Articles by mgedwards

Livin’ la vida domesticada

Today was a great day, one of nicest we have had since we arrived here.  The weather in Seoul was absolutely gorgeous.  It was sunny and mild.  The heavy rains and flashing flooding from the night before washed away the grit of the city, making it clean and crisp.  I called my father to wish him an early happy birthday.  He will be 60 years old this year according to the solar calendar.  In Korea, a person’s 60th birthday, or hwan-gap (환갑), is a significant milestone in one’s life.  60 years represents longevity and signifies that a person has lived long enough to experience five complete cycles of the Zodiac.  (The Korean Zodiac is based on the Chinese Zodiac, which last 12 years with each year represented by an animal.)  Unfortunately, my father is not too excited about celebrating his 60th birthday.  He does not even want a birthday party or birthday gifts.  That’s too bad.  Even if I were there to celebrate it, it would not be much of a celebration.  I can’t blame him, because I too am not very excited about celebrating my own birthday.  After the age of 30, birthdays tend to mean that you’re one year older and closer to the end of your life.  The lack of enthusiasm for growing a year older must run in the family.
 
After I called my father, my family went for lunch and grocery shopping.  In early afternoon, I mowed the lawn, and I weeded the flower beds in front of the house.  Mundane, I know, but I still enjoyed it.  I don’t mind short-term projects such as yard work.  I haven’t had much time to do yard work lately, so our lawn and flower beds were embarassingly overgrown.  My neighbors’ homes are generally well manicured, so our yard appeared conspicuously neglected.  My wife pruned back the flowers, and I weeded.  My son even helped out by watering the gardens for his mom.  He was a good boy today. 
 
Tonight we hosted a dinner for my wife’s future boss and his girlfriend.  The man who helped her find her new job and his fiancee also joined us.  I had to go to the store twice for food items we forgot to buy for tonight’s dinner, so I was not able to finish mowing the backyard.  We also started late preparing dinner.  I was still grilling by the time the guests arrived.  I grilled steaks, Korean-style short ribs (galbi), vegetable skewers, and hamburgers.  Our son was taking a nap when our guests arrived, and the commotion woke him up prematurely.  As a result, he was very cranky.  My wife was at wit’s end trying to prepare the dinner, greet guests, and take care of our son.  I was too busy grilling to help inside the house.  The situation was quite stressful for both of us until I finished grilling.  After that, I took my son off my wife’s hands, gave her the grill food, and took my son to the playground.  My wife and our guests started dinner without me.  It’s the first time I’ve been late to a dinner party she we arrived in Seoul.  It was worth it, though.  Going to the playground cheered up my son, and after that he was fine.  I played with him for almost two hours and didn’t join our guests for dinner until about 8 p.m.  I would have liked to have spent more time with our guests, but I knew that I needed to take care of my son so that my wife could entertain her future boss and the one who helped her find her new job.  My wife promised that one of these nights I can have a night out of my own.  For now, I look forward to taking a day off to enjoy our anniversary and spending the rest of the week in Pusan with my family.

Taking two for the team

I spent much of the day today at the COEX Mall at the Fall 2005 Korean Emigration Fair.  The fair is for students who would like to travel abroad to study (and possibly emigrate).  Lately, I’ve tried to cut back on the number of out-of-office engagements I participate in because I’m already very busy at work.  These events are good overtime opportunities, and they also give you a chance to reach out to the community.  I’ve already done many of these events and did not really need to do another for awhile.  The weekends are already short as it is; a Saturday day event limits the weekend to Sunday.  On Friday afternoon, the front office asked me to sub for someone who had planned to attend the fair but backed out on short notice.  I did not want to attend, but I decided that I needed to take one for the team.  I reluctantly accepted.  Fortunately, my wife understood and gave her blessing.  During the fair, I gave a 30-minute presentation to about 55 attendees and answered questions for another 30 minutes.  Afterwards, I manned a booth at the fair and answered visitors’ questions about studying in the United States.  I also attended this fair last March.  At the time, I was still new to Seoul and did not have answers to many people’s questions.  This time I was much better prepared.
 
Although I don’t enjoy public speaking, my presentation went well.  My delivery was good, in spite of a few challenges.  For one, my knowledge of the subject is dated.  Secondly, the presentation I used was in Korean, and my English guide was different than the Korean version.  As a result, I had to improvise and modify my presentation.  It is tricky making sure that what you say in English matches what is written in Korean on a PowerPoint presentation.  I also had a Korean interpreter, and I needed to make sure that she understood the content of my presentation.  At times I forgot to stop and let her translate what I said into Korean.  Fortunately, she did a great job keeping up with me.
 
