South Korea culture
Is the World's First Newspaper...Korean?
Is the world’s oldest-known newspaper Korean? A Buddhist temple in South Korea recently claimed that it possessed the world’s “first” daily newspaper, called the Jobo. If the claim is true, the Jobo would be almost a century older than the Einkommende Zeitungen, one of the world’
Twitter User Flags 'PedoFILA' Controversy
An old advertisement is suddenly going viral online in South Korea. Keywords: “pedoFILA” and “sexualization.” Against a pink background, dotted with strawberry patterns, “Strawberry gelato” is written in playful cursive lettering. By the way, this ad is not for a new flavor of Baskin Robbins. Underneath the script, a sneaker
K-Pop And the Spy Camera Incident: Always Smile At the Customer!
In an online video clip, Yerin, member of the K-pop group GFriend, sits behind a table with a neck pillow perched playfully on her head. In front of her sits a man in a black jacket who leans forward slightly, removes his eyeglasses and hands them to her. She looks
Touring Jeju's Dark History
Known for its turquoise-hued water and coal-black volcanic landscape, Jeju Island at the southwestern end of the Korean Peninsula is a popular destination for tourists in and outside of South Korea. Most visit the island for its beautiful scenery and hearty local cuisine. Newly-weds used to flock to the island
South Korea's Impossibly Mundane Superheroes
Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman. … Our best-loved superheroes are an unusual and flamboyant bunch. In South Korea, meanwhile, a different breed of wonder-figure is winning over the people: the Office Hero. The Office Hero doesn’t have supernatural abilities, technically speaking. He or she works in an office,
Time to Stop Skirting the Issue: Sexualization of School Uniforms in South Korea
“3D bodyline.” “A tulip body-line to turn men’s heads.” “A skirt that really brings out those lines.” “Freely adjustable length.” Guess what kind of product this ad is promoting. It’s an ad for girls’ school uniforms. One Twitter user recently uploaded a photo
153 Forgotten Days at Seoul National University
The student sit-in at Seoul National University lasted 153 days, before being disbanded just a day after president Park Geun-hye was ousted from office. Their long-drawn protest, like many news stories, has been subsumed by the Park Geun-hye scandal. What’s going on in the country’s
Finding Remnants of Colonial Architecture
After Korea’s liberation from colonial rule in 1945, feelings were running high. Many Koreans called for the destruction of prominent colonial-era structures, not least the Shinto shrine on Namsan and the Government-General building in Gwanghwamun. Perhaps fortunately, critics noted that such plans were impractical as any demolition policy
Hope for Korea's Surviving Colonial Architecture
Once during an afternoon trip to Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do, I found myself photographing a small parking garage. When an older South Korean man came to get his motorbike, he casually asked my friend and me what we were doing there. I told him I liked old architecture and, in making small
Bukchon: Seoul's Destruction of Heritage
Gahoe-dong — “the place where beauty gathers” — was the last district in Seoul with whole streets of wood-and-tile houses, preserving the ambiance of the city a century ago. But after six hundred years at the heart of Korean cultural and social life, it has been relentlessly destroyed. Gahoe-dong is part of
Gay Jongno: Hidden in Plain Sight
The central district of Jongno is synonymous with high-rise office buildings, language academies, the bustle of Insadong, street barbecues, and end-of-week drinks. But a closer look will reveal another world unfamiliar to even veteran Jongno-goers, tourists, and residents alike: gay Jongno. Many are unaware that the streets of Jongno
A Song for Ssireum: Traditional Wrestling Dies a Slow Death in South Korea
The Uiseong Middle School ssireum team at practice. (Credit: Karl Schutz) UISEONG, South Korea — Ssireum, a style of Korean wrestling some say is as old as Korea itself, has been seeing a slow and silent death in South Korea in recent decades. The sport, which feature two plus-sized competitors wrestling