Identity
Gender, feminism, adoption, LGBT issues, Korean identity and more
Kwanwoo Suh Is Looking for His Korean Father
Kwanwoo Suh, 30, is facing his second winter in South Korea. He moved here from the West African country of Liberia in July 2017, and he finds it challenging to cope with the cold weather. But Suh is trying to stay on until he meets his objective. He is here
CJ CGV's "Be a Foreigner": Funny April Fool's Event or Cultural Appropriation?
Are these images offensive? A blond-haired Asian man with facial hair wearing a blue turban and a red bindi dot on his forehead ready to eat a bowl of Chinese noodles A group of people from different ethnic backgrounds in traditional clothing: people in the Korean hanbok, the
Unlikely Debate: Olympics 'Garlic Girls' and Japanese Porn
A few hours before the Olympics closing ceremony, the South Korean women’s curling team finally got their cellphones back. The country’s most popular Olympics stars, who won a historic silver on Sunday, didn’t have access to the internet or TV throughout the games. Unbeknownst to
The Kevin Spacey Twist in South Korea's #MeToo Campaign?
The #MeToo movement is intensifying in South Korea. But in the sexually conservative society, the waters get murkier when homosexuality gets involved. On Feb. 1, a film director went public with her experience of sexual assault. She had been assaulted in 2015 by fellow director Lee Hyun-ju and wrote about
Good Luck Making It As Korean in America
“Let’s hope for the best with your interviews. But I’d also be prepared for an unfortunate outcome.” This line appeared in a recent Buzzfeed video titled “Making it as Korean in America,” which garnered more than 850,000 views on YouTube. In this scene, a lawyer wishes a
ID Photos That Break the Mould
South Korea is known for its culture of conformity (and ID photos to match). But meet Sihyun, a photographer who’s made a name for herself by taking ID pictures that show every subject as a unique individual. Cover image: A collection of Sihyun’s ID photos (courtesy
"Black Protests" Call End to Outdated Abortion Law
These “black protesters” want to put an end to South Korea’s outdated abortion law, which activists argue places most of the burden on women, who must not only bear the brunt of the pregnancy, but also face the social stigma and shame surrounding abortion. Abortion
The Old Man’s Harbor
Everyday for the past twenty years, 78-year-old Kim Yun-sik has been going to Jongno in central Seoul. Around noon, he eats free lunch at the cafeteria where a Buddhist temple used to stand until the 1500s; until 5 p.m., he whiles away the time in Tapgol Park, and in
The Latest in S. Korean Feminism: Zucchinis
Yes, zucchinis. On Nov. 18, 3:14 p.m. KST, South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in responded to a comment about a vegetable. The instigating tweet made a jab at Yoo’s persona: “Yoo Ah-in…he seems good to look at from 20 meters away…but it may be
A Small Victory for South Korea's Disability Rights
On a cold winter evening in 2012, Lee Hyung-sook came out to Gwanghwamun, a historic square in central Seoul, to catch the attention of then-candidate Park Geun-hye. Lee uses a wheelchair to get around and is officially classified as “level 1,” a grade applied to the most severely handicapped
Government Mulling Easier Access to Menstrual Cups
Good news for South Korean women: In the wake of a scandal last month involving evidence that the country’s top-selling sanitary pad products contained toxins, the government is taking a step toward legalizing menstrual cups, although the government denies that this action is caused by the pad scandal. Last
Not Another Number, Korean Adoptees Search for Birth Family
Editor’s Note: This article has been written in anticipation of a Korea Exposé panel on Oct. 28, 2017. “Against the Odds” seeks to address the issues raised in the following feature, and generate new discussions about what it means to be Korean. * David Zastrow was 4.