Moon Jae-in
The Myth of S. Korea’s World-beating Nuclear Energy Exports
“Mommy, can I go and play by the nuclear power station?” — The above promotional image is from the website of KEPCO, South Korea’s largest energy provider. This autumn, South Korean media and netizens were busy arguing out the pros and cons of building new
A Delicate Balance: Moon Seeking a New Path in Beijing
The most sensational news to come out of President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to China this week is a reported incident of two South Korean photo journalists getting beat up by Chinese security guards while Moon was attending a trade event in Beijing Thursday morning. Grainy footage of suited
South Korean War Crimes in Vietnam War
An unknown number of Vietnamese civilians were killed, wounded and raped by South Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War. There’s no consensus on the number of victims — some say around 5,000; some say more, or less. In mid-November, Moon Jae-in visited Ho Chi Minh City and
“I’m Young, I’m Fast, I’m Pretty”: S. Korea’s Dogged Young Conservatives
After Korea Post scrapped plans to print stamps honoring former military dictator Park Chung-hee this July, the youth of today picked up the slack. University Students’ Forum of Korea, a conservative youth group, launched a crowdfunding project in September to print stamps commemorating Park’s centenary (Nov. 14). This was
Do Convenience Stores With No Staff Signal a Future with Fewer Jobs?
Inside, the convenience store looks like any of the countless shops one finds on almost every street in South Korea. Under bright fluorescent lights there are shelves of instant noodles and snacks, refrigerators stocked with iced coffee and soft drinks, racks of mobile phone chargers and cables. But unlike other
Dear President Trump: Postcards From Seoul
Dear President Trump… What would South Koreans say if they could talk to you, one-on-one? A few hours before Donald Trump, with First Lady Melania and his presidential entourage, landed in South Korea on Tuesday, I was talking to a group of middle school students in Seoul, huddled in
Trump Touches Down; Craves Red Meat
Disclaimer: Don’t take this seriously. Officials at the Blue House scrambled to avert a diplomatic crisis early on Tuesday as U.S. president Donald Trump flew from Japan to South Korea. Several members of Trump’s entourage confirmed that the U.S. president had been left “seething” after
Dispatch: Central Seoul Quiet as Trump Arrives for Meeting with "a Fine Gentleman"
Walking through central Seoul on Tuesday morning, it’s clear that the South Korean government is taking no chances with security during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit. In the vicinity of Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul’s symbolic center, police line the street and stand shoulder to shoulder at every
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
Pro-Choice Petition Reaches the Blue House
This week, the question of whether South Korean women should have access to legal abortions is being officially addressed at the highest levels of government. On Sep. 30, a petitioner wrote on the presidential office’s website about lifting the abortion ban and legalizing abortion pills. The petition, now closed,
Under Moon: Business as Usual for S Korea's Nuclear Power?
President Moon Jae-in’s commitment to renewable energy was thrown into doubt on Friday when a specially-appointed public debate committee recommended resuming construction of reactors 5 and 6 at Shin-Kori nuclear power plant. In his election manifesto earlier this year, Moon pledged to halt construction of new nuclear and
South Korea's Trolling Game
Prologue I’m glad that a**hole died. I heard that actress b**** is sleeping with that CEO. You’re a fake, and everyone sees through you. Imagine watching a trolling competition on television. The players are professors, teenagers, unemployed trolls, your regular Joe in the office trolls