Eighth Army Deputy Commanding General for Operations Maj. Gen. Walter Golden speaks at the 2013 Gangnam New Year’s Reception in Seoul, Jan. 8, 2012, at COEX.
From the USFK Facebook page:
The Eighth Army deputy commanding general for operations thanked the citizens of Seoul’s Gangnam District for their support of the Republic of Korea-United States Alliance.
Maj. Gen. Walter M. Golden, Eighth Army deputy commanding general for Operations, was a guest speaker Jan. 8, at the annual Gangnam New Year’s Reception at COEX, the site of the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit and the 2010 G-20 Summit.
Hosted by Gangnam District Mayor Dr. Shin Yeon-hee, the reception was attended by more than 1,500 residents of the affluent district on the south side of the Han River.
“We are proud to have the citizens of Gangnam District as our community partners,” said Golden.
“We are looking forward to the opportunities this new year will bring, including new events and cultural exchanges between Eighth Army and Gangnam,” said Golden, a native of Salida, Colo.
The district signed a memorandum of understanding with Eighth Army in 2004 to strengthen the bond between its residents and American troops serving in South Korea.
Since then, Gangnam has hosted and organized more than 150 events for U.S.troops. [Army.mil]
Unfortunately the article made no mention of whether or not MG Golden busted out the horse dance or not during his speech. Come on General Golden how can you address the citizens of Gangnam without doing a horse dance? 
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4:15 am on January 20th, 2013 1
WTF am I reading?
7:29 am on January 20th, 2013 2
A major general would be a good oppa.
10:45 am on January 20th, 2013 3
At least he didn’t show up in his ACUs.
6:49 pm on January 20th, 2013 4
Shame on Maj. Gen. Walter Golden for not knowing the facts. How stylish can a place be when nobody cares about visiting it?
“Tours to Gangnam bomb despite massive PR from hit song” http://english.donga.com/srv/s…
“David Gonzales, a Spanish tourist in Korea, had an embarrassing experience while on a tour of southern Seoul on Dec. 13.
He had booked an all-day tour for 30,000 won (28 U.S. dollars) that included visits to Bongeun Temple, Eunma shopping arcade, the street around Gangnam subway station, an aquarium, Seolleung Royal Tomb, the posh area of Garosu-gil in Shinsa-dong, Cheongdam fashion street and the Seoul COEX. He never went to Eunma and Garosu-gil, however, and no explanation was given. The tour guide also gave him no time to eat lunch.”
“We entered the aquarium at 1:30 p.m., and the guide left there with no excuse,” the Spanaird said. “The guide had poor English-speaking skills to the point that I could get a clear picture about Gangnam. What is needed is a quality program even if it costs more.”
“Lack of advertising meant just 50 packages were sold and just 20 visitors went on the Gangnam tour.”
6:55 pm on January 20th, 2013 5
Koreans treat lunch as though it’s a ritual but Korean tour guides don’t let tourists eat lunch. Wow, that sure is “style” for you
7:07 pm on January 20th, 2013 6
What exactly did these Gangnam hosted and organized 150 events for U.S.troops consist of? I do not recall ever seeing an AFN promotion of any such event. I’m just curious.
More importantly, how did troop attendance at all these alleged events affect mission readiness?
1:33 am on January 21st, 2013 7
I don’t think that’s what the article was saying.
Poorly arranged tours, lack of venues through which tour guides themselves can actually get a profit, some (possibly overpriced) Novotel package not doing well because of a lack of advertising, and a general lack of advertising.
The problem is not that nobody cares about visiting it, but that the people running tours aren’t doing a good job of reaching the (possibly many) people who do care about visiting.
A good enterprising foreign resident could probably make a pretty shibwon setting up their own tour. It’s probably one of those things where it would be good money for an individual but not for a company, which would make far more profit handling something larger in scale with more opportunities for commissions or finder’s fees or whatever they call it.
1:37 am on January 21st, 2013 8
…more opportunities for commissions or finder’s fees or whatever they call it.
Bribes, the word is bribes.
/and a foreigner would get screwed unless (maybe) they happened to be a Korean citizen or have an honest (maybe) Korean partner.
1:56 am on January 21st, 2013 9
Leon LaPorte wrote:
Bribes, kickbacks, whatever. In the handful of countries where I’ve taken or helped someone else take tours, it was sort of the norm, especially for the more affordable tours. Even in California, with reputable Marriott-affiliated tour guides.
Screwed in what way? I don’t buy into the myth that a foreign national can’t run a successful company on their own in Korea with only slightly more headaches (e.g., those associated with having to go through a couple extra hoops regarding visas and registering a company, and possibly language barrier issues) than a Korean national of similar and skill set would have. Since I know people who have done it with minimal difficulty, to me it’s like the snopesish claim that foreign nationals can’t own property in their own name.
A foreign national with an F-series visa could get an appropriate business license and hit the ground running (with a non-F-series visa holder having to try it as a secondary job or setting up a business). Or one could bypass it altogether and advertise through Craigslist or some other means, like blog stories or what not, and build up an informal business through reputation and word of mouth. Charging foreign visitors, say, 30K won for a half-day or full-day trip and piling them into a rented vehicle and driving them around while regaling them with interesting stories of Kangnam… that would cause who to screw you over and how would they screw you over?
1:58 am on January 21st, 2013 10
“It’s probably one of those things where it would be good money for an individual but not for a company, which would make far more profit handling something larger in scale with more opportunities for commissions or finder’s fees or whatever they call it.”
Yeah, and the “individual” could just lead them to a big buiding in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul/Gangnam Style and play middle-man.
“9-story brothel gets raided”
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/01/116_129171.html
Now I know what Maj. Gen. Walter Golden means when he uses the words “style” and Gangnam in the same sentence.