By For those following the events in Libya, the Korean government has officially recognized the Rebel Alliance:
The South Korean government says it is officially recognizing Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC) as a legitimate governing body.
As rebel forces almost ended the reign of longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a spokesman’s statement that Seoul acknowledges the TNC as representing the Libyan people.
Moreover, the government reaffirmed it will offer one million U.S. dollars worth of aid for the TNC, adding that additional aid will be provided by the South Korean civilian sector. [KBS Global]
5:01 pm on August 24th, 2011 1
There’s a “government” there to recognize? All I’ve seen is a bunch of dudes wearing Lakers and Spurs jerseys running the streets with loaded weapons.
5:50 pm on August 24th, 2011 2
South Korea has good reason to recognize the opposition. South Korean firms are responsible for a third of all foreign trade in Lybia thanks to all those lucrative construction contracts, contracts which they were able to ensure will be upheld by the new administration.
12:31 am on August 25th, 2011 3
Yep… Koreans.. Making with the payola.
12:46 am on August 25th, 2011 4
Payola is actually based on a Korean word, 폐열라.
Prior to the Korean War, the word nor the concept existed in the US and the West.
2:12 am on August 25th, 2011 5
kushibo 4, what does Pyeyeolra mean?
2:44 am on August 25th, 2011 6
Kushibo is right.
폐열라 caused a huge scandal during Shilla when it was found that kisangs were being paid to sing Arriang at court music festivals.
A number of kyegum players were blacklisted from the profession.
It was an ugly time.
4:07 am on August 25th, 2011 7
Here’s the only payola I know about. The concept is, of course, older than the Korean War, but the term isn’t. kushibo may be on to something, but I don’t have the background to understand what he and ChickenHead are discussing.
I don’t know when ChickenHead is ironic or straightforward.
5:56 am on August 25th, 2011 8
Glans,
폐열라, in Korean history, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by folk song writers for the performance of their work at shows, festival, and official affairs of court, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day’s performance.
Under King 왕불싯’s proclamation, a performance troop can perform a specific song in exchange for money, rice or kimchee, but this must be disclosed as being a sponsored performance, and that performance of the song should not be counted as a “popular request” in official court accountings.
폐열라 comes from the Chinese characters 幣(폐) – evil, 熱(열) – mania, and 羅(라) – from the Shilla Dynasty 新羅(신라)… translating roughly to “evil mania from Shilla”.
The entire episode was a dark time in Korean history that is conveniently left out of the history books.
9:12 am on August 25th, 2011 9
The Payolas? Loved that band when I was a kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C_fVnE3xHY
(The blonde haired guitar guy is Bob Rock, the music producer).
9:15 am on August 25th, 2011 10
…Well, loved might be an overstatement. I like that song.
11:40 am on August 25th, 2011 11
Well, can’t fault them really. It’s either this one or non. And we recognized this non-government before they were even in Tripoli.
3:14 pm on August 25th, 2011 12
I’m recognizing any government that invites a permanent American military installation to be built.
Sure, the new government will be run by a greedy, corrupt, dictatorial sonofabiitch and his dirtbag henchmen… but as long as he publicly condemns terrorism every now and then… and agrees that oil should be traded in dollars, what does it matter.
3:48 pm on August 25th, 2011 13
#12,
Right, because NATO only has the US as a member.
3:52 pm on August 25th, 2011 14
PS. Breakdown of where Lybian oil goes:
32% to Italy
14% to Germany
10% to France
9% to Spain
14% to other European countries
10% to China
4% to other Asian countries
5% to the US
3% to Brazil
3:55 pm on August 25th, 2011 15
…Of course, these rounded figures are for exports only. They don’t take into account oil for domestic consumption.