Noam Chomsky - Unsolved History TV - Alice Walker - Noah Feldman - Billy Graham - Plastic Surgery Capital of the World TV - South Korea: Earth’s Hidden Wilderness TV - The Kim Dynasty 2018 - Korea: The Never Ending War TV - The Country that Beat the Virus: What Can Britain Learn? TV - Love Child 2014 - Seconds from Disaster TV -
Military spending nearly quadrupled shortly after, on the pretext that the invasion of South Korea was the first step in the Kremlin conquest of the world – despite the lack of compelling evidence, then or now, for Russian initiative in this phase of the complex struggle over the fate of Korea. Noam Chomsky, Deterring Democracy
In South Korea about 100,000 people were killed in the late 1940s by security forces installed and directed by the United States. ibid.
In the late summer of 1983 a 747 flew high above the Pacific with almost 300 people on board. Korean Airlines Flight 007 was nearing the end of its journey from New York to Seoul. But it had wandered off course hundreds of kilometres to the west into Soviet air space. Unsolved History: KAL007, Lifetime 2004
In South Korea they believe that when you turn 60, you’ve become a baby again and the rest of your life should be totally about joy and happiness, and people should leave you alone, and I just think that that’s the height of intelligence. Alice Walker
In 1953 after the armistice ending the Korean War, South Korea lay in ruins. President Eisenhower was eager to put an end to hostilities that had left his predecessor deeply unpopular, and the war ended in an uneasy stalemate. Noah Feldman
I spoke to a million in one service, in Korea, in Seoul. And that was the largest audience I ever have had. Billy Graham
I’m Annie Price and I’ve lived my whole life with burns scars … I’m in Seoul, South Korea – this is a city where 60% of people in their twenties have had plastic surgery. Plastic Surgery Capital of the World, BBC 2017
People come here from all over the world to be operated on – and Koreans have had more procedures than anyone … The doctors here specialise in face surgery. ibid.
Korea: An ancient mountain kingdom. A land divided by conflict. But in the natural world there is another side to Korea. In the south are pockets of untouched wilderness, rich habitats, with extraordinary creatures, and spectacular natural events. A place where nature and mankind have lived in harmony for centuries. This is Korea. South Korea: Earth’s Hidden Wilderness, BBC 2018
In the central region are lush temperate forests. Further south, these give way to fertile wetlands. ibid.
The demilitarised zone divides the Korean peninsula into North and South at the 38th Parallel. The armies of both sides face each other along the border. This stand off has continued since the end of the Korean War in 1953. It’s a precarious balance of power that’s often been threatened. The Kim Dynasty, 2018
North Korea’s transformation into a nuclear power should come as no surprise: they’ve been working towards this goal for decades. ibid.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was proclaimed in 1948. In June 1950 North Korea invaded the South. ibid.
The fighting dragged on for three years and killed an estimated 2.5 million. ibid.
North Korea: a highly militarised state dominated by one family for half a century. The product of a conflict reinforced by nuclear threat that still endures today. It began with the Korean War fought between 1950 and 1953. A war that left a deep ideological and physical division between North and South and reverberated across the world. Nearly 70 years on, this unresolved conflict continues to pose a serious threat to America and her allies. The Korean War was one of the bloodiest chapters in the country’s history. A civil war that nearly ignited World War III. It took the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and millions of Koreans. Korea: The Never Ending War, BBC 2019
The 38th Parallel was simply a line on a map. It followed no physical features … ‘It was a 30-minute decision.’ ibid.
The Japanese defeat in World War II ended their occupation of Korea, a history narrated by the brutal subjugation of the Korean people. ibid.
He [Rhee] was elected president of South Korea in 1948. To consolidate his authority, Rhee crushed political dissent killing thousands of communist guerrillas. ibid.
Kim quickly solidified his power and amassed a formidable army. By 1949 Kim had burnished his image as supreme leader, creating the myth of the fearsome guerrilla fighter who single-handedly defeated the Japanese. ibid.
