KE Radar
When Murder Investigation Becomes a Spectator Sport
The scene opens with a police officer shrouded under a dust mask and baseball cap. He brings a doll the size of a pubescent girl into a nondescript building on a rainy day. He carries the doll under his arm, the doll’s pink legs bobbing lifelessly as he passes
Tropical Getaway: S. Korean Couple, Car-Locked Children, Guam Courthouse
It took only three minutes for a South Korean judge-lawyer couple’s tropical getaway to turn into a shameful fiasco. Or maybe it was 45 minutes. The story starts with a heartrending tale that comes up every summer: children left unattended in a stifling car by negligent or forgetful parents.
Nothing Says Chuseok Quite Like Spam
Half a century ago, most South Koreans would never have imagined that in the 21st century, canned meat from the U.S. — not exactly seen as a culinary delicacy in its motherland — would be the most popular gift for Chuseok, the Korean holiday marking the harvest season. Back
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 But now that Park Geun-hye has been replaced by Moon Jae-in, from the center-left Minjoo Party, Lee faces growing scrutiny over his term, from 2008 to 2013.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
If a Nuclear Bomb Falls on Seoul, Where Do You Cook Pork Belly?
“If a nuclear bomb falls on Seoul, where do you cook pork belly?” How are South Koreans talking about North Korea’s nuclear threats? This is another question we get asked very often. Here’s a rather ingenious take from a South Korean start-up, Geekble.
S. Korea Has a Female Foreign Minister. But "Women Are Still Inferior."
Segye Ilbo reporter Kim Ye-jin was having dinner on Sep. 14 with fellow journalists covering the foreign ministry. A high-ranking ministry official was also present. This wasn’t unusual; it’s typical for journalists reporting on government ministries to dine with officials. But unusually, Kim wrote about the
Not So Klean: Carcinogenic Substances Found in S. Korean Menstruation Pads
South Korea is not a cheap place for women to have menstrual periods. It may not be the safest either. Top-selling menstruation pads in the country were recently found to contain toxic and cancerogenic substances. In March, a feminist civil group released the results of a chemical analysis on 11
Dog Meat: Not Your K-Food Poster Child
Dog meat is a part of Korean cuisine and as well-known internationally as kimchi, but unlike kimchi, it’s not not on any K-food poster. Understandably so. It’s an ugly pus in South Korea’s global branding machine, and it resurfaces whenever there’s a
Young S. Korean Speaks: "What the Fuck is North Korea's Problem?"
On the eve of the 69th anniversary of North Korea, outsiders are watching for any sign of threats from Pyongyang. Many are asking what young South Koreans think about these threats. We bring to you the passionate voice of a young South Korean: Guk Beom-geun is the founder of
Keep the Disabled Out: Tyranny of the 'Normal'
On Sep. 5, residents in Seoul’s Gangseo district gathered at a local elementary school to discuss the future of a public real estate project. On the one side were the parents of children with disabilities, who wanted a school specially adapted to their children’s needs. On
Inside the North Korean Military: The Plight of Women
Just over 10 years ago, North Korean defector Lee Da-eun would not have imagined munching on fried chicken topped with gooey cheese, at a faux-military restaurant surrounded by ammunition and gas masks. Back then, she was more familiar with slaughtering a chicken or holding a real gun, working for the
The Mosquito Trucks of Childhood Past: Where Are They Now?
Opaque, white steam trailing behind loud trucks were a routine sight in many a childhood around the world. In South Korea, too, trucks would wail out siren sounds while emitting disinfectants and children would chase after the trucks through narrow alleyways, breathing in the foul-smelling gas. Used as a pesticide