About downpours rain

Every summer I feel downpours rain intensify more and more. It’s like rainy season of Gaum located in the South Pacific. And this summer Korea rainy season was very long without precedent. And it is matter of only Korea but most Asian nations like Thailand, China and Japan. A few month ago, it occurred big flooding in Bangkok. And I saw news that number of downpours rain will increase four times in 2100 year all over the world. It’s global weather problem. So if we solute this problem basically, we should hold international forum or sign a treaty about contaminant decreasing like Kyoto treaty between national government. And it needs Close-to Nature policy of large enterprises. Also we should reduce using of Freon gas like spray, air-conditional, driving personal car.

But there is limitation that practices these things and also it is global issue so preventing downpours is impossible during short time. Then how can we do preferentially to prevent this problem?

Since even National Weather Service can’t predict summer weather, it is more important prevention and safety of downpours rain, if we should protect landslide of Umyeonsan Mt and Kang-nam flooding event occurred this summer. I think it occurred Oh, Se-hoon, previous mayor of Seoul spent prevention of flood budget to other field like Design Seoul project and constructing. From now on Korea Government should make an effort to prevent nature disaster like water flooding or landslide so that I would not like to listen to similar news next summer.

Necessary of Jeju naval base

Frankly speaking I was not interested in Jeju naval basement even though it was always on the news. But when I listen to last week presentation relate to Jeju naval basement, I can understand how important this issue is.

Some people who oppose this matter insist Jeju’ nature would be polluted and the other various reasons. They say this area was designated as 7^th natural landscape, also various natural monuments live in there.

But I think it is necessary to protect our sea and land. Today we can see the news about two countries, Japan and China which would steal our land and sea like East Sea including Dock-do and West Sea. Lately a few days ago, a Chinese fisher killed a Korea maritime police who block illegality of haul of fish in West Sea of Korea. Japan and China have an eye on Korea land and see and it is confirmed when we see China’s Northeast and Dock-do. In this situation what is the most important thing?

There are not yet proper naval base in South Sea and West Sea. And for a long time since Noh, MuTion, previous president Korea government consider this area for naval base for various reasons. I think it is unavoidable for protect Korea.

Problem of university tuition fee

It is always at issue that university tuition fee in Korea. I can see that ‘university tuition fee problem’ is top position in issue of this year that student choose. We can see news relating this problem, some student representatives went so far as to cut their hair although they are women, and entertainers like Kim, Yeojin and Kim, Jedong picket in front of Gwanghwamun Square for half tuition fee.

In my case I could not feel this problem well because I’m studying national university. I thought my school tuition fee is very cheap compared with some of my friends’ who are studying in private university. (They almost pay 6,000,000 won.) But when I know rate of increasing tuition fee during 5 years, I was surprised the fact that enrolled freshman in 2008 pay more about three times increasing compared with enrolled freshman in 2002. The older students paid just about 1,000,000 won. Family income does not increase 3 times but how does they do that? I can feel our school tuition fee is not cheap anymore even though national university.

Government take action like assisting 10~15% support fund for decreasing tuition fee. But I think it is not good method. It is not fundamental method. Some private university possess huge amount of cash. They don’t use for students but they use this cash for big building. And they rent this building to outsider like restaurant, market not using laboratory, lecture room. Government should thoroughly investigate how total tuition fee are used firstly.

About minimum wage in Korea

I have not worked at café or restaurant but every when I go to crowded restaurant or café located in downtown, I can understand how hard part-timers work. But you know, almost part-timers get minimum wage 4,350 or 4,500 won per hour, and I think it does not correspond to strength of this kind of work. Owners just derive great benefits, they don’t care about part-timers’ wage. If you think about it, coffee is average 4,300 won at almost café and it is similar to part-timer’s one hour wage. And then some popular café in downtown would sell 100 cups of coffee every hour. Except various holding cost, like materials cost, electric charge and so on… amount of clear profit is huge. It’s no different from exploitation of labor.

