conservatives
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Saenuri Party Is Back. No, Not That Saenuri.
As if South Korea’s conservative faction isn’t fractured enough as is, it now has a third conservative presidential candidate. This reduces the right’s already-minimal chances of getting a sniff at power when the country goes to the polls on May 9. Meet pro-Park Geun-hye
Hwang Kyo-ahn: The Man Who Wouldn't Be King
When President Park Geun-hye was impeached, her Prime Minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn was named the acting president. Upon taking the top job, Hwang made no effort to distance himself from the disgraced Park, and went as far as to take responsibility for her plight: He said that the whole mess was
“Fake News” Nudges Senior South Koreans Toward Social Media
Amid the nation’s political turmoil, elderly South Koreans are losing trust in conventional news. As an alternative, they are increasingly turning to social media such as popular messaging app KakaoTalk and YouTube that young people favor. But though the elderly may be using the same platforms as their younger
In Rumor We Trust: Proliferating Fake News in South Korea
South Koreans are used to hearing sentences that end in hadeora, a verb meaning “it is said that….” This particular way of phrasing is something of a cop-out, though. It conveys information without taking ownership of the fact. And given that Korean verbs do not require a subject, it is
Impeach the Impeachment: Older Conservatives "Defend Democracy"
They call their gatherings the “Taegeukgi Rally,” after the South Korean flag. They say their flags represent a growing fire, the true fire of patriotism and democracy, countering the supposedly ill-conceived fire of the candlelight rallies. They say most of the anti-Park protesters are disruptive communists, or naive young people
Dispatch from Gumi: Park Geun-Hye's Sins Taint Father's Legacy
The monument to a dictator sits at the foot of some rolling hills, and visitors approaching the entrance are greeted by a bronze statue that depicts workers doggedly dragging a wheelbarrow. Nestled into trees behind the sculpture is a small cluster of gleaming single-story buildings: the house where Park was
"I Love Park Geun-hye": The South Korean President's Last Loyalists
It seems like president Park Geun-hye doesn’t have many supporters left. Her closest aides are gone, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office — normally an ally of the sitting president — called her a criminal suspect, a growing portion of her Saenuri party is supporting impeachment, and her approval
The Mystery of South Korea's Elderly Protesters
Elderly men protest a special investigation into Samsung in 2008. (Credit: Yonhap News/via Media Today) South Korea has no shortage of political scandals, but this one is big and seems worth mentioning what with the dearth of reporting in the international media. Some readers may know that a
South Korea's History Textbook Whitewash
Half my life was spent outside South Korea, but I still cannot forget certain history lessons from childhood in Seoul. Dokdo, rocky islets claimed by both South Korea and Japan, is an inalienable Korean territory. Hangul, the writing system credited to a 15th-century king and used by the two Koreas,