choi soon-sil
Revisiting: My Political Coming of Age
Almost every Saturday for the last twenty weeks or so, my friends and I took a stroll down to Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul to join the protesters. We were young, awkward, and clueless. It didn’t take us long to realize that it was the first time, too, for
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
Those Texts Between Samsung and S. Korean Journalists
“Dear respected Mr. Chang Choong-ki! …. I have finally mustered the courage to send you this text message, after hesitating again and again. My son XXX applied to the XXX department of Samsung Electronics…. His application number is 1XXXXXXX, and he graduated from XXX University with a degree
Park Geun-hye's Forgotten Blue House Documents
It seems the Blue House and Park Geun-hye just can’t seem to part. While the presidential office is still trying to figure out what to do with her leftover beds, it is now embroiled in the latest string of ties to the former president — thousands of potentially game-changing documents
Guess Who Is Bizzack? It's Chung Yoo-ra!
Chung Yoo-ra, the former competitive equestrian and heir to the dubious fortunes of her mother Choi Soon-sil, arrived back in South Korea on Wednesday, and picked a surprising word to describe her fate. She said her situation after having been extradited from Denmark for questioning in the political scandal that
S Korea’s Politics of Betrayal and the Mirage of Conservative Unity
Busan — Ten days before South Korea’s presidential election, candidates Yoo Seong-min and Hong Joon-pyo were both campaigning in Busan, scrounging for any available votes in the traditional conservative bastion. They did the typical rounds in marketplaces and bustling downtown areas, trying to appeal to the voters that South
Woo Byung-woo: One Who Must Not Be Forgotten
Some of the most powerful figures in South Korean society were arrested as a result of Park Geun-hye’s corruption scandal: Lee Jae-yong, the de facto chief of Samsung, former ministers of culture and health, former Blue House aides who yielded significant power, and of course, former president Park Geun-hye
Scarlett Johansson to Play Park Geun-hye in New Biopic
South Korea’s celebrity gossip network has gone into overdrive following revelations that 21st Century Fox is preparing to shoot a seven-hour biopic of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye. A high-placed Hollywood source confirmed that Scarlett Johansson is to star as Park, while soul mate Choi Soon-sil will
Pilgrimage to an Assassin's Grave
On the southeastern outskirts of Seoul is a modest cemetery where a defaced gravestone stands at the top of a steep slope. The grave has seen an unusually high number of visitors in the past few months, despite its out-of-the-way location and lack of sign posts. Bouquets of fresh
Awesome Humor on Display at Park Geun-hye's Ouster
Even ten years from now, many who were in South Korea on Mar. 10, 2017, will remember how they were feeling that morning, when South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld the December impeachment and formally removed former president Park Geun-hye from office. Many yelled with joy,
Park Geun-hye Is Ousted. She Will Fight to Survive, Again.
Park GH soon to arrive at her house in Samsung-dong. pic.twitter.com/dnZNLx1IbK — … (@yoonjung_seo) March 12, 2017 Around 6:30 p.m Sunday, a motorcade escorting former South Korean president Park Geun-hye left the presidential Blue House. About an hour later, it reached her private residence
Still Impenetrable: Samsung Heir Lee Jae-yong Avoids Arrest to Mixed Reactions
The months-long scandal that has convulsed the top ranks of South Korean politics and business took a turn in the early hours of Thursday, as a court declined to grant an arrest warrant for Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, the country’s most prominent company and the crown