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ISMF – the new front group of Bonn UBF

Introduction

After the negative publicity in 2002, Dae-Won (“Peter”) Chang, the Bonn UBF director, applied a very interesting tactic. At first, Bonn UBF seemed to have retracted themselves completely “out of the business.” The members were instructed to avoid attracting attention in public. However, in the beginning of 2004 suddenly Mr. Chang’s UBF emerged again from the cover, but using a completely new name and a completely new field of activity, where he increasingly actively searches the general, mainly Korean, public. The name of his new enterprise is “International Senfkorn Music Friends” or “International Senfkorn Music Festival,” abbreviated “ISMF.” As in his Bonn UBF, Mr. Chang is also in the ISMF the chief in command who is holding all strings in his hand, and meanwhile is not even shy to call himself their “president.” In the ISMF, it is officially no more about “campus mission” like in the UBF, but exclusively about music, child education and promotion of Korean culture and Korean values: a pretty radical change. What could be behind such a strange change of course?

For the following report, former members of the UBF have gathered some quite evident and some further possible motives, why Mr. Chang could be suddenly involved in this area. We refer here to the situation and our level of knowledge as of beginning of the year 2005.

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Cookie Theology

Yesterday, I just watched the movie Bridesmaids for the first time and there is a certain scene that keeps playing over in my head. I usually don’t watch rom-coms, but there is so much similarity between me (and I would say any human being for that matter) and the main character Annie, that I had to share. The emotions of this movie are quite profoundly raw and authentic. And if we’re really honest I think we can all relate with the feelings of jealousy and rage that this particular scene portrays.

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