KÉ Interview: From West Yorkshire to Buddhist Martial Art
To get to Golgulsa from Seoul, it takes a roughly two-hour train journey to Gyeongju, the nearest city, and from there, a 90-minute ride on two separate buses through the countryside. On reaching the designated bus stop, it’s another twenty-minute walk along a stream lined with wild flowers before
Removed from Context: The Unbearable Lightness of Korean Hip Hop
While I was surfing the web I came across an image making fun of Korean hip hop: “Typical Korean hip hop.jpg. Rapper gets pissed at nothing.” (Source: User “Gaedrip” via online community Clien) Of course, this is a joke. Hip hop is mainstream in South Korea.
End of Itaewon As We Know Nears
Rendering of Hannam Newtown District 3 as it would look after redevelopment (courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government) Itaewon in central Seoul is one of South Korea’s most diverse and interesting neighborhoods. American soldiers from the nearby military base are a fixture. Diplomats from around the world are stationed at
What It's Like to Love "B-list" K-pop Idols
On Oct. 19, 150 people, mostly young women, stood in the cold early autumn air since 6 a.m. for two hours to be ushered inside a building in the far western corner of Seoul. They waited so they could watch the same song-and-dance sequence performed three times by a
Spending Candlelight Protest Anniversary in the Slammer
One year after the start of a historic protest movement that ended with the ouster of a president, central Seoul is set to be filled with candle-holding citizens again this Saturday. Last year’s nationwide demonstrations were sparked by allegations of influence peddling involving then-President Park Geun-hye, her confidante
Government Mulling Easier Access to Menstrual Cups
Good news for South Korean women: In the wake of a scandal last month involving evidence that the country’s top-selling sanitary pad products contained toxins, the government is taking a step toward legalizing menstrual cups, although the government denies that this action is caused by the pad scandal. Last
"Don't Speak in Korean": When Koreans Travel to North Korea
Only a few minutes after arriving in Dandong, a Chinese city that borders North Korea, my assumptions about travel to North Korea were abruptly shattered. I was told by a Chinese employee of the tour company that it would not be wise to, while in North Korea, speak Korean or
Young S. Korean Speaks: War with N. Korea "Extremely Unlikely"
How likely is war with North Korea? Speculation abounds. Here’s a South Korean who argues that war is “highly very extremely unlikely.” He says that all the players involved — South Korea, China, North Korea, and the U.S. — simply have too much to lose
Love It or Hate It, S. Korea’s Anti-Corruption Law Here to Stay
One year after a landmark anti-corruption law went into effect, big corporations are celebrating the legislation’s effects while small businesses say they’re taking a hit. The law, called the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (but usually referred to as the Kim Young-ran law, after the former judge who
Not Another Number, Korean Adoptees Search for Birth Family
Editor’s Note: This article has been written in anticipation of a Korea Exposé panel on Oct. 28, 2017. “Against the Odds” seeks to address the issues raised in the following feature, and generate new discussions about what it means to be Korean. * David Zastrow was 4.
Not Even Kim Jong-un Can Stop KBS, MBC Strikes
On the day North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sep. 3, two of South Korea’s biggest public broadcasters didn’t have enough reporters to thoroughly cover the breaking story. Many of them were on strike. “We beseech the employees and the labor unions leading the strike to
S. Korea's Cutest Alleged Killer's Birthday Bash Makes a Splash
In a photo, a white french bulldog with black spots around its dolly eyes stares innocently into the camera while perched on a young woman’s lap, just behind a birthday cake lit with eight candles. Though cute, Bugsy is an alleged killer, and the posting of this scene engendered