The starlet's face looks a bit young to be peddling liquor, and her body is pumping a bit much to match her innocent face. Fru actually asked if it was the same girl when I showed her the commercial, while I ranted about irresponsible pop influences and trends embraced without deliberation upon long-term societal impressions.

But then I had several conversations where women of this society spoke candidly of a man's tendency toward these things. I'm not going to talk about the silent allowance of certain behaviors, yet the discussion of these topics did not dawdle in what was right and what was wrong. It exists--literally 있다, a verb so common in Korea--perhaps explaining the viewpoint. These women felt its existence was not influenced, it would seem, by calling it good or evil.

On the flight back we perused a Narita airport bookstore. Now Japan is a haven for skin mags, be it the hard stuff that can barely be called porn or the light publications of "gravure idols," bikini clad on a beach or in a maid outfit in a house somewhere. Still, I was shocked when (a totally startled) Fru showed me what looked to be few different teen magazines--which had, nestled in their center, a half-dozen or so pages of photo-fueled sex tips and other definitely not US-kosher unwrapped airport material.

How bad are Korea's sexy girls groups when Japan is showing sex to youth like fashion fads? If the entire society considers something ok, is it still wrong? Religion aside, of course; not everyone exists in the same religious society. Somthing to ponder as Asia is revealed to the world--and vice-versa.