Sewol
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4th Anniversary of the Sewol: Curtain May Soon Fall on Site of Remembrance
Today marks the 4th anniversary of the Sewol disaster, and President Moon Jae-in’s first as president. He addressed the nation via Facebook yesterday, saying, “The Sewol tragedy changed us…. The candlelight protests and the vow to create a new South Korea began with the Sewol.
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
A Small Victory for South Korea's Disability Rights
On a cold winter evening in 2012, Lee Hyung-sook came out to Gwanghwamun, a historic square in central Seoul, to catch the attention of then-candidate Park Geun-hye. Lee uses a wheelchair to get around and is officially classified as “level 1,” a grade applied to the most severely handicapped
Salvaged. But Not Saved
Can there ever be complete closure for those who lose their loved ones? Perhaps “closure” is a rationale we force upon ourselves and others, so we can make the motion of closing one chapter and moving onto the next. But in reality, the next chapter is never
Politics of the Yellow "Sewol" Ribbon
Yellow ribbon is the symbol of the Sewol incident, a ferry disaster that killed 304 passengers three years ago today. All over South Korea, tiny yellow ribbons dangle from people’s backpacks, wallets, bicycles, and on the windowsills of small cafés. Politicians — mostly from the
Journalism Without Journalists: Political Interference Cripples Public Broadcasting
President Park Geun-hye’s scandal is often seen as a triumph of South Korean journalism. Not just for the dogged investigations by countless journalists, but because typically partisan newspapers on different sides of the political spectrum, like Hankyoreh and Chosun Ilbo, all reported persistently and critically on the same
Top Five Sightings from the Anti-Park Geun-hye Protests
In the sixth straight weekend of rallies in South Korea, a record number of protesters gathered in Seoul and across the nation Saturday, calling for the ouster of president Park Geun-hye. According to the progressive newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun, it marked the republic’s largest rally in history with an estimated
Weekly Brief: Oct. 31st - Nov. 6th
No end in sight for Choi Soon-sil scandal The Choi Soon-sil gate continues to grip South Koreans and the world abroad alike. Choi Soon-sil is president Park Geun-hye’s confidante, accused of abusing her position to intervene in politics and embezzle money from government projects. Last week, prosecutors detained
Weekly Brief: Oct. 3rd - 9th
NHRCK decides that it’s anti-HIV/AIDS discrimination The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has finally recommended that the Ministry of Justice end the practice of requiring HIV tests for E-2 visa recipients, after the UN’s CERD called for the same in May last year. As described
Admiral Conquers South Korean Cinema, Exposing Fissures in Politics
Source: CJ Entertainment It’s a big-screen scene to thrill the heart of even the most cynical South Korean moviegoer. The year is 1597, and the forces of the Joseon Dynasty – the precursor to the modern Korean nation – and Japan are at war. The last remnants of