Haeryun Kang: Writing About Dog Meat for Al Jazeera
Managing editor Haeryun Kang contributed an article about the status of dog meat culture in South Korea. Read her Al Jazeera story, “Olympics Brings Focus on South Korea’s Dog-Meat Culture.”
Pyeongchang Olympics: What to Make of North Korea’s Switching Tactics
Editor’s Note: For better or worse, the Pyeongchang Olympics has become famous as much for politics as for sports since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to send a delegation at the last minute. The question of what this all means is not easy to answer. The
Best Meat-Free Buddhist Places to Eat in Seoul
Typically known for fried chicken and barbecued pork belly, Korean food may not seem very vegetarian/vegan-friendly. But off the beaten paths in Seoul (and sometimes smack in the middle of it) stand Buddhist temples that offer clean and modest meat-free meals — even free of charge at times. In
The Kevin Spacey Twist in South Korea's #MeToo Campaign?
The #MeToo movement is intensifying in South Korea. But in the sexually conservative society, the waters get murkier when homosexuality gets involved. On Feb. 1, a film director went public with her experience of sexual assault. She had been assaulted in 2015 by fellow director Lee Hyun-ju and wrote about
"Olympics Fairies": Do the Faces of S. Korea Need to be Pretty Women?
South Korea’s young female placard bearers, officially labeled “placard agents,” made quite an impression at the opening ceremony of Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Feb. 9. Their conventional good looks, with tall, slim figures and spectacularly designed dresses got plenty of social media users excited. Local media eDaily
What is North Korea Saying About the Olympics?
South Korea’s news outlets have had plenty to write about in the last few days. On top of the drama of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, North Korea’s last-minute decision to send a delegation, including none other than Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong, has led to a flurry
This Foul-Mouthed 20-Year-Old is Changing South Korea's Millennial Media
Guk Beom-geun has a message for you, and he’s happy to phrase it in the bluntest possible terms. In a video, while digging in to a bowl of spicy ramen, he addressed the question on everyone’s lips, “What the Fuck is North Korea’s Problem?” “North Korea’s
Jihyun Kim: On South Korea's Dating Culture in BBC World
Korea Exposé’s business manager and writer Jihyun Kim was interviewed by BBC World, on what the dating culture is like in South Korea, specifically discussing the gender expectations imposed on men and women. Listen to her story here (around 45 minutes). Read more of our coverage
Chocolate Dessert Sends Netizens into Meltdown
Everyone likes a surprise. And when you’re a leading celebrity gourmet charged with designing a special dessert for a VIP Olympic reception, you want your surprise to be a good one. Unfortunately for well-known South Korean food critic Hwang Kyo-ik, somebody blew his surprise to the media a
Solar Agriculture: South Korea's New Farming Revolution?
Farmer Kim Hong-tae stands and looks out over his field, glinting in the winter sunlight. With the first signs of spring still a month away, Kim’s crops are already ripe for harvest. In fact, they always are, as long as there’s sunlight. Kim, 61, is a solar farmer,
Muslim Prayer Room Plan Scuppered by Islamophobes
Plans to build a mobile prayer room for Muslim visitors to Pyeongchang Winter Olympics have been scrapped after a strong backlash from local religious activists. Kim Yeong-ju of Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) told Korea Exposé that the government’s top tourist body had originally planned to place a Muslim
Se-Woong Koo: On Waning Enthusiasm for Unification in NYT
North Korea comes to the Pyeongchang Olympics, but not all South Koreans are happy about rolling out the red carpet for the northern brethren. Our publisher Se-Woong Koo wrote about young South Koreans’ declining support for unification with North Korea in the opinion pages of the New York