Asian Music Chat Thread

[Anakso]

I googled destroyer because I thought I might be wrong and I was it's a zumwalt-class destroyer and it looks like a beast! Like the kind of ship you see in Sci-fi shows and don't expect to really exist

They were about to remove the mandatory military service in South Korea just a few years ago, but while they were still discussing back and forth North Korea began threatening them again. So they kept it. Looking at wikipedia SK also has one of the longest service times as well. Of course, people who finished their enlistment must also come back for a day of training every few months, so they keep sharp.

Wait really people have to do a day of training every few months after their mandatory training? I didn't know that.

Oh yeah, my husband was in the Navy for 8 years before I met him and I've run into A LOT of US Navy soldiers in MMOs. A lot of the time they're stationed in SK so I know there's a lot of US military there. :P

Seems like they have a lot of English speakers coming from other countries to teach English in SK? Do those people actually have to get teaching degrees and stuff? Seems like it must pay really well or something for so many to move there to live and do that.

My sisters friend does have a degree in education yes, not sure if it's required but I think so, she doesn't speak Korean I know that's not required. (They actually prefer you not to speak Korean)

I know there are two types of teaching English in Korea, the first is early years (What my sisters friend is doing) where you're more like a TA, there is a Korean teacher that teaches English and you're there to provide a conversational partner for the students basically as well as make sure all the teaching is correct. The seonc id later years where you're the only teacher and basically just an English teacher, for that you definitely need a teaching degree but not sure about the first one.

[Rivellana]

My sisters friend does have a degree in education yes, not sure if it's required but I think so, she doesn't speak Korean I know that's not required. (They actually prefer you not to speak Korean)

I know there are two types of teaching English in Korea, the first is early years (What my sisters friend is doing) where you're more like a TA, there is a Korean teacher that teaches English and you're there to provide a conversational partner for the students basically as well as make sure all the teaching is correct. The seonc id later years where you're the only teacher and basically just an English teacher, for that you definitely need a teaching degree but not sure about the first one.

What? They want you to NOT speak Korean?

That just seems kind of weird. I would imagine it would be difficult to try to live and prosper in a country where you don't speak the language at all. I mean...I'm sure they want to go out and do stuff, buy stuff, etc etc.

[Anakso]

There is an English town in Seoul where they all live and everyone speaks English there so it works Plus all the signage and time tables and stuff is now in English and Korean (happened a few years ago) so you can get by in Seoul without speaking Korean, not as easy outside of Seoul.

You can learn Korean as long as the students don't find out because then they might try and fall back on Korean as a crutch in conversation and they shouldn't be able to do that

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Although that information comes specifically from EYK, so it could have been specific to their schools or area or that time since they haven't taught English in many years now

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From AKP article "Hyosung says there's more to her than her large chest on 'SNL Korea'"


Ha. Although at around 55 seconds, is she eating chex without milk? Who eats dry cereal!

[BHD]

Wait really people have to do a day of training every few months after their mandatory training? I didn't know that.

Yeah, they do. I think about two weeks ago there was a guy shooting some of his colleagues at such a training day. Psy was there but left before it happened. Some week before that there was some issue with Kangin and some other idol who skipped on such days, and Kangin was currently on some military-oriented variety show and had to leave because of that. He was too busy with idol work to go on those days, so it's not like he was slacking. They're not THAT important either, you can be excused to not go/leave early if you have something planned, but you have to come back and make up for that time later.


A friend from uni wants to be an english teacher in china and for that he doesn't need a degree in teaching (he wasn't in uni for anything related to that). Maybe SK actually has some standards though

[Anakso]

Yea I dunno, I seem to recall hearing to teach younger students you just need a degree and to teach later students it needs to be a teaching degree but not sure if it's all true or whats true, never looked into it my self because kids are little shits and I have no intention of ever being a teacher.

[BHD]

I like teaching people who are eager to learn, but I have zero patience for the ones that show no interest. Also wouldn't be able to stand in front of people all day ;_;

[Anakso]

I like teaching people about things we're both interested in one on, like when I first taught Asme and Majad about SNSD that was fun.

But teaching a whole class full of students that are literally forced to be there and are either kids or teenagers? Literally a nightmare.

And yea same on the standing in front of people all day, though teachers do get to sit behind a desk a lot pre-Uni At least mine did. They'd stand up while explaining stuff but then give us work to do so they'd go behind their desk and we'd get to doing the work.

[BHD]

Work with pre-teens: Have to be a backup parent and break up silly fights and stuff like that

Work with teens: Edgy little !$@% that talk back and show zero interest

Work at uni: Stand in front of somewhere between 50-100 people all day long, small perk in having to give zero shit about students not pulling their weight

I admire teachers with patience and parts of it sounds fun, but in the long run I'd just ragequit.

