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After S Korea's Presidential Race: What's Next?
Just when the whole world seemed to be lurching to the right, France stepped away from a presidency under Marine Le Pen on Sunday. South Korea has now followed suit, kicking its conservatives into the wilderness after almost a decade in power and choosing progressive candidate Moon Jae-in
S Korea Election Day: Voter Snapshots in Seoul
A year ago today, Park Geun-hye probably would have had no idea how May 9 2017 would unfold. She would’ve imagined carrying out her official duties as president, albeit a lame duck president. She would’ve been thinking about the presidential election that would take place&
Expect More Fake News This Election Season
Last week, weekly magazine Sisa Journal reported that a group supportive of former president Park Geun-hye, the People’s Rally Movement for Rejection of President Park Geun-hye’s Impeachment, is funding far-right media outlets frequently accused of spreading fake news. Four conservative newspapers — Future Korea, Nocut Ilbe,
A Seoul Taxi Story: It's Just Not Fare
A 61-year-old taxi driver surnamed Kim was booked without detention on Wednesday, after he allegedly rejected a drunk customer in northern Seoul. CCTV footage shows a man, reportedly surnamed Lee, grabbing onto the cab’s door handle, then Kim accelerating to get away from him. Lee is dragged several
Ahn Cheol-soo: Not So Fresh Anymore
At the press conference, Ahn Cheol-soo’s voice nearly broke with emotion. He took long pauses between sentences before saying, “I declare my candidacy for the 18th presidential election.” A chorus of cheers rose, and a group of Ahn’s supporters broke into delirious chants of his name. That was
What Happened to "Safe Korea"?
A few weeks ago, I was walking through my small town in North Jeolla Province when I saw a building under construction. Two floors up, a sign proclaimed, “There is no exception to safety, no premonition of accidents.” Five stories above that, directly in line with the sign, a worker
Hong Joon-pyo and Pig Stimulant: "Which S Korean Man Doesn't Have a Story Like That?"
Just about every South Korean probably knows by now the story of the pig stimulant, even those who haven’t been following the South Korean presidential election. It’s the story of the Liberty Korea Party candidate Hong Joon-pyo’s youth, which first appeared in his 2005
TV Producer's Death Casts Light on Dark Side of K-Drama Industry
On Oct. 26, a man was found dead in a hotel near Gangnam, two days after finishing a project at work. His name was Lee Han-bit, and he worked as an assistant producer for the cable channel tvN, where he had just wrapped up production of “Drinking Solo,” a popular
An Orphan Painting: Back In the Open After 26 Years
It’s incredible how a painting slightly bigger than an A4-sized sheet of paper could aggravate so many people for so long. 26 years ago, a painting was at the center of one of South Korea’s biggest art scandals. It was part of an ambitious government-sponsored
Allegation of "Gay Blacklist" Surfaces In S Korean Army
The South Korean military is currently accused of systematically tracking down homosexual soldiers. According to the Military Human Rights Center for Korea (MHRCK), Jang Jun-kyu, Chief of Staff for the South Korean army, had ordered a probe to track down gay men in the military (not just the army). The
Reading List: Our 2017 Election Coverage
2017 is an interesting year for South Korean politics. A president has been ousted from office for the first time under the democratic constitution. The ruling conservative party is in shambles, splintered into three parties. The leading presidential candidates are mostly those that identify with the left, which means the
Multicultural South Korea: Congolese Refugee Receives Death Threats
“How are you?” I asked him. “I’m very fine!” Yiombi Thona answered. “Don’t worry too much about that. I’m used to it.” On the other end of the phone, Thona was referring to the multiple death threats he