Less Than an Hour After We Met, She Told Me She Was Committing Suicide
Upon first glimpsing her, my immediate thought was that her attire was not what I’d expected to see at an Anglican cathedral on a Sunday morning. She strode confidently out of the church, wearing black leather shorts and a black tank top, carrying a black leather handbag. I’d
Ikseon-dong: Seoul's Hottest Poverty Porn Destination
If you plug Ikseon-dong, the name of a central Seoul neighborhood, into your preferred search engine, you’ll come up with countless photographs, many of which look the same: shabby low-rise buildings with wooden doors along narrow alleyways. One recurring image is Ikseon-dong shot from above, contextualizing it as a
Hwang Kyo-ahn: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King
When President Park Geun-hye was impeached, her Prime Minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn was named the acting president. Upon taking the top job, Hwang made no effort to distance himself from the disgraced Park, and went as far as to take responsibility for her plight: He said that the whole mess was
The Judgment Day: Park Geun-hye Ousted by Constitutional Court
Ground zero for observing the fate of Park Geun-hye – and South Korean society more generally – was a rigidly divided stretch of road near the Constitutional Court in northern Seoul. On one side, a crowd desperate for the court to uphold Park’s long-awaited impeachment; on
Lee Jae-myung: Populist, Left-wing, Unapologetic
Lee Jae-myung maintained the broad grin of a hopeful politician as he took the podium in Seoul on Feb. 16 for a Gwanhun Club debate, a formal gathering of suited men discussing policy. He casually took his seat, the focal point of attention as the only presidential candidate on a
Still Impenetrable: Samsung Heir Lee Jae-yong Avoids Arrest to Mixed Reactions
The months-long scandal that has convulsed the top ranks of South Korean politics and business took a turn in the early hours of Thursday, as a court declined to grant an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, the country’s most prominent company and the crown
What Was That Jacket Chung Yoo-ra Was Wearing?
When Chung Yoo-ra was brought out from hiding after being apprehended by police in Denmark, many questions swirled in South Korea about Chung and her role in the evolving scandal centered around her mother, Choi Soon-sil. Just how did Chung, a reputed ne’er do well with lackluster academic credentials,
Dispatch from Gumi: Park Geun-Hye's Sins Taint Father's Legacy
The monument to a dictator sits at the foot of some rolling hills, and visitors approaching the entrance are greeted by a bronze statue that depicts workers doggedly dragging a wheelbarrow. Nestled into trees behind the sculpture is a small cluster of gleaming single-story buildings: the house where Park was
Dispatch from Yeouido: President Park Geun-hye Gets Impeached
The most spirited cries of the day came just after 4 pm. Teary friends shouted, embraced, threw their hands in the air. About a minute earlier, the boisterous music had been halted, and audio from the National Assembly was pumped in. In an flat tone of voice, the speaker announced