[Rivellana]

That made me go read the FAQ on EYK. Says you only need a bachelor's degree in anything to teach there. Must be a huge need/want for English teachers in Asia then.

[Anakso]

Depends on the Uni and lectures for the Uni one, I know Lecturers at my Uni only have to stand and talk for 2-12 hours a week depending on class or how many classes they're doing. Lectures are only 2 hours, some lecturers do the tuts/labs as well so that's another 2 hours and some lecturers do 2-3 classes a semester but I think most only do one per semester so most would only be standing and talking to people 2-4 hours a week. Doubt many do it for 12 even! The rest would be spent revising the class, marking things, responding to student emails or doing the general higher education research stuff most Uni lecturers are involved in.

Not sure do Swedish lecturers have to lecture more than that?

Rest is true though!

To be a teacher (at least pre Uni teacher) you pretty much have to have a passion for teaching or you're gonna be a shit teacher.

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That made me go read the FAQ on EYK. Says you only need a bachelor's degree in anything to teach there. Must be a huge need/want for English teachers in Asia then.

Yea think there is, don't think it was hard for my sisters friend to get a job teaching in either Thailand or SK.

Also for the pay part, I think the pay is decent but what makes it even more decent is they pay for your accommodation. They have rooms/apartment blocks specifically for the foreign teachers to stay

[BHD]

Can't say I'm an expert on swedish lecturers, but when I was looking at their schedules to see if they were at their office or not, they seemed to be booked quite full. But I don't think everything was lectures though, seminars as well as events for students that isn't part of the program took up quite some time too. Those events being things like game jams, where teams of students get handed a concept and have to make a game about that in 24 hours.

[Anakso]

Ah that sounds cool.

I would have expected a lot of their time to be taken up with like research stuff as well was it?

[BHD]

Yeah, the professors and the more regular teachers from big gaming companies were out of town for different projects more often than they were at uni. There was research at uni too (otherwise it wouldn't be a uni!) but I had no contact with those people, they only worked with 2nd and 3rd year students. They even had one their rooms right next to the area reserved for gaming students with a glass wall so we could see what they were up to.

[obake1]

Yes they have to do 2 years military service by age X, that age I think is sometime late 30s, between 35 and 40 but I forget the age. Suju has enough members that they can rotate 2 through at a time and keep promoting, Big Bang don't really so they'll rotate still but the members left out will be doing solo stuff rather than Big Bang stuff which is why it's 4+ years instead of the 2 it would be if they all did it at the same time.

If they haven't done it by the time they hit either 2 years to the max age or the max age they get forced to do it, or fined or something. I know people that refuse get fined or maybe even jail I'm not sure, Idols wouldn't because it would be really bad press to do that. It's seen as light a right of passage type thing, so it's not just the government that needs them to do it but their society to. Only way to get out of it is if you have a legitimate health concern, like a member of Koyote signed up to do his service and in his health check up they found out he had a brain tumor so he got exemption from military service.

Actually, it is a huge deal in SK. It doesn't matter who you are, idol or not, society will never forgive you if you dodge military service. Two people I remember are Yoo Seung Joon and MC Mong. Yoo Seung Joon became a naturalized US citizen right before he had to do it and SK deported him and is now permanently banned from ever entering SK again. MC Mong's case is stupid/odd...he had several teeth pulled that were seemingly healthy and one of his dentists claimed MC Mong paid him to do so to evade the draft. Either way, he got banned from TV after that and most of the general public still hates him despite him making a comeback earlier this year.

[BHD]

And now, the year when he's too old to enlist, Yoo Seung Joon pleads to return to SK.

[obake1]

And now, the year when he's too old to enlist, Yoo Seung Joon pleads to return to SK.

Really? Last I heard he was working on his career in China. Highly doubt they're going to let him back in ever though.

[BHD]

Really? Last I heard he was working on his career in China. Highly doubt they're going to let him back in ever though.

Yeah, he's had a few livestreams where he apologizes and says he'd enlist now if they let him (but he's too old so nope). So far S.Korea's government has said, when asked, that it's not even worth responding to.

[Anakso]

Yea that was pretty silly of mong, it's like either spend 2 years in the military or never be respected by Korea again. I know most idols go into the easy rank of the military which is called the entertainment rank or something and they spend half their time just messing about. Some choose to go into harder ranks and get a lot of respect for doing so.

[Owen000]

I do really really like big bang!!!!! Thanks for sharing !!!

[Kagdar]

OMG what is wrong with this world. It's starting to go down.
I think i'm gonna vomit.

https://youtu.be/2dT3JJpB8VY