South Korea's Plus-Size Women: Break the 48kg Myth
“Don’t girls normally weigh less than 50kg?” “If you weigh over 50, how can talk openly about your weight?” “ARE YOU CRAZY?” Meet the women giving the middle finger to South Korea’s pervasive culture of fat-shaming.
CJ CGV's "Be a Foreigner": Funny April Fool's Event or Cultural Appropriation?
Are these images offensive? A blond-haired Asian man with facial hair wearing a blue turban and a red bindi dot on his forehead ready to eat a bowl of Chinese noodles A group of people from different ethnic backgrounds in traditional clothing: people in the Korean hanbok, the
The Ocean Between Jeju’s Island Natives and Mainland Newcomers
Lee Hwan-jung wavers in his small boat, harpoon in hand. Looking back to shore, black rocks and dark waves sway under a granite sky. On this early February morning on the Jeju coast, cold water sloshes over his shoes. Lee is a self-taught fisherman from Seoul. Still robust at 43,
Foreign Media in South Korea: Arbiters of Truth, and Players in Their Own Right
On the evening of Mar. 18 the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Seoul correspondent Laura Bicker sent out a tweet that reverberated through South Korean cyberspace. Dear Korean press, please translate my articles fairly. My piece on the political gamble of talks with North Korea does not say President Moon is
KÉ Interview: If South Korea Wants to Change, Transform Seoul
On Jun. 13, South Korea is holding nationwide local elections. For the first time since its foundation in 2012, Green Party Korea candidates will appear on ballot papers across the country. The Green Party is a massive underdog in an electoral system that favors the two largest parties, the
Let Everyone Shine: South Korea To Abolish Decades-Long Disability Rating System
The Winter Paralympic Games, ending on Sunday, Mar. 18, have received generally positive, albeit less, fanfare than its Olympic counterpart. But outside the Paralympics, interest in the actual quality of life for disabled people is still low. Recently, the South Korean government finally proposed to remove the long-contested rating system
Before Criticizing South Koreans Eating Dog, Know the Context First
TL;DR: Many countries eat dog, not just South Korea. There are a lot of problems within the industry, which is barely regulated, but the problem isn’t as simple as South Korea rooting out the custom altogether. Neither is the problem just about a ‘backward, barbaric’ culture. Here’s
Evolution K-Fashion: From Dongdaemun Alleys to the World
Midnight on a Friday: A time when most office workers are going home after their work and evening hoesik. But in Dongdaemun’s Shopping Town, the day is just starting. Giant malls like Nuzzon, whose only clients are wholesalers, come to life with the rising murmurs of the crowd. Wholesalers
Sorry for What? Lee Myung-bak Plays the Victim Card, Again
Mar. 14 brought the promise of mild catharsis for many South Koreans, as former president Lee Myung-bak finally turned up at Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to face questioning about corruption allegations. Lee, who led South Korea from 2008 to 2013, was the subject of widespread corruption rumors even
Why the Korean-Venezuelan Brothers Make Chocolate
Meet the creators of P.chokko, a chocolate shop in Seoul. They want to change Korean chocolate and send a message about their home, Venezuela.
Menstrual Culture in South Korea: Korea Exposé x Lunapads
We collaborated with Lunapads, a menstruation business in Canada, to produce a video about menstrual culture in South Korea. Many thanks to our video team, Jieun Choi and Youjin Do. Cover image: (Source: SookyungAn via Pixabay, CC0 Creative Commons)
After the Olympics: Can One of South Korea's Oldest Forests Be Restored?
The 2018 Paralympics is opening on Mar. 9, providing a valuable opportunity to highlight one of the Olympics’ biggest, but often unmentioned, environmental scandals: a series of wide scars running through what was once a protected ancient forest. Environmentalists reacted with outrage in 2014 when the South Korean government