Seoul Is Reinventing Itself As a Techno-Utopia (wired.com)

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Seoul Is Reinventing Itself As a Techno-Utopia (wired.com)

Posted by msmash on Friday September 8, 2017 @03:20AM from the stepping-up dept.

mirandakatz writes: Seoul is struggling: Its birth rate is at an all-time low, college graduates are having enormous trouble finding jobs, and trust in government is not high. But South Korea is also, in many ways, cutting edge -- and it wants to use that future-thinking power to build its capital into a techno-utopia. As Susan Crawford details at Backchannel, that begins with a powerful data analysis tool known as the "The Digital Civic Mayor's Office." Crawford writes that "this dashboard seemed like a potential green shoot of democracy -- a city doing what it can to show citizens why government should be trusted and that their quality of life, including the quality of the air they breathe, the prices of the apples they eat, and the traffic jams they face daily, is important."

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Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by gtall · 2017-09-08 03:23 · Score: 1

...the Norks heartily approve of the Seoul government making themselves a bigger hostage in any standoff.
1. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 03:33 · Score: 0
  
  Something about the smooth afterglow of radioactive glass is irresistible for a rave.
2. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-08 03:35 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  It's a MAD situation, I think it's fairly comparable to the Cold War in that respect.
  The North seems crazy, but under it all they do want to live, and they will NEVER have enough power to take over so much as a child's playground without being immediately obliterated.
  In that light, investment in Seoul isn't unwise. The city won't get destroyed because war isn't really all that likely. In fact, giving North Korea a juicier target to threaten kind of stabilizes the situation, since if there was a chance to take out North Korea without collateral damage... someone might be inclined to try it.
3. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by ShanghaiBill · 2017-09-08 03:46 · Score: 1
  
  The North seems crazy
  Why is nuclear deterrence sensible when America does it, but "crazy" when NK does it?
4. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-08 03:56 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  >Why is nuclear deterrence sensible when America does it, but "crazy" when NK does it?
  I think being able to ensure any victory over you by your enemies is Pyrrhic at best is perfectly sane.
  What makes NK seem crazy is the dictatorship, its methods of controlling the population, and the unnecessary hardship put upon the average North Korean to sustain it. And the loony and obvious propaganda, of course.
  Then again, threatening a superpower more or less capable of ending human civilization when all you can do is wipe out a city or two... that's like your average bar scrapper picking a fight with an MMA champ to impress a girl. Most likely you're insignificant enough that it's not worth the trouble to drop you so long as you don't throw the first punch, but there's a risk you're going to get dead very fast.
  In that sense, while it's still comparable to MAD, NK vs. USA isn't quite the same as USA vs. USSR in terms of 'sanity'.
5. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by rogoshen1 · 2017-09-08 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  Because the US is a democracy, integrated into the wider world, and does not have it's citizens living in a god damn panopticon ruled over by a bat-shit crazy lea..
  fuck... okay.
  At least during the cold war what i was saying was true; but at present it's getting less-so every year.
  Seriously though, NK's nuke program is about one thing, and one thing only -- keeping the current dynasty in power. (and maybe leverage when negotiating aid packages)
  But, everything in that country is designed to serve that purpose. There's a reason people are kept poor, ignorant and starving -- control.
  Pakistan and India also pursued nuclear weapons, and despite some tongue lashing from the west, were left alone peace. Mainly because they didn't do childish shit like launch missiles over neighboring countries, or threaten to use them as a first strike.
6. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-08 04:43 · Score: 1
  
  My problem with Pakistan and India is that they seem to be a hell of a lot more 'hot' than the US and Russians were in the height of the Cold War... and now we know that at least a couple of times we got really, really close to starting WWIII.
  And with Pakistan there's the additional issue of Islamic fundamentalists having support from the intelligence service.
7. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by bobbied · 2017-09-08 04:47 · Score: 1
  
  The North seems crazy,
  Not really if you understand that the PR coming from the North is only really for local consumption. Little Kim's PR campaign is about keeping the Kim dynasty in power, not about getting into a war with the USA. I know that's hard to understand, but it actually makes perfect sense if you have an idea what the average North Korean has been taught to believe about the world in general and the USA specifically.
  Little Kim is literally in between a rock and a hard place because if his people catch any whiff of the truth about their actual military standing, or realize that the PR is more bluster than actual capability and that they are literally dirt poor compared to nearly all of the rest of the world, Kim will be facing a rebellion from within his ranks he won't be able to control fast enough. He's walking a really fine line between open conflict with the US which he will lose and local rebellion which could quickly unseat him should he lose face.
  To that end, look for a large military display on their independence day which is a few days out. I'm guessing a parade in the capital, a really nice missile shot or two over Japan, and perhaps a nuclear test all in a day. Trust me, he's planning some kind of military surprise here.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
8. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 04:47 · Score: 0
  
