Richard J. Dodson, International Maritime and Admiralty attorney to speak at MCSOL

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Richard Dodson, an International Maritime and Admiralty attorney will be speaking to the ILS about his experiences practicing maritime and admiralty law.  Mr. Dodson is a partner at Dodson, Hook, and Frederick in Baton Rouge, LA and also teaches in Tulane's summer study abroad program in Greece.  Mr. Dodson has published extensively in the area of foreign seaman claims, international admiralty law, international jurisdictional issues and most recently has authored the United States Legal Chapter for the International Transport Workers Federation's newest publication entitled Seafarer's Rights.

The meeting will begin at 11:30 in room 25o.  We look forward to seeing you there.

MC ILS Joins International Law Student Association

Our ILS chapter joined the International Law Student Association this pasts week. ILSA is a "non-profit association of students and lawyers who are dedicated to the promotion of international law. ILSA provides students with opportunities to study, research, and network in the international legal arena. The organization's activities include academic conferences, publications, the global coordination of student organizations, and the administration of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition."

The ILS chapter at MC is excited about our new membership with this national organization and looks forward to furthering the International Law Center at MC with our membership. We are also excited about the upcoming Jessup competition. Although MC did not have a team participate last year, a five-member team from MC will be competing this spring in the competition.

First Meeting of the Year--Thursday, Sept. 4!

The ILS will have its first meeting of the semester at 11:30 in room 150 on Thursday, Sept. 4.  This meeting will be a general interest meeting and lunch will be provided.  Several students who have studied abroad through MC's Seoul program as well as students who studied abroad through other programs will speak briefly about their experiences.  Prof. Bowman will also speak briefly about his experience in Int'l Law.  We look forward to seeing everyone there.   

Why go? Jeffrey Cronin

The pros and cons of study abroad have long been debated. Over the years I have heard people say things like “Why would you pay all that money to attend classes in another country? You could study the same material right here at home.” Honestly, I wonder why people even ask this question because the answer is so simple. Taking advantage of a study abroad program is sound business. In fact, global education is an investment in yourself.

On a personal level foreign study is much more than classroom exchange. On our trip to Korea we learned about the Korean people, their history, their politics, their legal system, etc. We had the opportunity to meet Alexander “Sandy” Vershbow, US Ambassador to Korea. (This was a great opportunity for the students interested in working for the government.) On another day-trip we visited the Korean Constitutional Court which was established only twenty years ago just after South Korea moved for democracy. At the court we met several law students from other schools and spent time with one of the Court’s law clerk, who by-the-way is a US trained lawyer working in Seoul. Additionally, one of our students met the US General Counsel for an international franchise who was there doing a survey of IP protection and product consistency; and others attended the world technology and software trade show held in Seoul. These situations are far beyond the classroom and each one provided knowledge, contacts, and experience that could never be learned at home.

The Ties that Divide -- Andrew Lake 2

The national symbol of Korea is a red and blue circle showing the contrast between yin and yang.  No other symbol is more appropriate.  As the previous postings have indicated, Korea is a fully modern, prosperous nation, with a culture that is unique to the uninitiated Westerner.  Seoul is huge and has all that can be offered in an area inhabited by 24 million people.  

But just 50 kilometers north lies the world's most heavily fortified border, considered by many to be one of the most dangerous places in the world.  This division between the two Koreas is known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and it affectively divides a single nation, people, and culture.

When the Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953, the generals drew the line there, in the center of the peninsula.  In order to prevent further clashes, this 155 mile long, 2.5 mile wide buffer zone was established.  The area consists of a seemingly endless series of barbed wire, bunkers, watchtowers, and artillery emplacements.  Today, it is open  to the public and my classmates and I had the opportunity to visit on our last week in Korea.

Smack in the middle of the DMZ, just between the fences, is the very epicenter of the Cold War era conflict between North and South Korea.  Called Panmunjeom, but officially known as the Joint Security Area (JSA), this is the one place where North and South Korean soldiers can stand just feet from each other and, literally, stare face-to-face.  There is a line in the middle, marking the respective sides.  There are buildings on both sides and a number which straddle the line, one of which contains the conference table where officials from the North and South can meet.  Anyone who crosses the line outside the conference building is considered to have defected.  These defections do often occur and many situations have erupted in firefights.  

As tourists, we were highly restricted in our activities.  For one thing, only foreigners can go to the JSA.  Koreans are simply not permitted.  Other restrictions included no pictures, no talking without permission, and we had to stick to a respectable dress code (in case we ended up on North Korean propaganda posters; seriously).  All of this was meant to prevent North Korean soldiers from misinterpreting our actions and starting an international incident.  Perhaps most striking was the requirement that we sign a form waiving any claim for an injury caused by enemy or friendly fire.

When our bus pulled up to the South Korean building, we were quickly marched inside double-file.  Then, we were rushed into the conference building.  Once there, we were actually permitted to cross the line in the middle, which meant we were technically in North Korean territory.  No funny business was allowed, especially under the watchful eyes of the South Korean and American soldiers.  All of our touring took place while a North Korean soldier stood on his respective side and stared at us through his binoculars.  The feeling there was very eerie.  The silence was deafening and one could sense an almost crushing tension in the air.

On the ride back, I asked our tour guide why Koreans are not allowed to go to Panmunjeom.  His revealing answer was that the place is very emotional for Koreans.  This is understandable since many families were separated by the war.  Also, the knowledge that Korea has been divided between a democratic, capitalist state and an Orwellian dictatorship is an item which haunts the Korean psyche to this day.  

For anyone who visits Korea, I highly recommend the tour of Panmunjeom.  Do it at the end, that way you can experience the tension and the stark contrast between North and South Korea.

