North Korea Summit and the Elephant in the Room
Just two days remain before the two Korean heads of state meet by the inter-Korean border. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un recently announced that Pyongyang would “discontinue nuclear testing” and that no ICBMs would be tested after Apr. 21, 2018. Telephone lines were established between Kim and
Interview: You Jung-eun, Creator of Meditation App Mabo
Meditation, originally a thing of the East, has gained popularity in the West in recent decades. But now, organizational psychologist You Jung-eun is bringing it back to the East with her guided meditation app, Mabo. Since getting into meditation 6 years ago, You has worked hard to bring mindfulness to
Grilled Pork Belly: A South Korean Love Story
Near Exit 6 of Jongno 3-ga station in Seoul is an area famous for its barbeque joints. As an alley gives way to a three-way intersection, easily two dozen eateries overflow with patrons flipping samgyeopsal slices and pouring soju shots. “I’ve been sourcing pork belly from the same farmers
Netmarble Launches First Mobile MMO Game ‘Iron Throne’
Prominent South Korean game publishing company Netmarble has announced a major new move on the global mobile gaming scene with the coming launch of Iron Throne, a new strategy MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game. Strategy MMO as a genre accounts for 22 percent of the international gaming market, having grown
Meet North Korea’s Former Elite Journalist
Kim Gil-sun is an ex-journalist from Pyongyang. She worked for 17 years at the publishing arm of the Academy of National Defense Science, which is in charge of its missile program. For nearly two decades before defecting in the late 1990s, Kim had close contact with the confidential sectors within
South Korean Crypto Exchange Coinone Eyes Indonesian Expansion
As the South Korean government steps up its monitoring of cryptocurrency trading, one of the country’s top exchanges is expanding into Southeast Asia. Coinone, a partner of local bank Nonghyup, announced on Apr. 16 plans to move into Indonesia, citing the Southeast Asian giant’s “high economic growth rate
Debunking the China Myth
Air pollution is a huge problem in South Korea. There’s ozone, yellow dust, fine dust…. Among them, fine dust probably decorates your headlines the most often. What is it, and how valid is the argument that China is to blame? If you want to send an invoice
4th Anniversary of the Sewol: Curtain May Soon Fall on Site of Remembrance
Today marks the 4th anniversary of the Sewol disaster, and President Moon Jae-in’s first as president. He addressed the nation via Facebook yesterday, saying, “The Sewol tragedy changed us…. The candlelight protests and the vow to create a new South Korea began with the Sewol.
Se-Woong Koo: On North Korea Summit for ARD
The inter-Korean summit is happening on Apr. 27, the first head-of-state meeting in 11 years. Publisher Se-Woong Koo provided commentary for ARD, a major public broadcaster in Germany. (Se-Woong spoke English.) Watch the full show here.
A Small Scandal, A Big Blow to Moon Jae-in's Credibility
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is usually not the most visible part of the South Korean government. As the country’s main inspector of financial institutions, it appears in the news usually for two reasons: Either the market is in serious trouble, or the office itself is suspected of corruption
KÉ Interview: Bookoob, the Book Sharing Service that Delivers
In South Korea, an unlikely type of startup has been slowly cementing its place in the peer economy: book sharing. Korea Exposé met Chang Woong, founder and CEO of “Bookshelf, the Social Library, (Bookoob in English)” to find out how he created what may be the world’s first sustainable
South Korea's Fine Dust Financiers
As South Korea’s serious air pollution problems persist, two of the country’s largest banks have sparked anger by financing new coal-fired power plants, a major source of domestically generated particulate matter (PM). PM, popularly known as fine dust, has been labeled a “social disaster” in South Korea. Yet