South Korea Dumps Jill Kelley, Gives Prestigious Award to Psy

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 08:32:00 AM EST
Tags: South Korea, Jill Kelley, Psy (all tags)

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These days, Tampa housewife Jill Kelley can't win, and South Korean rapper Psy can't lose.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it is rescinding her "title" of Honorary consul because she used it for personal gain.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun told South Korean reporters during a visit to Washington that Kelley inappropriately used her title for personal gain.

"It's not suitable to the status of honorary consul that (she) sought to be involved in commercial projects and peddle influence," Kim said, according to Yonhap news agency.

Psy, meanwhile, can do no wrong. (background here.) The South Korean Culture Ministry announced a few weeks ago it would be awarding Psy with the prestigious Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, awarded for “outstanding meritorious services” to the arts. [More...]

Psy has been chosen to be decorated for not only being a long-term artist, but also for advertising Gangnam widely and increasing the world’s interest in Korea,” a culture ministry official told AFP.

If Jill moved to Korea, she'd undoubtedly knock on doors in Gangnam trying to buy a house -- just like she did in Tampa.

Determined to make her footprint, Jill Kelley knocked on doors up and down Bayshore Boulevard, asking homeowners if their house was for sale. She wanted the prestigious address, and she got it. In June 2004, the couple paid $1.5 million for a 4,800-square-foot brick mansion with stately white pillars and a view of Hillsborough Bay, just six miles from MacDill Air Force Base.

Gangnam is home to all the "moving on up" crowd. The culture there is one of materialism. That's why Psy parodies it in the Gangnam video. It's filled with people who bluff, and pretend to be rich and trendy.

Gangnam Style today has 821 million views. How long till he breaks the billion mark?

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South Korea Dumps Jill Kelley, Gives Prestigious Award to Psy | 21 comments (21 topical)

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We still need to know what flights (5.00 / 4) (#1)
by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 09:01:28 AM EST

Jill Kelley took out of MacDill for free, and still need to know if her sister took advantage of free flights to DC too. General Allen has been sent back to Kabul and his old job. No new job for him because some things are questionable.

The Pentagon is hoping we will forget about this and stop asking questions.

General Petraeus gave Jill Kelley the most prestigious award a civilian can be given for aiding the military. It's so embarrassing. People are slaving away night and day to perfect prosthetics, visiting soldiers everyday in hospitals and aiding their families however they can while others are building houses for wounded soldiers. But David Petraeus chose to bestow high honors upon catering and cigars.

NYT op-ed columnist, (none / 0) (#7)
by KeysDan on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 01:12:28 PM EST

Joe Nocera, apparently feels that Petraeus has completed his time in "purgatory" for in his "Obama's New Cabinet" Nov 27, he floats the trial balloon of David Petraeus as Secretary of Defense.

His reasoning being that someone is needed who can cut the Defense budget without hurting its mission--and who can reform the most entrenched bureaucracy in Washington. The Military brass, he fears, will run circles around any defense secretary who doesn't know their tricks, and Petraeus knows about tricks.

Mr. Nocera's judgment seems to be about as good as his nominee's. There is no mention of who will write the next biography: " All In, continued: the Pentagon Years."


You have to be a civilian for seven years (5.00 / 2) (#8)
by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 01:34:49 PM EST

Before you can be made Sec Def after being a commissioned officer. He hasn't done nearly enough time in time out. What in the hell was going on at CentCom and huge motorcades for Generals?

I didn't know until all this went down that there is an advanced course you must take to make General that goes over how you are supposed to conduct yourself. Generals got giant fat heads of late (who knew they could get fatter?) and they were coloring all over outside the lines in Tampa.

If Petraeus is of benefit he can be used in an advisory capacity. He's obviously been so self indulgent recently has he really sobered up much :)?


Now you would think (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by Wile ECoyote on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 03:37:17 PM EST

that an NYT - oped columnist, not doubt one of the smartest persons he knows, would do a just a little research and find out about the time requirement in going from Officer to Sec Def.