Andy Thomas Part II

Seoul, while unique in its own way, is also similar to many other metropolitan cities in Asia--that is, it has been "westernized" to some degree.  This is particularly apparent when you look around and see the different restaurants.  One of the first restaurants I saw on the morning after I arrived was Subway.  McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and even Smoothie King were maybe a ten minute walk from the University where we stayed.  Yet, do not be deceived.  All of these places have their Asian twists.  That is one of the neatest things about traveling abroad, you see some of the same stuff you have at home, but it is always different.  One example was KFC.  In Korea, KFC has a sandwich called "the Tower."  Of course, when I saw it I had to try it.  It was not as weird as say chicken feet or intestines (which we did eat while we were there), but it was unique nonetheless.  "The Tower" had a fried chicken fillet, lettuce, mayo, cheese, and to top it all off, a hashbrown.  Yes, I did actually say a hashbrown, but don't knock it before you try it.  Here in America, putting a hashbrown on a chicken sandwich sounds disgusting, but it was actually quite tasty even though it may only be a once a year type meal.  Another example would be the waffle fry pizza that Pizza Hut in Seoul offers.  Although I did not try it, you would be surprised at how appetizing a waffle fry pizza looks after you have been served Kimchi (otherwise known as pickled lettuce) at every other meal.  

One of the other truly great things about Seoul was being able to walk or take the metro almost anywhere.  There are so many parks, monuments, temples, and markets scattered throughout the city that it was impossible to see everything in one month.  However, being able to walk many places allowed me to see and experience so much more than I normally would by taking a car everywhere.  Seoul has a plethora of activities to offer including hiking, shopping (they have there own version of Rodeo Drive), clothes markets, food markets (see the fish above), herbal medicine markets, etc. etc.  You could literally do or see something different every single day we were there.   So, if your just the least bit adventurous, Seoul will not disappoint.

  

We Should Do That In American 2- Lauren Casey

After Returning home from Seoul I realized that I remembered the little, quirky things about Korea more than I thought I would. It's the little things that show you how truly different the cultures are.
After about one week in Seoul I got used to most of the differences---it is strange how you just do not realize that no one around you is speaking English. (This was actually really coll and I miss it because you could talk about anything and you could be assured that pretty much no one around you could understand what you were saying). But randomly, I would see something so strange and funny that it just caught my attention. Every few days we would be walking around the city and we would see a couple, usually young, dressed in identical outfits. Now in America there is the common trend for a couple to wear matching Halloween costumes such as Wilma and Fred, but these people were matching in the middle of June. I am not really sure why this is done, but I think that it is a really good idea.
I think we should do this in America because it would cut down on the confusion of whether a person is taken. You would just know because they are both wearing the same blue and white stripe shirt. It would end the awkwardness of hitting on someone that was taken and them having to say, "Sorry I have a boyfriend/ girlfriend." This is just seems to simplify things so well.
Deciding to go to Seoul has been one of the greatest decisions that I have made---the chance to see a different culture and immerse yourself in it was truly a one in a lifetime experience. I really miss it, especially now that school has started!!

The Korean Experience-- Russell Johnson

When I first decided to study in Korea for the summer, I thought I had made an enormous mistake. I had no knowledge of the culture, the language, or how long a fifteen hour plane ride really was. Luckily this was just first time jitters. The Korean Summer Program was my first trip out of the United States and I was naturally nervous. Once arriving and settling in, this trip became one of the best experiences of my life.
The entire trip was a refreshing culture shock. Being from a moderate size city, Seoul was an amazing site to see when you realize that a majority of South Korea’s population is centered there. With this much activity centered in one area, one is able to experience all of South Korea’s culture without ever getting to far away from the city. During the month I spent in Seoul, I took in as much as possible while still taking classes.
There are many experiences that made the trip such as the food, the city, the people, and even the classes. My personal favorite experience was the food. I was worried that the food would be so completely different that I would lose weight because I would not eat it. I was happily surprised by the food though. There were definitely some differences. Food seemed to be much fresher and the service was great. Lacking any communication skills, eating was always an adventure. From pointing to pictures or just pointing at a Korean word hoping for the best, eating was always fun. The surprises would be an omelet, spicy chicken feet, or many times a tasty noodle dish. The key I have found to food is to always keep an open mind. It might not be the best thing you have ever eaten, but you do not know till you have tried it. I personally had the best dumplings and spring rolls of my entire life. Also just to be a good American tourist, go to McDonalds and try the Big Bulgogi.(Korean Big Mac) You might be surprised.
We not only were able to run around Seoul for a month, but were able to get outside the city for a look at other cities. From what I saw, South Korea is an amazing country. The country is mainly mountainous and the country has to work with the land that it has. One city we visited was the beach community of Sokcho. Sokcho was not as appealing as one would want a beach town to be, especially since it was raining, but it did have a national park on the edge of town that made the trip worthwhile. The national park was massive. The rain hindered our view of the valley and surrounding areas, but knowing how high you are and the rain made the top of the mountain worth the soaked walk to the top. The fifty foot statue of Buddha was also rather impressive. The other city that I visited slips my mind. I ended up there after riding the bullet train half way down the country. The city was nothing like Seoul, but made one realize that daily life in small towns is the same around the world.
Living in Seoul was definitely worth the trip. Seoul is more than one can experience in a month. Inside the city one can find palaces, temples, museums, mountain climbing, and every modern convenience anyone could need. The city amazed me by it use of space and preservation of its culture. The only allowance for unused space was in their temples and palaces. These huge monuments of the past show the lifestyles of the royal family. The elaborate and intricate design of the buildings and their decorations exemplifies the importance Koreans take in every detail. The Koreans seem to continue this tradition today as they reshape their country.
Overall, the Korean Summer Program was an amazing experience and adventure. The classes were more prevalent being in an economy that is constantly growing on the international market. The experience of trying to find one’s way around a strange country without any clue of how to speak the language only enhances how I perceived the culture. The people were always kind and helpful, even if they could not understand you. Mostly, I wish I could have those spring rolls again.

