Masses of South Korean protesters took to downtown Seoul Saturday for a candlelight vigil and a march, demanding that President Park Geun-hye step down – with no barricades nor scuffle, in what has been praised as a surprisingly peaceful demonstration. Police estimated the size of the crowd at 45,000. The
There’s a lot of rage, disappointment, and feelings of betrayal over president Park Geun-hye’s alleged relationship with Choi Soon-sil. We say ‘alleged’, because much remains to be credibly confirmed in this dramatic, unfolding saga. (For an in-depth discussion of the Choi Soon-sil scandal, check
I am quite fond of South Korean costume dramas, though my friends are skeptical of the genre’s value. Plotting royals and devious courtiers aren’t their thing, and they are even less enamored with the endless power struggles over who gets to be master of the realm. “But it’
Choi Soon-sil scandal grows A smoldering political scandal surrounding Park Geun-hye turned into wildfire this week and is quickly engulfing Park’s presidency. Her approval ratings are in free-fall, her own party has turned on her, newspapers across the political spectrum are calling for her and her entire cabinet to
Conscientious objectors to military service not guilty, appeals court rules. In a rare decision, two conscientious objectors were found not guilty by an appeals court. Though lower courts have ruled similarly in the past, this ruling is a first at the appeals level. In South Korea, any man refusing to