  North Korea's great leader doesn't defecate. Anyone who questions this is arrested, put in a prison camp, starved until they cant walk, then fed to dogs to be eaten alive. They definitely deserve nukes.
9. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Spy+Handler · 2017-09-08 04:52 · Score: 2
  
  Why is nuclear deterrence sensible when America does it, but "crazy" when NK does it?
  It's not. Simply having nuclear weapons is sensible, a lot of nations have them.
  What makes Norks crazy is daily threatening to blow up the capital cities of various nations with nukes. And every year or so making small-scale attacks that kill 100 people, not enough to trigger war but enough to rattle and piss em off. Like the time they shelled a S. Korean island and killed 4 marines, or torpedoing a S. Korean ship and killing 54 people.
  Oh and they have a long history of covertly abducting S. Korean and Japanese citizens for their various skills and putting them into use as literal slaves in N. Korea. And a bunch of other crazy shit.
10. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Spy+Handler · 2017-09-08 04:54 · Score: 1
  
  Slashdot seems to have stripped the (less than) symbol from my previous post.
11. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by fustakrakich · 2017-09-08 05:00 · Score: 1
  
  Because the Americans can win, if they want to.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
12. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by bobbied · 2017-09-08 05:05 · Score: 1
  
  The North seems crazy
  Why is nuclear deterrence sensible when America does it, but "crazy" when NK does it?
  Think about this... In the North, they are taught that they won the war on their own and drove the USA to the bargaining table by defeating them. The role that Russia and China played is not discussed, nor is the fact that the whole conflict was a proxy war between Russian, China and the USA. In their mythology, the USA was and is the aggressor which they defeated though the divine intervention of the Kims. They won the war.
  That seems crazy to us, but in North Korea it's not seen that way. Of course they are misinformed about a great many things, but what little Kim says and does plays totally different to his people.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
13. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 05:09 · Score: 0
  
  I wonder if Kim is doing this at the behest of his Chinese masters. China is itching to get into an expansionist mode, settle some old scores with Japan (which is why they are doing a ton of internal crackdowns, including VPNs), if not get a full Sino-Western military conflict going for some Lebensraum, so having DPRK be a distraction is in their interest.
  In fact, this is how China would start WWIII, by having the DPRK shell Seoul or launch a nuke at Japan, the retaliatory strike happens, and China then comes in on North Korea's side.
  China is pretty darn good at this. With their ubermensch ideas of the Han race above all else, I wonder how brutal they will be to the conquered areas, once more countries are under their rule, not just Tibet.
14. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-08 05:21 · Score: 2
  
  That's none of your business.
  And an overly simplistic view of the situation, to boot.
15. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by HeckRuler · 2017-09-08 05:35 · Score: 1
  
  No no, The North seems crazy for a WIDE AND VARIED number of reasons other than the use of nuclear deterrance. He was saying that despite being crazy (for all those other reasons), they're not so crazy that nuclear deterrence doesn't work. Because they want to live.
  And that said, YES, nuclear deterrence and MAD is indeed crazy no matter who does it. But it seems to work and it's not like we have any alternatives. At least the world doesn't have as many nukes anymore.
16. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 07:36 · Score: 0
  
  Nobody can just bomb NK, not even with powerful conventional bombs. You just don't know how many nuclear subs, airplanes and silos will retaliate with nukes if you cross certain thresholds, or if automatic systems won't go off. There's a reason conventional ballistic missiles are banned. Nobody should use ballistic missiles or nukes of any kind, or it may be the last thing anybody does on this planet.
17. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 07:51 · Score: 0
  
  Seriously though, NK's nuke program is about one thing, and one thing only -- keeping the current dynasty in power. (and maybe leverage when negotiating aid packages)
  Nah, NK's nuke program is for only one thing: keeping the Americans from fucking North Korea over like Iraq and Libya. Both of the latter countries abandoned their nuke programs, hoping to appease the U.S., and they got totally screwed. North Korea is determined to survive.
18. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 09:14 · Score: 0
  
  You're just making things up. I wanted to let you know that people can tell.
19. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 09:18 · Score: 0
  
  I know nerds love to try and impress each other by rattling on about shit they don't know about.
  But it's totally obvious in this case so you need to stop. You'd make donald trump blush through his fake tan with this horseshit.
20. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by ShanghaiBill · 2017-09-08 09:21 · Score: 1
  
  What makes NK seem crazy is the dictatorship, its methods of controlling the population
  How are those things "crazy"? The Kim dynasty has been extremely effective at staying in power.
  
  the unnecessary hardship put upon the average North Korean to sustain it.
  Why do you think it is unnecessary? You give people prosperity, and soon they will want freedom and democracy. The only other dynastic dictatorship that even comes close to the Kim's longevity is the Castros in Cuba, and they also impose plenty of hardship.
  