We Should Do That In America 1---Lauren Casey

We were in Korea for nearly a month and saw a lot of interesting things, but I bet you could be there for only a few moments to pick up on the many, obvious cultural differences. Some of these differences were very strange, such as the random animal parts that were served at one memorable dinner, but others, in my opinion, need to be adopted in the United States.
When we first arrived at Sookindang, the building where the students resided, we were greeted by our house mother who promptly instructed us to remove our shoes. Shoe removal is a common practice not only in Korea, but in most other Asian nations. There is the obvious reason of cleanliness, but I did a little research and found that there are much deeper reasons for this practice. Culturally it is rude to leave ones shoes on when entering another’s home because the purpose is to keep the house clean as well as quiet. Another, more spiritual reason that I discovered is that leaving shoes outside is symbolic of leaving the world outside. The removal of the shoes is letting your mind know that you are transitioning from work to the sanctuary of your home. This seems like such a relaxing idea, but I doubt the typical workaholic American will have this same mindset when removing their shoes.
I know many Americans that already have this policy in their house, and in fact, it is common practice in Hawaiian homes to remove ones shoes. The cleanliness factor is the primary reason for why most American would do this, but this policy may not be greeted with open arms with all house guests. Nearly every day when I would come in the door and remove my shoes I would think of Sex and the City. There is an episode where the shows main character, Carrie, is instructed to remove her shoes by the hostess of the party she is attending. She reluctantly does so while complaining that she is so tiny without her 4 inch heels. At the end of the party, Carrie goes to grab her shoes and someone has stolen her $500 Minolo Blaniks. I know very few people who have shoes that are worth stealing, so this should not be an issue if someone should decide to adopt this in their household.
This may not become common practice in all American homes, but I know that since I have been back from Korea there have been very few days when I have walked into my house with shoes on.

Sokcho and Busan- Alise Ballard

During our stay in Korea we visited two beach towns, Sokcho and Busan (Also, known as Pusan). Being that it was the beginning of the rainy season, every time we left Seoul for some sunny beach time—it DOWNPOURED! Despite the rain, each town was a nice get away for the busy city of Seoul.

Sokcho is located in the Northeast part of South Korea. We traveled for 3 ½ hours by express bus to the city. The hotel we stayed in was a traditional Korean hotel with no beds, just blankets and pillows. The East Sea could be seen from our deck. I think we all had our fingers crossed that it would stop raining so we could go swimming in the East Sea, but unfortunately that never happened.

Busan is the second largest city in Korea after Seoul and the largest port city in South Korea. We traveled to Busan by KTX train (as pictured). The KTX train runs on new high-speed line using French TGV technology. To travel across South Korea it took only 2 ½ hours and we traveled at 300 km/h. It was extremely fast but you never felt like you were going that fast, it felt like a normal train ride. Given the short distance we decided to go just for the day. Once again, as soon as we stepped out Seoul it began to pour. However, the train ride made up for this. We were able to see some of the country that is not around the Seoul area, like farming villages and rice fields.

It was a nice getaway on the week to be able to travel rather cheaply across South Korea. My advice for traveling to the beach in June and July in Korea is to bring an umbrella and some rain boots!

Shopping in Seoul- Alise Ballard

Seoul, Korea was amazing! It was a life changing experience that I never will forget and am so thankful that I got chance to visit. The University we stayed at was amazing, and after a couple of days it began to feel like home. We did everything in our 27 day stay from eating REALLY strange food- i.e. chicken feet, grilled various (which I still have no clue what that really is), pig intestines, and my all time favorite kimchi- to visiting the Demilitarized Zone-which was also very interesting considering one student was almost taken away by a North Korean Solider. (It should probably be noted that I did not try the really strange food, I enjoyed observing and encouraging other people to eat the really strange food.) However, the thing I enjoyed the most in Korea was all the great shopping around Seoul.

Seoul’s two largest markets, Dongdaemum (East Gate) and Namdaemum (South Gate), by far have the best deals on clothing, accessories, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. The stores owners and vendors speak little English making it hard to sometimes try to negotiate price with them. Both of these markets are located on winding streets with wall to wall vendors. Dongdaemum is open 24 hours and always packed. Namdaemum has been in existence for 600 years, and is more of an opened air flea-market. As you can see from the picture above, it was extremely hard to walk down the crowded rows of things for sale and take it all in. But these two areas in Seoul are definitely a bargain shopper’s paradise.

For the less serious shoppers, there are shopping areas for them too. Itaewon is the most westernized shopping area in Seoul. The shop owners and vendors speak very good English and in some stores even take American Money. This area of Seoul seems to be catered to the Westerner tourist with great souvenirs and even a few westerner type restaurants. If you are in the market for antiques and art, the Insa-Dong area is the place for that. It has second hand stores, art work, pottery, antiques, and similar items. Itaewon and Insa-Dong are much quieter and less crowded then Dongdaemum and Namdaemum, and great places to spend a day wondering around.

Seoul, Korea is absolutely beautiful. Being there for almost a month did not give me enough time to do all the things I wanted to do there. I would encourage anyone who was given the opportunity to visit. The shopping and sight-seeing is like no other place in the world.

Andy Thomas--Part I

When people ask me, "How was Seoul?," the first thing I usually say is that it was huge- the city that is.  The size of the city was one of the first things that blew me away.  I have been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places, including places in Europe and some other Asian cities, but Seoul was on a different level.  It went up, down, and out with people literally everywhere.  There was never really a point in time when I could get away from people, except may in my own bathroom.  Nearly 25 million people live in the metropolitan area--that is roughly 1/4 of the population of Korea!  It was pretty amazing.

