Living in Busan, ROK, I seldom get to see anything other than a smirky glare from Korean bosses, so reading about South Korean naughtiness in The Philippines is like a secret treat. John Nery and Manuel L. Quezon III amplify my response about "Snarky" Hong (and, how often do I get to say that!):

The Korean Ambassador really only apologized for not formally advising the Philippine government that the South Korean embassy intended to put Filipinos through the wringer. So, he said sorry to the DFA but the policy remains in place. But then, no one ever said the Korean’s aren’t aggressive about their interests.

I thought about it before, and again now, in words: perhaps Brendon Carr is right. Turning the other cheek from Seoul is just not good diplomacy. Even though, in this case, ROK-US FTA will probably fail because of Democratic resistance in the US Congress, why not just send a shipment of cars back? Somehow, it's just not satisfying enough to be right about the benefits of comparative advantage for South Korean consumers.

Second thoughts, let's just start pulling USFK troops out and parking an aircraft carrier at Busan!