  And the loony and obvious propaganda, of course.
  Do you read Korean? Or are you judging NK by the English translations that their enemies spoon feed you?
21. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by DigiShaman · 2017-09-08 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  USA would be wounded, and politicall would fracture the union. But, life would go on and adapt in N.America. Cities that can, would rebuild, or at least abandoned as people exodus to other cities that wern't targeted. N.Korea however, would be turned into a nuclear "no mans land" that would be clicking hot for a long time. And honestly, China and Russia would probably prefer that buffer vs reunification with US forces on the Chinese border; so, there's that.
  
  --
  Life is not for the lazy.
22. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Applehu+Akbar · 2017-09-08 10:16 · Score: 1
  
  Why is nuclear deterrence sensible when America does it, but "crazy" when NK does it?
  Because what Crazy Fat Kid is doing is not deterrence. He's actively trying to start a war that he is certain to lose. He still thinks it's 1953.
23. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 11:19 · Score: 0
  
  His ancestors managed just fine, so why should he change?
24. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by JohnFen · 2017-09-08 11:23 · Score: 1
  
  Define "win"
25. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by JohnFen · 2017-09-08 11:26 · Score: 2
  
  they are taught that they won the war on their own and drove the USA to the bargaining table by defeating them. The role that Russia and China played is not discussed
  Exclude China and change the defeated nation to Germany, and this narrative is not so different than the one Americans are taught about WWII.
26. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by fustakrakich · 2017-09-08 11:40 · Score: 1
  
  "survive" "dominate"
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
27. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by JohnFen · 2017-09-08 11:49 · Score: 1
  
  If "win" means "survive as an intact nation", then I'm not confident that the US would win. I am very confident that North Korea would lose, though.
28. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by fustakrakich · 2017-09-08 11:58 · Score: 1
  
  If "win" means "survive as an intact nation", then I'm not confident that the US would win.
  Don't be silly, of course they would.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
29. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Mal-2 · 2017-09-08 12:21 · Score: 1
  
  Because HTML tags are accepted, less-than and greater-than signs will always disappear. You have to use < and > (& l t ; or & g t ;). Any attempt to use these symbols directly is going to be parsed as a broken attempt at HTML tagging.
  
  --
  How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
30. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Applehu+Akbar · 2017-09-08 15:25 · Score: 1
  
  His "ancestors" were just Koreans - one culture, one country, from the beginning. North Korea only came into existence in 1945, as Stalin grabbed Japanese colonial territory at the end of WW II. North Korea has no more reason to exist as a separate country than East Germany did. Its fate will be the same.
31. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 22:08 · Score: 0
  
  NK has bombed how many countries?
32. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by bobbied · 2017-09-11 02:24 · Score: 1
  
  That's none of your business.
  Which part?
  
  And an overly simplistic view of the situation, to boot.
  Do enlighten us.... My guess is that you really don't have much more insight than I do about this, but I'm willing to read what you got to say.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
33. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by bobbied · 2017-09-11 02:29 · Score: 1
  
  Seriously? So you think it's a good idea to downplay the Allied victory over the Axis? Let me guess, you don't think the attempted genocide of the Jews happed either right? It's all just a story used to justify the near total destruction of Germany... Shesh...
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
34. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-11 05:19 · Score: 1
  
  My guess is you came back to the discussion days later because you couldn't handle people with mod points downvoting you for being an idiot.
35. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by bobbied · 2017-09-11 05:44 · Score: 1
  
  My guess is you came back to the discussion days later because you couldn't handle people with mod points downvoting you for being an idiot.
  You guessed wrong, which isn't surprising... I don't do Slashdot from home and I wasn't at work this weekend. Also, I don't slum for mod points, I just post. So do you slum for mod points then? So you've been wrong twice in one post, making confident assertions about stuff you obviously don't know.
  So are you this wrong about North Korea? I'm beginning to think so...
  Why? Because you now have a history of being wrong and are acting more like a troll than someone with something useful to say... ;)
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
36. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-11 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  > Also, I don't slum for mod points,
  No, you just post shit as if it's not shit and you're an authority. But keep going, I'm sure there's a possibility there's somebody out there still following this conversation you believes you.
37. Re:Oooo...let's make Seoul a bigger target by bobbied · 2017-09-11 06:44 · Score: 1
  