For me, one of the most memorable experiences about visiting a new city overseas is the taxi rides, and Seoul was no different.  They have traffic laws, but it is more of an organized chaos.  If you ever want to get a feel for the pace of a city, just hop in a cab.  I find that riding in a taxi is one of the best ways to not only see a city, but also to find your way around.  However, in Asia, it is also one of the quickest ways to "see your life flash before your eyes."  One night, Jeff, Russ, and I had to take a cab back to the university because the metro had stopped running.  We flagged down this little old man in a taxi and hopped in.  After about 6 or 7 attempts of trying to explain to him where we needed to go he finally just took off--they never knew any English and our Korean was spotty at best.  I truly believe this old guy was crazy or he at least had a lot of fun pretending that he was.  He was driving through the center of Seoul at about 115 kph (that is about 70 mph).  I really believe at one point we were nearly on two wheels going around a curve in about 10 lanes of traffic.  It was truly ridiculous.  And, during the entire trip back, he was singing loudly along with the radio, laughing at us, and yelling in Korean for no particular reason.  The faster he went, the more fun he thought it was.  We were obviously freaked out, yelling, and laughing as well (however, it was one of those fearful OMG type laughs--what have we gotten ourselves into!).  So needless to say, it was a crazy experiences and one of the most memorable. It was something that you just cannot replicate, and probably something you would not want too.

Life in Seoul - Lindsey Tew

Annyung hayseo!  

The adjustment to South Korea took me a few days, but I ended up really loving it. Seoul is a great city.  The weather there was just like home in the day time - HOT. But at night it really cooled off and it felt nice. 

The second night we were there, we had quite an interesting dinner.  We went to a local sports bar and decided to order one of everything on the menu for the table to share.  However, we had no idea what we were actually ordering.  One menu item was “grilled various,” and “various” it was – including one dish that was actually some type of barbequed chicken feet. I am not making this up.  We were also exposed to "kimchi" for the first time. (That is kimchi in the picture.) Wow, the Koreans love some kimchi.  Kimchi is any form or flavor of pickled vegetables with seasoning, there are numerous varieties of it and it is served at every meal. Kimchi is usually a side dish but it can be the main ingredient in other things as well, like kimchi soup or kimchi water. Kimchi is sort of a national dish and the Koreans are very proud of it. Whenever a group of small children would see us approaching, they would recognize that we were Americans and yell, “Hi!!” We would say hello back to them and they would say, “What is your name? Do you like kimchi??”

We partnered with Sookmyung Women’s University for our program. The faculty and staff at Sookmyung were so gracious and helpful.  They provided us with students from the University who went with us to different things to act as translators. It was really interesting getting to know them and seeing how college life in Korea differs from America.

Seoul, home to 23 million people, is a lot like the big cities in the United States. There were many distinct areas of the city, each with an atmosphere that was unique from the other areas. Itaewon was my favorite part of Seoul. Itaewon was very westernized with a Korean twist. A lot of foreigners lived in that area so it was a touristy district with lots of American food and shopping - carts and booths on the street plus good stores.  The best part of Itaewon was the Cold Stone.

The public transit in Korea was impressive. In Seoul, the Metro system was pretty easy to navigate, it was well marked and very clean down in the stations. If you wanted to venture out of the city, you could get basically anywhere by train or bus. We took two beach trips, one to Suckcho which is on the Eastern coast of Korea on the East Sea. Then we went to Busan on the very Southern coast.  

Our "apartment" was a fabulous setup. It was like a dorm, but it was located on the top floor of an administration building. Each room had bunk beds, desks, and a bathroom. There was big common area with a den, dining room, and kitchen. We also had a laundry room and computer room. We had a huge balcony that overlooked the campus. My last night in Korea was on the 4th of July.  There were actually fireworks and we able to watch them from our balcony.

Over all it was a great experience and I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go. 

Seoul Food - Jeffrey Cronin

When I was in China...I learned to love the simple nature of many asian ways. I grew fond of asian food and learned to enjoyed many foods that were at first very strange to me. Over the years I developed a single culinary rule...the food I am trying to eat can not be moving while I am trying to eat it! After working and living in mainland China for years I left my position to attend Mississippi College School of Law. So when I heard the law school had arranged a summer abroad program in Seoul South Korea I knew I had to go. Yeah, yeah I would get a a few credit hours but the real driver for me was knowing I could study international business in an international environment.

Other blogs here talk about food, customs, behaviors, and the people of Korea. All these together make the country a great place to visit but of these I foundsome of the food interesting. Over the years I have eaten snout, ears, snake, urchins, worms, hearts, frogs, dog, and other foods I still have not indentified. So I was interested in knowing what Koreans eat.

Korea is heavily westernized in many ways and you can easily find KFC, Starbucks, Burger King, Smoothie King, and many other American franchises. But overall the food culture has remained typically asian. For example in many areas of the country there open-air fish markets were you can walk along the street and find coolers, tanks, barrels, etc. full of fish and sea critters just swimming around waiting for you. In these markets you just walk along the road looking at all the different fish and urchins until you find where and what you want to eat. Then along side these small shops there are seating areas available for you to sit and place your order. Once you've ordered the shop owner will catch your fish and pull it from the aquarium. He will then prepare your selection which may be a nice fish head soup or something.

One weekend our group visited Sokcho on the eastern coast of Korea. The weather turned cool and rainy one evening and a few of us were trying to decide where to eat. So we elected to hit the local fish market for dinner. As we walked through the open air market the weather turned cooler and rained more but eventually we found a nice little shop where we all could sit on the floor crouched to a couple of low tables. There we enoyed an exceptional pot of hot fish soup.

Also while in Korea I learned they love kimchi. Korean kimchi is a fermented vegetable that, IMO, has an earned tasted. After realizing Korean eat kimchi with any and all meals I decided to do a little research on the dish. Kimchi dates back some 3,000 years in Korea history and has remained steady in the Korean diet all along. In fact early Koreans used the pickling / fermentation process to preserve the vegetables they would need to store and eat during the long harsh winter months. Also, it has been discovered that the fermentation process not only preserved the vegetable it retains a remarkable nutritional value.

Well as economies globalize the need to understand and accept different cultures is ever increasing. One of the basic traits of a culture is thier food. Food is often a focal point of meetings or business gatherings; so knowing about other cultures and their food is important. One day you may attend a dinner provided by a foreign associate and you may be shocked if you have no idea what could be served.

