South Korea
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Which South Korean Presidential Candidates Actually Care about the Environment?
On a global level, it seems more and more people care about environmental issues. But maybe not in South Korea. The 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global greenhouse emissions, Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan in the same year, and China’s 2013 China’s Action Plan for
Truth of Contamination at U.S. Military's Yongsan Garrison Begins to Emerge
South Korean environmental campaigners won a significant victory against the country’s environment ministry on Tuesday. Minbyun (Lawyers for a Democratic Society), a civil rights NGO, had sued the environment minister in a bid to force the disclosure of information about environmental pollution on U.S. Army Garrison
An Orphan Painting: Back In the Open After 26 Years
It’s incredible how a painting slightly bigger than an A4-sized sheet of paper could aggravate so many people for so long. 26 years ago, a painting was at the center of one of South Korea’s biggest art scandals. It was part of an ambitious government-sponsored
The "Mrs. Kim" Cliché: Hyundai Motor's Ads Patronize Women
Kim-yeosa, or “Mrs. Kim,” is a widely known term in South Korea. It’s used to demean female drivers — often those of older generations — who are clumsy on the road. “There goes Mrs. Kim,” one might say, when a female driver doesn’t abide by
In Case You Are Curious: S Korea's Wartime Plan for Citizens
It’s pretty safe to say that most South Koreans seem unfazed by news of North Korean threats, which are bombarding the headlines these days. (Excuse the pun.) Most South Koreans are getting on with their lives as usual. People flocked outside over the weekend to enjoy the fine weather
Fame Is a Fleeting Thing
There is a small food joint near Yaksu station that I sometimes stop at for a bowl of instant noodle and gimbab. Taped to the air conditioning unit in one corner is a laminated piece of paper with a hastily scrawled autograph by Kolleen Park, a noted musical director. It’
Politics of the Yellow "Sewol" Ribbon
Yellow ribbon is the symbol of the Sewol incident, a ferry disaster that killed 304 passengers three years ago today. All over South Korea, tiny yellow ribbons dangle from people’s backpacks, wallets, bicycles, and on the windowsills of small cafés. Politicians — mostly from the
Baseball Hero Choi Dong-won's Legacy Is Felt to This Day
A pair of grainy, low-resolution photographs is going viral, and bringing back memories of a much-beloved baseball star. (Source: Unknown) In one photo, an elderly lady wearing a bright yellow jacket is looking up at the bronze statue of a pitcher throwing a baseball. In another, she
Multicultural South Korea: Congolese Refugee Receives Death Threats
“How are you?” I asked him. “I’m very fine!” Yiombi Thona answered. “Don’t worry too much about that. I’m used to it.” On the other end of the phone, Thona was referring to the multiple death threats he
Saenuri Party Is Back. No, Not That Saenuri.
As if South Korea’s conservative faction isn’t fractured enough as is, it now has a third conservative presidential candidate. This reduces the right’s already-minimal chances of getting a sniff at power when the country goes to the polls on May 9. Meet pro-Park Geun-hye
"Gukppong": The Nationalism Meth
Picture this: South Korean Singer Psy is holding kimchi in one hand. In the other, he’s holding a Samsung phone. He wears the uniform of the L.A. Dodgers (for which a South Korean baseball player is currently playing). In the background, K-pop idol group Girls’ Generation
Don't Let Go: Those Balloons Can Kill
Earlier this month, Lotte Corporation launched thousands of balloons into the air to mark the opening of its World Tower in Seoul. It was a beautiful sight, and a typical practice at such occasions. Balloons are released into the sky all the time: at weddings, ceremonies, parties; even