US Military Contaminates Central Seoul Neighborhood
Critics of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 claimed the United States was moving into a foreign territory in order to take its oil. But here’s a new one: The U.S. military occupies a swathe of foreign soil for 65 years, fills it with oil, then moves out.
Good Luck Finding a Bed During the Pyeongchang Olympics
The Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” Latin for “faster, higher, stronger.” It appears that the hoteliers and guesthouse owners of Pyeongchang, the mountain town where South Korea will host the 2018 Winter Olympics this winter, have been applying the second of these principles to their prices with a vengeance.
Moon Jae-in’s Nuclear Pledges Put to the Test
Making sweeping changes to South Korea’s national energy mix was never going to be easy. Before May’s presidential election, Moon Jae-in and his Minjoo Party promised strong measures to kickstart the move away from nuclear and coal energy. But now that they find themselves in power, will
KÉ Interview: Young Pioneers for New Kind of Sex Ed
When Chopin wrote his Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 around 1830, he may not have anticipated that it would be used as the background music for a 2017 South Korean video that used pink balloons and lubricant to illustrate proper female masturbation techniques. But it was. Welcome
Can Moon Jae-in Finally Clean up South Korea’s Prosecution?
South Korea is sometimes described as a “Republic of Prosecutors.” The unusual term reflects the abnormal amount of power wielded by the country’s Prosecution Service, which monopolizes the authority both to control investigations and to prosecute. Over the years, frustration has been mounting over the disproportionate power the
Seoullo 7017: Urban Asset or Vanity Project?
A scene from otherwise unmemorable 2009 film Private Eye, about colonial-period Korea, has stayed lodged in my memory for the last eight years: Independence Gate stands alone in a field of wild grass, bushes and mist, with no other sign of human settlement or migration is in sight. Actual photos
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’
After S Korea's Presidential Race: What's Next?
Just when the whole world seemed to be lurching to the right, France stepped away from a presidency under Marine Le Pen on Sunday. South Korea has now followed suit, kicking its conservatives into the wilderness after almost a decade in power and choosing progressive candidate Moon Jae-in
The Damming Verdict on Hong Joon-pyo's Drinking Water Plan
Hong Joon-pyo and his Liberty Korea Party regularly come out the worst when comparing presidential candidates’ environmental manifestos. Be it climate change, energy, fine dust, land and sea management or almost anything else, the conservative candidate routinely fails to provide answers or is slammed for his inadequate plans. Recently,
Father, Son and Holy Mess: Family Succession in Megachurches
Seen from the back of a high balcony, pastor Kim Sam-hwan cuts a small figure. “Amen!” he calls into two microphones suspended on long wires from the ceiling above. “Allelujah!” responds his flock of five thousand. “Allelujah!” he counters. “Amen!” they roar. If Kim appears tiny, it’s only
Prospects for Human Rights: Amnesty International Korea Compares Presidential Candidates
On Apr. 19, Amnesty International Korea (AIK) released the results of a survey assessing the human rights-related manifesto pledges of South Korea’s five leading presidential candidates. The veteran international NGO’s local office grilled the camps of Moon Jae-in of the Minjoo Party, Ahn Cheol-soo of the
More Bad News for Environment: Another Coal-Fired Power Plant Coming to S Korea
Residents of South Chungcheong Province and environmental campaigners reacted angrily on Wednesday after the South Korean government granted last-ditch approval for a new coal-fired power plant in the city of Dangjin. Representatives of Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) held a press conference outside the Board of Audit and Inspection