Seoul Series -- Andrew Lake 1

No nation exports its popular culture more than the United States. South Korea is a perfect example of this.

All we had to do is walk down a busy street in Seoul. If it was American, or seemed American, it was ripe for cool.

We always saw people selling hats, t-shirts, shoes, and many other things. Many of these articles had something about them that was uniquely American. Sometimes it was Disney characters but that was the least interesting. The most interesting and pervasive items always contained English words and phrases on a hat or t-shirt. They were often written in large, bold text and would include a type of logo. What added the level of humor was that none, repeat, none of these words or phrases made any sense to a native English speaker. Other than random phrases of English, other items included advertisements for non-existent gas stations in the Midwest, and promotions for American sports teams that don't exist.

This display was not limited to Korean-made merchandise. Seoul was full of familiar American name brands. This is what surprised me. I have traveled to Europe on numerous occasions and American brands and retail stores were not easy to come by. Only the very largest American conglomerates such as McDonald's and Burger King had permeated the European market and even then, not quite with the success that American companies, large and not-so-large, have had in Korea.

Smoothie King, Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Cold-Stone Creamery, Baskin-Robbins, Haagen-Dazs, Bennigan's, and Outback Steakhouse. A walk down any busy street in Seoul will revealed these outlets. The busiest retail areas contained other familiar company stores such as Converse, Dickies, The North Face, and even Build-a-Bear. On any given period of the day, all of these establishments were bustling with patrons. I of course cannot forget to mention the many knock-offs sold on the streets but that is another topic for another post.

I asked a Korean friend about this and she explained this fascination with all things American. Her best explanation was that it exists. Americans have been in Korea since the 1950's and are large responsible for the founding and protection of the Republic. Koreans constantly travel to and are educated in America. Therefore, it is natural for Koreans to readily accept American "stuff" into their everyday lives.

Seoul Series - Laura Moore 1

What’s the beef???

June 10, 2008 – 100,000 protesters attended a rally in downtown Seoul.

June 11, 2008 – 8 Students and 2 Professors arrived in Seoul.

As we flew out of the United States, some of us knew in May there had been demonstrations in Seoul. Some of us knew that it was about the importation of U.S. beef; however, none of us knew how serious the situation was becoming while we were on the plane en route to Seoul.

We quickly became aware of the situation, on our first day’s trek around the city when we were strolling along the sidewalk in front of City Hall and practically strolled right into the middle of a labor union demonstration. Since all of the signs were written in Hangul, and none of us could read them, we were not sure what exactly was going on. It was later that day when we approached another protest that we figured it out. This protest had a banner with a picture of a “mad” cow on it. Still, we questioned, “What’s the beef?”

Is it really a protest against the U. S. standard of exporting beef? Surely not we thought. A quick “google” of the terms “South Korea, Beef, and U.S.” quickly filed our browsers with articles relating the previous 24-hours news. The articles outlined the situation. The South Koreans were upset about the government’s decision to re-open the country’s doors to the importation of beef from the U.S.; doors that had been closed since 2003 after the discovery of an American cow infected with the “mad cow” virus.

We had plenty of opportunities, during our 27 days in S. Korea, to ask the questions about the protests. We visited the U.S. Embassy and asked; what was their take on the situation and did we need to be worried. It was then that we first heard the term “Candlelight Festival.” The Embassy officials told us that the S. Koreans were very peaceful and were referring to the demonstrations simply as a “Candlelight Festival.” The Embassy officials did tell us to avoid the demonstrations because while most of the events were peaceful, as it got later the “festival” attitude changed to one more focused on disruption and riots.

I had a chance to discuss the situation with a Jenny. Jenny worked for the government on the trade agreement right up until the demonstrations started. She referred the protests as “Candlelight Festival” and said that it was not really about whether U.S. beef was bad or not. The people were upset because they do not believe that the government will protect them from harmful products, in general. Jenny said that most Koreans did not trust the President. Many felt that he was just a businessman only looking out for the government and not looking after the people.

It was interesting hearing this take on the situation. It started me thinking about what I was witnessing first hand. I was in a country that was exercising their rights. They were lining the streets by the thousands. They were speaking out against the government. Letting it be known that they were unhappy about what was going on, and as long as they were peaceful, they were allowed to do so. If we had been in North Korea this would never have even had a chance to happen. Instead we were in South Korea and they can express how they feel about the way the government is running things.

I was impressed by the passion of the Koreans. With the upcoming election, fast approaching it is our chance to speak out about how we think our government has been running and how it should continue. I have come home with a renewed excitement for our own democracy.

The next few weeks . . .

Over the next several weeks, the eight students that studied abroad in Seoul this summer will be posting their thoughts about their experiences in Seoul.  I am dubbing this as the "Seoul Series."  Each student will do two to three posts regarding their thoughts and experiences while visiting South Korea.  This is basically a self-reflective series from each student's perspective.  Comments and questions from readers are always welcome.  Hope you all enjoy!

MC Law Students in Seoul

Well, summer is almost half over and it is time to start blogging once again! This summer 8 students and 2 law professors (Professor Greg Bowman and Professor Celie Edwards) from MCSOL are in Seoul, South Korea for 4 weeks. They arrived on June 11 and will be leaving on July 6. The original plan was to have the Students blog at least once or twice a week during their stay in Seoul; however, technological and translation difficulties have arisen preventing the group from blogging. Hopefully, we can have some of them provide some posts about their experiences upon their return. For some, it is their first time overseas. Others are a little more experienced. The students are taking 2 classes while in Seoul, International Business Transactions and Global Comparative Corporate law. The Students are studying at Sookmyung University in central Seoul.

ILS elects new officers for 2008-2009 year

Recently, the ILS elected new officers for next year.  We would like to thank all of the outgoing officers including President Andrew Stubbs and Secretary Brytt Ebeling-Belt for all of their hard work.  Both helped make this past year a wonderful one for the society.  