In May 1950 Kim travelled to China to meet Mao. By the summer of 1950 Kim Il-sung was ready to invade the South, assuring Mao he would be greeted as a liberator, and take the peninsula in a matter of days. ibid.
Atrocities were being committed on all sides. ibid.
‘All the high American officers had been heroes of World War II … These were people who were famous.’ ibid.
July 1953 The Forgotten War: ‘Most of us when we came back really felt like we had not accomplished much. The American people generally, most of ‘em, really didn’t even know where we’d been.’ ibid. US soldier
The war was far from over. There was no official peace treaty. Thousands of POWs awaited repatriation. And continuing tensions forced President Eisenhower to commit thousands of troops along the border. The world had lost interest in events in Korea, but the luxury of not forgetting the war was not possible for Koreans. ibid.
July 8, 1994: A God Dies – But His Dream Lives On: Kim Il-sung died ibid.
Lockdown: Britain’s weapon against Covid-19. But was there another way to beat this disease? Should we have copied South Korea? Unlike here, they raced to get a mass testing programme in place. They tracked the contagion through social media and mass surveillance. And even though their strategy was tested to its limits, as the contagion spread through a religious cult, they still kept the death-toll low. The Country that Beat the Virus: What Can Britain Learn? Channel 4 2020
For some people the line between the life you log on to and reality are increasingly blurred. One couple in Korea live their virtual lives at the cost of their real lives … Love Child, television news, 2014
The only crime of its nature in which a child [Sarang] had died as an indirect result of internet gaming. ibid. Andrew Salmon re South Korean case
The genius of online gaming is that you can connect to thousands of players at the same time in the same internet space. ibid.
Just before the turn of the millennium, [South] Korea to the astonishment of the world found itself with probably the finest internet infrastructure on the planet. ibid.
The couple sold their virtual money to those who wanted to buy game items without investing the time it takes to earn them. Some call it Gold Farming, and as far as I could tell, this was the only way the couple earned income. ibid. reporter
Korea’s MMORPG games today enable users to decorate their avatars by charging the game cash, so called ‘game avatars’. ibid. young player
They would come in [Internet Bang] after dinner and play all night. They were so happy lost in this game together. ibid. reporter
They [parents of baby] had clearly fallen through the cracks of society. Rather a sad couple. They were unaware of what they had been doing. They had no information about raising children. ibid. Andrew Salmon
For some people who suffer from boredom, lose vigour, become depressed, video games provide the only comfort. They play games because they have nothing else to do. They barely eat and barely go out. They become like a hermit. ibid. psychiatrist
There is still controversy around whether the [South Korean] Law should include ‘online addiction’ in the category of mentally and physically ill. ibid. defence dude
She secretly gave birth to a baby in the PC Bang toilet stall and suffocated the baby with the plastic bag. She was addicted to online gaming and roamed around the PC bang homeless. She started having contractions and went to the public restroom to give birth to a child. ibid. captions
The judge in the case accepted a psychological evaluation alleging they were addicted to online gaming. ibid. defence dude
It’s a basic responsibility as a human to feed a baby. It’s not something to be taught. ibid. rozzer
In a final twist to this story, the wife of the couple is now pregnant with a second child. ibid. Andrew Salmon in court
Sarang’s father was sentenced to one year in prison. Sarang’s mother served no time. ibid. captions
The parents are deeply sorry for their actions and are seeking redemption. ibid. defence dude
South Korea: A bustling department store in one of the busiest cities in the world. 1,500 people are crammed inside the building. Suddenly, an explosion erupts from the top floor. In less than 20 seconds the entire store crashes to the ground. In its place lies a massive pile of twisted steel and concrete. Over 500 people are dead. Seconds from Disaster s3e5: Superstore Collapse
1,500 people are crushed under 42,000 tons of rubble. ibid.
Built in the late ’80s from reinforced concrete the complex has 4 basement levels and 5 storeys above ground. It stands on 15,000 square metres of real estate … The area was one a landfill site and the city’s wastedump. Now in a remarkable turnaround it’s one of Seoul’s most affluent areas. ibid.
The entire structure came straight down … Some kind of structural failure must have caused this disaster. ibid.