I think Korean minimum wage is not realistic compare with Korean prices. Almost part-timers are university students who must raise so-called ‘spec’ in Korean and also gather money for tuition, travel cost or the poor who live with difficulty. But how many times do they work for gathering money? People say that it is good to travel or enjoy your time during living as a university student. I think it is difficult for common students. Also vicious circle of poverty keeps going, not improving their quality of life. It does not make sense.

And I heard minimum wage of next year, 2012 is 4580 won. But I think it is useless that 230 won increases compared with Korean prices increasing. Korean government would like to control minimum wage considering benefits between employer and employee immediately.

About physical punishment in Korea

Nowadays students are easily exposed to bad things because of developing of various media like movie, TV, and Internet. So we can see news relating teenagers’ problems almost every day. Sometimes teenagers act as if they had no common sense like hitting teachers or parents and doing sexual violence so that I am surprised every when I see this kind of news.

But kwak, Seoul’s superintendent of education have taken effects ‘forbidding physical punishment in school’. After that we can see another kind of news that students abuse this regulation for making fun of teachers sometimes. I think it makes students more thoughtless and mess.

But sometimes we can also hear students are hurt seriously by teacher’s hitting or linguistic violence. It is problem of absolutely wrong teacher’s discipline. It's matter of teacher's personality that they hit student seriously. I think it is emotional violence, not discipline. Students may make a mistake since they don’t know what is wrong and right.

It is awkward to hitting blindly but sometimes students don’t pay any attention to teacher’s advice. In this situation what is that teachers can do? I think physical punishment is necessary sometimes, if they make a mistake, teachers should lead them to right way with proper physical punishment and advice.

So rather than forbid physical punishment, the Ministry of Education should make guideline about physical punishment to prevent seriously violence that happens sometimes to students.

About CCTV in Korea

Today we can see CCTV anywhere we go. They are located in public places like school or building to narrow alleys, sea or mountain even in restaurant where we eat. And sometimes I feel frightening when I find CCTV right after going out in my house in the morning. It is always located nearby me like in elevator, APT estates, on the road, subway station, corridor of school and lecture room. I think too many CCTV is unnecessary. It just intrudes into private life.

The reasons that set up CCTV would be various, but main reason may be for prevention of crimes like robberies or incidents in advance. Every when I see countless CCTV, I use to think ‘Does somebody monitor videos in real time?’ Absolutely every time supervisor would not monitor videos in real time and CCTV would be used just recording not using for prevention of crimes. It also could do role of announcement effect. But if a certain event had already occurred like sexual violence, I would like to ask what is using of CCTV for whom? Of course it is important that monitor video after happening events but it had already happened. Still many crimes occur in a day even though many CCTV in here and there.

In fact people say Korea is well- public safety nation compared with other nations. I think so, too. But I don’t think it is because of countless CCTV. If it does, part of it would be small. It is good to set up a CCTV in dangerous, dark places or important places but I would like that government or other private enterprises manage CCTV more effective not increasing in number.

About Korea house price

Sometimes I think Korea house price are abnormally high. Probably since people buy houses more  to earn money with increasing house price it would be. Consequently people who indeed need a house can’t buy a house because it already increases too much. It is a serious vicious circle. House is just a house to live, eat, and sleep. I want awareness of Korean people concerning house would change.

In the midst of special election campaign I heard that even Park, Won Soon, who was chosen as a new mayor of Seoul for common people live in very expensive apartment in Bang Bae area. After that I felt strange why Won Soon who promise decreasing house price as one of pledge live in such a expensive apartment. I though he is also self-contradictory and not easy to change Seoul as a nice city for common people.

Someday when I have to get a house I don’t want to be creditor to buy a house with pouring whole money. I want good politians and new policy come as soon as possible so that house price will decrease for people who live earnestly to get their own house.