After I came home, I took care of my son.  My wife went out tonight with some girlfriends for a "girl’s night on the town."  I was happy to oblige.  She spends so much time with our son that I was happy to encourage her to go out with friends.  I also enjoy spending quality time alone with my son.  He is better behaved with me when his mom isn’t around.  My wife went out for deokgalbi and stayed out until long after my son’s bedtime.  She had a great time.  My son and I also had a wonderful time.  He’s been sick, but he felt a little better tonight.  I gave him some medicine and fed him dinner.  We colored a few pictures, played with trains, and did some puzzles.  I gave him a bath and got him ready for bed.  He was such a good boy–until I tried to get him to sleep.  His mom puts him to sleep every night, and tonight he resisted falling asleep with me.  He cried for his mom.  It took me over an hour to get him to sleep, but I finally did.  Although I was happy to give my wife the night off and take care of my son, the frustration of getting my son to sleep and reluctantly going to the student fair today made me feel like I took two for the team.

Korean luxury brand to debut in the U.S.?

How does the brand name "Equus" strike you?  Do you like it?  By 2009, you may see a new automobile marquee by that name driving around the United States.  The Equus is Hyundai’s flagship domestic Korean luxury sedan.  Introduced in 1999, it is Korea’s #1 luxury car, followed by BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus.  Rumor has it that Hyundai may introduce the Equus to the U.S. automobile market soon under the Hyundai nameplate.  Edmunds.com is reporting that Hyundai of America is testing a prototype of the 2008 Equus that could represent the first Hyundai introduced under a new luxury brand.  If Hyundai does introduce a new luxury brand to the U.S., the name will most likely be the "Equus," which I think is a fine name.  The name evokes both style and balance.  In its drive to become one of the world’s top five automobile manufacturers, Hyundai must introduce a global luxury brand and should consider developing a line of trucks under the Kia brand (Hyundai owns Kia, and Kia produces small trucks for the domestic Korean market).  Hyundai has improved immeasurably in recent years and now ranks up with Honda and Toyota in J.D. Powers’ quality rankings.  Sources tell me that this is partly because Hyundai relied heavily on Toyota to improve its quality.  However, Hyundai has rightfully emerged as an automaker to watch.  In the 1990’s, the name Hyundai evinced cringes by wary American consumers; now, more and more Americans are discovering that Korean automobiles are affordable, well-built, and stylish.
 
The Korean domestic automobile market is very interesting.  Five companies dominate the market:  1)  Hyundai Motors; 2) Kia Motors (part of the Hyundai Group); 3) GM-Daewoo (a division of General Motors); 4) Samsung Motors (a division of RenaultNissan Motors); and 5) Ssangyong Motors (a division of China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, or SAIC).  In my opinion, a country of 44 million such as South Korea cannot sustain five domestic automakers.  During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, every Korean automaker felt the impact of the crisis, and the four smaller companies sought to avoid liquidation by selling out to other manufacturers.  Hyundai scooped up Kia, and foreign automakers purchased the other three.  The crisis allowed foreign companies entree into a relatively closed Korean automobile market.  For example, General Motors’ products do not sell well in Korea, but GM-Daewoo has been fairly successful since GM reluctantly acquired Daewoo in 2002.  Interestingly, the company’s Shanghai GM partner in China, SAIC, is a major competitor in South Korea because SAIC owns Ssangyong Motors. 
 
I expect the Koreans to make three advances into the U.S. automobile market in the next decade.  First, Hyundai will introduce the Equus as its luxury brand.  Second, General Motors will leverage GM-Daewoo to source Korean components to its U.S. brands.  For example, a Daewoo platform will used in a Chevrolet compact car.  Daewoo has a presence in Europe, but GM will not introduce Daewoo to the U.S. market.  Third, SAIC could introduce its first car, an SUV such as the Ssangyong Rexton, to the U.S. market under the Ssangyong Motors nameplate.  Ssangyong is a better-known name than SAIC, which markets cars under different nameplates than "SAIC."  Korea is already a major source of automobile components to the U.S. and owns a 5% share of the U.S. auto market, so it is logical that the Koreans will continue to bolster their presence in the U.S.
 
From the "Things that Make You Go Hmm…" Department:  I turned on CNN briefly tonight and heard the anchor speaking with a British accent.  It occurred to me that whenever I watch CNN International, I listen to newscasters broadcast with British accents.  However, whenever I listen to CNN in the U.S., the newscasters speak with either British or American accents.  Why doesn’t CNN International, including CNN Europe, offer broadcasts with newscasters who speak with American accents?  I may be wrong.  If you are outside the U.S. and watch CNN, let me know if you’ve ever heard an American accent.  I think CNN may have a bit of a bias towards British English.  There is no reason why CNN International newscasters much speak British English.