The Granite Tower(GT)

Updated 12.14 월 11:52

Editorial/Opinion

The Bright Dark Side

I live the suburbs, approximately two and a half hours from school. This means that sleeping in on weekdays is seldom an option, that I will probably need a taxi if I’m working late, that I’m doomed to practice patience on my heels if I can’t find a seat on the subway and bus commute, that I feel miserably vindictive when I overhear someone say they’re moving to Anam because traveling two hours per day just for classes is way too much to handle, that I find every semester an invariable burnout, and that I love meeting kids from Bundang, Suwon, or Incheon, but find out even they think I’m batty for not applying to the dorms.

Four Rivers Project

“Controversy” seems to be the word that best sums up the Four Rivers Project. Every media outlet employs the word in covering the story, regardless of its position on the ideological spectrum. Left, right, issue-based—it doesn’t matter who is telling the tale. This is the biggest controversy in Korean society right now. Period.

The Power of Circumstance

More often than not, students tend to lapse into awkward silence when asked questions during class. Such silence stems largely from class atmosphere, where the silence of the majority wordlessly pressures the few willing to raise their hands and answer the question keep quiet as well. This is just one of countless other everyday situations in which people choose to adapt to their surroundings rather than make independent choices.

KU People

A Young Critic’s Outlook

Ironic as it sounds, critics are often the subject of criticism these days. The general public defines them as pedantic naggers who do little else but nitpick at the efforts of others based on their refined personal tastes. The opinions and analyses that critics have to offer may even be losing their authority and influence because of such antagonism. Kang Yu-Jung (’94, Korean Language Education), however, stands firm in her role as a mediator between the critics and the masses, devoting herself to a variety of different styles of critique that can help ordinary people cultivate a more discerning eye for culture.

Special yet Ordinary

Those who make significant donations to university scholarship funds or hospital foundations are often elderly women sharing the money they earned selling vegetables or snacks in traditional markets. Although most of these women were excluded from enjoying the privileges of education and upper-class living, they still manage to give what little they have to make the world a better place. The same spirit carries on in social service work, which can achieve extraordinary results simply by reaching out a helping hand to others. Among the many social service volunteers at Korea University (KU), few seem to live out this important message with more passion and dedication than freshman Kim Soomi (’09, English Education).

International

Economically and financially, the hot potato of the month was undoubtedly the escalating tension between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over whether the PRC would float its currency, the renminbi - also known as the yuan - and allow it to escalate against the dollar. Starting last year, the PRC fixed its currency, and the renminbi - lingering between 6.82 and 6.83 yuan per dollar - rose and fell in tandem with its American counterpart. With the yuan following the greenback down the value curve, the PRC is flooding the global market with even cheaper goods and amassing a huge amount of foreign capital reserves.

Broader Horizons

The University of Tohoku is a Japanese public university located in the city of Sendai. It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and is particularly well known for its School of Engineering. Situated in the east of the Honshu island, the university is located at almost the same latitude as Seoul, but is usually free from drastic changes in weather, making for a generally mild climate. The school has a total of five campuses. Language labs and classrooms are located on the Kawauchi campus, while most of the engineering and science courses are conducted on the Aobayama campus.

Still in the Shell

A piece of uncomfortable truth—first impression is important in Korean society. Of course, it’s a natural phenomenon all across the world to check someone’s appearance the first time you meet him or her, but in Korea, looks seem to matter a great deal more than they do elsewhere. I recently read an article concerning plastic surgery in Korea, and it seems that 25 percent of young Korean women have visited a plastic surgeon at least once to improve their appearances. While I do agree that first impressions are important, I also feel that it is equally necessary to keep etiquette in mind when interacting with someone. Whether or not a person looks good cannot be a solid basis on which to base how you treat him or her.

When I was in Korea, I started each day stressing over the four or five classes, club activities, homework, team projects, and private institute classes I would have to get through. Even more tiring was the overload of people in Seoul cramming all the buses and subways.

Unearthing the Leaf

A Short Introduction to Tea

Imagine yourself entering a pretty shop with a pleasant ambience. You are five minutes early for your appointment and so you find a cozy place to sit. The attendant brings a glass of warm water and a menu. You are looking through the menu when your friend arrives. You greet her, then you order a drink. You begin your conversation, gossip about the events of the day and about what has been bothering you lately while taking sips of the drink after it is delivered to your table. But what is it that you are drinking?

What’s your fragrance?

A Look at Perfume

Perfume has a long history that traces back nearly 5,000 years. The ancients believed in preparing themselves by burning tree branches and making juice out of aromatic tree leaves before going out to meet their gods and sacrifice on the gods’ alters. This was the beginning of perfume. Fragrance soon developed from a sacred religious tool into not only the first type of makeup ever used by mankind but also a pharmaceutical and medical asset used to prevent the corpses of great kings from decaying.

Destroying Diversity

Few countries in the world seem to have such an abundance of teen idol groups as South Korea. Korea’s teen idol groups, which took off in the late 90s, became the center of the nation’s music mainstream and the trendsetters for the general public. Events such as the Wonder Girls making it to the U.S. Billboard Top 100, TVXQ suffering from the ramifications of an unfair contract, and former 2PM leader Park Jaebom quitting his group amid accusations of being anti-Korean were all top news for Korean portal sites and offline media outlets. Is this booming teen idol market threatening the diversity of our music market?

Relearning 잉글리쉬

Surprises for Foreigners Learning Beginner’s Korean

Newly equipped with the ability to read Korean, my British friend attempts to decipher the menu at a café. “Okay, so the flavor of this drink is ‘Pa-in-ae-peul’… What’s that?” “It says ‘pineapple,’” I explain. “Ohhh!” As he ends up ordering an ‘Orenjijyuseu,’ I order a coffee hoping that I state it correctly as ‘keopi’ rather than communicating it as a nosebleed, which is pronounced ‘kopi.’

