[miss out on the fun?...go back & read part one first, then part two]
Congratulations, Super-Sleuth Cynthia!
Yes, Moo-Moo ate the remote control to the 42″ flat-screen Korean TV that came as a part of our apartment lease package.
And let me tell you, if you thought trying to figure out how to work a TV remote that’s labeled in Korean is hard, it’s nothing compared to figuring out how to go about  replacing it.
If it was an American TV, we would simply go on base & buy a universal remote control & be done with it.
But a mote for a Korean XCanvas TV?…The only English phrase on the whole thing?!
It will need numbers….got it.
It will need the channel up button & the down one….got it.
But will it need to speak Korean?
So we took a $20 gamble & bought a GE universal remote from the BX at Osan.
There were actually a couple of ones to choose from, but we settled on GE because it claimed to support over 300 TV models….and how many different TV makers can there be in the world?
We got it home, ripped up open the packaging & scanned the code list based on the maker name.
Fudge…no XCanvas.
But the instructions said if your model wasn’t listed to hit this combination of buttons & then press the channel up button up to 300 times until the channel actually changes on the TV.
Up to 300 times?!
Fudge. Eric just shook his head. But I had nothing to lose, so I started punching & counting away…
1…nope, 2…nope, 3…nope, 4…nope, 5…nope, 6…nope…
(Crap, this is going to take a while.)
7…nope, 8…nope, 9…nope, 10…nope, 11…no—
HEY, THE CHANNEL CHANGED! SUCCESS!!!
You’ve never seen a grown woman so happy.
Jumping up & down, fists raised in triumph and shouts of ‘whoo-hoo! take that, Baby!’
It’s the little things in life that make me happy.
31°F
Your probably going to be ok when you have to leave, as the next renter will likely be another american couple. So you did them a favor. Just in case you do have to replace it with a korean one though, the electronics mart in Yong San has tons of this kind of thing. It is huge, and your guy would love it. Worth the trip. Go to Emart too and get some good korean fried chicken in the deli in the basement. Sorry I cant remember which gate to go out, but any of the taxi drivers will know. But you guys solved the problem for now, whew! What a relief.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…