  Little Kim? Is that you Phat boy? What's wrong? Did Dennis Rodman go home? Run out of cheese? Fresh out of nukes and missiles to set off? No rebels to shoot today? So you are reduced to trolling on Slashdot?
  LOL... I guess you little trolls have to eat now and then...
  Bye Bye now...
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
It's over, by jfdavis668 · 2017-09-08 03:23 · Score: 1

Nobody listens to techno
1. Re:It's over, by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 04:09 · Score: 0
  
  I do.
2. Re:It's over, by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 07:55 · Score: 0
  
  I saw what you did there.
YM Techno Dystopia by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 03:27 · Score: 0

After the nuclear winter..
Until North Korea nukes it by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 03:30 · Score: 0

You're just making Kim jealous, he's going to nuke it now.
1. Re:Until North Korea nukes it by bobbied · 2017-09-08 04:50 · Score: 1
  
  Kim knows he gets one WMD shot. After that it's game on and he's not going to win that game.
  I don't think he's going to do anything that stupid. He IS going to push up as close to the line as he can and still have the ability to deny he fired first.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
2. Re:Until North Korea nukes it by gatkinso · 2017-09-08 04:55 · Score: 1
  
  Either way Seoul is toast.
  
  --
  I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
3. Re:Until North Korea nukes it by hey! · 2017-09-08 05:42 · Score: 1
  
  He doesn't necessarily need to waste his nukes on it.
  One of the reasons the stalemate on the Korean Peninsula has lasted over 60 years is that Seoul is only about ten miles from the DMZ, and North Korea has a huge number of large artillery pieces dug into the hills just on the other side. On paper, North Korea could turn Seoul into what has been called a "sea of fire" in a matter of minutes.
  Now there's a big question of how operational those artillery pieces actually are. But it's not something a sane person would want to gamble with. Kind of like Kim's supposed ICBM mountable nuclear warhead. If you were a betting man you'd give far from even odds that it'd work. But you'd be staking an entire city.
  
  --
  Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Can't learn by example? by erapert · 2017-09-08 03:32 · Score: 2

So with the example of the North Koreans within artillery range the South Koreans decided that what they really needed to do was build a massive all-powerful government?
1. Re:Can't learn by example? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 07:27 · Score: 0
  
  That's something that I don't understand. Why have the capital, financial, and now, your technology center of your country withing a stone's throw (literally) of your worst enemy? Seems to me that they should have moved everything down to Pusan where it would be harder to reach by NoKo.
Doing everything except solving the problem by TimothyHollins · 2017-09-08 03:39 · Score: 2

So the South Korean government is willing to do anything to show that they're trustworthy except actually doing trustworthy stuff? If they actually had some transparency and you know, trustworthiness, this wouldn't be necessary.
Why not start with a little transparency at the top? Isn't that the corruption mess that started this whole failure?
Why government should be trusted? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 03:44 · Score: 1

Why government should be trusted?
Not a good question.
The real question is "CAN government be trusted?"
And the answer is FUCK NO!!!!
1. Re:Why government should be trusted? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 04:11 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly. People who casually write these authoritarian dystopian nightmare phrases are fucking scary.
2. Re:Why government should be trusted? by clonehappy · 2017-09-08 07:40 · Score: 1
  
  The quote is from fucking Wired. I expect nothing less from these out of touch assholes. Or Slashdot for that matter, but that's another story altogether.
Unscrupulous by fluffernutter · 2017-09-08 04:09 · Score: 1

We could have trustworthy governments if we elected trustworthy people. For some reason the entire world seems to use systems that promote the most unscrupulous people to the top. I still have hope that this can change one day. Power doesn't corrupt everyone to the same degree. I don't buy that absolute power corrupts everyone absolutely, it just absolutely corrupts the people who manage to work their way through the system to get there.