On a different note, we would like to welcome our new officers for the upcoming year.  The new President is Andy Thomas, who served as Vice-President this past year.  Our new Vice-President is Laura Moore, a rising 2L.  Finally, our new Secretary is Kat Pantazis, a rising 3L.  We are in the midst of planning some great events and speakers for the upcoming year and look forward to a great next year for the officers and the society.  Again, congratulations to all of the new officers.  

NAFTA: Good or Bad?

There has been much discussion in recent weeks whether NAFTA has been beneficial or not for the U.S.  Much of the discussion has come from the two Democratic Presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  Both have expressed strong dislike for NAFTA stating that the treaty has been the cause of huge losses in American jobs (Obama claims that it has cost the U.S. over 1 million jobs).  Yet, many questions still remain: 1) Is NAFTA really the source of these job losses?; 2) How many jobs have actually been gained because of NAFTA and other FTAs similar to it?; 3) Is all of this "talk" just political rhetoric to reach out to union voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania?.  

In my International Trade Regulation class the other day, we had a discussion of the current Presidential candidates and their positions on trade (this included both Republican and Democratic candidates).  It can be plainly seen that John McCain is completely for FTAs.  He has a 100% voting record for FTAs in the senate.  The other two (Democratic) candidate's views are a little more murky.  Obama seems farther to the left (opposes free trade) while Hillary seems to be riding the fence (what a surprise!).  They will often vote for one agreement and then not vote for the next one, often citing lack of labor or environmental standards.  Yet, one student brought up an extremely good point--both Obama and Clinton did not start faulting NAFTA for job losses until the Ohio presidential primary got closer.  This opposition was not present in primaries in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa, California, etc.  This fact makes a strong case that their opposition is strictly based on political motives in pandering to presidential voters.  Particularly Hillary, who's husband oversaw the signing and establishment of NAFTA seems to have no consistent stance toward trade--good for the country here but bad there.  Now, obviously, there have been job losses since the inception of NAFTA.  Many manufacturing jobs have been lost, but many jobs in services have been created.  Neither of which can be completely credited to NAFTA.  In all actuality, globalization (which neither America nor any other country can control) is mostly to blame.  Globalization is caused by multiple factors including liberalization of market access, rapidly developing foreign financial markets, changes in currency, media, etc.  Because of these factors and many more, the U.S. has no choice but to stay economically competitive with FTAs--this IS a situation where one can argue that since everyone else is doing it we should too.  

As a result, one should be careful not to put to much faith into the rhetoric of Presidential candidates in their positions to amend or even worse, do away with NAFTA or other similar agreements.  I would hope that voters in not only Ohio and Pennsylvania can see through this rhetoric, but also other Americans as well.  We as Americans must realize that our domestic economy is changing whether we like it or not.  Manufacturing jobs are going to continue to leave this country while other service oriented jobs will continue to grow.  We have to learn to sacrifice and change--we cannot stop the integration of our economy with the global economy.   While labor unions will not admit it, they may be the root cause of the loss of manufacturing jobs.  These organizations push for higher wages (sometimes $15-20 dollars an hour), less working hours, better working conditions, etc.  While these requests are commendable, corporations get tired of having to give in to these requests and end up going to less developed nations to manufacture products.  Take China for example: Companies can go there and pay workers 1/10 of what they pay workers in America, get workers to work 12-15 hour days, and have less desirable working conditions.  Strictly from a business point of view, what company would not take those jobs overseas.  Now, I am NOT advocating companies leaving or have lower wages and bad working conditions in America.  However, Americans need to understand that we have the highest wages and the best working conditions of any country on earth, and that when unions push for more and more, companies will finally get tired of the pressure and leave.  

In conclusion, one should not be quick to blame FTAs for the loss of jobs or other economic woes that the U.S. is facing.  There are many problems that will involve intelligent solutions rather than undoing past accomplishments (such as NAFTA).  

For more info, see here.

A. Thomas

UBS International tax attorneys speak for ILS

Recently, Mr. Christopher Andrews St. Victor de Pinho and Ms. Jennifer Sinclaire spoke about "Structured Finance and the Global Credit Crisis" at MCSOL for a group of students and practitioners.  Mr. Pinho and Ms. Sinclaire are in-house tax attorneys for UBS Financial Firm in Stamford, Connecticut.  Mr. Pinho spoke about the devastating economic results stemming from the credit crisis and Ms. Sinclaire explained structured finance and how it is used by the investment banks.  Their dual presentation was extremely enlightening and educational, especially for students (like me) who are trying to understand the market and how this current credit crisis began and implications it has for the future.  

The ILS would like to thank Mr. Pinho and Ms. Sinclaire for taking time out of their busy schedules to come speak at the law school.  Their presentation was a great learning experience and one that will not be forgotten.  

Why do Latin Americans sue U.S. companies?

I haven't been able to nail down one particular unifying theme to this quandary. What I do know is that, as U.S. markets expand in an increasingly globalized world, they become subject to many new laws while still operating under the cloak of United States' judicial protection.

For example, companies are quickly opening branches, manufacturing plants, agricultural endeavors and selling an increasing number of products to Latin American countries. Although there are no Regional Trade Agreements or Free Trade Agreements between the U.S. and many, if not most, of these countries (Mexico excluded) this commercialism grows nearly uninhibited. As a result, hundreds, if not thousands of law suits hit U.S. courts from Latin American workers suing their U.S. employers for various reasons. Suits have been filed based on chemical usage in Dole banana farms in Nicaragua and Honduras and Guatemala. Suits have been filed for injuries in manufacturing plants. Suits have been filed based on products liability even when the product was built or created in the Latin American country of origin for the plaintiff. All of these suits are brought in the United States and filed, either within the federal court system, or the state court system for the domiciliary state of the U.S. company. Nearly every one of these suits is regurgitated from the U.S. court system on grounds of forum non conveniens.

