament.
It is seen by many here that the NSC is delaying to deployment to get a feeling of the incoming parliament. Most of the newly-elected members of Uri want to scrap the deployment totally, as part of a sweeping examination, and re-alignment of US-South Korean relations.
"We need to review the alliance with the United States in order to lead it to a more equal relationship," so said Lee Kwang-chol, a newly elected Uri Representative. He also feels that sending troops may be against South Korea's national interests!
Small countries- even if they have the 4th largest economy in Asia, have to realise that they can't be on an equal footing with a behemoth like the US. If countries like Japan, Germany or even the UK are not on an equal footing with the US how can a small country like South Korea expect to be?
Of course- how could it be in you national interest to maintain a trustworthy and solid alliance with the world's only superpower, who happens to have 36,000 troops helping to protect your country from invasion?
What does Uri expect when they try to create an equal partnership with the US? Do they want the US to give as many TV's to the North as they do?
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Wednesday, April 28
DPRK rejects quick delivery of South's aid
In what is an unsurprising move, the North Korean government has rejected a request by the South to deliver aid to the Ryongchon disaster site by road.
They instead insisted that the aid be delivered by ship to the coastal port city of Nampo, where the North will then take it by road to Ryonchon. It will therefore take more than 2 days for the aid to arrive- if it gets there at all.
The North also refused a medical team and hospital ship from Seoul, insisting that there were enough medical teams in the area already. This is while CNN and BBC are showing injured children two and three to a bed, and cuts being stitched with twine!
At an inter-Korean meeting yesterday to discuss the disaster, Pyongyang presented Seoul with a request list for aid- including bulldozers, TV's and oil. So as to not sound ungrateful, they then thanked the South for their "brotherly love and humanitarian aid", before rejecting engineers traveling to the area to assist with the clean up.
To see the modern equipment that the North are using see these pictures.
The North have again shown us how much they care for their own people- not that we needed any reminders. When the government is willing to let up to 2 million starve to death, what would they care if a few hundred were incinerated?
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They instead insisted that the aid be delivered by ship to the coastal port city of Nampo, where the North will then take it by road to Ryonchon. It will therefore take more than 2 days for the aid to arrive- if it gets there at all.
The North also refused a medical team and hospital ship from Seoul, insisting that there were enough medical teams in the area already. This is while CNN and BBC are showing injured children two and three to a bed, and cuts being stitched with twine!
At an inter-Korean meeting yesterday to discuss the disaster, Pyongyang presented Seoul with a request list for aid- including bulldozers, TV's and oil. So as to not sound ungrateful, they then thanked the South for their "brotherly love and humanitarian aid", before rejecting engineers traveling to the area to assist with the clean up.
To see the modern equipment that the North are using see these pictures.
The North have again shown us how much they care for their own people- not that we needed any reminders. When the government is willing to let up to 2 million starve to death, what would they care if a few hundred were incinerated?
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Monday, April 26
CNN
CNN has taken an interest is Australia over the weekend. The show 'Insight' had the Redfern riots of a couple of months ago as the special focus last night.
CNN reporter Stan Grant- known to Australian viewers for being fired from Channel 7 after having an affair with, and then leaving his wife for, fellow 7 network Olympics anchor Tracie Holmes, wandered the streets of Redfern and pondered race relations with people such as Anthony Mundine, Thomas Hickey's mother (he is the boy who died, sparking the riots) and others on the street.
In a pre-recorded interview, host Jonothan Mann spoke to Amanda Vanstone, the Indigenous Affairs and Immigration Minister.
He questioned her about the problems for Aboriginal communities in Australia- not bothering to mention any positive outcomes in the last few years. To end he launched the question about an apology. Vanstone handled herself well.
Later in the news, CNN mentioned ANZAC day, our Memorial Day, to remember our war dead, but failed to mention that the Prime Minister spent his Anzac Day in Iraq- surely that was news worth mentioning before this mornings news bulletin. Mark Latham, the leader of the Opposition appeared, saying that because Anzac Day was above politics he hoped the PM would have a safe trip. Does that mean that had Howard gone to visit our troops today, rather than yesterday, Latham would have hoped he had been attacked?
What a great man!
This coverage of Australia was very biased- A riot months ago counted as important news- with claims that Australia is a racist country with huge race issues to deal with, followed by the pro-US PM being ignored- though a story on 1 US death yesterday was covered.
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CNN reporter Stan Grant- known to Australian viewers for being fired from Channel 7 after having an affair with, and then leaving his wife for, fellow 7 network Olympics anchor Tracie Holmes, wandered the streets of Redfern and pondered race relations with people such as Anthony Mundine, Thomas Hickey's mother (he is the boy who died, sparking the riots) and others on the street.
In a pre-recorded interview, host Jonothan Mann spoke to Amanda Vanstone, the Indigenous Affairs and Immigration Minister.
He questioned her about the problems for Aboriginal communities in Australia- not bothering to mention any positive outcomes in the last few years. To end he launched the question about an apology. Vanstone handled herself well.
Later in the news, CNN mentioned ANZAC day, our Memorial Day, to remember our war dead, but failed to mention that the Prime Minister spent his Anzac Day in Iraq- surely that was news worth mentioning before this mornings news bulletin. Mark Latham, the leader of the Opposition appeared, saying that because Anzac Day was above politics he hoped the PM would have a safe trip. Does that mean that had Howard gone to visit our troops today, rather than yesterday, Latham would have hoped he had been attacked?
What a great man!
This coverage of Australia was very biased- A riot months ago counted as important news- with claims that Australia is a racist country with huge race issues to deal with, followed by the pro-US PM being ignored- though a story on 1 US death yesterday was covered.
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