South Korea gets a new president on May 10, and minister candidates are being floated. In something of a national tradition whenever members of the elite are subject to scrutiny, diverse allegations of wrongdoing by the nominees have surfaced.
While some concern straightforward corruption (helping sons get into medical school or find a cushy job), the potential prime minister and culture minister are under fire for attending the previous Japanese king's birthday celebration hosted by the embassy in Seoul nine years ago.
Yes, the Japanese king. If you think I made a mistake while typing, you are new to the longstanding South Korean convention: Koreans have been linguistically downgrading Japan's head of state since the late eighties, reflecting strained bilateral relations.