--
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
1. Re:Unscrupulous by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-08 04:16 · Score: 2
  
  To get elected generally requires you to convince people you're best for the job. That means, first and foremost, you need to be able to charm people.
  To climb your way up the political ladder, you need to learn how to please as many people as possible while not pissing off anyone important. This involves double-speak, backroom dealing, and not getting caught doing anything that will cause public outcry and end your career.
  Then you need either a thick skin or to be so self-centered you don't care about all the people constantly trying to tear you down.
  Quite frankly, to find someone who has all those qualities and ALSO has the general public's best interests at heart is so improbable it's a wonder it ever happens at all. It's a lot easier to simply tell people what they want to hear and then do whatever you can get away with once they elect you.
2. Re:Unscrupulous by fluffernutter · 2017-09-08 04:54 · Score: 2
  
  The human race has not evolved much. In fact I'm pretty sure we are slipping backwards.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
3. Re:Unscrupulous by Baron_Yam · 2017-09-08 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  >The human race has not evolved much. In fact I'm pretty sure we are slipping backwards.
  I understand your meaning, but keep in mind there isn't really a 'backwards' in evolution. We're evolving in response to current selection pressures based on available genetic code plus mutations.
  Perhaps we're maintaining more deleterious genes (as defined by humans), but we're also getting greater variety. If anything I would expect increased survival rates and population mixing to be moving us towards a more homogeneous global population... but I'm not a biologist, geneticist, or anyone else who can offer an expert prediction there.
4. Re:Unscrupulous by HeckRuler · 2017-09-08 05:45 · Score: 1
  
  Blame the voters. Then blame the press. Then blame the Internet for demonetizing information and undercutting news organizations that used to afford investigative journalism. So.... Slashdot. That's right, slashdot is to blame (in part) for Trump.
  
  I don't buy that absolute power corrupts everyone absolutely,
  Yeah, probably not. But we're talking sociology and psychology here, OF COURSE there's variance. But you've got to admit there's an undeniable trend. I think we simply can't trust politicians to BE trustworthy. Ideally, we should have a system of checks and balances and transparency that we could elect an absolute rat-fink bastard whose stated goal is self-promotion... and still have him do a decent enough job because he doesn't have the power to screw up or sabotage or abuse too badly.
  I'm advocating limiting the power of the powerful. Because while it might not corrupt absolutely, it'll make anyone start to rot.
5. Re:Unscrupulous by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 07:48 · Score: 0
  
  Don'tyee believe in absolute corruption? Well that's why you're fucked, pad're. GOTO North Korea as your reward ... statist cultures never vary behavior or change outcomes. It's the nature of a venomous beast to dispense ... venom.
Trust the South Korean government? by Grishnakh · 2017-09-08 04:09 · Score: 1

Isn't this the same government that mandates that everyone use Internet Explorer with ActiveX to access government services, do banking, or shopping?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/e...
http://www.businessinsider.com...
https://www.reddit.com/r/today...
1. Re:Trust the South Korean government? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 22:14 · Score: 0
  
  No. The months passed since the government has been changed. You don't even read recent news. duh
The only thing that is expanding in Seoul. by LordHighExecutioner · 2017-09-08 05:20 · Score: 1

It is the Fire Brigad: they are damn busy keeping up with Samsung batteries spreading fire all around...
Reminds me of something by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 06:32 · Score: 0

Project Cybersyn
Trust the Government? by clonehappy · 2017-09-08 07:42 · Score: 1

No, thanks. In fact, nothing has ever shown me that the government deserves anything but contempt from me.
The only thing I'll willingly give any government is the middle finger.
1. Re:Trust the Government? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 08:31 · Score: 0
  
  Keep paying your taxes, armchair anarchist.
2. Re:Trust the Government? by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 11:22 · Score: 0
  
  Keep paying your taxes, armchair anarchist.
  Paying bandits to avoid violent repercussions is not "willingly".
  I put a gun to your head and tell you to give me your wallet.
  Will you do it? probably. Are you doing it willingly? hell no.
The best use of technology in South Korea.... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 09:33 · Score: 0

...would be to orchestrate the complete evacuation of all citizens within artillery range of the North in the most orderly manner possible.
Afterwards they can get back to their game playing.
s/Utopia/Dystopia/g by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 10:01 · Score: 0

The only good reasons I heard for living in Korea came from a Korean War vet:
If you are an american citizen, then the houses are cheap (compared to California), the women are beautiful, and a number of the rules for Korean citizens don't apply.
He was stateside helping nieces on his wife's side relocate to the US for schooling and possible emigration.
Between the chaebols, the authoritarian laws they have, and their attempts to market Big Brother as a pro rather than a con, I will definitely put it at the bottom of my list, below singapore, but above Sharia inclined/enforcing Muslim states :)
1. Re:s/Utopia/Dystopia/g by Anonymous Coward · 2017-09-08 22:17 · Score: 0
  
  Seriously? Do you think Korean war was happened a few years ago?? Korean War vet?? Are you f**** kiddying me???