Se-Woong Koo: On Inter-Korean Engagement for Al Jazeera
Our publisher Se-Woong Koo wrote for Al Jazeera’s opinion section on the significance of North Korea’s planned participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics next month in light of Washington’s growing determination to wage war.
South Korea’s Looming Choice
Following Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s address, most of the media and analytical focus tended to revolve around his “nuclear button,” his statement that North Korea would begin “mass production” of nuclear weapons, or more hopefully, his surprising outreach toward the South Korean government of Moon Jae-in, which has
Why Is South Korean Culture So Materialistic?
TL;DR In South Korea, objects define identity. This is the result of rapid economic growth that initially spawned a nouveau-riche culture of ostentatiously displaying wealth. The economic growth itself is precipitated by status-conscious, affirmation-hungry South Koreans who enjoy showing off their success through material goods. The bottom line
ID Photos That Break the Mould
South Korea is known for its culture of conformity (and ID photos to match). But meet Sihyun, a photographer who’s made a name for herself by taking ID pictures that show every subject as a unique individual. Cover image: A collection of Sihyun’s ID photos (courtesy
Why is Plastic Surgery So Popular in South Korea?
Plastic surgery is integrated into daily life in South Korea. There are a myriad of advertisements in subway stations, buses, and streets. Parents often “gift” their children some form of surgery after they finish their national college entrance exams or when they become legal adults. Some job applicants go under
Battle Over South Korea's Constitutional Reform Focuses on LGBT Rights
On Sep. 2, 2017, there was a rally in downtown Gwangju the likes of which the city had never seen before. Streets were blocked off and a large stage was set up in the heart of the city. With drummers, dancers, and singers, at a glance it didn’t look
Foreigners Rail at Korail's Two-track Olympic Booking Discrimination
With just a month to go until the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open on Feb. 9, another issue is getting foreign visitors worked up. This time, it’s ticket bookings for the new KTX (high speed rail) line that connects Incheon International Airport, Seoul and key new stations in the Olympic
Funerary Portraits for Those Who Can't Afford Them
Portraits are required at conventional South Korean funerals. But in a country where over half of the elderly population live below the poverty line, more Koreans can’t even afford that. Here’s a photographer who offered to take free portraits of the seniors in Jongno, Seoul.
It's High Time: Korean-American Designers Inject Stoner Culture in K-Fashion
South Korea, education, religion, and marijuana. See the odd one out? Sundae School, a Seoul-based streetwear brand inspired by stoner culture, brings together these four seemingly-dissimilar elements into fashion. The young Korean-American siblings who founded the company have garnered attention in the U.S. since they launched the brand in
Last Murmurations of a Destroyed Wetland
Once, you could stand in the middle of the Saemangeum estuary at low tide and look out on a vast expanse of shimmering gray mud seemingly as boundless as the ocean itself, a landscape pockmarked with thousands of tiny volcanoes and home to diverse species of wildlife. All of that
N. Korea's Olympics Proposal Undermines U.S. Hawks
At a scholarly conference on international politics and security I attended early December in the U.S., many an opinion was proffered on the state of geopolitics in Northeast Asia. But one dominant view, expressed at least privately by a number of scholars, was that the Donald Trump administration is
What Are Some Cultural Faux Pas in South Korea?
If you’re visiting South Korea as a foreigner, Koreans will often overlook any minor faux pas you make, knowing that you didn’t buck local customs on purpose. Koreans often talk about “sincerity” and “intention”: sometimes, what you do is less important than what you mean. There are nevertheless