: Agreed (none / 0) (#21)
by Militarytracy on Wed Nov 28, 2012 at 08:12:01 AM EST

It's getting harder and harder to tell... (5.00 / 1) (#20)
by unitron on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 09:03:57 PM EST

...what is and is not an Onion article these days.


Gee maybe he could prohibit (none / 0) (#15)
by MO Blue on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 03:30:25 PM EST

the practice of 28 car motorcades being used to take 4 star generals to parties.

As SOD, maybe a 40 car motorcade would be his party transportation of choice.

Poor Jill (5.00 / 4) (#2)
by CoralGables on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 09:12:51 AM EST

Perhaps Gloria Allred could lobby to get the South Korean Honorary Consul title passed on to the forgotten twin, and the twins can do their best "Parent Trap" imitation and share the title to their mutual benefit pro re nata.

You know what's weird? (none / 0) (#3)
by sj on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 12:30:50 PM EST

I can't recall the name of Petraeus' girlfriend (I've been thinking about it off and on the last couple days, but I refuse to look it up) but "Jill Kelley" is burned into my consciousness. Not the kind of fame she had in mind, I think, when she took a match to her own house of cards.


PS (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 01:03:18 PM EST

Now, quick, what's the name of Kelley's sister (without looking it up)?
That one, I can't remember.


Jill's twin? (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by CoralGables on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 01:51:33 PM EST

That's the best I got. Actually Jill isn't a Jill but that's another discussion for nicknames.


I finally looked it up (none / 0) (#10)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 02:25:28 PM EST

Jill's name at birth was Gilberte Khawam. Her identical twin sister is Natalie Khawam. They were born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1975.
And that's one minute of my life wasted, looking up this stuff. ;-)


You probably would have known that... (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by sj on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 02:42:08 PM EST

...already if you had used Internet Explorer instead of Firefox these last few days :)


: LOL! (none / 0) (#13)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 02:53:42 PM EST

Actually, I used Safari on my iPad.

House of business cards (none / 0) (#4)
by Dadler on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 12:53:51 PM EST

Monkey business, that is. Which we all are at heart. Swing away, peeps. Ahem.


: Naked (hairless) apes (none / 0) (#11)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 02:29:11 PM EST

That's all we are. ;-)

Paula Broadwell (none / 0) (#5)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 01:01:36 PM EST

And I didn't have to look it up.
Maybe something to do with the "broad" in her last name. ;-)


Broad? Oh, well (5.00 / 3) (#14)
by Peter G on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 03:01:31 PM EST

: Hey, (5.00 / 1) (#17)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 06:25:44 PM EST

what can I say? Her name did lend itself to such a speculation. And I speak as someone who was very involved in the feminist movement, way back in the day. But that does not mean that I approve of anyone who wants to have an affair while married or in a committed relationship, male or female. If you want to go off the reservation, so to speak, get divorced first or extricate yourself from the relationship. And Broadwell is not the only miscreant here, by any means. Petraeus was just as culpable.
I have no problem with people who want to "sleep around," as long as they are single and honest about it (and use appropriate measures to protect themselves and their partners from sexually transmitted diseases). And I have no problem with poly-amorous people, as long as the partners are on the same page. But if you have committed to one person, then honesty requires you to either be faithful to that person, or tell that person and get out of that relationship if your partner does not agree.
But that's just my opinion. I do wish, however, that there was a word for males equivalent to "broad" for females. Maybe "stud"? But that's not quite the same thing. ;-)

Okay (none / 0) (#19)
by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2012 at 08:33:17 PM EST

I would say that "Dude" works as an equivalent to "Broad." But "manwhore" for "slut" doesn't seem to quite work for me, given that "whore" has for a long time been associated with females.
We need a new name for all of those who cheat on their significant others, regardless of their genders. And I really do not care about those who are emotionally unattached and who have sex with everyone and anyone, as long as they are honest about it, and take reasonable precautions. So any words like slut or manwhore would not work for these people. It's just not the same thing.

: word for a man who sleeps around (5.00 / 1) (#22)
by cambio on Thu Nov 29, 2012 at 05:02:48 AM EST

How about philanderer?