Politics

From progressives to conservatives, everything about South Korean politics

Ben Jackson
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KÉ Interview: If South Korea Wants to Change, Transform Seoul

On Jun. 13, South Korea is holding nationwide local elections. For the first time since its foundation in 2012, Green Party Korea candidates will appear on ballot papers across the country. The Green Party is a massive underdog in an electoral system that favors the two largest parties, the

Ben Jackson
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'One Nation' Dream: Do Younger South Koreans Want Reunification?

Olympic reconciliation, ongoing North Korea-U.S. hostility, yesterday a South Korean delegation to Pyongyang…. As usual, the Korean Peninsula is keeping observers on their toes. Amid all the intrigue, it’s easy to overlook the 50 million Koreans south of the demilitarized zone. How do they perceive North

Ho Kyeong Jang
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How South Korea Got Rid of Its Gun Problem

In the aftermath of yet another mass shooting in the United States, international and domestic media have published articles touting South Korea as a model of gun regulation. But contrary to popular belief, freedom from gun violence is a relatively new development in the country. It’s true that South

Owen Miller
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Pyeongchang Olympics: What to Make of North Korea’s Switching Tactics

Editor’s Note: For better or worse, the Pyeongchang Olympics has become famous as much for politics as for sports since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to send a delegation at the last minute. The question of what this all means is not easy to answer. The

Daniel Corks
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Battle Over South Korea's Constitutional Reform Focuses on LGBT Rights

On Sep. 2, 2017, there was a rally in downtown Gwangju the likes of which the city had never seen before. Streets were blocked off and a large stage was set up in the heart of the city. With drummers, dancers, and singers, at a glance it didn’t look

Se-Woong Koo
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N. Korea's Olympics Proposal Undermines U.S. Hawks

At a scholarly conference on international politics and security I attended early December in the U.S., many an opinion was proffered on the state of geopolitics in Northeast Asia. But one dominant view, expressed at least privately by a number of scholars, was that the Donald Trump administration is

KOREA EXPOSÉ
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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

Steven Borowiec
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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

Haeryun Kang
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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

Steven Borowiec
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Nameless and Faceless

Last year, students at Pusan National University treated campus cleaning and security staff to a meal and some live music, in an event titled “We’re happy because of your effort.” Local newspaper Busan Ilbo was on the scene, and quoted someone from the university as saying, “We hope the

Jieun Choi
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“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

Haeryun Kang
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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