2월3일-토픽올립니다.

[이쁘니]

1. Koreans Turn to Mild Alcoholic Beverages

By Yoon Ja-young
Staff Reporter

More Koreans are turning to mild alcoholic beverages instead of hard liquors, reflecting a growing interest in healthy lifestyles, statistics showed.

According to the National Tax Service (NTS), Koreans consumed 3.3 million kiloliters of beer, soju, and other alcoholic beverages in 2007, up 3.8 percent from the previous year. The alcoholic consumption has been rising each year except for 2005, when the consumption fell to 3.1 million kiloliters from 3.2 million kiloliters of the previous year.

Beer took 60.3 percent of total consumption, followed by Korea's distilled liquor soju at 29.3 percent. Whiskey took 1.1 percent of total alcoholic consumption.

NTS said the statistics show consumers' preference for low-alcohol beverages as a growing number of people are becoming health conscious. Beer consumption grew 5.5 percent and liquor made from fruit, including wine, grew 35.7 percent.

Even in the soju market, competition to lower alcoholic content is evident. After launching 25 percent alcoholic content soju in 1962, soju producers have been reducing further, launching ``low-proof soju'' of 19.8 percent and even 19.5 percent in 2006.

Koreans, who each consumed 72.43 bottles of soju in 2006, consumed 0.39 bottles less in 2007.

The beer market, meanwhile, is expanding. Korean adults consumed 107 bottles of beer in 2007, up 4.5 percent from the previous year. A variety of beer products, including black beer and the ones containing fiber, helped beer manufacturers expand their consumer base. Import!ed beer took 1.8 percent of the total beer market last year.

Most of all, the wine market saw notable growth. Koreans consumed 38,000 kiloliters of wine in 2007, 2.53 times more than what they consumed in 2000. Koreans consumed an average of 2.03 bottles of wine last year, markedly growing from 1.48 bottles of the previous year. NTS said the concern on health and people regarding drinking wine as a sophisticated cultural activity boosted wine consumption. Import!ed wine took 85.4 percent of the total wine market last year.

chizpizza@koreatimes.co.kr

 Questions

1. What do you think about this new trend?

   Are you following the trend or not?

2. What is your favorite drink? And why do you like it?

3. The wine market is expanding notably in Korea.

  Why do you think that people are crazy about wine these  

    days?

2. International Marriages

Nowadays the word ‘international marriage’ is getting familiar to Korea and you would easily come across foreigners in the Korean society. As the number of foreigners is increasing, the international couples are also increasing. However, some forms of international marriages are causing social problems due to their original intensions and lack of understandings. Have you ever seen such advertisement that says, ‘Marry a beautiful Vietnamese Bride’? You would easily find these signs dangling in the middle of the highway roads outside Seoul. This is the kind of international marriage which has been constantly controversial.

International Marriages of Past
In the past, Korea suffered from invasions of various nations around the peninsula. Automatically there were many international marriages in Korea whether they wanted or not. There were no significant social problems since there were not many distinctions in appearances or cultures. The first western spouse who had different features and cultures was believed to be from the Hollandaise sailors who shipwrecked at the Jeju Island, the biggest island in Korea, in 1653. Even though they looked completely different, their marriages were tolerated. They managed to assimilate themselves to the Korean society, and their half-blooded off springs were also assimilated completely. So, in short, international marriages of past were actually quite successful in harmonizing with the society.

The Controversial Marriage
However, after the liberation and the drastic development of the Korean economy, other than the natural couples who love each other, a distinctive form of international marriages began to appear, especially in the rural areas or farmlands of Korea. It is a marriage without love, just for the benefits of each other. Brides are foreigners from relatively underdeveloped countries like Philippines, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, etc. In many cases, they have never seen their husbands before marriage, and sometimes don’t even speak Korean. They usually get married through the recommendation of a broker. Unlike the past, these couples usually face a lot of troubles getting along with the Korean society and culture.

Why Does This Kind of Marriage Occur?
Marriage is a social system for legal relationship and bearing off springs. However, it also works as means of achieving higher social position of individual and family. Due to this generally accepted idea, Korean bachelors who lack the essential factors, such as feasible amount of assets or abilities, are left out from the system of marriage. However for women from relatively under developed countries, this status and the citizenship of Korea is such an advantage. Since their benefits meet the end, this marriage is accomplished.

