North Korea
37270
Not Even Kim Jong-un Can Stop KBS, MBC Strikes
On the day North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sep. 3, two of South Korea’s biggest public broadcasters didn’t have enough reporters to thoroughly cover the breaking story. Many of them were on strike. “We beseech the employees and the labor unions leading the strike to
The Few, The Quirky: S. Korea's War Preppers
Seated at a downtown coffee shop dressed in business casual, Woo Seung-yep looked more like an office worker than a war prepper as he calmly explained how he became the best-known South Korean engaged in guerrilla efforts to prepare for the possibility of war on the Korean peninsula, which has
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.
North Korea: Brother, Enemy, Not My Problem
Everybody in South Korea knows the song “Our Dream is Unification.” I sang it in elementary school. I watched as Kim Jong-il and then South Korean president Kim Dae-jung sang it in Pyongyang at the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000. And I unwittingly teared up when Park Geun-hye, the recently
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
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
Haeryun Kang: On S. Korean "indifference" to N. Korea in Vox
Last week, managing editor Haeryun Kang talked to the Guardian about the complexity behind S. Koreans’ indifference toward N. Korean threats. Read her in-depth interview with Vox, with detailed follow-up questions regarding the Guardian analysis: “…in South Korea, [North Korea] is deeply personal, and it’s
Haeryun Kang: On N. Korea in the Guardian
“In South Korea we’re scared but we’ve normalised the fear,” published on the Guardian on Aug. 9, 2017. Are S. Koreans indifferent to N. Korean provocations? When North Korea news gets hot, like now, thanks to its recent missile test and Guam, many outlets
Alpabet or Alphabet? The Case for a New Hangeul
“I heard from the horse’s mouth it’s the most scientific alphabet in the world,” I once overheard a South Korean student say as he showed a Westerner a display on Hangeul, Korea’s indigenous alphabet, at the National Museum of Korea. Get over it, I thought, annoyed at
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
Ppira: Women's Bodies as Bait in Propaganda War Between Two Koreas
A woman with curled up hair and enamel white pumps flashes her legs in an archetypal Marilyn Monroe posture — wind blows from below, ballooning up her flowing dress, which she pushes down just before revealing too much. “Who’s stopping you?” “If you run, it takes just five minutes!
Who Are the Agencies Behind North Korea Tourism?
When hundreds of foreign journalists visited Pyongyang in April to cover North Korea’s latest military parade, Otto Warmbier had already been in a coma for about a year. And nobody knew. Earlier this month, Warmbier’s parents received the first update about their son’s condition since Jan. 2016,