Seoul
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Pleasures of Seoul
Demonstrations are a routine occurrence in downtown Seoul, but I don’t mind it in the least. Angry chanting is a familiar soundtrack to life in South Korea; when slogans reverberate at the capital’s most symbolic locations, you know the country is well. Democracy lives. I am fortunate to
Interview: The Organizers of S. Korea's Spycam Rallies
There is now a huge library of articles discussing the historic anti-spycam rallies in South Korea (the fourth one just took place on Saturday, Aug. 4). But the organizers behind the movement remain largely faceless and nameless. There are around 200 of them, all women, all volunteers. Most of them
ké cast S2 E1: Reporter's Notebook of Spycam Rallies
This summer, South Korea’s spycam ‘molka’ culture is bringing tens of thousands of women together in Seoul’s Daehakro neighborhood for the largest recorded women’s protests in South Korean history. On the first episode of a new season of ké cast, Korea
Expert Interview: "Spycam Isn't Just an Issue of Pornography"
Since the beginning of May, tens of thousands of women have taken to protesting monthly on the streets of Hyehwa, Seoul, demanding an end to South Korea’s pervasive problem of molka, or spycam porn. Their protests have been the largest recorded women’s rallies in South Korean
Seoul's Skyscrapers Are an Unlikely Home for Honeybees
Some 30 rooftops of high-rise buildings in Seoul are homes to honeybees. Park Jin, CEO of Urban Bees Seoul, a beekeeping co-op based in South Korean capital, is behind the movement to make the mega-city friendlier for the insects. The most difficult part about urban beekeeping is changing people’
Don't Waste That Banchan: Where South Korea's Food Waste Goes
Kimchis, fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, seafood, meat, pickles, pancakes…. One of the many pleasures of dining out in South Korea is the selection of banchan, or side dishes, that accompanies most meals. But seldom — if ever — do all banchan get eaten. Diners take a few mouthfuls of this
Pojangmacha: Tent Nostalgia
In Seoul’s central Jongno District lies one of the city’s last pojangmacha alleys. Every day around late afternoon, hired workers take apart around two dozen wheeled carts lining both sides of the alley. Tents are thrown over steel frames; five-gallon oil containers filled to the brim with
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
Why the Korean-Venezuelan Brothers Make Chocolate
Meet the creators of P.chokko, a chocolate shop in Seoul. They want to change Korean chocolate and send a message about their home, Venezuela.
Getting Lost in Alleyways and Seoul's Childhood
Not far from the busiest center of Seoul, with all the traffic and political rallies, there is Seochon, a quaint neighborhood in Seoul. In it, there is a single arcade that has been operating since 1988. It’s managed by Seol Jaewoo, a local resident who successfully crowdfunded to keep
South Korea Women's March in Photos
On Mar. 4, with South Korea’s intensifying #MeToo movement, the annual Korea Women’s March took place in central Seoul. Hosted by Korean Women’s Association United (KWAU) and the 3.8 Women’s Day Organizing Committee, the march began in Gwanghwamun, south of the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Carpooling Apps on Collision Course with S Korea Taxi Drivers
South Korea’s taxi industry is reacting angrily to the latest threat from mobility apps. Following the shutdown of ridesharing service Uber in 2015, this time carpooling apps are threatening to disrupt the country’s transport ecosystem. Two leading local platforms — Luxi and its biggest rival Poolus — are