After this happens, the Latino Plaintiffs are forced to file suit in their home country if they carry any hope of a remedy. However, due to Latin American Blocking Statutes, these Plaintiffs are typically not allowed to file a subsequent suit in their home country after having already chosen a foreign venue to pursue their action.

Whatever the court, the question remains, why are these suits continuously brought in the U.S.?
Why can Latin Americans not get to the deep U.S. corporate pockets by suing in their home country where the cause of action occurred and all the evidence is that will be needed at trial to prove their case?

There is obviously an underlying problem here and I want to find out what it is.

Anybody have any links or input?

AJ - MCSOL ILS President

ILS Thanks Judge Southwick for Speaking

The ILS would like to thank Judge Southwick for taking the time to come and speak with the society.  

Judge Southwick offered unique insight into his personal experiences in Iraq with JAG and dealing with Iraqi civilians on a day-to-day basis.  He specifically spoke about Iraqi civilian claims he dealt with for property damage and wrongful death claims under the U.S. Foreign Claims Act.  

Again, we appreciate you coming to speak for us and good luck with the 5th Circuit.

Fifth Circuit Judge Leslie Southwick to Speak for ILS

This coming Thursday, March 6, Judge Southwick, who was recently appointed to the Fifth Circuit, will be speaking for the ILS at MCSOL.  The meeting will be at 11:45 in Room 250.  The topic is "Paying Iraqi Claims: A Job for the JAG's."  

In 2005, Judge Southwick served in Iraq as a member of the Mississippi National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team.  While on active duty, he served as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate from Aug. 2004 to July 2005 and then as Staff Judge Advocate from July to Jan. 2006.  He also served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1992 to 1997.  As a result, he has extensive knowledge and experience in this area.

For more information about Judge Southwick, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/judicialnominees/southwick.html

Cuba Libre!!!!

Funny thing is, Cuba Libre's are actually (rum and coke) in Chile.

Anyway, here is a link to the article in BBC if you haven't already read it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americans/7252109.stm

My take:
Not necessarily a very good thing. Raul is already good buddies with Chavez (Hugo made sure of that when little bro took over Cuba after Fidel got sick) which probably won't do much positively for Cuba. Granted, the Assemblia Nacional still must elect the next president, polls show that Raul will most likely be the man and this will lead to a following in Fidel's footsteps.

What can the U.S. do to stop a socialist government from continuing just 90 miles south of Miami? Probably nothing.  As much pressure as we put on Cuba to have democratic elections and reform their system of government, Chavez will likely apply an equal amount of pressure to maintain his strong ties with one of his best governmental allies in the western hemisphere. (Once again, we end up with Raul who is already favored if not technically in office just not publicly.)
Thus, we are left with a prime example of people needing to help themselves. If the Cuban public doesn't scream out in the streets for democracy probably nothing will happen. They need a model of prosperity to follow. Cubans need to know how they can benefit and resurrect a failing economy.
I personally think tourism alone would skyrocket in Cuba as it did pre-comunist days as a gambling/resort oriented country, but that's just me.
Any thoughts on what's to become of Cuba? With no significant change in political structure, with the United States' stance towards Cuba change?  Likely not, but time will tell.
This news should insight tons of thought on the future of our hemisphere. One of the longest reigning dictators in history officially resigned!! That's huge!! Especially so close to the leading proponent of democracy in the world.

(Aside, will Cuba show up as a topic during presidential race of 2008?)

Happy thinking on this one.

Andrew

New Study Abroad Program!

The ILS is proud to announce that MCSOL (through the hard work of Prof. Bowman) has established a 2008 summer law study abroad program to Seoul, South Korea.  The program will be about 3 weeks long from June 14 - July 4.  As of right now, 3 classes will be offered including International Business Transactions, Comparative Corporate Law and National Security Law.  The school has received tentative approval through the ABA and should receive final approval by April 1.  For this summer, the program will only be open to MSCOL students, but if the program goes well, we hope to open it for all law students next summer.  

What Effect Does the Capture of Chinese Spies on American Soil Have on U.S./China Relations?

This blog, http://www.djacobsonlaw.com, has an interesting post about four individuals who were arrested by the Justice Department for spying and giving classified national defense information to China.  Two of the men are businessmen from New Orleans and the other is from Arlington, VA.  One other individual from California that had worked for Boeing and NASA was arrested.  Obviously, this is bad for those individuals--you don't get arrested for spying unless there is a large amount of evidence.  Apparently these guys have been passing confidential info to the PRC for about two years.

My question is: What effect does this have on U.S. and China relations?  Will the U.S. government do anything formally to China?  Will they just gripe, complain and make a media circus but then move on because we all know that spying is inevitable?  I was just curious if anyone knew.  

Andy Thomas

NFL and international trade . . . perhaps not as unlikely as it sounds.

As I was watching the Superbowl last night, I was thinking about how it, the legendary American Football Championship game, might be connected to International Trade.  I, along with the other International Law Society officers, am taking an International Trade Regulation class this semester.  The more and more I read, the more I understand how everything we touch on a daily basis probably came from another country.  So I was thinking as I watched the game, how could the NFL be connected to international trade.  On its face, it really is not.  American football is just that, American football.  No other country, except for maybe a few folks in Canada and some loners in Europe even care about American football.  The rest of the world only focuses on soccer (better known outside of the U.S. as the "real" football).  

Then I did  a little research.  It turns out that the Superbowl does have a little something to do with international trade.  Have you ever wondered what happens to all of those championship hats and t-shirts that are printed for the team that ends up losing?  Well, you do not have to wonder any longer . . . they end up in the hands of kids in Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, etc.  Yep, the NFL has a partnership with World Vision, a global relief organization, in which the losing team's championship apparel gets shipped off to kids in other countries.  So if you ever think that no one outside of America cares about the NFL, think again.  Those little kids in central and south America getting the clothes sure love the NFL, even if they do not know what it stands for.  

