TVing: Free (for now) Live Korean TV

On April 6th, GOM opened it’s new live online TV broadcast system, TVing to GOM members. It has been in free open beta since. I can’t say I have figured out how long it will be in open beta. Regardless, if you go to their site, you can register for a free 7-day viewing coupon which will begin once the open beta is over. So, if you’re Korean or a spaceman with an Alien Card in Korea, you should head over now.

This is obviously good for those without a TV or cable. But, if you do have those there are some added benefits, such as plenty of sports channels which will cover all the required baseball games of the day. For us English-speakers, you can watch CNN (Hong Kong), Bloomberg (Asia), Nat. Geo Wild, and Arirang. I only have basic cable, so I don’t get any of these. I can also see it being useful when you’re in a Starbucks (where I see plenty of whities), and need a news fix.

Here’s their nifty live TV guide.

Bloomberg and CNN are particularly good for staying on top of the business world / general expat community in Asia. The focus on these channels are mostly Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo (as with CNN Go), but Seoul / Korean issues pop up from time to time.

So far, there’s no indication as to their pricing structure, but I will be considering purchasing the service if it’s reasonably priced.

Required to watch

1. Windows w/ IE (welcome to Korea)

2. An ARC card

3. A GOM account (requires #2)

4. GOM Player (more convenient than the web version). You should have this for watching movies / VOD tv shows and music anyway

5. Free 7-day post-beta coupon

An example of CNN with the channel menu open on the right. It can be played full screen at tolerable quality.

International Temple Stay Centre coming to Mokdong

I was wandering around Mokdong today enjoying one of my two free coffees offered to me by Starbucks today as part of their “Make a Difference” (read: hippie) campaign (free coffee for those with tumblers).

On the way to Starbucks I saw a very large, traditional “Korean-looking” building under construction down the street. So, I made a mental note, proceeded to Starbucks and ventured down the road. There I found the “국제 템플스테이 센터” (International Temple Stay Centre) under construction. It has a tall front section, with a huge (looks like 8 stories w/ 2 PH levels) residential area coming out its backside. I don’t know the details, but I will get on that.

This could be good for us spacemen who can’t find time on Thursday afternoons to attend Bongeunsa‘s (봉은사) Temple Stay.

I will do some more research. But, here’s some extra reading in Korean. I will have to find some English material.

Bulgyo Focus video: http://www.tagstory.com/video/video_post.aspx?media_id=V000407746 (Korean)

Buddhism Journal: http://www.buddhismjournal.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=2211 (Korean)

Weird Shit Vol. I

I’ll get right to the business of this story this time ’round, as I tend to have super long and off-topic lead-ins to really short stories.

I live in an officetel. There’s a lot of spacemen here, because it is probably the cheapest place around, and it’s across Anyangcheon from hagwon-heavy Mokdong.

I saw a white guy a while back on the elevator with an open coat and his “house clothes” (i.e. shorts and a beater) on (dangling preposition!). He had one of those small carry-on suitcases with the handle (the kind you drag behind you). I thought, “oh, he’s getting ready to move out or travel.” I saw him go into the GS25 at the bottom of our building. I thought, “what the f…” but it’s possible he’s stocking up for the trip.

No. It’s been pretty damn cold here in Seoul (don’t take my word for it, though it’s relative) and I’ve since seen him twice going down the elevator late at night (11:00 – 12:00-ish) in the same outfit. Each time, he goes into the GS25 with this suitcase.

What?

Where does he go next?

Next time, I really should follow him. Though, I think the mystery is what keeps in interesting.