Were Park Geun-hye's Seven 'Missing Hours' Actually More?
The seven missing hours. This number has been the hotbed for sensational rumors, conspiracy theories and politically polarized debates about how responsible the government — namely, Park Geun-hye — was for one of the country’s most tragic ferry disasters in recent memory. On the day of the Sewol
Tropical Getaway: S. Korean Couple, Car-Locked Children, Guam Courthouse
It took only three minutes for a South Korean judge-lawyer couple’s tropical getaway to turn into a shameful fiasco. Or maybe it was 45 minutes. The story starts with a heartrending tale that comes up every summer: children left unattended in a stifling car by negligent or forgetful parents.
Was Chuseok Ever Fun?
Between Sep. 29 and Oct. 9, more than two million passengers used Incheon Airport, South Korea’s main international travel hub. It set a record for the normally busy facility. What made the traffic all the more special is that it coincided with Chuseok, one of the country&
What a British Food Critic Doesn't Know About Korean Food
Arguably the most reputable restaurant guide in the world, the Michelin Guide is a matter of life and death for some seasoned chefs. Earning a star not only drives hundreds of eager gourmets to the restaurant, but also vests the chef with a sense of accomplishment. The debut of the
Not So Klean: Carcinogenic Substances Found in S. Korean Menstruation Pads
South Korea is not a cheap place for women to have menstrual periods. It may not be the safest either. Top-selling menstruation pads in the country were recently found to contain toxic and cancerogenic substances. In March, a feminist civil group released the results of a chemical analysis on 11
Inside the North Korean Military: The Plight of Women
Just over 10 years ago, North Korean defector Lee Da-eun would not have imagined munching on fried chicken topped with gooey cheese, at a faux-military restaurant surrounded by ammunition and gas masks. Back then, she was more familiar with slaughtering a chicken or holding a real gun, working for the
Crime and Punishment of Juvenile Delinquency
When a gory photo of a kneeling 14-year-old girl covered in blood appeared on Facebook, it immediately went viral. The photo, posted on a page that receives anonymous submissions on issues regarding Busan, was reportedly taken by a girl of the same age, one of the two teens that had
Politicians, Taxpayers, Lemmings
A few weeks ago, on Jul. 16, North Chungcheong Province was deluged with almost 300 mm of torrential rain. Hundreds of homes were flooded and at least seven lives went missing, according to daily newspaper Hankook Ilbo. Two days later, four provincial lawmakers left for a 10-day trip to Europe,
Mourning Your Loss: Funerals and Cremation for Pets
While all living things are bound to die, the average lifespan of pets is shorter than that of humans. Most pet owners have to bear the burden of bidding farewell to their animal companions. And in South Korea until recently, saying goodbye to pets meant thrusting them into a trash
Education Blues Pt. 3: A Deported English Teacher
English education is arguably the holy grail of South Korea’s infamous education craze. The private sector market for English education, rife with private cram schools called hagwon, amounted to 61 trillion won (about 55 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014. Among these hagwon is a group of
Ppira: Women's Bodies as Bait in Propaganda War Between Two Koreas
A woman with curled up hair and enamel white pumps flashes her legs in an archetypal Marilyn Monroe posture — wind blows from below, ballooning up her flowing dress, which she pushes down just before revealing too much. “Who’s stopping you?” “If you run, it takes just five minutes!
Park Geun-hye Has Made Her Bed. Now, Who Will Lie in It?
Former president Park Geun-hye’s administration has come under fire recently for documents it left behind in the presidential office. But now it turns out she left something else behind too: three rather expensive beds. During her presidency, Park purchased the beds with taxpayers’ money at a total cost of