Moon Jae-in
Amid North Korean Threat, Free Trade Agreement Bedevils Moon Jae-in Presidency
Just before the National Assembly was set to vote, a middle-aged man stood at the podium, eyes closed in an apparent meditative state, his navy blue suit covered in fine off-white dust. The man was leftist lawmaker Kim Seon-dong, and a few moments earlier he had set off a tear
Were Park Geun-hye's Seven 'Missing Hours' Actually More?
The seven missing hours. This number has been the hotbed for sensational rumors, conspiracy theories and politically polarized debates about how responsible the government — namely, Park Geun-hye — was for one of the country’s most tragic ferry disasters in recent memory. On the day of the Sewol
A Lost Decade for Human Rights in South Korea
In November 2015 I was invited to be a judge at a debate contest for university students. The topic was whether Kaesong Industrial Complex was helping the human rights situation for average North Koreans. At the end of the day, I heard one of the winners remark that he was
Moon Jae-in May Not Live Up to His Promise in "Oxy Affair"
Victims of South Korea’s deadly humidifier disinfectant scandal, which has killed dozens of consumers and left hundreds more injured for life, had pinned their hopes on the new Moon Jae-in administration to provide compensation. But the signals now coming from the government are mixed. Humidifiers are widely used in
While Politics Swings Left, MBC Reporters Feel Pushed Further Right
One of South Korea’s biggest public broadcasters, MBC, is being criticized by its own reporters for biased reporting on the Moon administration. Last week, on Aug. 7, the economics desk at MBC News released a statement about reporting practices and hierarchical structures within the outlet. It claimed that since
What Will Happen to Kaesong Industrial Complex?
On Jul. 3, South Korea got itself a new unification minister, a man known for promoting economic engagement with North Korea. The appointment comes against the backdrop of conservative president Park Geun-hye’s ouster in March over corruption allegations. Moon Jae-in, a liberal, was elected on May 9 to replace
Beyond the Static: Renewable Energy in South Korea
As the sun rises over the mountains of Gangwon Province, the valleys are still full of mist. Cuckoos call and frogs cross the roads. Above the fields of maize and ginseng, another silent crop prepares to gorge itself on the intensifying sunlight. Soon, the thousands upon thousands of photovoltaic panels
Park Geun-hye's Forgotten Blue House Documents
It seems the Blue House and Park Geun-hye just can’t seem to part. While the presidential office is still trying to figure out what to do with her leftover beds, it is now embroiled in the latest string of ties to the former president — thousands of potentially game-changing documents
Park Geun-hye Has Made Her Bed. Now, Who Will Lie in It?
Former president Park Geun-hye’s administration has come under fire recently for documents it left behind in the presidential office. But now it turns out she left something else behind too: three rather expensive beds. During her presidency, Park purchased the beds with taxpayers’ money at a total cost of
Education Blues Pt. 1: South Korea Cracks Down on Elite Schools
I suffered through an existential crisis in my second year of high school. By this, I don’t mean over my existence, but over my school’s existence. That year, abolishing foreign-language high schools hit the headlines for weeks, like it has been lately. We’d fret about the future
Text Bombs Are S Koreans' Latest Political Tactic
During the Cultural Revolution, millions of students across China went on a rampage against any perceived dissident, inflicting both physical and emotional violence. Half a century later in South Korea, to silence critics, supporters of political parties are using what the country is best known for: technology. More specifically, text
We Need to Tak about Hyeon-min
In a chapter of “A Manual for the Male Mind,” author Tak Hyeon-min provides a succinct bit of mansplaining. He recommends the old-fashioned pull-out method during intercourse as a means of birth control, his point being that since using a condom impedes the formation of “a next-level emotional rapport,” women