South Korea
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Trump Touches Down; Craves Red Meat
Disclaimer: Don’t take this seriously. Officials at the Blue House scrambled to avert a diplomatic crisis early on Tuesday as U.S. president Donald Trump flew from Japan to South Korea. Several members of Trump’s entourage confirmed that the U.S. president had been left “seething” after
Dispatch: Central Seoul Quiet as Trump Arrives for Meeting with "a Fine Gentleman"
Walking through central Seoul on Tuesday morning, it’s clear that the South Korean government is taking no chances with security during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit. In the vicinity of Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul’s symbolic center, police line the street and stand shoulder to shoulder at every
Media Roundup: S. Korean Chatter Ahead of Trump's Visit
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in South Korea tomorrow on the second stop of his five-country tour of Asia, his first trip to the region as president. Trump’s South Korea itinerary includes a trip to a U.S. military base, the National Cemetery in Seoul
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
South Korean Perp Walks: What's Up With the Blurred Handcuffs?
If you happened to catch television coverage of then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye arriving for a court hearing in May, you might have noticed that before she even disembarked from the jail bus, there was a pixelated blob on the screen waiting for her. The pixelation was strategically placed to
No-Kids Zones and the Myth of "Parasitic Mothers"
A year ago, a friend of mine, a female radio producer in Seoul, confided that visiting someone who had just given birth horrified her. She talked about this young mother as being cooped up in the apartment all day while her husband worked, and feeling her intelligence diminishing to the
Is South Korea Ready for All Its International Students?
In August, Bernadette had dropped out of her summer classes and found herself repeatedly Googling ‘how to die painlessly.’ She was in her third year at Dongguk University in Seoul, far from her family and friends in her native Philippines. Having been in South Korea since 2014, she hadn’t
"I Think of the Mountain": History of Hiking in S. Korea
The CIA World Factbook describes South Korea as “mostly hills and mountains.” 64 percent of the country’s land is forest, according to a 2014 report by Korea Forest Service. Given this geography, hiking naturally is a popular pastime in South Korea. Or is it so natural to assume so?
Korean Adoptees Search Against the Odds and Agencies
When Fleur Pellerin became a prominent member of newly-elect Francois Hollande’s cabinet in 2012, headlines in South Korea started buzzing about how she was the “flower” that made South Korea known to the world. Pellerin was a Korean adoptee; a few days after her birth in
Removed from Context: The Unbearable Lightness of Korean Hip Hop
While I was surfing the web I came across an image making fun of Korean hip hop: “Typical Korean hip hop.jpg. Rapper gets pissed at nothing.” (Source: User “Gaedrip” via online community Clien) Of course, this is a joke. Hip hop is mainstream in South Korea.
End of Itaewon As We Know Nears
Rendering of Hannam Newtown District 3 as it would look after redevelopment (courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government) Itaewon in central Seoul is one of South Korea’s most diverse and interesting neighborhoods. American soldiers from the nearby military base are a fixture. Diplomats from around the world are stationed at
Spending Candlelight Protest Anniversary in the Slammer
One year after the start of a historic protest movement that ended with the ouster of a president, central Seoul is set to be filled with candle-holding citizens again this Saturday. Last year’s nationwide demonstrations were sparked by allegations of influence peddling involving then-President Park Geun-hye, her confidante