Moon Jae-in
End of 2019, End of Candlelight Revolution's Hope
As 2020 begins, the optimism that permeated South Korea in late 2016 and early 2017 seems but a distant memory. Three years ago, hundreds of thousands were holding peaceful weekly demonstrations—popularly dubbed the “Candlelight Revolution” for the candle-carrying participants—against corruption on the part of then-president Park Geun-hye and
Druking Scandal Shadows Moon Jae-in's 'Super Spring'
Moon Jae-in’s popularity has spiked after the inter-Korean summit meeting on Apr. 27, with different surveys quoting approval ratings from the 70s to the high 80s. The South Korean president may be having a ‘super spring,’ decked with summits (including one with Trump in May)
One April Morning
Moon Jae-in wore a blue tie for the occasion, the color of the Korean Peninsula on the unification flag. Kim Jong-un stepped over the thin strip of concrete dividing North and South Korea inside the demilitarized zone. Sand on the North Korean side, pebbles in South Korea. He stepped onto
Why I Decline 'North Korean Defector' Interview Requests
Over the past few years, journalists from all sorts of global media have contacted me to get my ‘defector point of view’ on all things North Korean. And the current inter-Korean drama has been yet another occasion. A famous European TV station crew, flying to South Korea for the Apr.
No More Rocket Man?
Kim Jong-un is stepping onto South Korean soil tomorrow morning, the first ever for a North Korean leader. Moon Jae-in and Kim will most likely talk about some form of peace…but what will come afterwards?
Tunnel Vision: A View from South Korea's Right Wing
“Have you heard about the North Korean tunnels?” a friend asked me one day in 2014. There was panic in her voice. “They’ve dug dozens of them, everywhere under Seoul. Under the Blue House [the presidential office], under Gangnam, right up to the walls of underground car parks, just
North Korea Summit and the Elephant in the Room
Just two days remain before the two Korean heads of state meet by the inter-Korean border. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un recently announced that Pyongyang would “discontinue nuclear testing” and that no ICBMs would be tested after Apr. 21, 2018. Telephone lines were established between Kim and
4th Anniversary of the Sewol: Curtain May Soon Fall on Site of Remembrance
Today marks the 4th anniversary of the Sewol disaster, and President Moon Jae-in’s first as president. He addressed the nation via Facebook yesterday, saying, “The Sewol tragedy changed us…. The candlelight protests and the vow to create a new South Korea began with the Sewol.
A Small Scandal, A Big Blow to Moon Jae-in's Credibility
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is usually not the most visible part of the South Korean government. As the country’s main inspector of financial institutions, it appears in the news usually for two reasons: Either the market is in serious trouble, or the office itself is suspected of corruption
Dark Tour: Jeju Island Beyond Teddy Bear Museums
Jeju Island is where South Koreans love to get away from it all. Hundreds of flights a day deposit mainlanders hungry for escape, relaxation and selfies. With its sea-locked isolation, black soil and relentless wind, Jeju feels almost like a different country altogether. So it’s hard to believe that
North Korea Summit 101
For those of you who haven’t been following the news, Kim Jong-un has been coming out of the Peninsula. Recently he met China’s Xi Jinping. Next on his platter are the presidents of South Korea and the U.S. Here is our introduction about the basics
Why Does China Hate THAAD So Much?
THAAD is a useful acronym to know if you’re interested in the geopolitical tensions in East Asia. The deployment of the U.S.’s Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea caused a sudden transformation of Korea’s relationship with China, its neighbor and number one