See http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1071250 for more information.

By: Andy Thomas

Hey, it could happen

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,227115,00.html

This is a link to the article. This particular topic concerns me greatly. As the article suggests, there is a way to reverse this problem, unlike our ever decreasing oil reserves. I for one, enjoy being able to go to Nagoya (sushi restaurant) on the weekend and order about 2 dozen tuna rolls or California rolls, but am I contributing to the problem? Possibly. But how is this problem fixed? Take this in stride with Andy's last posting.  Is it my fault that I love fish but am also concerned about the ever-decreasing fish populations of the world? Is this another prime example of U.S. hypocritical consumerist conservatism. (those three words together hurt my head)
The fact is, our ways are much slower to change than the quantity of resources we consume. Thus, plans must be enacted which capitalize on our uberconsumerist tendencies. If we consume a ton of fish, we must use the billions in revenue to build natural saltwater fish farms to cultivate those species we most enjoy.

Do not for one second think that the U.S. is in any way totally responsible for depleting the world's fish populations either. I use the U.S. because I can talk about myself, but the truth is, many countries around the world consume much more of the commercial fish population than the U.S., particularly on a per-capita basis.

(check out the journal that does many studies on this called "Science")

A. Stubbs

Are Americans really against the outsourcing of jobs?

http://www.americaneconomicalert.org/news_item.asp?NID=3038929

This short article in the link above discusses the amount of jobs that have been lost in the Super Tuesday primary states under the Bush administration (although it fails to mention how many jobs have been gained to replace those which were lost).  The article has a negative overtone towards the outsourcing of jobs and basically sends the blame towards President Bush.  But, is the outsourcing of jobs to countries like China really President Bush's fault?

I will not go as far to say that the President's policies have had no effect on the outsourcing of jobs because they obviously have had some effect.  However, the blame should not fall solely on the Bush Administration or the Republican party.  The U.S. is a consumer driven society-that fact should go uncontested.  Ordinary citizens usually look for the lowest prices when they are shopping, regardless of whether they are shopping for clothes, groceries, electronics, etc.  Even if a person is looking for a particular name brand, he or she will wait until the product goes on sale if possible.  Everyone wants the lowest prices so they can save a few dollars.  Businesses know this fact.  Therefore, they go where they can produce goods for the cheapest and then they can offer lower prices to consumers in the U.S.  This leads to the outsourcing of jobs and manufacturing of products in Asia where labor is cheaper.  Then the products are imported back to the U.S. to be sold.  So in the end, Americans get lower priced items and they save a few dollars.  The downside to this is that people in the U.S. lose their manufacturing jobs to outsourcing because companies do not want to pay an American $15 an hour when they can pay a Chinese person $4 an hour.  While most people will generally speak out against outsourcing, those same individuals are the ones searching for lower priced goods and supporting the very companies which have outsourced their labor to other countries--seems a bit like hypocrisy to me.  So before we, as citizens, go blaming the government and the president for job losses due to outsourcing, maybe we should examine our own priorities and decide if we want lower priced goods or more jobs for those individuals that work in manufacturing.  We have the ability to choose . . . we have the ability to boycott . . . but will we?

By: Andy Thomas

Calling All Economist . . . Recession or Media Obsession?

Stock markets falling, banks writing off billions, economists warning of decline-it all sounds like an economic doomsday.  Yet, that is exactly what we are seeing everyday in the news, an obsession with recession.  While I am no economist, I have to wonder . . . Is this so-called recession because of problems in the domestic and global economies, or is it because of media-driven scare stories.  The "experts" say that we will not know if the economy is in a recession until 6 months after the fact.  However, I cannot help but think that all of this speculation and so-called "news" is contributing to the problem rather than helping solve the problem.

Think about this.  People watch the news and hear about the stock market continually falling, unemployment rising, housing bubble-bust, and all of this leads the media to the conclusion that we must be in the middle of a recession.  But no one really knows.  So in an attempt to save their retirement portfolios, people start liquidating assets, and then boom . . . we find our economy on the downslide because people are saving all of their funds and liquidating assets.  So maybe, just maybe, if the media would scale back their economic scary recession talk, and quit terrifying soon-to-be retirees, this recession problem might just slow down, solve itself, and the economy could get back on track.  The market always has its ups and downs, but the media seems to make it worse than it really should be.  Lets face it, people make bad decisions when they are emotional (excited, scare, angry, etc.).  All of the media hype about a recession promotes those emotions and then people make irrational decisions regarding their investments.  Perhaps we should take a step back to evaluate the situation instead of running head first into a recession that does not have to occur.

By: Andy Thomas

Time to start talking

Okay ladies and gentlemen,

Just want to open the floor for some interesting new discussions on anything global. I know at least Brytt, Andy, and I need some hot topics for papers to write this spring for an international trade seminar. Of course, I don't want anyone to throw out paper topics per-se, instead I just want to spit ball some ideas out their and see if anyone shares my interests.

1. Hugo Chavez and his own personal piggy bank in South America that we know as Venezuela and PDVSA. This guy kills me. How he's avoided assasination is beyond me. A true politician though, with somewhat of an iron fist.

2. My name is Diego Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die! haha. okay, so, different name, and probably uses lots of huge guns instead of a sword, but no less entertaining and interesting to read or watch. Colombian drug lords are always fun to read about, especially if you know that at one time, the Colombian "bam-bam" industry was worth more than five of the U.S. top fortune 500's combined. Check Diego out. Anyone compared to Pablo Escobar is a big deal for international trade, at least in this hemisphere.

3. short and simple: Mexican Imigration into U.S. - Capital Flight out of U.S.? Any thoughts? Any input? Any opinions?

4. What is the UAE doing with all that money? The emirates' current ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE. Check this guy out and is new building projects off the coast of Dubai.

5. Anything goes here. just write about what you feel interested in. time to talk.

Have fun people.