Cannes 2017: Introducing the Korean Filmmakers
Cannes Film Festival 2017 opened amid the usual fanfare last Wednesday. In South Korea, Cannes is showcased as a sign of incredible international prestige for the country when Korean actors and directors are invited. This year, filmmakers Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, and Hong Sang-soo are featuring prominently in
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
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
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
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
Forest Fire Alert: Where Was the Control Tower, Again?
With Moon Jae-in and the presidential election decorating the headlines, it’s easy to forget the natural disaster that hit South Korea last Saturday. Three wind-fed forest fires broke out independently in the northeastern region of the country, destroying over 300 hectares of forestland, evacuating over 500 people and mobilizing
Workload From Hell: S Korea Post Office's Election Blues
In exactly a week, South Korea will hold its 19th presidential election. It’s a busy time for the post office: The National Election Commission has been mailing out over 20 million promotional packages about the presidential candidates. To voters, these packages are an informative and even a fun way
S Korea's Election Season: You've Got Mail
With just over a week left until South Korea’s presidential election, candidates are making last-ditch efforts to win voter support. The National Election Commission (NEC) recently mailed out packages containing pamphlets put together by each candidate. Last week, one of the packages arrived at my family’s home
Expect More Fake News This Election Season
Last week, weekly magazine Sisa Journal reported that a group supportive of former president Park Geun-hye, the People’s Rally Movement for Rejection of President Park Geun-hye’s Impeachment, is funding far-right media outlets frequently accused of spreading fake news. Four conservative newspapers — Future Korea, Nocut Ilbe,
Don't Just Say It, Sing It: South Korea's Election Songs
Another election in South Korea means another season of trucks blaring out deafening campaign songs. Korea Exposé took a look at some of the funniest tunes each candidate is using to seduce voters. Moon Jae-in, The Minjoo Party Front-runner Moon has a support rate of 44.8 percent,
Singing for National Glory? Meet S Korea's Noisy Concertgoers
I went to see Coldplay last Sunday. It was the band’s first ever visit to South Korea, so competition for tickets was insane. The venue, a massive stadium that holds up to 100,000 people, had sold out in just five minutes. The audience contained some serious Coldplay