Chun Doo-hwan
Lee Myung-bak: One More President to Face the Past
Former president Lee Myung-bak has enjoyed a comfortable retirement until now, thanks to having a fellow conservative succeed him. But now that Park Geun-hye has been replaced by Moon Jae-in, from the center-left Minjoo Party, Lee faces growing scrutiny over his term, from 2008 to 2013. A reform committee within
Where Are All the Women in South Korea's Democracy Protests?
Moon Young-me was one of the five million South Koreans estimated to have come out onto the streets in June 1987. She was bare-faced, wearing no makeup or fancy clothing. That was the norm for the student protest culture at the time. She was a 21-year-old history major, a transfer
Gwangju: the City of Democracy
Gwangju, in the southwest of South Korea, is admittedly hard to sell as a place to live or even visit. The economically stagnant former capital of South Jeolla Province, it doesn’t have glistening shopping malls, stunning architecture or expansive green spaces. Mixing drab residential areas with industrial
Resurgence of a South Korean Democracy Anthem
“A passionate oath to march our whole lives, leaving neither love nor reputation nor name. Our comrades are gone; only a fluttering flag remains. Let us stand firm until a new day comes.” This year, the solemn melody of “March for the Beloved” reverberated majestically at the national memorial ceremony
Baseball Hero Choi Dong-won's Legacy Is Felt to This Day
A pair of grainy, low-resolution photographs is going viral, and bringing back memories of a much-beloved baseball star. (Source: Unknown) In one photo, an elderly lady wearing a bright yellow jacket is looking up at the bronze statue of a pitcher throwing a baseball. In another, she
The Victim Cosplay of A Former Dictator
Chun Doo-hwan, an infamous military dictator of South Korea, isn’t new to self-denial. For years, he has denied involvement in the Gwangju Democratization Movement — or Gwangju Uprising, as conservative skeptics like Chun call it. In his recent memoir, a massive trilogy spanning 2,000 pages, Chun is once