What are the raised troubles?
First, there would be financial problems. Since many of the Korean bachelors who try to marry women from the third world are reported to be an unstable financial status, brides may find the fact that to live in Korea is much worse than they’ve thought. This situation may lead to family discords, letting the women to experience physical abuses in the end.
Second, there would be educational problems. Most women have no chances to learn Korean culture before they get married. Of course, Mutual understanding would be almost impossible and moreover, the culture is just too distinct for them. It is also reported that many of them are not properly educated about giving birth or nursing infants, and sometimes fall into dangerous situations due to imperfect languages.
Third, the domestic violence would be the chronic problem. Many foreign women who marry Korean men are suffering from violence from their husbands. Since husbands have unstable state of finance and are usually much older than their wives, they sometimes obtain strong distrust and beat up their wives.
Finally, foreign wives suffer from infringe of their human rights. For most of the bills for the marriage is usually paid by husbands, they sometimes treat their wives as a product which can be owned. Because of this dull idea, husbands sexually abuse their wives frequently. Wives can’t easily resist on this infringe because legally, only husbands have the authority to extend the visas or allow them to get Korean nationalities.
        
Current situation
According to the report from the Korean national statistical office, the ratio of international marriage in Korea only consisted 1.6% of total marriages in 1993. After 10 years, in 2004, the portion increased up to 11.4% and expected to constantly increase. The nationalities of spouses are diversifying as well as the numbers increase. This is not just some problem we can neglect.
Surely, there would be international couples who get married because they love each other so much, but there would also be many immigrants who just come to live a better life in a more developed country. Should they suffer more from discriminative treatments and laws in a country far from their homeland? Are there any radical solutions to it? Let’s think about it

< Raised Questions >

1. How do you feel about these kinds of marriages? Are you against this idea?
If so, why?

2. Currently the law is against the foreign wives. Do you think this should be changed?

3. In these kinds of marriages, it acts a role as a means to improve the living standards. Do you agree to the idea? If you don’t, then how should it play its role?

2009년2월3일-토픽.doc

4. What would be the radical solution to this phenomenon? Banning this kind of brokerage? Legislating law for foreign spouses? What else would there be?

[noenemy]

와~이쁘니 누나 Topic 잘 고르셨당^^순한 술과 국제결혼 둘 다 토론 하기 좋은 주제 인 것 같은데요ㅎ 수고하셨습니다~

[nogarda]

주제가 술이네요 ㅎㅎ 수고했어요!

[치요]

이쁘니..수고했어요^^

[KATE]

노랑 바탕 화면이 이뿐대,,ㅋ~ 여러모로 이뿌니에게 잘 어울리는 컨셉인걸,,ㅎㅎ

[니콜라스]

이쁘니님에 딱 맞는 토픽이네^^ 술, 술 ,술,,,,,,

[Justin..]

이쁘니 누나~ 토픽이 산뜻한데요~ㅋㅋㅋ

[Martin]

수고했습니다. 토론 재미있겠네요..

[cara]

내가 제일 좋아하는 Topic 술이네~ㅎㅎ 그림도 많공 수고했어염^^

[니콜라스]

cara님이 술을 엄청 이뻐하시네, 몰랐네..

[Don_]

수고하셨슴다~~; 독도 때보다 질문이 많이 복잡해졌는데요ㅎㅎ^^

[Annie]

안녕하십니꺼?? ...드뎌 신비주의전략 수정!! ...새해 복 많이 받으시고, 가끔 얼굴보여주러 나와주세요^^***

[Annie]

이쁘니 멋지삼~!! 역쉬^^* 담주는 올만에 이쁘니가 올린 주제로 이쁘니랑 토론하는 거 해보고싶다~, 가능하다면!

[Annie]

글구, 이렇게 올려줘서 넘넘 좋아~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[이쁘니]

(술과 국제결혼에 대하여)모두들~ 환호해주시니~ 감사합니다!!! 낼 잼나게 try to discuss~ 낼뵙겠습니다^^*

[아코]

이쁜이님께서 수고하셨군요~ 하지만 전 그 술을 퍼마셔야하는 회식이라 참석못합니다. ㅠㅠ 즐거운 모임 가지세요~

[Annie]

... 이쁜아~!! 네 토픽이 좋았는지 어제 스터디 넘넘 좋았어!! 멤버들도 아주 좋았구, 뒷풀이도 멋지고~!! 땡스^^&&&