Gunnie Weekly (Week of Nov. 14)

Mixed News for the week of November 14, 2011


- Ahn Cheol-Soo, a doctor and an entrepreneur, announced that he is going to donate nearly half of his company's share 150 billion KRW (or $133 million) to a new charity. 

In making the announcement, Mr. Ahn said the money would be used to help educate the children of poor families, though he didn’t say if he would give the money to an existing charity or set up a new one.

Mr. Ahn and others civic activists have criticized leaders of South Korea’s big companies for being stingy about their charitable giving. (source)(source)

 Now this is not a good news for Korean politicians, especially the conservatives. Mr. Ahn is very popular among younger voters in their 20s and 30s and during Seoul's mayoral election last month, he declared a full support for progressive candidate Park Won-Soon. IF Mr. Ahn declares that he is going to run for presidency next year, it is highly likely that he will run with the progressives rather than conservatives. This means conservatives, who are not very popular among young voters, will need to campaign harder. However, everything is still up in the air and nothing is sure. 


Hmm... What will Mr. Ahn do????

- This week, Brad Pitt visited Korea to promote his new movie "Moneyball" 


- Korean government decided to build barracks for U.S. troops (or just station them there) on Baengyeong Island which is next to Yeongpyong Island, the island that was shelled by the Norks last year.

The South's military will start building the new barracks, which can accommodate some 160 soldiers, from next year on Baengnyeong Island and construction will be completed by 2013, the source said on the condition of anonymity. 

"As part of efforts to strengthen defense on the Yellow Sea islands, the new barracks will be used by U.S. troops during joint military drills or in case of emergency," the source said.

 I don't know whose idea this is, but I want to see what China and Norks have to say about this.

- Back in WWII, on the beach of Normandy, there were 4 Korean POWs who fought in German uniform.

These soldiers were conscripted into the Japanese Army in 1938. In battle against the Soviets in Nomonhan they were captured and turned into POW’s…for a while, the Russians then conscripted them into the Soviet army to fight the Nazi’s. In 1943 they were captured, most likely in the battle of Kharkov, where they were in turn, conscripted into the Nazi army as laborers.

They ended up working on the Atlantic wall defenses, and ultimately were captured by the Allies. Kyoungjong Yang, and the other three ‘soldiers’ spent the rest of the war in a British POW camp. He ultimately moved to0 the USA, became a citizen, living near Northwestern University (just north of Chicago). (source)(source)(source)

-  I believe that Kang Je-Gyu's new film, My Way is based on the story above. I can't wait till this movie comes out.