Traditional Korean Medicine Makes Bold Claims, but Can It Be Trusted?
Walk half a block from Jegi-dong station in northeastern Seoul, and a massive traditional gate comes into sight. Beyond it, stores after stores sell mysterious ingredients out of big plastic bags. Shopkeepers dust the merchandise—mostly dried plant materials—in the open, sending particles flying in the air. Some corners
ké cast S2 E1: Reporter's Notebook of Spycam Rallies
This summer, South Korea’s spycam ‘molka’ culture is bringing tens of thousands of women together in Seoul’s Daehakro neighborhood for the largest recorded women’s protests in South Korean history. On the first episode of a new season of ké cast, Korea
Behind South Korean Football Star Son Heung-min, There Is His Father
On neatly cut green, artificial turf, 25 teenagers were hard at practice. “Faster, faster!” yelled their coach, Son Woong-jung, while forcing his charge to count out loud the number of times they dribbled their balls. The kids, breathing heavy, alternated dribbling with push-ups and lunges throughout the session. Sometimes, Son
2018 Seoul Queer Culture Festival
Despite the 33-degree celsius weather, boisterous counter-protests by Evangelical Christians and a petition to the government with nearly 220,000 signatures against the event, South Korea’s persecuted LGBT community came together today in downtown Seoul to celebrate diversity. Some foreign embassies sent staff to show support for LGBT
KÉ Interview: Growing up Gay and Korean
On Saturday, Jul. 14, the 19th Seoul Queer Parade will take place, drawing thousands of people from South Korea’s vibrant queer community, as well as supporters and opponents of LGBT rights. Just before last year’s event, Korea Exposé contributor Chris P sat down with Choi Han-min (not
North Korea Reporting: Riddled With Errors, Even in Neighboring South Korea
It was a riveting story. On Aug 29, 2013, South Korea’s biggest newspaper Chosun Ilbo ran what it claimed was an exclusive: Hyon Song-wol, a singer and rumored ex-lover of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had been executed for starring in and selling pornographic videos. That report went viral,
Expert Interview: "Spycam Isn't Just an Issue of Pornography"
Since the beginning of May, tens of thousands of women have taken to protesting monthly on the streets of Hyehwa, Seoul, demanding an end to South Korea’s pervasive problem of molka, or spycam porn. Their protests have been the largest recorded women’s rallies in South Korean
Mexico's Response to Korea's World Cup Victory: Gratitude, With a Dose of Racism
On June 27, South Korea scored a victory against the defending World Cup champions Germany. South Koreans were elated, but the real beneficiaries were Mexicans. The unexpected outcome of the match put Mexico through to the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup currently ongoing in Russia, and
Conscientious Objector: Why I Refuse to Serve
South Korea has one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. All “able-bodied” South Korean men up to the age of 35 must serve in the military for around two years. South Korea also has imprisoned more than 10,000 conscientious objectors since 2000. There are
Tyranny of South Korea's Majority Against Refugees
From a distance, it had the feeling of a summer evening street party. A young man stood on a modified truck bed and belted out tunes to entertain a growing crowd. People—some seated on plastic chairs and others standing around—held up electric candles. Many were young hipsters. Parents
동아시아에서 일어나는 모든 현상을 ‘유교 때문’이라 결론짓지 말자
외신을 보면 ‘유교’는 ‘동아시아’와 같은 의미를 가지고 있다는 주장이 종종 나타난다. 그런 주장을 하는 이들은 동아시아 국가와 관련한 것이면, 그게 장점이든 단점이든 유교로 모든 해석과 설명이 가능할 거라고 추정한다. 1915년 사회주의자 막스 베버는 “유교적 가치가 중국의 자본주의 발전을 저해했다”고 말했다. 이 때부터 ‘동아시아의 모든 현상은 유교에
The K-pop DNA
“I became a BTS fan on Jan. 6, 2017,” said Siti Mariam Sulaiman, a 38-year-old government official from Malaysia. That’s an oddly specific date, but she says every ARMY, an acronym for fans of the K-pop boy group, remembers the exact date of one’s induction into BTS fandom.