South Korea
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The Age of E-Mart Under Moon Jae-in
South Korea’s first branch of E-mart, now the country’s largest retailer and originally inspired by Walmart, opened in November 1993. That was about four years after the country’s first convenience store, the Seven Eleven near the Olympic Village in Seoul, appeared. It’s
Mark of the Beast
If you regularly walk around central Seoul, you’ve probably seen, or heard, them — elderly folks walking around carrying placards with heartwarming messages such as “Lord Jesus Heaven. No Jesus Hell” and “666.” As they walk, they carry with them speakers that play hymns, or broadcast their evangelizing messages.
What's in a Name: Can a Fortuneteller's Advice Change Your Fate?
“I changed my name to Mi-eun. From now on, please call me by my new name only.” My friend kindly corrected me when we met for the first time in seven years. “I wanted to get a new start in my life. You know, my grandmother always said my
Four Rivers Project: Explained
President Moon Jae-in has been in office for less than two weeks, but he already has a considerable list of achievements. He made radical appointments for his secretariat and cabinet, and elevated several women to positions of prominence. He ordered the abolition of the much-hated history textbooks, championed by Park
More Than Fat
In one comedy sketch, an overweight woman wearing sparkling jewelry and a comely black dress scarfs down food. A man acting as her manager yells, “Min-kyoung, wake up! How many times have I told you to lose that weight? How can you call yourself a woman and not make the
Murder at Gangnam Station: A Year Later
Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the murder near Gangnam Station in Seoul, South Korea. Nearly a thousand people — mostly in the younger generation — silently marched across the streets of Gangnam, paying tribute to a 23-year-old woman who died in the hands of a stranger in a public
Sibal Biyong: Spending Toward Meaning of Life
Lately it seems that all over Seoul there are vending machines full of plush toys, known as the “claw machine.” You insert money, then control the mechanical hand to fish objects inside the clear glass box. In most cases the effort ends in failure. At first I wondered if anyone
When You Read Your Kid's Personal Statement
It’s hard enough for young people to get a job in South Korea. Imagine if you were one of them, and one of your parents was a human resource manager reading your cover letter. Solfa, a group of South Korean creative content producers on Youtube, published a video
South Korea's Nordic Obsessions
A couple of months ago, I bought a monstera, a potted plant that my Swedish friend recommended as an indoor-friendly houseplant that grew in minimal natural lighting. He showed me photos of his place in Sweden with monstera plants hanging off the Nordic wooden shelves. When I looked up&
Military Prosecutors Seek Jail Sentence for Gay Soldier
South Korea’s military prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence for “Lieutenant A,” a soldier accused of having anal intercourse with a colleague. A military court is due to pass sentence on May 24. Lieutenant A is thought to have been caught as part of the army’
What Happens to All Those Election Banners?
VOTE FOR ME! I CAN CHANGE SOUTH KOREA! Colorful election banners decorated South Korea’s streets throughout the recent presidential election campaign. The country is now left with reportedly over 17,000 strips of synthetic fabric, which threatens to go to waste (they will likely be incinerated or buried
Internet Users in S Korea: Beware of Ransomware
Ransomware, an international cyber-attack that started last Friday, hit South Korea over the weekend. Moviegoers in CJ CGV, the country’s biggest multiplex cinema chain, reported seeing screens infected by the virus. As a preventative measure, the city of Incheon shut down the internet for 1,400 personal computers, in