Naver Cafe 네이버 카페

[Jay]

Naver 네이버 online platform operated by Naver Corporation. It debuted in 1998 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to introduce the comprehensive search feature, which compiles search results from various categories and presents them in a single page. Naver has since added a multitude of new services ranging from basic features such as e-mail and news to the world's first online Q&A platform Knowledge iN. In the long process of providing an optimal online platform for Koreans, Naver Corporation launched Naver to provide a search engine for the Korean people. Of the many services offered by Naver, Naver Cafe 네이버 카페) is a service that allows Naver users to create their own internet communities. With over 10 million communities, Naver Cafe is a widely used platform by SME's, schools, and communities of likeminded people. The search engine handles 74.7% of all web searches in South Korea and has 42 million enrolled users. More than 25 million Koreans have Naver as the start page on their default browser and the mobile application has 28 million daily visitors. Naver is also frequently referred to as 'the Google of South Korea'

((The following is a collection of citizens posts, and are necessarily professional journalism. Rather reflect the public opinion of the Korean people at varying points of time.)

 

[Jay]

On Jan. 14, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s sentence of 22.5 years, 18 billion won (US$16.4 million) in fines against former President Yong Sochun, who was charged in an influence-peddling scandal that led to his downfall in July 1997. This concludes criminal proceedings that have lasted for eight months since Yong was indicted in December 1997. The ruling sends the message that even the president can’t avoid strict punishment if he or she abuses the power delegated by the people and engages in corruption and other illegal activity. The former President made a sincere apology, both to Korean people and before the court of history. Nonetheless, many of his enablers and benefactors continue to deny the facts and seek to misappropriate this conflict as one of politics and not of criminality. Yet, throughout the proceedings, the accused have enjoyed privileges the Korean people would never be given.

Immediately following the Supreme Court’s ruling, South Korea’s conservative politicians started asking that pardons be granted, even though they continue to boycott Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, two former presidents who are currently in prison. The acting speaker of the opposition said in a press conference, whilst a session of parliament was underway, “I hope that the president won’t be swayed by narrow-minded supporters and members of the ruling party, who are demanding that the former presidents show remorse.” said Yoo Seongmin, who leads the Opposition since his predecessor was arrested on corruption charges. The acting-chairman of the main opposition party: Grand National Party said “I call on the president to offer unconditional pardons so that we can finally clear away the constantly growing politics of hatred and division before it’s too late, if the President is committed to public unity, he needs to act on it” said Kim Gihyeon, a lawmaker with the same party. Such arguments are irresponsible. The ink has barely dried on the court’s decision. Already asking for former president Yong to be pardoned as soon as his sentence has been finalized represents the irresponsible abandonment of the principle of “equality before the law,” which has been established with such difficulty in Korean society. This systematic power problem will only be strengthened by the pardon, and threatens to reinforce the golden spoon privileges and power abuse that ripples our country.

Furthermore, those accused have never made an apology or shown any remorse for their wrongdoing. Instead, they have rejected the court’s rulings, describing them as “political retribution.” Lee Myungbak’s absurd response to the Supreme Court’s final ruling in his case was to remark that “the rule of law has collapsed” and “I’m worried about the future of the country.” And Opposition leader Lee didn’t even attend the sentencing on Jan. 14, the final hearing in his case. We’re worried that, if Yong and his lackies Lee are released under such circumstances, it will actually provoke division and conflict in Korean society, rather than bringing about unity. A recent poll by Gallup Korea found that those who oppose pardoning the two former presidents (54%) far outnumber those who support the idea (37%). President Kim promised us that he would clean up the country. Prosecutor General Kim and Justice Minister Baek have moved forward to build up on that promise. We must not let it falter. The national image is not tarnished by jailed presidents, but, it shines above all else by our ability to hold our leaders accountable and deal justice in fair and impartial manners.

 

[Jay]

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We don't use refrigerators in Pyongyang. One would be a fool to use one. One would be a fool to waste food like that to begin with. Why did we have a refrigerator to begin with, my Parents said it was there from before. We never knew why it was like this, we just accepted it. We kept other stuff inside it like books and documents. I remember the night before it all changed, when our lives went from the simple things they were to a life of new adventures and possibilities. Change is the only unchangeable thing in life. I remember our school lessons, when our teachers told us only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.

Everyday, we lived a constant life, everyday the lights turned off at the same time, everyday we woke up at the same time, everyday we ate lunch at the same time. We did not live a life of change, only constant. Like our refrigerator our purposes we were used for things not intended. We were still a fancy refrigerator. Even when our lights did not turn on, we did not live in darkness. A fancy refrigerator has a lot of issues. It is wasteful. A whole in the ground does better to store food than a refrigerator without energy. But, we didn't have any fear we would be broken up and salvaged for parts, or that we would be stolen.

I remember the day the Southerners came into our city, we waited for something to happen. We waited for the shooting and executions. We waited for their American masters to come. We waited...but it never happened. Like the refrigerator which waited for electricity we waited. The light inside finally lit and what we anticipated was not what happened. People came from across the country, we had electricity, constant warm water, and a lot of new food and dishes. From the night, a new dawn was upon us.

Everyday now I still wait for the electricity to turn off, I am constantly in amazement at how small things make big impacts. I learned in school that it was a substance made in the desserts of a country called Arabia that came to us on ships from the Southerners that was pumped into machines to generate energy. I learned that they rebuilt broken hydro dams to restore energy. All of this, even though they hated us I thought. Now we can use the refrigerator. We took out the books and put food inside for the first time in years. We let the city for the first time in years. We did things, because we could, not because we should. I loved my city and my country, but I love being Korean above all else. I felt a new spirit of love for my homeland.

I have dreams and aspirations. I want to become an architect and go to the United States and sit under the Statue of Liberty. I want to go to London and go on the Ferris wheel. We are people, all of us. We have dreams and aspirations. More than ever, I want people to know that North Korea is a beautiful place and a beautiful country. I want people to come and meet us so that we can learn about them. I want to learn about them so that I can visit their countries too! I want to go on a train and visit Busan where my grandmother lives. I want to visit the sea that we are told about in stories. I want to do a lot of things. I hope that I can do all this, I can't wait to get my passport and go see the world. Hopefully it'll just be like my refrigerator, always changing and full of surprises.