One More English Exam to Take

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) is planning to embark on a new adventure in the sea of English examination in Korea. The project, tentatively titled the National English Evaluation Examination, will eventually have to compete against the already existing plethora of English exams. The question that begs to be asked is, “Why?

Experience Never Hurts

Unique Part-Time Jobs to Try Out

Tired of sitting down with middle school students explaining why x equals 3 and working through how to interpret a present participle? If the same old routine of tutoring and teaching at private academies has you sick and tired of your part-time job, then it may be time to turn to more exotic options. The Granite Tower (GT) had the opportunity to interview five students at Korea University (KU) who have worked in less than ordinary fields of employment.

Tragicomedy in Global Markets

Tracks on Four Major Industries

The upcoming scope of the world economy, which remained vague in the first half of the year, is now revealing its ins and outs in detail. True to many economists’ predictions that the recovery period for global companies would kick in around late 2009 or early 2010, several companies are at present gathering profits that have sent a growth shock throughout the stock market. Cell phone and semiconductor industries are in the lead of this recent spurt, although it is too early to say that automobile and ship construction commerce has also gotten itself out of the slump. We take a look at what we have gained through the economic crisis and take a look at what lies ahead.

The Pros and Cons of a New Admissions Plan

After the class president elections which took place in November, every class on campus now has a new president who will fulfill his or her representative duties next year. One of the main roles of a class president is to build a harmonious relationship between students who belong to the same class but are in different school years. This, however, may soon become a difficult task, since Korea University (KU) is planning to gradually increase the number of freshmen whose majors are decided before their admission. Many students have voiced concerns on this turn of events, saying that the school’s new policy may dampen the emotional ties between new students and their seniors.

The Death of Conviction

Major Selection and Unspoken Discrimination

The College Scholastic Aptitude Tests were held nationwide last month, with the entire country just as much on edge as the students taking the exam. Unfortunately, exams are not the end of their troubles. Now that exam score reports are about to arrive at high schools all over the country, college applicants face the perhaps life-altering crossroad of major selection.

Prepping for the Korea Model United Nations

The Korean Model United Nations (KMUN) will be held at Korea University from February 2 to 5, 2010. During the competition, the KMUN participants will assume the roles of ambassadors from certain countries and lead discussions for worldwide diplomacy. The main purpose of KMUN is to derive final conclusions by listening to and organizing various countries’ opinions and conducting negotiations between parties.

Time for Change

Late Library Book Returns

Any member of the Korea University (KU) community can borrow books from the school’s libraries. Thanks to Internet technology, it is possible to search online for the books you need and check whether or not they are available at KU. However, more than a few books in the KU library system are already past their due date but have still not been returned. Some of these unreturned books should have been restored to their shelves as far back as two years ago. This problem is not only a matter of library regulations but also concerns library users.

Smoking on the KU Campus

Globalization, the keyword of the 21st century, continues to transform Korea University (KU). The most notable consequence of this trend has been the school’s increased number of foreign students. While KU seems to wholeheartedly embrace the resulting diversity on campus, one must examine the possible ramifications of such a development. How does it affect the regular students, the overall level of education at KU, or classroom atmospheres? We take a look at KU’s internationalization progress and the aftereffects of its implementation.

News

President Lee Ki-Su Joint Awardee of the 1st Republic of Korea Arbitrator Award

Professor Lee Seong-Whan Honored for Outstanding Achievement in Field

Arts & Culture

Death as Comedy

“Can you do anything for love? Even commit murder?” Murder at the Howard Johnson’s is out to prove that death can be funny. Death is a painful experience many people shrink from thinking about. Murder is an even less savory possibility, commonly associated with heartless, remorseless criminals brutalizing other people’s lives. Murder at the Howard Johnson’s, however, approaches this dreaded topic from a new perspective.

Freakonomics Plus Alpha

The guys are back - only this time around, they’ve given the absurd, everyday stories that find relationships between seemingly unrelated problems a hefty dose of spice. SuperFreakonomics asks everything from how a street prostitute is like a department store Santa to why suicide bombers should buy life insurance.

Nobody Has Nothing

Shelton takes it upon himself to avenge the destruction of his family. He feels that the killers have not been sufficiently punished, since only one of the criminals is sentenced to death while the other goes free. This is largely because Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), the prosecutor, makes a deal with the men who murdered Shelton’s family instead of bringing the case to court, saying “some justice is better than no justice.”

The Paths We Tread

One of the most noteworthy film releases this October was Robert Schwentke’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Not only was the movie popular for its basis in a bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks, it also drew music lovers’ attention for having showcased the much-loved “Broken” by Lifehouse on its soundtrack. “Broken,” with its seamless representation of peaceful heartbreak and silent sorrow, blended in perfectly with the entire atmosphere of the film, with Lifehouse performing like the Backstreets Boys at their ballad best.

Warrior Heart Rising

“I signed an autograph for a kid - Clef from the Fugees. The kid looked at me and said “What the hell is a Fugee? Ain’t you Will.I.Am from the Peas?” I'm a fan, but no, I'm not Will.I.Am. Let me introduce myself to the new generation. I'm Wyclef Jean, singer, songwriter, composer. In high school I used to be a battle rapper. Then I got with the Fugees. Ah haters, fifteen years later, still sold more than y’all put together. That's just a piece of the biography of Wyclef Jean. But when I spit, call me Toussaint St. Jean.”

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